NickyV

To make a long story short, I'm installing A/C on my 2.5L 1987 (Renix), and I'm really hoping to get this done by the end of the coming weekend. But now I'm a bit stuck, because I'm missing one crucial piece: The lower rear alternator bracket. It's shaped like a boomerang. Part number 5300 4388. I see a few on e-Bay, but I'm already way over budget on this and none will get here in time. But here is my question: Do I actually need this precise part? I'm thinking I can fabricate my own solution. I'm thinking I can use an L-shaped Unistrut bracket or something. I can see that there is a pivot point in the bracket, but based on what I'm seeing in the parts manual I don't think that is actually utilized in the MJ/XJ setup... I think that's only maybe used in the YJ, which uses the same bracket. Any and all help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I appreciate all the advice. I’m just going to order new bolts. Maybe I’ll need them. Maybe I’ll just want to use freshies. Does anyone know much about the one 4.52” bolt that the parts manual calls for? That’s the only one I’m having trouble finding online.

Lol. I definitely didn't read the parts manual closely enough. It literally says I need five of the 3.75", one of the 4.52" and the rest are "as required," which would be four. And that is exactly what it looks like under my hood too.

Thanks. I gathered that things changed in the HO years. But I've also read that at some point around 1987, they started using torque-to-yeild bolts. Really want to make sure I do it right!

I'm looking at doing my head gasket. Trying to figure out which bolts I need. It's a 1987 2.5L. I'm not seeing any kits online specifically for the 2.5L, and based on the 1987 parts manual, it's not entirely clear to me how many I need with studs vs without studs. It just says "AR" or "use as required." But I'd like to replace them all. Pretty sure I need 10 total, but can anyone tell me with certainty how many I will need of #10, #9 and #8 to replace all of them?

Thanks @eaglescout526 and @AZJeff. All this makes sense.

Interesting about the PT Cruiser fan. Thanks for the tip. I'm also just a bit stressed. Because the MJ has been overheating when it's climbing hills. I really want to be able to take it camping this summer (with A/C). It's frustrating (but expected with a project truck, I suppose). Every time I think I'm ready to do this big A/C job, something else more pressing comes up. I've been collecting parts and taking tons of notes over the course of several years. I finally took some time off from work and reserved some time at a DIY shop near by later this month. And now there's this overheating thing... Anyway, I know Cruiser advised against this, but I am quite literally getting ready to fire the parts cannon. New radiator, new rad hoses, new heater core, probably new water pump and fan clutch as well. I'm a still a bit worried it could be the head gasket. I've done several tests for emissions in the coolant -- both before and after a very thorough flush (haven't flushed the block though... I do plan to do that). I have not been able to detect fumes in the coolant. The engine seems to be running well aside from overheating as it goes up hills. I've found posts on here of people saying replacing their radiator helped. I have good reason to believe all the plumbing in the heating system is gunked up. The heater stopped working about a month or two ago, so I think the heater core is clogged. Like I said, I'm just worried about the head gasket. Not only because that will be a big job, but also because I don't want to unnecessarily muck up all my new parts. Sigh...

I’ve been talking to someone locally who replaced his mechanical with an all electric and he said it didn’t cool as well. Could be other things going on, but as of now, I definitely want to keep the mechanical for reliability. I might consider going full electric down the road to try to free up some HP. Gotta see how it all works first.

Thanks, @eaglescout526 I hear you loud and clear. But the thing is, I already went to the trouble to build my wiring harness so that it can activate an e-fan. There are e-fans out there that are quite small. I'm talking about 8-9 inch fans designed for transmission or oil coolers. I know they wouldn't provide nearly enough cooling on their own. But in addition to the mechanical fan, it seems like they could help, especially in stop and go traffic. Do you think that's just not worth the trouble, or do you foresee other issues with going this route?

Is there a way to get more radiator clearance for the mechanical fan in a Renix 2.5L (1987)? I’m asking because I am working on putting A/C in and I want to add an electric fan while keeping the mechanical fan. I have also considered creating a custom bracket for my radiator to adjust the spacing. I will be running standard size radiator and condenser… matter of fact, the condenser might actually be a bit thinner than OEM. I was hoping to use a salvaged e-fan pulled out of a 4.0. But I picked it up from a local Pick-N-Pull on impulse, without measuring or calculating. So far, I have only eyeballed the space under the hood by holding up the various parts, and I can tell it will be tight. I think I can use the 4.0’s e-fan as either a push or pull (just need to flip the polarity, right?) But I am worried the fan might be too tall/wide to fit as a push, and that if I use it as a pull, it will be ridiculous close to the mechanical fan. One idea I had and am trying to research is if there is a water pump housing that has a slightly lower profile? That could potentially buy me a fraction of an inch? Based on pictures, it appears that the FlowKooler housings might have a slightly slimmer profile so that the mechanical fan wouldn’t stick out quite so much. And maybe I could combine that with a slightly lower profile fan clutch? [Correction: FlowKooler housings actually look a bit wider... but there are some manufacturers with slimmer profiles.] Anybody have any insight into this?

OK. Really appreciate all the input as always!

Thanks @89 MJ and @derf. I will put my calipers to work to see what kind of engagement I have. I’m glad you brought up the blue vs red lock tite. Seems to be a lot of debate around this point all over the internet. A lot of people say go with red. One post I saw put it this way: “The only permanent thread lock would be actually welding the nuts to the studs.” What they meant was that you will be able to get the nuts off. But I have only ever used the blue, so I don’t know how hard it will be. I definitely want to make the right decision here… are there downsides to red other than it being PITA to get the nuts loose?

I finally picked up some wheel spacers. I've done a lot of research, but now that I'm getting close to actually putting them on and driving around, I'm triple checking my work. Here's my question. The lugs that came with the set of spacers picked up do not fully cover the factory studs. I'm attaching a picture I took yesterday and a screenshot from a CC thread from 2012 where @HOrnbrod seemed to suggest that this is OK (as long as most of the lug is over the stud). Photo of My Spacer Installed: Screen Shot From 2012 Thread, Titled Wheel Spacers: Closeup of HOrnbrod's Reply: What do folks think? As long as the majority of the lug is on the stud and I use Locktite, am I good? I don't do any wheeling... I just sometimes take the MJ camping down forest service roads. They are hub centric and the bore is approx. 71 mm. They seem to fit perfectly over the lip of the rear hub. So far, I've only put one on as a test to see how it looked. I took it back off because I wasn't sure about the question above. I picked these up on Marketplace. They look used because they are!

Thanks to all who replied. I have an update on using the 98 seals. It’s only been about a week, but it does seem like it is getting a bit easier to close. I definitely don’t have to slam the door, just have to close firmly. And there have been a few times where it feels like I’m closing it normally and it fully shuts. Seems like when it is warmer out, it’s easier to shut with minimal extra force. I’ll try to remember to come back to this thread in a few months to give a better update after more time has passed

I've already added your pictures to my notes! Liquid electrical tape is the only thing I can think of that I'd be able to paint on, and that would dry/cure in such a way that it wouldn't end up sticking to the surface of the window. Maybe there is some other product that I'm unaware of? I might also try something similar to what you did. Maybe I could glue a really thin strip of weather stripping to the inside edge of the gasket flaps to increase the contact between gasket and window. Whatever I do, I want to be smart about it. My current vent window gaskets are truly in pretty darn good shape. I don't want to mess them up by making perfect the enemy of good. But also... I can get kind of obsessive over details like this. So, I'm open to any and all ideas!