SoloCamo

I would assume it would be more in climates with extreme variations in temperature, especially if the thing is already rusting out. I know my old 87' I had up in NY was rusted under there to hell, but it showed no signs of cracking. Never heard of this as being a major problem for the comanche frame though.

Was it a good improvement on the low end, or are you saying it took away some power from the lowend and moved it higher up top?

Throw some ideas my way! :brows: Also, IIRC, XJ front sways will work, correct?

Congrats! You just killed any hope I had! ;) Thanks for saving the trouble though

Been trying to do this myself...at least in my head. Possibly going to pick up an xj rear bar and the brackets from the junkyard to give it a go. The problem I see here is the spring tie plate. I've been going back and forth with my haynes manual and visually examining the manche. If you've got any ideas anyone be sure to post em :cheers:

http://www.drivewire.com/percatalog/Dyn ... RBERS&pt=4 Found that site...How are the kybs, or any of the brands listed? Still can't find bilsteins though :cry:

Thanks for the link! I'd say the suspension is in great shape for it's age! This thing has been florida bound its whole life and there is not a spot of rust under there. No sag in the leaf springs, and with 125k on the clock of it, i'd reckon it's not that worn out. However, it was used as a work truck and the shocks were definitely changed out. Let's say the suspension is in good condition, what would really be the noticeable effects of having just a front sway bar? I'm afraid it will throw off balance around turns? I don't really know. :nuts:

Hmmm. How would it affect handling if I was to just put a beefy front sway bar on, and leave the rear w/o one? I definitely don't have the tools, time nor money to make my own setup for the rear. Also, if you wouldn't mind. A link or parts number for those shocks will be a huge help! :cheers: Thanks again :chillin:

Oh this manche has been up and going for a long time, especially with only 125k on the clock :cheers: It has definitely had more than its share of problems due to lack of care from the previous owner though :roll: I'm basically trying to improve it's handling a good deal over stock. It already had slightly lower (235/70/15) tires that the prev owner had on it. Oh and about the junkyards...none of them are half way decent around here. Theres a pick and pull up north, but thats all the way about 4 hours up.

Man, that's definitely a big downer :cry:. Ah well. Do you guys know of any company's/stores that do sell more street performance orientated shocks for the comanche? This one is going to be my DD, and will rarely go off road. So i'm trying to tune it to handle even better than it already does. Thanks again! :brows: Also, while we are on the topic....Will those addco rear sway bars for the cherokee fit a comanche? I'm assuming the front sways will, as the shocks do. But the rear probably won't again.. It's much harder than I thought to get these manches going!

Just as the title implies, I'm looking at some new shocks for the manche. I was wondering if Cherokee shocks would work? I know the front end will most likely, but how about the rear? I'm looking at some bilsteins, or some Eibach IAS shocks. I can only find them for the cherokee though :mad: Thanks for any input!

IIRC, comfort mode makes the transmission "slip" to generate a smoother feeling shift. I know the previous owner kept it in comfort mode, and I keep it in power mode. My tranny seems to be sloppy in comfort mode, especially at higher speeds. Besides, i'm a bit of a lead foot ;)

Thanks again for the replies! Well I took apart and cleaned the IAC, and it had so much grunge and crap all over it. Got some TB cleaner and gave it a nice new shine, and also cleaned out the TB a bit too, mostly the butterfly. Anyways, it seems to have fixed the really bad high idle. But if that naxja thread is any indicator, I shouldn't keep my hopes up to high. These renix's seem to have too many electrical gremlins. I get a slightly high idle on cold starts now, but it will drop down and remain fine after a minute or so. Thanks again!

Thanks for all the help! :cheers: Is there anything I should be looking for in particular? I don't have any voltmeters or anything :hateputers: Since the change of the spark plugs, it's been running great and hasn't hesitated or failed to start at all. However, it did give me a real high idle once, while in any gear. Hasn't done in since. :nuts: Thanks again for all the help! I'm also going to try and clean out the Throttlebody a bit to see if that helps some flow.

No, I actually haven't. What exactly should I be looking for if it was bad? Or do you think they may just be dirty? Also, IIRC, they are both located near the air box, correct? Thanks for the reply! :cheers:

Hey all! Yet another problem on this troublesome 88' manche. :mad: Anyways, as the title implies, it has a case of random high idles. For example, it could start up fine one minute, shut it down for an hour, turn it on, and then have a high idle while in park. Once you drop it in gear, it will go to a slightly lower idle. However, it will go like a bat out of hell with me NOT on the throttle at all. Not like it's gunning it, but it is definately moving much faster than it should be while i'm not on the gas due to the slightly high idle. The whole thing is, is that it's random. One day it will be great, one day it will idle like crap. Shut it down, restart it, and it will run fine, sometimes it won't. Maybe a sensor? Also, lately, it has been doing the whole, "I don't feel like starting today" thing. As in, sometimes it will start, sometimes it won't. Wait an hour, it will work. And in some cases lately, it took almost 12 seconds of straight cranking to start it, and it will hesitate when starting. Once it's running, it's running though. Never hesitates while driving. I just changed the spark plugs to stock Champions, from the previous owners Bosch Platinums, which I heard are crap for the 4.0. No large difference, if anything, slightly better idle and response. 88' Comanche SporTruck 4.0L renix, AW-4, 125k miles, 2wd Any help/opinions would be greatly appreciated! :cheers:

Only problem I see with that is that the Peugeot transmission isn't exactly intended for performance. ;) I know I was a little too rough on it a month or so before it got totaled by a drunk, and it was making all kinds of whining :cry: Then again, with over 190k on the clock, I'm surprised it didn't do that earlier.

Like said above, make sure it is running in prime shape before you get more HP out of it. But as far as boltons...: - Hi flow Cat - "Performance" Muffler (flowmaster, dynomax, etc.) - Custom Air Tube - Bored out TB - Headers - Larger exhaust pipes headers back (2.5") Really not much to do under there as far as bolt ons go, but with the above, you should get maybe 20hp/25+lbs torque out of it, depending on your engines condition as is. No engine is alike in that sense. Also, with those mods you will have raised the peak HP up a few hundred RPMs from stock, so you will have more top end grunt, like the HO motors. The renix motor definitely is all low end power, and thats it. This is not intended to be 100% accurate, but I'm just trying to remember what I've gathered over the years :cheers:

lol. I have the ability to buy a 97 firebird with an lt1 that's wrecked and running/driving for less than $700 complete. it's got 56,000 in it. I'm just debaiting what I wanna do about it...I could keep the 2wd I just got and turn it into a fun lil go-getter/drag strip truck, or I could do the same thing but 4wd it and use it as a plow truck/recovery vehicle (I have a real nice meyer plow for my MJ's :D) drag strip it! :cheers: (I'm only 19, what did ya expect) You can't forget the comanche's racing heritage, and there are far little nowadays used for anything but offroading and as work trucks.

Ls1 is definitely the better of the two motors, with a much wider power band, and more HP. But you can't beat the lowend torque and sound of an Lt1! :bowdown: I'm still trying to find a decent 90 iroc-z

Definitely intentional, or at the least, normal. My 87' 4.0 manche did it, and so does my '88 4.0

Don't worry about the thread jack, as any activity is better than none 8) Besides, I was meaning to ask you about the 3800 motor. Compared to the 4.0L, do you feel a large performance difference? IIRC, the 3800 v6 is lighter, and pumps out more HP at higher RPM's, however, lacks the low end torque the 4.0L has. I'm a huge f-body fan, and obviously love the comanche too, so taking the v6 from a camaro and putting it in a manche sparked some interest :D

Hmmm. I know that actually is legal in Florida now that I remember. How would that effect performance though? Wouldn't it cause a loss of backpressure (or w/e the technical term is) causing worse performance mainly in the TQ department?

hi-flow cat and muffler will help alot. changing tube diameter will as well, but you have to gauge whether or not you think it will be enough to dictate the $$$ invested. the hi-flow cat I have on my 86 with the camaro 3800 has performed well so far but it's also a Nox converter as I have no evap system. hi-flow muffler also helps quite a bit. Well I figure, i'm not looking for serious power improvements, as I simply don't have the money for it, and since there won't be any significant changes, the stock piping is probably the most optimized for the setup. I won't lose the torque down low that I would running pretty much stock parts with larger piping. Low end torque is what i'm going for, and I'm hoping with an air intake, new muffler, and hi flow cat, I can atleast pull an additional 9-10 ponies/10 pounds of torque. Nothing groundbreaking, but atleast getting it up there with the H.O motors.

Thanks again for the fast reply 8) Well with the cost of a custom job, i'm probably stuck looking at a high flow cat and a new muffler. Nothing wrong with the current ones, but i'm looking to pull out slightly more ponies. Possibly run a custom air intake as well.