xxmetal

Howdy All! Problem: '86 2.8 stalls once it warms up. Starting cold, it runs a little rough for 2 minutes and clears up. I'm then able to drive fine for 3ish minutes. After that point (back in park) idle RPM kicks down and it sounds fine idling normally. As soon as you give it any accelerator pedal from there, it chokes out and stalls. Work done: I already pulled the carb, cleaned and rebuilt it with new fuel filter, etc. No noticeable change. It's running rich so fuel pump is fine. Replaced plugs, plug wires, coil, for good measure. Replaced all soft vacuum lines. Proposed fix: Going to drop in a Weber K490. When doing that install, what vacuum lines am I safe to exclude? I'm not sure if the overall issue is carburetor or vacuum-related, so I would like to cut out as many components as I can. My county does not do emissions testing, so I am not worried about that aspect. Any other tips/tricks from 2.8 owners who have done this swap would be appreciated! Thanks!

In case anyone else is looking for the the information I sought on Friday, here's what I ended up going with. All in all, about $1250 including taxes and all shipping, so I don't think I fared too badly. Averaging 21% off overall on parts vs MSRP, and only a little more expensive than prebuilt kits that are mostly RC parts or lack adjustability. Metalcloak (Total $393.90): TJ/LJ/XJ Durotrak Track Bar, Front, Solid Chromoly TJ/LJ/XJ Wrangler Coils, True Dual Rate Coils, 3.5", Front CavFab (Total $184.98): Front Lower Control Arms (XJ / TJ / ZJ / MJ / LJ) Zone Offroad (Total $545.20): Automotive Axle U-Bolt - Round (4x) Fox 2.0 IFP Shock | Adventure Series (2x front, 2x rear) Quicker Disconnect Sway Bar Links | Comanche MJ with 2-4" Lift Service Kit - Bushing Kit | Comanche MJ BDS (Total $81.16): Rear Add-A-Leaf | Pair | 0-2 Inch Lift | Jeep Cherokee XJ (84-01) All in all, pretty happy with what I was able to find. We'll see if the add-a-leaf gives enough lift in the back--may need to add shackles to raise it a touch more--but the leaves are the same part number as what is in the BDS 3" MJ lift so I'm hoping it will end up alright. Other than those and possibly a brake line extension (which sounds like it will be less than $50 overall) am I missing anything?

Okay I'll admit it, I'm being lazy here. Heading to sleep for the night shift at work—hopefully I'll be able to do proper research before or after shift. Looking to get into a 3.5-4.5" lift on my long bed 86. I know there are a couple kits out there, but not all are complete, use good parts etc. Some kits are made by bigger manufacturers who probably have deals this weekend, others are smaller shops that likely don't discount at all. I was considering pulling the trigger on a Hell Creek kit, but wondering with the holiday season if something discounted from a big-box seller would be more worth my time/money? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! And if anyone has seen a deal that they jumped on (or when you saw it thought "damn, if only I had a comanche to lift—thats a good price) please pass it my way! Thanks!

Howdy All! 86 2.8 auto here, was experiencing a weird phenomenon yesterday--hoping someone can help. For whatever reason, she was very hesitant to drop into 3rd gear, and would not hold third under much of any pedal. Typically I see the upshift (without mashing the accelerator) at around 30-38 mph, and it holds until 60-65 or unless I put a lot of pedal in. Last night, I wasn't getting the upshift at all naturally, I would have to accelerate past 50, then let go of the accelerator completely to force the shift. Even then, It wouldn't hold faster than 45 or so without trying to downshift. After parking for a couple hours, It returned to normal, and I was able to return home at 60. Has anyone seen this? Is this a kickdown cable issue? A transmission issue? Thanks!

This is after a little Dremel work, but yeah I've never seen em riveted either

Hey all! Never posted an update to my last issue, but I got the electrical issue sorted (ended up being a bad ground strap in the engine bay that did it) After a week or so, ignition coil appears to have gone bad... She must still be on her first coil, because it seems to be *riveted* in on the bracket?! I just want to make sure that that's correct, and that I'm not missing an easy replacement method before I drill the rivets out (which will definitely be a pain around all those vacuum lines) 1986, 2.8 V6 Thanks!

The little courtesy lamps? I have one on the driver's side. Passenger side just has the connector for it sticking out of the harness That's appalling hahaha

Howdy all! Digging through my wiring harness, I'm seeing these concerning splices under the dash. Some of by big electrical problems have been with the coil staying energized w the key in "off" and loss of overall accessory power, so I'm looking for shorts/ground faults anyway. Are these crimps factory? If not l, what/where should they be? Wire diagram says that they *should* split off, but I don't think the factory used duct tape to insulate their splices, as I found here.... Thanks in advance!

Howdy all! Hope y'all might be able to help orient me with this *nearly* catastrophic electrical failure I am having. Just bought my '86 on Sunday, and began experiencing issues with the electronics on Monday night. No issues the whole time I was test driving, or driving the two hours home. Since then, this issue has been presenting itself maybe 80% of the time I have spent driving. Complete loss of non-engine electrical systems. No radio, no lights (internal or external), no gauges, no heat/AC, no horn. But the car starts right up no problem, and continues to drive no problem. When running, battery measured at 14.2 V post to post, crossing off a battery/alternator problem. No blown fuses that I could find. When the issue somewhat corrects itself, I have seen 2 conditions: 1. Full system functionality. Everything works as it should 2. The radio and gauges turn on. If any other power is requested (turning on headlights/gauge lights, or turning on heat/AC) the whole system shuts down again Where should I start? I don't want to disturb the engine, it seems to be working perfectly. I have ordered the 1986 electrical manual from Ebay, so I probably won't be able to do any unassisted wire-chasing until it arrives. Is this a common issue? Thank you!

Thanks! From what I understand, the 2.8L isn't ideal for offroading or doing super heavy work. I'll mostly be commuting for work, with occasional "truck stuff" for working on the house. If it is able to keep up that 18-19MPG range, I'll be happy with it. And from what I read (this may not be 100% accurate) they seem to last in the 250k range if maintained properly. Assuming there aren't many/overly expensive mechanical issues, I'll probably just keep it for now. I hear there's a weber carb that does well--might look into that. Otherwise, I'll mostly be trying to freshen it up to its most stock and most reliable condition. It'd probably be wise for me to have a "hose day" soon and just replace everything under the hood to new, pliable, vacuum tubes and hoses

Howdy All! I just picked up a 1986 Comanche XLS this past Sunday, very happy to be starting this journey with y'all! I've never blogged before, but maybe something like this will help me deep-dive into the community and give me motivation to fix issues that I would otherwise decide is "good enough" to not address! SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOURE ONLY INTERESTED IN COMANCHE THINGS Little background: I graduated college and was set to move out to the middle of nowhere for my work. I needed a vehicle to get me (and all of my stuff) a couple states away to start my life, and to bring me to-and-from my job without getting broken-into, stolen, or vandalized. I settled for a 2003 Dodge Durango R/T. Catless, loud, not particularly fast, and aggressively anti-gasoline. It has been two years since then, and I'm ready to give my wallet a bit of a break (hopefully). After costing me a quart of oil per week, barely getting north of 11 MPG, and showing a plethora of electrical gremlins that cause occasional stalling and leave me without heat and ABS, I decided to hop back onto Facebook Marketplace to find her replacement. Things I was looking for (in addition to cheap) were 4x4 capability, towing capability, and "better than Da 'Rango" gas mileage. OKAY, MJ TIME I found this baby a little more than an hour away from me, in the western side of texas. 85000 Miles, and relatively clean! No rust on the unibody (a little bit on/in the bed, but nothing serious/concerning), and a decent *enough* interior for a 37 year-old truck. She seemed to tick off all the boxes. 4x4? yes! Towing? Yes, and hauling in the bed! Gas mileage? 18.5 on the ride home, and that's with the intake hose missing! To add to the excitement, there was a bunch of paperwork that came with it. Receipts dating back to 2002, and even the original window sticker! It seems like this was a fairly well-optioned 86', and well taken-care of. There is some typical Texas fading on the blue interior (some parts looking decidedly green instead of their original color, and sun damage/tears along the top of the bench seat) and she's certainly lacking in the power department with the 2.8, but hopefully these won't be too difficult to address Notable issues on this vehicle: Radio Doesn't work, ugly rear bumper/hitch, Temp gauge doesn't go up out of the blue range (do these trucks just run really cool?), cruise control is inop, seatbelt light chooses if/when to illuminate (independent of seatbelt usage), and the speedometer likes to dart around and pick its own number once she gets above 55mph. The rear cabin lights don't seem to burn, nor do the front fog lights. Otherwise, she runs like a champ! Seems to be mechanically sound. What are my plans for her? Starting with the most pressing issues, I plan on working my way through the truck to get it as restored (to original spec) as is practical. This will be my daily, so I am sure some QoL improvements/modifications are in order. But I love the look of this truck as original--just a plain-Jane workin' truck. If I can source an OEM rollbar, that'd be cool, but I generally want to stay as true to the original build-sheet as possible. I might try to get the paint corrected and re-cleared where it is getting weathered, and will definitely be cleaning that bench seat. But really, I want to get her running as reliably as possible to replace the computerized nightmare that is Da 'Rango. Thanks in advance for all the help that I'm sure the community will give me! Just yesterday I had a fairly catastrophic electrical failure that I will be asking about in the tech forums. Hopefully I didn't make a terrible mistake!