pizzaman09

My understanding is one can cheat the Renix system into working by changing injector size and fuel pressure to recenter the fuel demands of the engine. The spark curves shouldn't need to change, plus the knock sensor does a great job taking care of that. As stated by ghetdjc320 the Renix system really isn't tuneable except for piggybacking and modifying inputs to the system. You can certainly make a stroker work on Renix, but it won't necessarily be optimized. That said it is probably a great starting point and pretty close unless you do a standalone tune and have it professionally tuned to hone it in the last bit. The Renix system uses the O2 sensor and knock sensor to retune as it runs, but it can only go so far, at that point you have to start playing with things like injector sizing and fuel pressures. There is information out there on the topic.

Our of curiosity, what makes you say the short shift kit for the AX-15 is a must have?

Just some random pics, got it pretty muddy working in the field, mud season is my least favorite time.

Woohoo! Welcome to the quarter million mile club!

Tackled the oil filter adapter seals today. The seals were probably original, I've never come across o-rings that were so hardened by oil. I used this o-rings kit, it worked perfectly. https://www.quadratec.com/p/crown-automotive/oil-filter-adapter-o-ring-kit-jeep-cherokee-xj-and-comanche-mj-40l-engine

I've been on a crusade to eliminate leaks on Comanche this past winter. Surprisingly most of the gaskets are a relatively easy replacement. Valve cover and filter adapter gaskets are both quite doable with the vehicle on the ground from above. Sometimes it's just worth doing them regardless of knowing where the leak is coming from. Technically the rear main seal is the most challenging and frequently misdiagnosed issues. Even at that the RMS is actually done by removing the oil pain and fishing the old one out and putting a new one in, no need to remove the trans and flywheel.

Cool bike! Sounds like you got a deal and an experience with it.

My brother and I have been using the awesome 86 Gravely Pro Master 50 our grandpa had purchased new. It's a beast of a 50" zero turn mower that does an amazing job of creating a nice finish cut to being a brush hog for our untamed property. Basically it is a tricycle style zero turn with a rear steering wheel and left and right brakes on the drive wheels for making sharp truns. The only real issue with it has been the incredible rough ride due to there being zero suspension in the frame or seat. To fix this we've engineered and built a seat suspended by air springs in the back and some compliance in the front by a rubber hose. The system has two set of hinges configured in a Z to allow the seat to freely move up and down on both ends. The Z action also conveniently allows the seat to be folded up into the steering wheel for extreme access under the seat. Haven't tried it yet, as I am awaiting one replacement air spring as one of them leaks. The system appears to provide soft compliant travel, exciting compared to the zero suspension it has before.

The photos are a bit close but you can see parts of the factory heat shield under the injectors in these photos of my 90 Renix 4.0L.

If you had a bad head gasket, you probably had pressure in the coolant. That air pressure wants to make itself to the tank where it can escape out the cap. The high pressure could have been increasing the flow rate into the coolant bottle. Now that the head gasket it replaced the flow rate into the bottle could be reduced.

This will be excellent. I drove 3500 miles from Los Angeles to Erie, PA in my first Comanche. Had purchased it with minimal known history other than it had been off the road for two years in CA due to emissions. Made it all the way with one small problem in Kansas with a bad PCB pumping the intake with oil. Good luck, long trips in Comanches are fun!

That color sure looks like "Dark Gull Grey" per Mil Std, a common color for military equipment.

Where are they breaking? I have a mini cnc mill but no longer have software to create the g code so it would take me a fair bit more time to program something up. I could picture also bending up some nice heavy sheet metal too and popping a hole in the right spot.

Don't feel bad, I ignored noise in the transmission of my old BMW M3, for about 6 months including a lot of autocross racing. Eventually the noise got bad enough that I figured I'd check the fluid level, it was basically out. A new output shaft seal and some fresh fluid and at least is makes less noise. Still makes bad noises with enough fluid, I'll drive it until it dies, which could be a long time. The fortunate thing about the situation is it motivated me to fix the leaking t case in my Comanche as well as the leaking power steering pump. I may even fix the leaking engine.

I think I am following your description and what I'm going to suggest doesn't quite align with what you are describing. However do you by chance have a sticking/hanging break caliper? The usual symptom is an unusually stiff pedal. Else, it's probably worth crawling under the truck and feeling around for the slop in the drive line, like is it in the diff, u joints or transmission. Also are the transmission bell housing bolts tight?

Awesome MJ, I wish you the best in getting the AX-15 installed. I love your story about the Tacoma driver. I had a similar situation at a gas station with someone that pulled in with a tidy 2 door Taco. I complimented his truck, he absolutely loved the MJ. After spending 30 minutes talking at the pumps, we realized we had met before while autocross racing other cars of ours.

Glad to hear you figured it out. I've heard the output of some new CPS is not good with the OEM or original ones being the best.

That's awesome! I am not entirely familiar with the M57, what sort of power and torque does it produce? I see a turbo so it must be turbocharged.

Is it possible that the NTK you purchased was a dud? I had originally purchased a Bosch for preventative maintenance. When I got my REM I found that it was very lazy causing the truck to swing back and forth between lean and rich over the course of a minute causing crap idle when lean. Based on this forums recommendation I purchased the NTK and it works phenomenally. The NTK is quick to respond and does a great job holding the AFR right near stoichiometric. Idle is perfect and power is the best it's ever been. I have found that one can damage O2 sensors with vibration. On another car I used an air chisel to remove exhaust flange studs and the vibration broke both O2 sensors.

I wish old BMW engines where that cheap here, the only decent engine that is widely available and cheap in the US is the short block Chevy and similar Chevy LS. I suspect a stock M52 would be really good in a 2002. I'll be following your build, I'm intrigued to see how it works out.

I had missed that this was a 91.

That someone was me! I'm glad you found the photo. I love these lights, they don't function like the originals but that really doesn't matter, they turn on and off with the doors or the headlight rotary switch.

Though I do agree with you in concept, electronics can drift over time as the capacitors dry out and such. A little adjustment could be helpful. I found that it was pretty easy to do, my brother drove down the highway in cruise and I adjusted the dashpots just a bit at a time until it ran perfectly.

I guess in Europe the S52 is a very different engine than here in the US. We got a stripped down version that is just an M52B28 that has been enlarged to 3.2L and a slightly more aggressive camshaft, made 240hp. I have one in my e36 M3, its quite reliable. The Euro one was quite exotic with individual throttle bodies and dual VANOS for the cams. I tend to agree on the S54, they are known to be a bit more fragile, I just like the idea of an 8000 rpm redline in a Comanche. I do believe the M57 has the same bolt pattern as the M50/M52/M54 blocks, based on research I did on this topic a year ago. What engine are you considering putting into the 2002?

I'm super excited to hear you put the M52B28 into the Comanche. I've many times considered an S52 or S54 swap for mine. I'm guessing you used the adapter plate they sell for the M57 to AX15? What sort of power are you making with the turbo 2.8L?