89 MJ

That’s always the best way to do it

Funnily enough, my truck was also white with a blue interior and I planned on painting it a dark gray. None of the pictures in this thread show it, but the color is much brighter when the sun hits it. And it hides dirt very well.

Correct, the rails that attach to the bed that the cover velcros to. They might be able to be notched, I’m not sure. Depending on how the weather is when I’m home and if I can find the cover, I’ll try to snag some pictures. It’s been the better part of 3 1/2 years since I had the cover installed, so I can’t remember how bad the interference was.

Looks like fiatslug already linked it above. Surprisingly, it’s only gone up $25 in price in the last 4 years. Thank you. It’s Brilliant Blue Metallic. Chrysler used it from 94-97. My build thread might have the exact info on it if you need more information.

It does have ribs. I think there are two of them, plus the two at the ends. I wish it could be used with the sport bar, but the rails that run along the tops of the bed sides are just narrow enough so that they hit the sport bar. I wish there was an option out there for those of us who want the sport bar and a tonneau cover.

That’s my bad. I didn’t make it very clear. You are correct, turn the key, listen for the pump, when the pump stops, shut the key off and repeat two more times. That would eliminate the fuel pump check valve being bad if there is no change. If that doesn’t cure it, you might need to check fuel pressure. I think that is the most likely fuel delivery issue. It would take a while for the fuel to drain back from the injectors to the tank, which is why it’s hard to start after sitting overnight or for a few days, but will start fine after running it. I would still guess it is most likely an ignition issue though based on the fact it seems that the issue is worse when there is more moisture in the air. And then as the day goes on or the engine is run, the heat dries the connections out more and then it runs.

That looks like the one. It would be perfect if it were 1/2” longer, but it never leaked when it rained. I don’t have any great pictures, but I will make up for quality with quantity. It sits pretty low, which I like Rolls up nice and tight too

I ran a North Mountain cover on my MJ for a 94 Ford Ranger. It was off of Amazon. My parents run North Mountain covers on two of their trucks too. They seem to hold up very well.

Needing to hold the throttle open would indicate too much fuel in the combustion chamber. That should evaporate though after a period sitting and then wouldn’t want to start if you were just running it. I would lean to it being either an ignition issue or it’s not getting fuel to the injectors quick enough, something like the check valve in the fuel pump being no good. If you cycled the key three or so times so that the fuel pump runs without cranking the engine, that would answer that quickly.

Don’t take that as gospel though, I have only worked on Renix Jeeps. I’ve only pulled parts off of HOs, never actually worked on one.

To me, it sounds like you should probably upgrade the pump to one with the pressure and flow rate of an HO one and then swap to the return style fuel rail found on the HOs.

@ghetdjc320seems very knowledgeable when it comes to the fuel system on HOs.

I probably didn't look at it close enough, looks like there wasn't a bid. I agree, there should be way more pictures.

Bubbling paint, painted b-pillar vents, and a 20k reserve. Ok then. I see it’s already bid to 10k though.

Still no trip to the parts store? Without that, I’m just guessing, but I suspect your slow cranking issue is the end of the battery cable that wasn’t fixed yet and your intermittent stalling or not starting is an ignition component that isn’t liking the moisture.

My dad used POR15 on the rocker panels of his 2000 Silverado plow truck. The rockers eventually rotted away anyways. We’ve started using Chassis Saver instead. It seems to work much better and is only a one part product.

Rear bumper had been chosen and a filler panel between the bed and bumper has been started. It is a 55-59 Chevy or GMC stepside pickup rear bumper that has been flipped upside down.

This is the route I went in my MJ. I actually used an Explorer Sport Trac 8.8, which is a little bit wider than an MJ rear. The only problem with it is the size of the pumpkin. You can run a much smaller tire on an 8.25 or Super D35 and have the same ground clearance as you do with an 8.8.

It seems like you're on the right track then. I think its definitely worth getting the negative cable off and cleaning it up. Might be worth checking that engine to chassis ground again, but a visual inspection will do for that one. A visual inspection is not always sufficient for the battery cables though. They could be corroded inside the casing. Best way to check that would be comparing your cranking voltage at the battery, which you've already done, to the cranking voltage at the solenoid. They should be just about the same. In my opinion, that's not cold enough to where you need to worry about having a heater hooked up. I'm curious as to what the parts store will tell you. In the meantime, and if you wanted to, next time you go to start the truck, cycle the key a few times so that the fuel pump will prime the system a couple of extra times. You cranking and it not starting and then your son cranking it and it starting almost makes it sound like the check valve in the fuel pump is letting the fuel drain back into the tank. That said, cranking speed is definitely a battery, battery cable, or starter issue. It could be such a situation where if the battery is bad, the sensors for the engine aren't getting enough voltage and preventing it from starting.

Penetrating oil and/or heat. Did the engine turn over any quicker? Shouldn’t the positive cable go directly to the starter solenoid, not the firewall? is the chassis to engine ground at the back of the intake cleaned? Did you try boosting it with another vehicle or a jump pack? How cold did it get? I really don’t think that you need the heater. How did you determine that the battery cables were in good shape? Have you taken it to a parts store to get the battery and starter tested?

I didn’t, I went with one of the master colder and slave cylinder preassembled deals for an external slave XJ.

Happy belated birthday! Glad to see you posted on this thread again

I believe that there is. The Luk part number for the external slave is LMC206. The internal slave Luk number is LMC205. My external slave AX-15 clutch feels the same as the internal slave Peugeot that was in my MJ previously.

I’d bet that it needs to come apart. You should be able to get it positioned right so that it won’t rattle. They have a metal frame and can use the stock gasket.

I can get pictures of my 4 piece slider stuff in about a week in a half. I can’t recall any rubber there, but mine will rattle unless I have both windows square in the frame.