Minuit

If your speedometer works and goes back to 0 when you're stopped, the cable and the speedo itself are fine. Do what the other guys said. With it out of the truck, take the inner cable out of its sheath, clean it, and lubricate its entire length except the very ends with white lithium grease. When you put it back, make sure it doesn't make any sharp bends. It should make a fairly gentle curve from the transfer case/transmission to its mount on the driver side upper control arm bolt, up the firewall, and into the cab.

Do you know how much oil pressure it's making? Not necessarily relevant since that's probably exactly why it's making the awful noise - it just doesn't send pressurized oil to the valvetrain right away, but as long as it goes away once oil reaches the valvetrain the noise isn't indicative of anything severely wrong with the engine. If you want to try dumping stuff in the oil, quite few people here swear by Marvel Mystery Oil (hint: it's red because it has ATF in it, which is a good cleaner as well as a good lubricant) for cleaning the engine out. It might clean some crud out of the lifters and make the noise go away, you never know. I ran a quart in my '91 for an oil change interval and didn't really notice any difference, but several people here whose opinions carry much more authority than mine like it. The '91 used to have an awful tick for the first couple of seconds after startup, but at some point during my ownership I noticed it just stopped doing it, and I don't remember when it stopped. Probably a combination of using better oil filters (and knowing of the dangers of cheap ones such as Fram), running synthetic oil, and all of the parts (including the oil pump) that I've replaced along the line. With that said, as long as it goes away consistently, and you have good oil pressure after startup, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Just keep in mind that the 4.0 isn't the most refined engine in the world and there's a lot of stone age technology in it. That turned out way longer than i thought it would, woops

Yeah, there's some snap clips once you get the screws out. That stupid little panel is a real PITA to take out and even worse to get back in.

Yes to both questions. Drivetrain wise, a Comanche is 100% identical to a Cherokee other than the rear axle and rear driveshaft. People sell nice Comanche benches fairly often that will bolt right in. Most people say (and I agree having swapped to buckets from a bench) that the buckets are way more comfortable. The bench seat has its own charm, though. Here's a good thread on another forum that's pretty much doing the exact swap you want (the XJ in the thread is an '89, but it's the same procedure) Or you could do what I did, buy another Comanche with a stick so I had both to choose from :D

According to my 1990 FSM, the Renix fan is supposed to come on at about 190*, so your gauge is probably at least somewhat close to reality. The temp gauge isn't linear, so it's tricky to figure out what it's actually reading sometimes. Mine does about like yours does and I have a Stant thermostat with a CSF 3 core radiator and a 9x11 transmission cooler. If I climb a long hill in overdrive with the A/C running, it almost touches 210 but it goes back down from there.

Floor shift or column shift? In either case, there's a cable that goes from the base of the steering column (column shift) or from the base of the shifter lever (floor shift) to the transmission. Both are attached to a bracket right after they come out of the column/floor handle. Make sure they haven't popped off. Make sure there's even a cable going to the driver side of the trans first.

How hard can it possibly be? It says it spelled correctly in huge chrome letters on the side of the vehicle. Some people.

Before worrying about your temperature, verify that the gauge is actually reading properly. I have a set of those blue gauges and the temperature gauge reads about 30* lower than actual temperature. When I still had aftermarket senders in my '91 the temp read at least 25* higher than actual temperature. A Mopar sensor agrees with my other measurements. Point an infrared thermometer at the upper radiator hose where it comes out of the thermostat housing. If you had an HO, you could also measure the resistance of the CTS on the thermostat housing and compare it against the resistance chart in the FSM. That's a more accurate sensor in a better spot anyway, and later engines used that sensor for the temp gauge as well.

Renix only is upside down. You mean like this? The '91 and '89 are both like that. Easy to see why a good ADBV is necessary. (and for shame, that's not a Wix filter :doh:)

Echo what Cruiser said. My '91 builds oil pressure noticeably faster with a Wix than with any other filter. Adding to that, the Wix has overall higher build quality and the filtration media has more area and is of higher quality. More expensive, but more than worth it to me. Here's a comparison I found on another site: The wix is way more... uh, skookum overall.

Another vote for synthetic 10w-30 motor oil. My AX15 runs great with it.

The direction the belt is facing. Say if the markings were still on it, whether or not you could read them standing in front of the engine. Like I said, it's odd but flipping it around has seriously made noises stop. The OP probably just has antifreeze on his belt though.

Fram is a big no no, and I've heard of problems with even Purolators recently. Wix is a sure bet for quality. They go on anything that I'd like to survive the next 3-5,000 miles.

As long as you aren't overheating anyway, you'll be fine. The electric fan won't make that much difference. Just make sure to replace it with a 95-96 (or if you don't mind splicing connectors) 97+ fans. They're better and quieter. Make sure to check your clutch fan and everything else for damage. For what it's worth the only time I had my e-fan come on by itself in recent memory was right after I replaced the radiator before filling and bleeding the system completely.

Can't be worse than Dorman, right? Right? :doh: Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

I got lucky at the junkyard and found a set of regulators on an XJ that appeared to have been replaced at some point in its life. When those start wearing out, guess it's time for power windows. Even if someone like Dorman started making them, I'd still rather have half worn out originals.

Doesn't matter what trans it has; the cut-out in the console is the same size regardless. I'm like 90% sure the boot and bezel will still work. If not both are still available new. :thumbsup: Good to know about the other type of cupholder. Passenger seat legroom is bad enough in the MJ as it is.

The 84-96 console would be correct for the truck. You will have to drill 4 holes in the transmission tunnel for the brackets but there are divots punched in to guide you. When I did this on both of my trucks I drilled an 1/8" hole and threaded in #8 sheet metal screws. There's a cupholder available that goes over where the handbrake would be on an XJ, but it's pretty small. Get the genuine Mopar one - the aftermarket ones suck big time. There's also one that goes on the right side of the shifter, but I haven't used one so I don't know how good it is. Make sure you grab the floor air deflector. To make your floor A/C work correctly (XJs run floor air through the console for the back seat) you'll have to block off part of it. I just used tape. note: I may have one or both of the brackets backwards in this picture. I honestly don't remember.

This might sound crazy, but you may want to try turning the belt the other way around on the pulleys. I've had squeaky belts that stopped being squeaky if they were turned around. Are all the pulleys level (does one stick out further than the other?)

Your best bet as far as reliability, part availability and interchangeability, and general usability would be to go for a 1991 or 1992 High Output model with the 4.0L engine. These are the rarest model years and by far the most valuable, though. The older 1987-90 fuel injection systems can sometimes be a pain. If you want a stick, prefer mid-1989 build date and later since they came with a far superior transmission. The 4-cylinder's MPG gain is not generally considered to be worth the loss in power over the 4.0. My '91 automatic does a consistent 17.5mpg in mostly highway driving and a manual would probably do slightly better. I see no reason to prefer a shortbed over a longbed unless you park in tight spaces a lot, especially if you plan on sleeping in it.

Yuck.

Gold wheels are hard to get right IMO. Are these the ones you're talking about? I'm not a fan of them personally. They could look alright on a black truck, but I'd say no on a red truck (assuming that the truck in your profile picture is yours) The standard silver Ravines look exceptional on every MJ I've seen them on. Might be biased, though. If you like 'em, put them on. Taste in wheels is a very subjective thing.

I replaced the original thick felt-like splash guard with the newer thin rubber guard used on 94 and above XJs, p/n 55174736. It's a lot tougher and doesn't sag nearly as much as the old one. I like to keep crap out of the engine compartment and it really helps keeping water off the alternator. Huh, had no idea the newer version existed. Don't think I've ever seen one still in place other than the one on the '91, ever. Thanks for the p/n, might have to pick one up :thumbsup:

Those gaskets can be a pain to get to seal. The first time I did it, I had to do it three times. Make sure the mating surface is clean, flat and not cracked. Make sure you torque the bolts evenly but not too tight. Also make sure the thermostat stays in its little slot. If you use sealant, give it some time to cure. I like Permatex High Tack in the spray can. Spray the gasket (on the thermostat housing side) and the thermostat housing fairly generously, let it tack up for about 10 minutes (seriously, let it dry for longer than you think you should. It doesn't really "dry", just gets sticky like paint) and then install the thermostat and housing. Go slowly and make sure you don't let the housing touch anything as you're putting it on. The petcock works great as long as it doesn't break. That probably won't be a problem if it doesn't still have the original radiator. An alternative is to undo the lower radiator hose, but you better be prepared for gallons of coolant spilling out of the engine and radiator in about 5 seconds. I'm surprised so many of you still have your engine splash shield. Mine was torn in half, hid anything I dropped, and was soaked through with oil and coolant. It went away pretty quick :D

Hazards work?