87MJTIM

My 87 4.0 is have problems with the speedometer. I will be driving along and the needle will start to bounce. Then it will drop to zero. No movement. No mileage changing. Nothing! When I get back in to drive later, the needle will work for awhile. I started using a GPS to track my speed. When the needle is working, the speed matches the GPS. Sometimes it will work for many miles, other times I cannot get out of my neighborhood before it stops. The MJ has cruise. Thus the speedo cables have two sections. Steps done, both before and after the issue started: 1. Before the problems started, I swapped in a new speedo gear. I found that my mileage was 5 mph lower than I was actually driving. Changed from 31 to 29 tooth gear. 2. When it first happened, I checked all the cables. I disconnected cables and spun them. Both ends turned freely without any binding or looseness. 3. Checked the cruise rev counter. It turned freely, also. 4. Reconnected all cables and drove it around. The needle worked at first, but after a few miles, it dropped to zero again. 5. Thought maybe the gear may be bad. Swapped back in the 31 tooth. Same problem. 6. Put back in the 29 tooth. Made sure that the number of teeth marking is at the 6 o'clock position when installing the gear holder. 7. Swapped out the speedo cluster with one I know worked. Same problem. 8. Rechecked the speedo gear to make sure it wasn't spinning against the cable. The gear held the cable tightly. Help! I've checked each end of the system and the parts in between. I've swapped out parts that I know were working previously, yet I am still have the problem. What haven't I considered?

I DD mine regularly, but my office is 3 miles from my house. I also drive it around locally to stores and whatnot. I will take it on long trips to camping in WV or for hauling stuff for family members. Long trips for work, I drive one of my many other vehicles. As for driving a Renix, I would drive my MJ across country if given the opportunity.

Ant, here is a write up of the swap: I have a write up on my swap, but...thanks to BotoPhucket, the picture links are gone.

Ant, here is a link to the 88 electrical manual. Save to your desk top and print out a hard copy for easy reference. I cannot tell if yours is a BA10. Your picture is the back of the tcase. However, 88, 4.0 5 speeds came with the BA10. The vacuum line could be for the heater control valve. It is hard to see in the picture if a PO removed it. Does yours have the reservoir bottle on at the firewall?

You may want to purchase a Renix Engine Monitor (REM) from Nickintime on facebook. https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=nickintimefilms He sells these units that will give you real time info on how the engine is running. One reading is the O2 sensor. It may be operating correctly, but something else is causing it to run in open loop. This is an issue I'm having. My O2 bounces around a lot but mostly stays at or below 2.5.Yet, I'm running in open loop most of the time.

Eagle, I am waiting patiently for this book!

My father in law has Alzheimer's. He is currently in a nursing home. It is hard on my wife's family to go and see him. Be sure to visit him while he still remembers/recognizes you. Make the most of it. I understand you were not always close, but forgiveness begins with you. When he is gone (and it happens to everyone) you will not look back and say "I should have gone to see more often." You say you're not very religious, but he became more religious later in life. You might contact the priest/minister of his church to talk about YOUR issues. If they're a good priest, they will not try to convert you. They should just help you understand/deal with what you are going through.

I would strongly recommend contacting someone in Social Services about your situation (best to leave out any mention of a "hunting accident"). Find out from them other resources for both him and you. Follow up with some of the resources about additional options. If he is still mentally competent, contact an attorney to draft up medical directive and most importantly, a DNR directive - Do Not Resuscitate - should something happen to him.

Judging from the lettering used for "Comanche" it looks like the 97+ lettering used on the Cherokees. So, Pete is probably correct with the age. Funny thing is that Jeep had not made a Comanche for ~8 yrs. from when that bike was made.

I rolled a car in college. Driving with my girlfriend (now wife) at night on a twisting road. Driving faster than I should. Road made a sudden turn; I jerked the wheel, the car slid sideways off the road and made slow roll on to the roof. Neither one of us were scratched. Not wearing seat belts. After that experience, I DO NOT ride in a car without having one on.

What was this guy smokin? https://harrisburg.craigslist.org/pts/d/ba-10-5-complete-transmission/6309281271.html $650 for a BA 10?

Is the catalytic converter clogged? I had similar symptoms with poor acceleration and backfiring.

Don't cut it. Just attach a string or wire to the old one. Pull the string up the column. Tie to the new harness and pull back through. You also may have to loosen some part on the steering column

Your grill is upside down- BTW

I had this happen with an old 91 XJ

Most of the best mechanics I've found are right here on CC. Seriously! (most) are friendly and will give great advice to help you diagnose and fix whatever ails you, or your MJ. The next source for info is: YouTube.

Look inside the front cowl. There are drain lines inside that can clog up. Water accumulates in there. If the cowl has seam cracks, water leaks into the cab.

The Novak website says that repairing a BA 10 is not worth the money. That's probably true. Search for an AX15 (94 or later with the external slave cylinder) on Craigslist. Look at auto parts AND cars/trucks. You could find a XJ for real cheap. You then get lots of useful parts. The cost to repair the BA10 could be more than a used AX15. (Include in you signature a description of your MJ [Yr, engine, trans, axles, mods made by you or PO] and you location. )

Hey, wait a minute...isn't that an external slave cylinder? The BA was internal. ;)

Ditto

You should look at getting a transmission jack. It makes taking down and reinstalling the trans/tcase easier. Harbor freight has one: https://www.harborfreight.com/450-lb-capacity-transmission-jack-39178.html Tool rental shops will rent them. My experience was the cost of rental for 2-3 days was the price of the HF jack. I've used mine enough times that it has more than paid for itself. (...or find a friend that has one.)

I need to make a BIG purchase for RockAuto. Does anyone have a current discount code?

That's 5 zeros more than I would pay for it. But, one man's junk is another man's...

Here's a 2wd for sale in Annapolis for a more reasonable price: https://annapolis.craigslist.org/cto/d/jeep-comanche/6286737657.html For the price diff., you could make the wanted modifications - and still have beer money leftover.