johnj92131

X 2 on the above. Polish it of on the inside of the lens, use tooth paste to polish the edge of the burn mark as a test. You might want to try 1000 grit wet/dry paper, but go very easy and check your work often.

If I remember correctly, the factory offered a dual battery option on diesel Cherokees offered overseas. Perhaps a google search will locate more information? http://forums.off-road.com/jeep-mid-sized/171099-dual-batteries-xj.html The above post has a dead link to the old MADXJ site talking about using a diesel dual battery. Anyone know if their is a mirror of the old MADXJ site? It had a bunch of good DIY tech articles. And a bit more useful information here: http://www.colorado4x4.org/vbb/showthread.php?31150-Dual-Battery-Setup-in-Cherokee-XJ Perhaps a battery tray from Ebay.UK? Google search for the old MADXJ site found this 2012 discussion: http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1079288 Following the link provided there leads to the old tech articles and here is the one about the dual battery setup: Relocating or Adding a Battery To the Left Side in the Engine Compartment of 4.0L XJs/MJs by Andreas Ritterbusch Posted: June 3, 2002 Last Revision: This article is for those who either need to relocate the battery for an on-board air (i.e. York style) conversion, as well as for those who plan to install a dual-battery setup (for heavy winching action or high-powered amateur radio use, etc.) The XJ's/MJ's engine compartment is already well used the way Jeep engineered it. However, several modifications require more room. Some magic needs to be done to achieve this. This article assumes that that the air cleaner/intake box has already been replaced with a cone filter (such as K&N). The space freed up by removing the air box can now be used for a relocated battery. Either a second battery can be installed here, or the main battery can be relocated to the left (driver's side), using a late-model diesel XJ battery tray (perhaps an early-model Diesel tray might fit too). Those trays are for the Diesel XJs sold in overseas markets, such as the EU and AUS, etc. More on the Diesel trays can be found below in the "The Parts" section. The relocation procedure shown here was performed on a 4.0L non-HO XJ (i.e. '87 - '90) and possibly may vary slightly on newer 4.0L XJs. This article does not discuss any battery relocation options on earlier V6 engines, any 2.5L engines, or any of the Diesel engines. Also, this article does not discuss any of the wiring that is required for a dual-battery setup. This will be covered in a separate article. The Parts: The XJ Diesel battery tray from overseas Cherokees make life simpler. A custom try could be fabricated, but in this case, the dealer option was just too tempting to resist. It will need minor modifications (grinding away what's marked in white in this image), but will otherwise "bolt right in". Not even a single hole needs to be drilled. [Large image] [ Page 008-32] [ Page 008-33] Part number: Description: Year: 5517 4970 TRAY, Battery (Diesel engine) 2000 55014 375AB* BOLT, J, M8x1.25x192 2000 * Optional, not used in this write-up For all other part numbers and a drawing, click the 2000 XJ parts book scans (issued July 1999). Depending on what year XJ this is done, a new, slightly smaller, battery is needed. A '97 XJ battery will fit perfectly (BCI Group Size Classification 58). Using bigger batteries could result in damage to nearby parts and/or battery as well as may increase the risk of the pos./neg. posts coming into contact with the hood, effectively causing a short which in turn may cause an electrical fire! Some type of battery cable is needed --a fairly big one, that is. I used 2AWG welding cable. It is flexible, heat resistant, and cheap. To avoid confusion with a ground cable (black) I wrapped some red wire loom around it. This adds extra protection and also stands out. For the battery-to-engine ground I used the same cable without the wire loom. Don't forget to get the correct crimp-on ends, as well as some battery-post clamps. [Large image] Another fairly sizeable wire is needed for the accessories main lead. I bought a reasonably priced 6AWG jumper cable. This appeared to be the best option at the moment without having to either mail order this or drive a long distance to obtain it. I used a short piece of the black cable for the battery-to-body grounding. Again, don't forget the crimp-ons in the correct size. [Large image] Perhaps the most challenging part of this project might be the battery hold-down. I ended up welding up my own, since I was not able to find a commercial version that looked strong enough to withstand anything more than a gravel road. I used some angle iron welded together with a little square bar across. The problem is that the battery is off-center, and therefore the original hold-down is not suitable (depending on battery used). I also used some round bar and threaded rod for the hold-down. It might be easier to just order them from the dealer as well. [Large image] The Tools: There are no special tools required, unless a custom battery hold-down bracket is fabricated which may involve some welding. The Procedure: I began with the above mentioned Diesel XJ battery tray. After some initial test fittings, it became clear that a little grinding is necessary. The lower radiator hose interferes for once. Therefore, the lower mount (marked with the white "X") must be removed. A notch must be cut for the power steering hose. Same image as above (90 degrees rotated). [Large image] After the battery tray has been modified for a perfect fit. [Large image] A view of the installed tray. No drilling required, all bolt holes are already in place and line up perfectly. [Large image] Installed. Notice the notch for the power steering hose. [Large image] Detail view of the power steering hose. [Large image] Detail view from underneath the vehicle looking up at the fender. Perfect fit. [Large image] Time to test fit the battery! This may get tight... Also, the alert observer may already have noticed that the aux. cooling fan is unplugged. More on this below. [Large image] Ah, here's a gap. The battery needs to be pushed all the way over to the fender to properly clear the power steering reservoir. The battery is shorter (but same width) as the Diesel XJ battery. This causes the hold-down to be offset. More on this below in the hold-down section. [Large image] Another view of the battery in its new location. Notice the original hold-down bracket which does not line up with the hold down bolt holes on the bottom of the Diesel tray. Again, the shorter battery is off-center in this tray. [Large image] OK, well the battery fits, but a hold-down must be found that will work with the off-set. As mentioned earlier, I didn't find a satisfactory solution and started building my own bracket. Initially, I didn't want to comment much on this bracket project and did not take many pictures. Since there are many (better?) ways to build this, I will limit the description to the principal idea behind this: Angle iron. [Large image] This is a side view of the finished hold-down bracket made from 1/8" thick 1"x5/8" angle iron. Instead of the official Jeep J-bold (see parts listing above), I used a threaded rod instead. Here hidden in a little brass tube (for looks only! --Can't show cheap threaded stock on a quality web page, right?) [Large image] Detail view of the installed bracket. [Large image] Detail view of the installed bracket. Here the the angle iron can be seen. Two pieces (per side) make the bracket and one square bar across. One piece (towards the battery) is with the long side down and short side over the battery. Welded to this is the same type of angle iron, but the other way. The short end is welded to the long end of the previous piece and the long end points away from the battery. A hole is drilled for the threaded rod (here hidden inside the brass tube). The spacing was perfect this way. The top weld beads were ground flush. The weld on the side can be seen in this image, although I smoothed it down too a bit. [Large image] View of the bracket after welding and grinding. [Large image] View of the bracket after welding and grinding. [Large image] View of the bracket after welding and grinding. [Large image] Detail view of the installed bracket. [Large image] The hardware used. [Large image] The finished hold-down bracket. [Large image] Before the final install of the battery, one last detail needed to be taken care of: The aux. fan wire got in the way and needed to be extended. [Large image] I added about 8" or so. This allowed me to reroute the wire out of the way. [Large image] The last step was to prepare the wiring. Here the jumper cables are disassembled. This 6AWG wire was used to run from the new battery to the main accessories distribution panel in the engine compartment. [Large image] Almost done. The new battery cables are quickly prepared since all they need is to add the crimp-on ends on one end and clamped to the battery post clamps on the other. Shown here the main accessories lead. [Large image] All done. [Large image] Notice the bracket from the battery hold-down to nose clip. This was done last, but turned out to be a critical step to provide the necessary strength to hold the battery tightly in place. This can also be seen in some of the above detail views. [Large image] The battery is now installed on the driver's side. The bright red wires coming over the fire wall are the newly routed battery cables. [Large image] Another view of the finished installation. [Large image] This is a fairly straight forward modification and all went as planned. The hold-down bracket was the only additional job that needed some type of problem solving skills. Nothing major either if a welder is available. A fun little project, which is just one part of another project, such as an on-board air or dual-battery conversion. ©Copyright 2002 Andreas Ritterbusch All Rights reserved. Photos: Andreas Ritterbusch

Just a quick update. Pictures will follow next week or so. Cylinder head is back from the shop and looks much better now. Rod bearings will be checked, clearances measured, then replaced with new bearings. Either standard size or .001 oversize. Block gets cleaned and painted late this week. Next week the engine gets put back together with all fresh seals/gaskets. This will help sort out any new oil leaks in the future. The postman delivered a new headliner on Monday for the truck (Thanks to the group buy from SMS). Last month I finally got a Comanche specific Lund Visor for the truck. Both these Items will be on my shelf till the TDI conversion is complete and the truck finally gets registered in California. Also have a Wagoneer front end that may wind up on the truck also.

Nothing wrong with a set of stock Mopar parts. Use the stock Mopar WJ CA instead of spending extra $$ for a fancy name. Don just sold a take off pair of rear JK shocks for $50 delivered. Hard to beat that for fresh shocks. Generally, I like the KISS principle. Keep it Simple Stupid. Unfortunately, when it comes to my own crap - I tend to over think things and make something that should be simple into a project. Lesson = Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good. You are talking about a Daily Driver. That is the first use of your truck and where you will spend most of your time. Don't forget the Jeep Factory built a pretty good daily driver that was quite capable of going off the road, right from the factory. And they had a much bigger budget to make that happen than any of us here do.

I am with Ohm, keep it stock. But replace the shocks first and see how works. Hard to see 30K miles springs being worn out. And if you just have to buy new springs - I would love to have a set of 30K 4 cylinder springs to put on my diesel 86 Comanche. JJ

One other thing to do when you replace the cracked manifold - put a flex pipe between the header and the exhaust pipe. Don has a picture of this posted somewhere. It will help. For a new exhaust manifold, just buy one from Ebay and plan on replacing it again in a few years.

And isn't their an issue with the speedometer drive? 90 is a mechanical speedometer. 91 is electronic.

Tom, You have a P.M.

Tom, From the Classifieds yesterday: http://comancheclub.com/topic/52735-fs-89-jeep-comanche-transmission-and-transfer-case-tx/ A possible solution for you?

Another take on why the Comanche was discontinued: Both the Comanche and the Cherokee were made on the same production line. So everytime they built a Comanche, it was one less (and more profitable) Cherokee that was made and sold. So if you think about it, when you sell all the Cherokees you can make, why build/sell less profitable Comanche trucks??

Herb, Thank you for up dating us on this thread. It is always interesting to know what motivates sellers or, in this case, horders. Good luck on a search for your own Comanche.

Mnkyboy, How about posting the total width of your front seats from passenger door to driver door at the widest part? I have my Grand Cherokee seats set about as far apart as possible - side of seat back is against side of cab. Wonder how your Dakota seats compare to the Grand Cherokee seats for comfort? Have you sat in G.C. seats to compare? Must say, I like the center console with the Dakota seats and the Cup holder Comanche09 put in the center console.

Mnkyboy definitely has 97 Dakota seats, not sure who posted the other info. Here is the link to the Raider seats: http://comancheclub.com/topic/20681-installed-2005-dakota-bench-pics-inside/?hl=raider Good pictures showing how to mount the seats and the center console.

My Google searching for seat widths has not given me much as far as things like "How wide is a Comanche/Dakota/Ranger/etc seat". So I started to look for interior compartment dimensions. From "The Jeep Book" 1991, I found "hip room" listed as 55.3 inches for the Comanche and for the front of the Cherokee. From http://4x4dakota.org/dodge-dakota-1991-1996-specs/ 1991-96 first generation Dakota "hip room" 56.0 for standard and extended cab. For 1997- 2004 Dakota "hip room" 54.9 inches for all cabs For 2005-2007 and 2008-2011 Dakota "hip room" 54.9 inches for all cabs. EDIT: Ford Ranger/Chevy Blazer/S-10 pickup hip room seems to be in the 52 inch ranges. Indicating about 3 inches less than the Comanche. So seat width from these vehicles would not seem to be an issue.

Appstate97, Do your realize this thread is more than 10 years old? Nice pictures in this thread! And a very good job using the search function. There is a current thread looking for measurements also. But not much on specific results. Strangely.

See the chart in this link: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-truck-4runner/773585-leaf-spring-dimensions-faq.html Your answer is yes. Link to a 2001 MJ vs XJ spring discussion: http://www.naxja.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-1063358.html And finally found this chart: http://littlekeylime.com/MrN/mrnimages/leaf_springs.png

Tom, Which rocker switches are you looking for in particular - or just any 2 rocker switches? I can check my stash. I have picked up a lot of small parts for my Comanche like the ones you are looking for at the local pick a part yards from Jeep Cherokees.

From my 1991 owners manual: Wheel Base: 119.9 inches Length: 195.5 inches (16 ft. 3.5 inches)

Here is the window sticker for my 1991 Comanche:

The Comanche bench seat is not all that great, to put it mildly. But if you need to seat 3 in the Comanche - your choices are somewhat limited. Give it a try and do not toss your bucket seats. You may need them later. I went from the bench seat to buckets over several years. I used good seats from a nice XJ, then found decent seat frames from both 2 door XJs and a Comanche. Then put together a very nice looking set of fold forward seats with a storage pocket on the back of the seat. But after a few years, I found the Comanche/Cherokee buckets bothered my back, so I replaced them with seats out of the Grand Cherokee and added the fold forward option with the help of a DIY article here on the Comanche Club.

Welcome, Kenny D. Lots of good stuff here. Including this very recent repair of a H.O. 1991 fuel sender unit that will help you out. Remember, you fuel sender is NLA from Jeep. So you need to repair what you have. This repair will be a little different from your sender, but should be an excellent read to follow. http://comancheclub.com/topic/52339-fuel-sending-unit-repair/ Think it is also in the DIY section. Be sure to check the DIY index link for all kinds of how to and good projects.

Cool pictures gentlemen. I tossed the bench seat years ago without even looking under it. The original doors went away in 2009 after my parked truck got sideswiped. All the original documents from the truck are in one large envelope in the files. When I get/need a break from doing income taxes, I will pull it out, then scan and post the image. Another question: Where is the best place to find a list of the options available for the 1986 Comanche? Or what should I look for on Ebay to put it another way. Thanks,

Welcome! That will be a great learning project for both father and son. Taking the time to let your son do some of the work (and make mistakes) is really priceless. Please let me pass along some good advice I got not too long ago: Use www.imgur.com to host your pictures. Photobucket is a pain in the backside! imgur made it quite easy for me to post pictures.

Did not realize that Jeep has apparently pulled the 3.0 diesel off the market. But it makes sense. I have to wonder if the Jeep 3.0 diesel uses a Bosch injection pump. Bosch apparently did the VW software defeat device. Re: Jeep diesel. I found this from earlier in March: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCAU - Free Report) stated that it has been charged by U.S. federal and state authorities, including the Securities and Exchange Commission for excess diesel emissions by some of its vehicles. The automaker has received many inquiries, summons and requests regarding the issue. Additionally, several State authorities are also investigating the issue. Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) had charged Fiat Chrysler for illegally using software to modify the emission levels from the diesel-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs and Ram pickups. According to EPA findings around 104,000 vehicles had software which did not properly reveal the emission of nitrogen oxides. Notably, avoiding the disclosure of software which affects the emissions is violation of law. According to EPA, Fiat Chrysler may be charged with a fine of $4.6 billion. However, Fiat Chrysler has denied the claim. Moreover, the company confirmed that it is taking care of the matter and will cooperate with all the government requests. The company is also undergoing several other civil lawsuits.

Bo, Did you look at the 3.0 diesel Grand Cherokee? If so, they why buy the Hemi? JJ