Keyav8r

OK - Won't ask.

I'm with 89Eliminator on this topic - the true value of an item is what someone is willing to pay for it. Maybe no one else would see that value, but in the buyer's eyes, that's what it's worth. Some may believe my truck has a lower value than the amount I paid for it. The point is that the seller and I agreed on a price and that is the value. Can I get that same value if I resell the truck. Maybe so, maybe not (I've had one offer I turned down for $1000 more than I paid), regardless of what others think, to me the amount I paid is the truck's value. I'm not asking anyone for an opinion on the value of my truck and don't require any one's agreement to the value I place on it, Now to the question of whether I would consider myself an honest person if I let some one give me $10,000 or $12,000 for the truck - Yes, I would. If that person values the truck at that amount it's perfectly OK with me, and they would be the new owner as fast as the check cleared and I could sign over the title.

91 won't work, entirely different speedometer connection.

Or take it to NAPA if you have them in NC. They usually have a good selection of o-rings.

I believe the ones I bought are stainless steel, not chrome plated.

That's what I used on my 88 MJ with the five spoke steel Cherokee wheels. They look good with the stock center caps (IMHO).

I didn't mean to break in if you and snakedoc have a deal going. Consider mine a back-up plan if his doesn't work out. His may be in better shape.

I replaced my bench with buckets and could pull the covers from it. PM an e-mail address if you still need them and I'll send some photos.

I got a booster from a 96 XJ and the spacer was 1/4" thick. Installed it on my 88 with the spacer and didn't notice any difference in the pedal height.

Congratulations, Jim! Best wishes to both of you!

Ooops! That would be Hornbrod - sorry, Don. Fat fingers, slow brain.

I may have a set of #3 & #4 in Horndrod's illustration. They are from a JY, not new parts. Also have a complete set of the mounting brackets with the original studs. Where are you located? PM a reminder to me tomorrow and I'll dig around in the garage to check.

What year is your truck? Pull the cluster back out and clean the connectors on the wire ends and in the cluster. Inspect the flexible printed circuit on the back for any breaks. Check your dash ground and/or add a ground from the dash to the bolt near the parking brake. Check all your fuses - don"t know for sure if any of the gauge connections are fused, but wouldn't hurt to inspect your fuse box anyway. Clean all the connectors under the hood, including the C101 connector (if you have one - see Cruiser's tips on connector cleaning and grounds refreshing.

I have one of the Bazooka subs that was in my 91. I pulled it out to get more legroom on the passenger side. Loked like it was hooked up but the wiring was loose under the passenger seat. Don't know if it works because I don't have a connection diagram for it. Does anyone have any info on them. Sorry for the threadjack!

Right on!!!!! Probably get a lot of views but no offers.

I was posting while Jeep Driver posted. His post reminded me that I removed my distributor and primed the pump (and engine) by spinning the pump with an electric drill and a long piece of copper tubing with the end flattened to fit the oil pump shaft. That's why I aligned the timing marks with the rotor pointing to #1 - Did not crank the engine over with the distributor out. Duh - must be the onset of senility.

Refer to the "random informative picture thread" in the DIY section for photos of things you aren't familiar with. Chock the rear wheels, set the parking brake, jack the truck up and put jackstands under the frame, not the front axle - you'll need for the axle to drop in order to get the pan off (two wheel drive). I haven't done this on a four wheel drive truck but I've heard that you'll need to disconnect some suspension components to get enough axle drop on a four wheeler (could be wrong about that and if so I'm sure someone will clarify that item). 1. Disconnect the battery. 2. Mark your plug wires as you remove them from the plugs (a strip of masking tape on each wire numbered appropriately), mark the location of the #1 plug wire on the side of the distributor body and remove the distributor cap with the wires still attached to the cap. 3. Remove the spark plugs (not absolutely necessary but will make it easier to turn the crankshaft and a good time to replace them). 4. I turn the crankshaft (using the bolt on the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer) until the distributor rotor is pointed at where the #1plug wire would be and the timing marks are lined up correctly (probably not necessary, but the way I like to do it). 5. Get under the truck and take a photo of the oil pan on both sides and front and back. These will come in handy when you start to put it back together and forget how it was when you took it apart. 6. Remove starter (again, maybe not necessary but it gives you more room to work). 7. Drain the oil and remove the oil pan bolts and studs (I put all of mine in a coffee can filled with solvent to speed up the cleaning process). 8. Using a rubber mallet, hit the oil pan firmly on the side, preferably in the lower curved area. It's less likely to bend if hit in this area with a rubber mallet. If you don't have a rubber mallet, put a block of wood against the pan and hit the wood. Alternate hitting the sides until it breaks loose and comes off. DO NOT, repeat DO NOT try to pry it off. Prying will bend the lip of the pan making it very difficult to get a good seal when you put it back on. If the pan has been on for a while it will probably take some pretty good effort to break it loose. 9. Crawl out from under the truck with the oil pan and put put some cardboard under there to catch the oil drips. Take a short break. 10. Remove the bolts holding the oil pump to the block. Make sure that the oil pickup is thoroughly cleaned before re-installing it on the new pump. 11. At this point, replace the rear main oil seal if that is your preference. I would highly recommend you do so. Use the Fel-Pro double lip seal. Look in the DIY Section for a "how to" on seal replacement. 12. Thoroughly clean the oil pan and install a new gasket on the drain plug. This is a good time to paint the pan for appearance and protection. 13. Prime the new oil pump. 14. Shine a flashlight up the hole and see how the drive slot in the distributor is turned, orient the oil pump shaft accordingly, put it in the hole and bolt it in place. 15. I recommend the Fel-Pro blue gasket when you put the pan back on. There's a photo of the bolt and stud sizes and locations in the DIY picture thread. (This is where the photos you took will come in handy.) 16. Change the oil filter. 17. Replace the starter. 18. Check that the drain plug is in place and tight (don't ask why I included this step) 19. Put oil in the engine. 20. Disconnect the fuel pump (pull the relay), reconnect the battery and turn the engine over a few times to get oil circulating without the engine under load. 21. Re-install the plugs, distributor cap and plug wires (be sure the rotor is still aligned with the #1 plug wire location) and reconnect the fuel pump. 22. Check around for left-over parts - not a good thing! 23. Crank it up and make sure the oil pressure comes up quickly. Listen for any unusual noises. Check under the truck for any leaks. 24. If good oil pressure and no leaks - good job! 25. Take it off the jack stands (after reconnecting any suspension components), give it a test drive, then have a cold beverage of choice as you clean up the tools and the work area. Everybody else jump in with anything I missed or omitted.

Automotive free form poetry?

I bought hoses for my 88 at Advance Auto but they didn't have al of them. The two long hoses were just a tad short so I had to do a little McGyvering. The hose from the tee to the reservoir has is a tapered hose (larger on one end than the other) if I remember correctly. The only reason I changed them is that I had to replace the heater core (a real joy!). I retained the heater valve so I had to buy some hose by the foot and cut/bend to fit. You may be able to find all the hoses by searching NAPA, Autozone, O'Reilly's, Rock Auto, etc. It may be easier to do if you're eliminating the valve. There's at least one post on eliminating the valve in the DIY section.

How did you hit the speedo needle? Did you take the clear plastic cover off the front?

Let's all say it together - ADDICTION. And there ain't no methadone for MJs.

Thanks for the responses. I believe the XJ has less than 100k mikes on it. My buddy has loaded a floor jack, tow chain, tools, etc. behind the rear seat - a fair amount of weight. I don't know if it was sitting low before he added the load in the back or if it sat OK and the load sagged the springs. Should have phrased my question better. Not knowing if the MJ and XJ shackles are the same/different lengths, I should have asked what shackles could be used to raise the back of the XJ up to original height. I agree that if the springs have sagged, longer shackles are a bad idea, just wasn't thinking of that as the potential problem. I'll suggest the XJ AAL option to him. Makes sense to use springs with the same arch. Our local P&P has a bunch of XJs to choose from.

My buddy has a 88 XJ and the rear sits lower than the front. I believe it has been mentioned here that Chevy shackles can be used to lift the rear on MJs. Would that also work on the XJ, even though it is SOA?

Redwolf - I believe the 86 models have a speedometer cable connection to the back of the cluster that is similar to my 88. On the 88 the end of the outer cable has a plastic clip that retains the cable to the speedometer hub. Since they are 25 plus years old they can be pretty brittle and easily broken. I understand that some years had a metal end with a retainer clip and screw. Someone with a 86 can fill in the details on the style of cable end specific to 86 models. In order to get the cluster out, you have to remove the bezel (maybe 6 screws) and then the screws that hold the cluster to the dash. Before you try to pull the cluster out remove the clip on the engine side of the firewall that holds the speedometer cable in place (about half way down the firewall near the drivers side of the engine) and push any slack through the grommet where the cable passes through the firewall. You may even want to disconnect the cable at the transmission to get more slack in order to pull the cluster far enough away from the dash to get your hand back to the cable connection. There should be two wire connectors, one on each side of the cluster that snap into place. To release them there are clips on each end of the connector that need to be squeezed toward the connector. You can use a small inspection mirror to get a better view of the connections behind the cluster after you've pulled it out a little. Once you have the cluster out, the lamp holders twist out (quarter turn) and the lamps can be replaced. Leave the lamp for the maintenance reminder out. Before you re-install the cluster, check that your grounds are good. Remember that you are handling old plastic so don't pull or push too hard. This is definitely not a BFH jobs.

Drop the mallett, 'cause it's Hammer Time! Or That Mallett really got hammered! Or Hammer down! Were any of those close to what you were thinking, Jim?