Wallace Krempa

If I am still in PA at that time (might be shipping with the Army) plan on me being there. where are y'all planning on meeting?

Two things... The first being if you are having any running hot problems, the MJ and XJ stock radiators tend to be a little to small for long runs, get hood spacers, https://www.ksuspensionfab.com/store/p3/1"_XJ_Hood_Spacers.html#/ I threw some on mine and it ran great. Along with that very little FOD got into the engine bay, and it still opens and closes easy. The second thing, lift and speed don't mix... always be careful, I got to comfortable and.. uh... decided to not keep the tire on the pavement. Ill live, and the LRM( Little rainbow monster(she is six different colors)) will live as well.

I just want to start out by saying that I never thought that this day would ever come. So without further postponement... Three day ago on the way home from work i lost control of my MJ, I have before and thought it was like any other time. Until the ground was perpendicular to the hood of my jeep, and there was a ringing in my ear. I crawled out of the jeep almost completely unscathed. Just a sore shoulder and headache. My Jeep... I can't say the same. The tow truck came and flipped her back up onto her tires, and some how she started. I limped her the remaining mile home and parked her. Today (12/2/2019) was the first day since that i have gone down to her. I had a friend come over who is in collision repair come over to take a look. He said what i thought was the worst news. He said that by the way the cab folded over when i landed, with the money i have(not much at all) he would not be able to fix it. He said that it would be best to let her go. I bought my jeep in 2015 as my first car. I did the motor swap myself, the lift myself. Now that i can actually sit down and think about it. i have done everything on my truck that needed fixing. you could say that she is my child. Many a many times i would come onto this website and see what others were doing, and think that is a great idea, i should probably do the same. Or even gone on to ask for advise on how to fix or repair something. It is at this part that i give my ever living thanks and gratitude to everyone on this site. Because of all of you, you have helped me relize that driving a Jeep Comanche isn't just driving another car or truck. Its a life style. Its a way of living that should never go away. Even though as most of our trucks go on 30 to 30+ years old, that still run strong, and if they don't... We make sure that they can for another 30+ years. My jeep is up for sale on this site (link below)and I am located in Easter PA. https://comancheclub.com/topic/60149-full-89-in-eastern-pa/ I leave you all with much thanks, and i will be for ever in your debt. AND i picture of my Jeep the day i drove her home from the mechanics after getting her to pass inspection. https://photos.app.goo.gl/KYZi21mA1kwj7SbF7

Looking underneath the truck can only give you half the picture, but in the end it is your truck and up to you. Welding wise the video below is a really good demonstration on what the settings on the welder need to look like to make a good weld (and how it should sound). Getting a good weld if you haven't taken a class will take some time to learn what you have to do. If there are any vocational schools in your area I would suggest taking a welding class through one. In my area they are 100 bucks every Tuesday and Thursday nights for 8 weeks. Probably on of the most useful classes i have ever taken. MIG welders are definitely the easiest welders to learn on, and a 220 is a nice sized machine. If i may make a suggestion. I look at my welders like i look at my boots. If i am going to be using them a lot or often, i wouldn't want a cheap P.O.S. that is not going to do what i would like or is going to hurt me. I would spend the upfront money and get a good machine. It doesn't have to be a big machine, but a brand that has a very good reputation behind it. Like a Lincoln or a MSC Industrial etc. If you find that you like your welder a lot and it lasts that's great, but i haven't found the Harbor Freight, craftsman, or home depot special to be the most reliable.

First time i have seen this thread, and looks really cool. Love the name BTW. I might have to look into this, mine does the same thing.

Welcome to the biggest money hole, yet funnest adventure you have and ever will experience. I also have a 1989, so the first thing i would do would pull up the carpets. i know that sounds counter intuitive but Comanches tend to collect water in between the carpet and the floor, and then your floor rusts out. I didn't, and now i regret it everyday, why, because i didn't my floors rusted out, and now i have a 10" by 4" hole under my clutch foot. A new floor pan could run you about 100 to 150 bucks, IF you do our own welding. I got mine with the original motor (V6 2.8L) because of that also bought a Cherokee that had a I6 4.0. From that same Cherokee i got a 9.5" lift, 4wd transfer case, and Dana 44 axles. I bought that Cherokee for $1,500 because the rear passenger side leaf spring fasten point had broken and the previous owner was done with Jeeps. Difficulty wise. If you aren't doing anything major( tranny swap, transfer, motor swap) it isn't hard at all. YouTube has almost everything you will need to know. If you are getting into the bigger swaps or lifts i would suggest getting a friend to help or ask the question on here so you aren't working in a big circle, and we can offer advise on what works and what doesn't. Yet again, welcome to owning a Comanche. It is probably the most looked at vehicle when you go into town.

I run a AX-15 through a DANA 44 more money up front, but will last. I also have 33x12.5 on a 9 inch lift, every now and then when taking a hard corner i will still rub. For the most part i don't. i have a freind who was running 33X12.5 on a 3 inch lift, and everywhere he went he rubbed, he eventually broke down and put a 9 inch on.

That is what I personally did. It took me three months(about 3 hours a day) an 1 1/2 XJ to do mine. The 1/2 an XJ was for lift, axles and interior. They were both totaled but usable for what i needed to do. For both the XJ from the junk yard was $1200.

I have a 89' with a 91' 6 cyl. I have to put mine in 4wd every morning on my way out because my driveway is pretty steep on stone. I noticed the same thing. I replaced the oil in my front axle and tranny. Seemed to fix it, even with long term driving in 4wd.

I know that i have injector issues, but with my 4.0 it runs about 1200 cold, and about 900 warm.

From 1987 to 1992 all of the 4.0 were the same. If its your exhaust manifold they were all the same for those years. You should be able to go to any junk yard and find one in good condition.

I already have a 9 1/2" lift so that wouldn't be a problem. Where would I be able to find a 3.3 Cummins for a reasonable price?

I have been looking into motor swaps, there are a lot of reasons why, but within the last 2 to 3 months the idea is coming up more and more. Why? My current 4.0 has started leaking more fluids, and has gotten a knock at idle. I could do another 4.0, but i just got a new job, and my miles I drive daily just went up by 10 to 15. Motor Ideas. One of my friends just finished up doing a Mercedes OM617 in his CJ and he said if he were to do it again he would swap either the new Cummins R2.8 or the older 4BTA(the A part is just a higher compression ratio(more power)). I could afford an 4BTA but the new R2.8 at almost 9K is out of the question. So i went looking. I found a Caterpillar C2.4 (2.4L) that weighs in a just about 525lbs ready running ready. But as it currently sits as a N/A it is 50HP. I could do a compound turbo set up with 50psi and get her up to about 180HP. Don't get me wrong, that isn't a set of astronomical numbers, but it is comparable to my current motor. Costs. The Cummins I found is $3,500 with a tranny, is a reman with 4,000 hours on it, but is in Florida. Whitch isn't that close to me. The CAT i found is $2,400 without a tranny, and is a surplus, so its been in a wearhouse doing nothing. The motor is in Chicago, which is a lot closer to me. I have not found a tranny for this particular motor, or a mounting plate for the AX-15 that i currently have. The reason I put in where the motor is, is for freight cost. Thanks for all the advise in advance. Wallace

I am looking to do the same, but as everyone else said, its the cost. On the other hand go over to https://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1150520 its a XJ site, and there is alot of useful info about the Cummins 2.8 and 4bt. but what caught my eye ( i don't think an MJ could handle it) but there is a 6bt swapped XJ. The owner redid the entire frame so that it could work. But let him do the talking. This is a pic from his post.

To jump right on into it, I am getting a new job as a General Contractor in a few weeks, and my new employer does not provide tools for the job. Meaning i would need to haul my own stuff to and from the site every day. As of right now the tools themselves don't really matter to me, as i would like a definite means of transporting them in a protected environment. I was thinking that i would build the bed from scratch as i believe it would be easier than trying to find an old one then suiting it to my needs. I have looked into buying a new truck as a work truck, but 90% of them are out of my price range, and the others are junked. I have seen images across the internet of 'Manches with utility beds, and there was even one on here that was sold. Now the question, if anyone out there has any dimensions and or utility beds for a Comanche that they are not using and willing to sell, please get in contact with me. As of building one, i have a welder, and angle grinder, and know how to use both. Thanks for all the help. I found this picture online, and am looking to do somewhat of the same idea.

Quick question, its been the entire summer since i did an oil change, and since i changed my oil, about 2 weeks ago, and about a month coming up to this point, she just smells like shes burning oil. There are no clouds of smoke, and the level in the pan(checked by the sick) is not changing. But there is an amount of oil coming out of the top of the valve cover (oil fill) that i would call stariling. thank for the help.

Do you think you need to do any frame re-enforcement? What about hp and torque? Also could it bolt into the AX-15 that is already in my Jeep?

I have a 89' manche with a 91' 4.0 in it. I have replace the harmonic balancer, alternator, and the water pump on the 4.0, but the transmission is leaking, the power steering is leaking, and the engine is running worse and worse every day. I have always liked diesel engines, and i was looking into a Mercedes OM617 from 98. I have seen them in Cherokees as old as my manche and was wondering if you it would be worth it to do the swap. I was looking to do a compound turbo setup on the Mercedes and it would produce 250hp and 250ft-lbs of torque. i would have to re-enforce the frame so that it wouldn't break. My current estimate is about $4K for the engine and work to the engine. The frame re-enforcement's and welding about $1,500 more. Resealing the tranny and re-gearing the axles about $3,500 to $4K. I would re-sell the 4.0 to a friend for I'm thinking $2k because he is going to completely restore it. Just looking for thoughts. Thanks

In the end it all depends on what you are doing with it. But i do prefer the short bed 5-spd, 4x4. The minute you put a lift on it your traction is heavily lost, especially with the standard shift. one of my friends has a long bed auto, and doesn't have any traction issues, even with the same lift as me. Even as a mostly pavement driver, in the rain trying to go up a hill I find myself putting my 'Manche in 4x4, just so that i don't sit there and spin my tires not going anywhere. As read above i do find the tire indentation a pain in the behind, but you learn how to deal with it the more you haul. Another item that I "invested"(it was free on the side of the road) in was a box for the bed, the minute i picked it up, i knew there was a problem, the bed on the 'manche is narrower than a normal pickup, i had to cut off about 7" of material and re-weld it. But once i did that its been amazing, I use it for everything. Especially, because i took out the bench and put in two 5 point ready captains chairs. Hopefully this helped.

Another question, about a week ago a brake line blew. I replaced it bleed it, and it working fine. But when I refilled the brake fluid reservoir I overfilled it a little bit. Do you think that would have anything to do with the leakage at the clutch?

Not the best picture but you are able to see the yellow painted metal above the fuse box.

Background. I have always liked older trucks, their simplicity to work on, and the old but gold style of look to them make me smile. I was looking at early 90s ford for awhile, knowing that they were very reliable, but when my brother, a XJ guy, said that jeep made trucks I was intrigued. After a lot of research and about 3 months of joint efforts across 2 different states i was the proud owner of a 1989 Jeep Comanche. About the Truck. I bout the truck in Utah in December of 2018 and after my brother out there did some work on it, because there are more junk yards, it was shipped back home to Eastern Pennsylvania in late January. The truck is lifted 5 inches on 33" with a 4.0 motor. It then goes through a AX15 5spd tranny to a Dana 44 rear axle. On February 15, just 20 days after i got my licenses I drove the truck home to stay. She is my first car and is definitely a project. As she sits right now she has about 20 different XJs and MJs into this single vehicle. THE PROBLEM. As i came home from school today I saw a little bit of oil on my boots, after some searching around i found that the fluid was coming off the plastic and metal shield i installed to protect the fuse box from fluid coming off the clutch. (Thank all of you guys on here for letting me know that it might leak). I looked around in the engine bay and there way no fluid in there. Or on the underside of the truck. So i am very confused and wondering what i should do next? All information is much appreciated and am looking forward to hear back from every. Thanks very much, Wallace https://photos.app.goo.gl/5pM41uysNsC72MEL6