AZJeff

The leaf springs and the center pins of the springs interfacing with the holes in the spring perches are what centers the axle. Tolerance on the location of the spring mounts from the factory allow the spring mount locations to vary back and forth (side to side) up to 2.25mm during the assembly and welding process of the chassis (based on shop manual information). I don't really know what the tolerance is on the factory welding of the spring perches on the axle, but I would guess it's +/-1mm. As you can see, there is reasonable latitude in the axle centering of the axle under the vehicle. The drive shaft can deal with that, no problem, of course.

Yeah, but I just finished putting new bushings on, and new U-bolts. I just wanted to be lazy and not go through the hassle of taking then off again. Off to find some spring pads on line....

I was wondering if I (1)jacked up the vehicle so the axle hangs at full extension and then (2)hammer a wedge into the juncture between the two leaves to make some space, and then "coerce" the old pad out, and the new pad in. The trick is going to be how to drive in a wedge that I can then get back out. I have an air hammer that I KNOW will drive in a wedge, but getting it out is another story..... Anyone have any ideas?

How hard is it to install new anti-squeak pads between the leaves of a spring when it’s on the vehicle? Any special suggestions for separating the end of the leaves to remove the old pad and install a new one?

^^^THIS^^^ is the way to solve this. I bought some raingutter trim rails for an XJ from Team Cherokee, and then I cut them down and trimmed/bent the rear edge of the rail to wrap around the trailing edge of the body seam. I attached the rails to the body with flexible body adhesive I bought at the local auto paint supply house.

There really isn't anything better than the original equipment type plugs from Champion. The AMC/Chrysler 4.0 is an engine that isn't very picky (nor does it respond to) fancier spark plugs. Synthetic oil is very useful in some environments. For example, down here in PHX, where temperatures regularly reach 110* or more in the summer, a synthetic oil will not break down under heat nearly as readily, and that makes it worthwhile. I am not familiar with enzyme fuel additives, so I won't comment.

These are all REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS!!

I have 97+ XJ doors on my MJ. I used replacment mirrors from Rock Auto. Here are my assessments of those mirrors: 1. housing is black plastic, rather than the OEM die cast/painted metal. This isn't an issue in my book, and actually is an improvement, since the die cast ones corroded internally. 2. the new mirrors came with gaskets, but no screws. I reused my old screws. 3. the new mirrors did NOT come with the grommets, but I got some at the hardware store that functioned effectively. My mirrors have been on for about 18 months, and seem fine and still fully functional.

I wouldn't mess around trying to rescutate an old electric motor. Replacement mirror assemblies, complete, are available from several sources new. Rock Auto lists several brands for $75 and up. eBay has new aftermarket units for $50 and up.

Heat (and plenty of it) should do the trick quite nicely. If you want, you can squirt some penetrating oil or acetone/ATF mix and let it sit for a day. Be sure to use a BOX wrench or deepwell socket when turning the fitting, so it distributes the torque force on all six points of the hex.

The fittings are steel, and the manifold is aluminum. Apply heat to the manifold, not the fitting. The manifold will expand faster than the fitting, loosening the grip of the threads.

Belt dressing is NOT recommended for serpentine belts, as it actually makes the belt MORE prone to slippage.

Several thoughts: —A socket-head capscrew might give you a bit more clearance. —I would seriously consider shortening the misalignment spacers a bit. —Better than nylock nuts and lock washers would be the all-steel distorted thread locknuts

I am guessing that, when you drilled out the hole in the steering knuckle to remove the taper, the hole is at an angle now. That's my guess based on one photo.

I disagree with the suggestion to use one from Autozone. I wound up replacing my remanufactured steering box in my F150 from Autozone THREE times. in the course of 20,000 miles. I suggest gettting one from someone like Rock Auto, rather than the stuff like "Duralast" brand featured at Autozone.

If the shell is even with the bore in the housing (and yours is), you are good to go!

My first one was a K-D brand that I got at a NAPA. The second one that I got and hacked up to make a custom puller for a Ford 4.6L is some Chinese junk from O’reillys.

I am not familiar with the older MJ/XJ window motors, but from the photo you provided, it looks like the motor assembly is constructed so that the end of the assembly where the wires enter the motor is crimped to the body of the motor with some bent tabs. I am guessing that the lugs that connect the wires into the motor proper are only accessible after the end plate for the motor is removed from the motor body. This would be accomplished by unbending the tabs holding the endplate to the body.

The 4.0 crankcase ventilation system is properly called a CCV (controlled crankcase ventilation) system. And as others pointed out, it uses a metered orifice in the REAR hose on the valve cover to control the amount of crankcase vapors that are sucked into the intake manifold when the engine is running. when the engine gets old, this metered orifice can become restricted, and thus the normal draw of vapors from the crankcase is defeated. Once that happens, crankcase vapors blow out through the intake hose on the FRONT of the valve cover, and the engine gets coated in oil residue. It may also contribute to oil loss by other than burning, and thus it is wise to address a plugged CCV system in the way others have explained above.

Since we are on the topic of salt, and how it causes rust, here is a tidbit I remember from my youth: I grew up in N. Illinois, where salt is commonly used on the roads in winter, of course. To extend the life of his cars, my dad always got his vehicles rustproofed with "Zeibart" undercoating, which was quite popular at the time. I remember the Zeibart guy saying that how/where they applied the Zeibart undercoating/innercoating varied across the country. Areas along the coasts often had issues with the inside of the roof panels rusting where insulation used as a heat barrier would trap and hold salt vapors, causing rust. In those regions, Zeibart would take down the headliner and spray a protective coating on the inside of the roof panel, and reinstall the headliner. It was something they did only in the coastal regions.

When it comes to auxiliary lights, you will find different answers depending on the region of the country. Back east, you really don't need much (relative speaking) in the way of added lighting, and using it on real roads will get you attention from law enforcement. Out in the west (such as AZ, where I live), extra lighting outside of town is VERY appreciated, especially on secondary roads. It's damned near mandatory on Forest Service roads. And if you are using those added lights, just be courteous to other drivers and tone it down when there is oncoming traffic. If you do that, the cops probably won't even say anything about your lights.

SIde bar here: One of my caliper mounting bolts was "almost" stripped out, and I finished the job when I installed a new caliper. Of course, because the caliper bolts are special, I needed to keep the original size/pitch of the caliper mounting holes. Helicoil to the rescue!!

You would need to measure the diameter of the stud and get a clip whose hole is a slight interference fit onto the stud. My local hardware store actually stocks these kinds of clips, so maybe you can find one nearby that does the same. Otherwise....Amazon is your friend.

You will need to create a small "lake" of PB Blaster or the like around where the nut would normally seat on the hub. This will allow gravity to help the PB Blaster to seep down into the splines. Heat will be tricky, because the only area you can really get the heat to transfer through is the part the splines of the hub. If you apply heat to the parts further down, it must travel through the bearings themselves, and that's a very small path, with lots of resistance to heat flow. What sort of heat are you using? On parts that big, you need to be using an oxy-acetylene torch. Anything less won't apply enough heat fast enough to get the hub splines to expand away from the axle shaft.

Agreed. Getting the control arms lined up to slip in the bolts can be challenging. After I installed my Core 4x4 arms, I didn't like the pinion angle or the caster (too much), so I decided to adjust the arms a second time. What I figured would be a 30 minute job wound up taking about 3 hours, because I found I had to loosen ALL the mounting bolts on both the upper and lower arms, and then using ratcheting straps, a floor jack, and a bottle jack to get all bolts aligned. On the passenger's side, i found it easier to get the lower arm installed first, and then muscle the upper arm into position. On the driver's side, it was the opposite: upper arm first, lower after that. Having a helper makes this much easier, by the way. I did it once by myself, and the second time, my son was in town, and it went MUCH easier with his help.