chastings

The HB in my 4.0 cherokee gave up the ghost today (1 hour from home). I just replaced the fan clutch last week and the HB looked good, didn't take but 70 miles though before the rubber popped out, plus there is a nice gouge in the timing cover too. I tried replacing it away from home. Heck, I even replaced the front main seal, but after several hours of fighting it I threw in the towel and had to get a ride. I would have been back on the road in no time at all, but the new HB doesn't fit (never buy a dorman). I compared this one against my old HB with a set of junk calipers and there is a notable difference in inside diameter. Definitely a bummer, going to go HB shopping tomorrow and hopefully find one that wasn't made in china. What a POS, why sell a balancer for a jeep if it doesn't fit a jeep? The part number is right, but the fitment is poor. Looks like I get to waste an hours worth of gas driving back to my jeep with a better part :headpop: Since this is more or less just venting, I guess I should have posted in the Pub?

I second that! Great lookin truck... got a ways to go before mine looks that purdy

I did this swap a couple weeks ago... Once I plugged in the new cluster I turned the jeep on prior to pushing it back in to the dash. My tach didn't work at first either. I had to re-seat the connector one additional time and the tach has been working great ever since.

:agree: These are great vehicles, but require some attention to keep them reliable (as they should, they're 25 years old; most vehicles don't last half this long!). Enjoy it, it'll talk to you and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it needs as you drive it.

Not sure about the temp sensor not threadng in, will the old one still thread in? Perhaps the parts store sold you the wrong sending unit? I changed my idiot lights out last week, took less than 2 hours (and it was raining). The speedo was impossible for me to unplug with the gauges in, so I unhooked it from the tranny and pulled the the cable through the sheathing when I yanked the cluster. To re-install, I secured the cable to the speedo, then gently guided the cable back into the sheathing with my hand behind the dash, reinstalled the screws and re-installed the speedo cable back in to the transmission. I even set my new (used) speedo to the appropriate mileage while I was tearing into it. A very worthwhile upgrade, cost me less than 50 bucks when it was all said and done. When does it get hot? Idling, city driving or freeway? I replaced the fan clutch in my xj and was amazed at the difference. It always ran 210 or a needle width higher, now it stays left of 210 regardless of my driving.

Good call, my 87 has the connector and was ridiculously filthy, but my 89 has been great since they changed from the c101.

This must be contagious, there have been lots of idle problems lately, myself included! I copied the following post from cruiser54 (a member here) and it's spot on. It fixed my idle problem and several other issues, good luck. OP, you have the classic symptoms of a failed/failing TPS. I'm including the adjustment/test procedure for the TPS along with the something else that needs to be addressed on all 1987s and 1988s. You also have a connector in your harness which carries a bunch of signals between the sensors and the ECU. Resistance in that connector can give the ECU false info. The connector needs to be cleaned out. Renix Jeep C101 Connector Refreshing The C101 connector on 1987 and 1988 Renix Jeeps was a source of electrical resistance when the vehicles were new. So much so that the factory eliminated this connector in the 1989 and 1990 models. The factory recommended cleaning this connector to insure the proper voltage and ground signals between the ECU and the fuel injection sensors. We can only imagine how this connector has become a larger source of voltage loss and increased resistance over a period of almost 25 years. The C101 connector needs to be cleaned at least once in the lifetime of your vehicle. Chances are it’s never been done before. Almost every critical signal between the engine sensors, injectors, and the ECU travel the path through the C101. The C101 is located on the driver’s side firewall above and behind the brake booster. It is held together with a single bolt in it’s center. To get the connectors apart, simply remove the bolt and pull the halves apart. You will find the connector is packed with a black tar like substance which has hardened over time. Take a pocket screwdriver or the like and scrape out all the tar crap you can. Follow up by spraying out both connector halves with brake cleaner and then swabbing out the remainder of the tar. Repeat this procedure until the tar is totally removed. This may require 3 or more repetitions. Wipe out the connectors after spraying with a soft cloth. If you have a small pick or dental tool tweak the female connectors on the one side so they grab the pins on the opposite side a bit tighter. Apply a true dielectric grease, not the stuff that came with your brake pads, to the connection and bolt it back together. RENIX TPS ADJUSTMENT Before attempting to adjust your TPS be sure the throttle body has been recently cleaned. It's especially important that the edges of the throttle butterfly are free of any carbon build-up. IMPORTANT NOTE: Using the positive (red) lead of your ohmmeter, probe the B terminal of the flat 3 wire connector of the TPS . The letters are embossed on the connector itself. Touch the black lead of your meter to the negative battery post. If you see more than 1 ohm of resistance some modifications to the sensor ground harness will be necessary. The harness repair must be performed before proceeding. I can provide an instruction sheet for that if needed. MANUAL TRANSMISSION: RENIX manual transmission equipped XJs have a three-wire TPS mounted on the throttle body. This manual transmission vehicle TPS provides data input to the ECU. The manual transmission TPS has three wires in the connector and they're clearly embossed with the letters A,B, and C. Wire "A" is positive. Wire "B" is ground. Key ON, measure voltage from "A" positive to "B" ground by back-probing the connectors.. Note the voltage reading--this is your REFERENCE voltage. Key ON, back-probe the connector at wires "B" and "C". Measure the voltage. This is your OUTPUT voltage. Your OUTPUT voltage needs to be seventeen percent of your REFERENCE voltage. For example: 4.82 volts X .17=.82 volts. Adjust the TPS until you have achieved this percentage. If you can't achieve the correct output voltage replace the TPS and start over. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: RENIX automatic transmission equipped XJs have a TPS with two connectors. There is a flat three- wire connector, same as the manual transmission vehicles have, and it is tested the same as the manual transmission equipped vehicles--FOR ENGINE MANAGEMENT RELATED ISSUES. However, the automatic TPS also has a square four-wire connector clearly embossed with the letters A,B,C, and D. It only uses three wires and provides information to the Transmission Control Module. Key ON, measure voltage between "A" positive and "D" ground. Note the voltage. This is your REFERENCE voltage. Back-probe the connector at wires "B" and "D". Measure the voltage. This is your OUTPUT voltage. Your OUTPUT voltage needs to be eighty-three percent of your REFERENCE voltage. For example 4.8 volts X .83=3.98 volts. Adjust the TPS until you have achieved this percentage. If you can't, replace the TPS and start over. So, if you have an automatic equipped XJ your TPS has two sides--one side feeds the ECU, and the other side feeds the TCU. If you have TRANSMISSION issues check the four-wire connector side of the TPS. If you have ENGINE issues check the three-wire connector side of the TPS. For those with a MANUAL TRANSMISSION--the TPS for the manual transmission XJs is stupid expensive. You can substitute the automatic transmission TPS which is reasonably priced.

I already started the process of fixing it yesterday... Raleigh has sent an email to the local office in my hometown with instructions on how to correct the title. Its a bummer, don't like going through the hassle of all this and almost wish I hadn't noticed, but I did. It's an 89 cherokee laredo, fully loaded (for that time), nothing fancy by todays standards but I've got a good bit of change tied up in it and would like everything to be legit. My insurance cards have the correct vin (only because I read it from the car when notifying my agent) and I hate having a discrepancy between the two just in case.... NC does vehicle safety inspections and the vin has always been copied directly from the registration card (with the incorrect number), but what if the next time the number gets pulled from the dash? I assume I'd be right where I am now, best to deal with it and get it out of the way.

I already deciphered it, everything is correct the only digit out of place is the location where it was built. The vin says it was made in toledo oh, but the title vin gives no indication since its a letter instead of a number. Bummer on the hole "new yorker" thing, though

I was bored today... compared the registration to my vin on my cherokee, only to find their is a typo. No biggie, but then I compared it to the title and it matches the registration card too. So, somewhere along the line a state worker listed part of the vin as LK1L when it should be L1KL when doing the title transfer. I've already started the process of correcting the title with the NC DMV, I have to bring in my current title and fill out cancellation paperwork so we can get a correct title. This is total BS, not my fault and I bet it's going to cost some money too, as its the govt. Oh, and I get to stand in line at the DMV. Oh well, I'd rather correct it now than have it come back to haunt me later. What a PITA! I feel like I opened a can of worms, but the DMV assured me that this sometimes happens and isn't too tough to fix, we'll see....

Got the gauges installed now too, just looking for a black seat-belt.

As the title says... What a difference, I love having gauges and a tach! I've owned this MJ for just over a month but always wondered how well everything functioned. Now I know that the temperature stays just below 210 and the oil pressure reads between 20-60 depending on the engine rpm! I bought a cluster from the local salvage yard out of a 90 xj and a temp and oil pressure sender from napa. My truck is an 87 with the old font on the gauge faces, but the speedo hook ups were identical... All in all I was only out about 50 bucks and took less than 2 hours to swap everything, plus fixing the radio while I was there (includes setting the existing vehicle mileage on the new speedo too). This truck almost has everything I was looking for (now): gauges, mini-console, 5 speed, bench seat, 4.0 and a straight, rust-free body. Now I just need to track down a 4x4 donor! There's a 3.07 front diff at the local salvage yard, I may pick it up and install for now and just wait til the BA-10 or clutch go out and replace it with a 4x4 AX-15? Either way, I'm going to enjoy it and let the rest fall in to place when the time comes.

I'm digging the "rustmanche", looks like a fun build. Did the 31's fit with the stock ride height or did you lift it?

Let me know.... How much are you asking????? If I decide to do the switch you can have it for free, but I'm still on the fence if I want to go with carpet or not. My MJ has a black interior, so I've got to look for a black carpet kit.

I'm in Winston, I've been thinking of converting my mj to carpet... If I take the plunge I'll send you a pm shortly... It's not perfect, there is a crack underneath the bench and a couple extra screw holes where PO installed an aftermarket shift boot, but still very serviceable.

Have you tried disconnecting the tps when its running? That could potentially eliminate some of the possible causes. Mine idled ridiculously fast (over 2000rpm). I checked for vacuum leaks with throttle-body cleaner, cleaned the grounds added an additional grounding strap to the engine, cleaned the C101 connector, cleaned the throttle-body, cleaned the iac and then tackled the tps. Turns out my tps was a little loose. Input voltage was 4.9, but the output was .02. I adjusted it to .86v tightened everything back up and it idles like a champ. I could have spent a fortune replacing sensors, but was very lucky... I only had to replenish my supply of throttle-body cleaner when it was all said and done. If you follow cruise54's post it'll steer you in the right direction. Good luck

Love it, great site, thanks for posting that! I've been doing some general maintenance and upkeep on it the past couple of weeks, should be driving it soon

Just bought my MJ a couple weeks ago, but I've been waiting to seriously drive it until I can comb through it and see what I really have to deal with. After all, it is a 25 year old vehicle with a quarter of a million miles on it. Curious, how do the rest of you prep a vehicle for reliability before putting it into service (BTW, I know its an old Jeep and impossible to keep perfect, but I like to try. I've had excellent luck with my 89 xj) While inspecting the battery terminals, I found that the negative is completely stripped of its insulation and turning green, additionally its connection to the engine block is poor at best. It appears the dipstick tube is grounding several other items as well, maybe ecu? I can't help but wonder if this is making it idle like a bat out of hell too? I cleaned the throttle-body, checked for vacuum leaks (with tb cleaner), inspected about a million miles of vacuum line and swapped the iac with a known good one from my 89 cherokee... Pulling out the multi-meter next. Additionally, I'm putting in a new radiator and hoses, fan clutch, thermostat, battery + terminals, oil change and replacing a damaged fan shroud too.

I would prefer to have a tach as well, but I don't have to have one. To the best of my knowledge, the later cluster with the tach would not work as the speedo is hooked up different? When I get home I'll check mine out and compare. I may still be intersted in the early cluster, though...

Thanks to bhfear, I have a console in fantastic shape- thanks! Still looking for a gauge cluster... also need a black drivers side seatbelt.

It's possible to sync the su's, they're fairly economical... I ditched mine and went with triple mikuni solex 44's. Fuel mileage is awful, but it sounds great!

Lets see: 66 Datsun Roadster 67.5 Datsun Roadster 68 Datsun Roadster 70 Datsun Roadster 70 Gto Judge 73 240Z 87 Jeep Comanche 89 Jeep Cherokee 2010 Jeep Commander 34.1 average years old After making a list of my vehicles, I now realize its time to put some stuff on craigslist, Thanks!

As the title says, I'm looking for a full gauge cluster and mini console to put in my 87 Comanche 5 speed with a bench. Also need a drivers side seatbelt... Thanks!

I've been searching craigslist for local mj's for several months now and finally picked one up this past monday. It's an 87 4.0, 5 speed, 2wd with a 6' bed. It's a very decent, straight, rust free truck with an original black interior that has held up well too. I really wanted a 4x4 with gauges and a 7' bed, but this one popped up for a great price and couldn't let it get away. I've been driving an xj since I got my license in 96 and have always been fascinated with them; even my wife is driving our '10 Commander, figured if we got a truck it may as well be a Jeep too. I'm going to enjoy it for a bit before I tear into it, but I plan on doing a 4x4 swap, as well as add a gauge cluster and console.