Minuit

What are you waiting for? Open the box already!

It is becoming apparent to me that I might have a chance at actually being able to drive a vehicle on public roads at some point in the future. That means it's time to address my modes of transportation. There are three doors I can go down, but only two realistic choices. I chose the door that led to this truck. I won't pollute this build thread with the backstory, but if you really want to know, here you go: I haven't been completely idle since April, but my "talents" have been redirected to something other than working on cars since then: Today, I did something other than tightening power steering lines and checking fluids to the truck for the first time since April. It hasn't been driven in about two months. It started right up (although the battery was a little low), and the AC which I suspect has a slow leak is semi-cold. Not bad. It's got a thick coating of tree sap, and this is the part of the year in TN where it's either raining or so hot and humid that I'd rather just sit inside, so that's just great. I finally did get around to installing @fiatslug87's new 3D printed tailgate bumpers. They're great and you should buy them. They aren't a perfectly exact match for my originals (which were distorted and warped, so they might be correct after all), but the differences won't matter for their intended purpose. Installation is somewhat of a pain in the @$$ because Jeep chose to be cheap when putting these things on. They're held on by rivets, which of course will have to be dealt with. This is an area that'll be visible, so not damaging anything is especially important. For the ones that attach to the bed, you can get to the back of them by removing the tail light. I have had pretty good luck drilling this style of rivet out through the back, and there's a lot less risk of scraping the paint on the bed that way. If appearance didn't matter, drilling through the front or grinding the heads off works just fine too. I want these to be removable, so the obvious solution of "just rivet the new ones in" is off the table. I also don't want to use a nut on the other side. The next most obvious solution is riv-nuts, and that's what I decided to go with. Believe it or not, I've never owned or used a riv-nut gun before, but hey, this $20 Harbor Freight special works pretty well for this small stuff: The ones on the tailgate go on the same way. On one of them, the rivet had gotten so loose that I could push the center of the rivet out with a center punch, which made things easier. The #6 riv-nuts that come in the HF kit are perfect for the holes that were already there. Couple that with a machine screw and the largest washer you can fit, and they work great. Don't forget to clean your tail light sockets, lube the tailgate pivot points, and make sure the tailgate straps aren't bent while you're in there.

Figured I'd check in. New neuro seems to actually give a damn, and outlined her current plan and the back-up options in case that doesn't work. I'll likely get at least one more change of medication. Current meds aren't quite doing everything they want them to. How do I feel? About 80% of what I was before. I'm not as good at carrying on conversations or short-term memory as I was, and I get dizzy a lot easier. The two seizures did damage to my brain, and the medication sometimes adds a layer of "fog" to everything I do. I've put on about 12 pounds since April (I was 182 lbs at 5'10 before this happened... almost healthy!) and that's not doing me any favors either. I figure with time and medicine/habit changes I'll get back up to about 90% of what I was. Mostly as an exercise to keep my layout skills sharp (I will eventually go back to work, after all) I've been on a woodworking kick. I intend to have a shop that isn't a complete damn mess or "purgatory for clutter that we just HAVE TO HAVE but have no place to put it" so I can do some vehicle projects before November 14th, and this is part of it. Lots of stuff getting thrown out or moved, and what's staying is getting optimized. I have 360 square feet of usable space in here, and I fully intend to make the best of it. This is the new "utility shelf" - current features include a charging station for power tools, and hanging hooks for cords and other stuff. It'll have a power strip and built in phone charger pretty soon. Yeah, I know the shelves have a serious crown to them. That actually makes it stronger, and that's pretty much the straightest plywood I could get on short notice in "either rainy, or so hot and humid you're wishing for death within 30 minutes" August in Tennessee. Most of you have seen this one before, but basically an exercise in "how much test equipment and radios can I fit into the smallest space possible" - it's been coming together slowly for the last few months. The chair is made from what used to be the driver seat of my '89. It cleaned up amazingly well. I also did something other than tightening a line or checking the oil to my '91 for the first time since the beginning of April.

That is one odd looking puppy.

The transmission will have to come out. Not hard, but not "roadside repair" easy either. They will probably want to replace the clutch too. I don't know what the "book time" is but figure at least several hours of labor.

Welcome to the world of internal slave Jeep ownership! On a sensibly designed (94 or later AX-15) system this would be fixable on the side of the road in less than an hour. The transmission has to come out for this one though, and the aftermarket ones make a Yugo look reliable.

Looks like Honey, with maybe a 15% chance of it being the much lighter 1987 Tan. Definitely not Sand, Dark Sand (is there even a difference?) or Almond. Honey is appropriate for a 1985 or 1986 vehicle, or anything with enough spray paint. (if you're selling something, is it really that hard to make sure your item is in focus before posting the ad?)

@fiatslug87

Here's another fun fact about the early (up to '91 at least) factory IR keyless system: You cannot reprogram the receiver. The receiver and transmitter are coded together at the factory, and the FSM says if one is replaced the other must be replaced too. There may be some way to do it at the component level, but Chrysler's official position is that it can't be done. I rarely make sweeping declarations that things suck or are completely useless, but damn. I didn't know much about the factory keyless entry before I started researching for this, but the more I learn the worse it gets. So that's two factory systems that are on my list of "completely useless, don't even bother with them even for novelty purposes" - this, and the Bendix 9 ABS system as found on highly optioned XJs through 1991.

I looked in 2 cars, both base model V6, and both had the module. Not sure if it was standard though. It should be visible just by removing the passenger kick panel trim.

I separate all of my projects into "groups" that are more or less self-contained and can be done individually. I keep a parts list for each. Not a single one of those parts lists is under $300.

Do not use blinker fluid in the horn. The correct fluid should be right next to the blinker fluid on the shelf. Look for a bottle of beeps - that'll restore proper horn function. Do not overfill the horn with beeps. With the horn cold, the reservoir should be approximately half full of beeps. Overfilling can cause damage and premature failure.

Yes, the gauge comes with a set of adapters, and one of those will fit in place of the gauge sender. Compare the reading on the gauge with the reading on the dash. If they don't agree within a few PSI, you've got a problem with the gauge, the sensor, or the wiring in between. You may be able to rent the gauge from a parts store. Quick test of the gauge and wiring: With the ignition on, unplug the sender. The gauge should read the maximum reading. Now touch the wire that went to the sender to ground. The gauge should read 0 PSI.

If the sender is not a recent Mopar replacement, it is a potential suspect. If it's any aftermarket brand, it is suspect regardless of age, although my experience has been that the aftermarket temperature sensors are much more garbage than the oil pressure sensors. The oil pressure gauge is quite accurate when the connections are clean and it is used with a Mopar sender. I'd investigate the sensor way before worrying about the oil pump.

Yup. Especially if you have aluminum wheels. Put them on with a torque wrench (100 ft-lb is my rule of thumb), drive around the block, check again, drive a little farther, check again. After that, every month or so just give 'em a quick click with the torque wrench. It takes 5 minutes and might just save your @$$.

More info! Here's the original JeepForum thread I was talking about. It did not make itself easy to find. https://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/1992-xj-rke-keyless-entry-upgrade-ir-rf-oem-omg-1143482/ ryder267, if you're reading this, you're a genius. There's not a whole lot more info in the comments section, but there is a whole lot of the typical useless "lol why didn't you just buy an aftermarket system this is stupid" type comments that you expect to see on most sites that aren't CC. The lack of that attitude is why I stick around here. Here's the Camaro module after having been unceremoniously ripped out of its casing. It's quite a robust looking little unit. The entire board is conformally coated and contains high quality components. I have a couple of these and they all work just fine even though they're 25 years old. Those connectors are huge, bulky, and not what I'll be using in the final product, so away they go. The smaller one is a Metri-Pack 150 series, the bigger one is a 280 series I'm pretty sure. If you chose, you can still get the connectors to plug directly into this module. Once this gets installed in my truck and becomes a real writeup, I'll post a translation of my scribbled cursive notes. I'll be replacing the connector with a free hanging Metri-Pack 150 8-pin for compatibility with the original connector in the overhead console harness. It fits perfectly in the overhead console on top of the compass module after the connectors have been removed. As in, "I probably couldn't have made it fit much better if I designed it that way" - I'll use some velcro or something to keep it from rattling around. I don't expect it to affect the compass, as the antenna is the only part of this that I could get to attract a magnet, and there's plenty of other magnetic stuff in the area. I'll probably be making my own antenna that runs all the way around the overhead console for the final product. If you know me, you'll know that I'm fussy. I wanted a remote that only had the buttons I could use. My truck does not have an alarm system or a trunk, so that means I need a remote with only "lock" and "unlock". Here's the remote I ended up with. This was originally for some Chrysler product without a remote trunk release. Maybe a 97+ XJ? Not sure. Important note: this remote doesn't actually work with the module as-is. What you see here is actually a ZJ remote's guts swapped into the 2-button remote's body and the "lock" and "unlock" buttons switched, so you'll need to Frankenstein a remote together from two remotes worth of parts if you want to follow along. The Camaro module is compatible with a wide variety of remotes from pretty much any mid-90s domestic. All of the pictured remotes work with this module. I also accidentally programmed the remote for my '96 Thunderbird to it once. More potentially useless info: - The Camaro module has the ability to unlock only the driver door on the first press of the unlock button. The factory setup I'll be adapting this module to works with both doors no matter what. There are separate "unlock" wires for the driver and passenger doors, but this isn't an issue because the "driver door unlock" signal is active every time the unlock button is pushed anyway. So if you want to unlock both doors at the same time always, use the "driver door" unlock wire to trigger your unlock relay. - I do not know if this module has any "panic button" functionality. From what I can tell, I doubt it. - On my franken-remote, I had to switch the lock and unlock buttons. Not a huge deal, but some plastic needs to be trimmed to make them fit. 5 minute job. - The module activates the lock/unlock actuators for a total of 0.3 seconds each time a button is pressed. - The dome lights are turned on for 40 seconds after pressing either button. Remember that the dome lights get 12V at all times and are actually switched on the ground side - this module works the same way. The "dome light" wire is grounded for that time. - The module will stay programmed for at least several months with no power. The last time I messed with this was at the very start of 2020, and it still remembered my remote last weekend even though the module has been in a box the whole time.

I guess you probably figured it out by now but short answer: yes. The power antenna's "intended" function is to activate the power antenna relay when the radio is turned on. It supplies 12V whenever the radio is turned on, and is good for up to 150milliamps or so. So if you need to turn anything on with the radio such as a power antenna or amplifier, you can use the power antenna wire. Just make sure you know what current it draws.

As a general rule, I tell people to expect their fader control to stop working when using an external amp. There's quite a bit of math involved in the "why" but to cut it short, the amplifier presents a very, very light load to the radio. The fader control is designed with speakers in mind, rather than a separate amp. Unfortunately, this means that when driving a high-impedance amplifier, the fade control will pretty much do nothing. Nothing wrong with the radio or amp, and it's nothing you did, just math. This is one of many reasons why any half-decent aftermarket amp will have separate gain controls for front and rear.

I'm about 45 minutes south of Nashville.

Mostly because I don't want to mess with the factory wiring. I guess it would be cool if unlocking the doors turned on the headlights or honked the horn and whatnot, but it's not worth splicing into the original wiring to me. I hate aftermarket alarm/keyless entry installs precisely because of how invasive they are to the vehicle's original wiring, and I'm doing everything I can to avoid that for this project. I'm doing this in a way that it all plugs into the factory connections and can be completely removed if needed. All of the power/ground/dimmer functions for the overhead console are going to come from the clock circuit through a "tee" harness, for example. The lock and unlock functions are going to plug into the cross-body harness at the same place they would in a factory install, although I will need to replace that connector with something I can actually source. Same shape and pin count of connector though, obviously. Should I mention that I spent quite a bit of time and money ordering spools of each correct color (including stripe) and gauge of wire to match the factory OHC wire diagram, or would that be a step too far? I also have a NOS XJ overhead console computer, although I'm pretty sure I found a suitable replacement that's way more reliable and a lot easier to come by.

Cheapo kit: https://www.amazon.com/Docooler-Central-Locking-Keyless-Controllers/dp/B006QH9C5A/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=car+keyless+entry&qid=1598163913&sr=8-8 Looks like it's only $16 now. Anyway, it's worked fine for years and the range is pretty good. Big limitations: the instructions are literally useless. The remotes look cheap, and you have to unlock before you lock again. So if you get out of the truck and use the switch on the door to lock the doors, you have to push the lock button on the remote before you can actually unlock the doors. I guess I should probably back up and explain a little more of what I'm planning to do. Background: I swapped power windows, locks, and mirrors into my truck using '91 wiring. Not only is this "factory correct" but the wiring diagrams in my 91 FSM also match what's actually in my truck. I will soon be adding the overhead console to it, and I'll be sorta-kinda replicating the factory installation by hiding the keyless entry module in the overhead console. But I'll be using an actually useful module out of a 93-95 Camaro. All the keyless entry module really does is trigger the lock and unlock relays, so the specifics of what module you use really doesn't matter. All I really wanted from this was a classy looking remote for my truck that doesn't look like I added aftermarket keyless entry - and importantly, doesn't have a "panic" button for the alarm my truck doesn't have, or a "hatch" or "trunk" button. I also don't want any aftermarket junk that I have to decipher the instructions for, and I was really tired of the limitations of the aftermarket system I put in. With a little planning, the Camaro keyless module is completely compatible with the Jeep wiring. Also, putting the module in programming mode is as simple as jumping two of the wires and holding one of the buttons on the remote until the locks cycle. The connectors on the Camaro module are different, but I'll be replacing them with the appropriate Metripack connectors anyway as part of building the overhead console harness. The keyless modules used by GM in the mid 90s are made by TRW, the same company that made the remotes for quite a few of the Chrysler systems. As it turns out a 96-98ish ZJ remote can be programmed to the Camaro module. But those remotes have a panic button that would be useless on my truck. Luckily, you can get a Chrysler remote with just "unlock" and "lock" buttons, but THOSE remotes can't be programmed to the GM keyless module. But you can use the ZJ remote's guts in the 2-button case and it works just fine while not having any "extra" buttons. The Camaro module also has a provision for "illuminated entry" (turning the dome lights on when you unlock the doors) that I might explore, and the built-in antenna can be extended for even more range. The Camaro module can be harvested at the junkyard very easily. It's behind the passenger side kick panel and has two connectors. You don't even need any tools to remove it from the car. I didn't come up with the basic idea of this. I originally got the idea from a different Jeep forum a few years ago, but I can't find the original thread. If I can find it, I'll post it up here to give credit to the original guy who figured this out.

The infrared keyless system was used up to 96. It SUCKS. Range is crap and your remote must have line of sight to the dome on the headliner to be able to do anything. If anything is in the way it won't work. It tells your truck to lock or unlock by flashing an infrared LED. The system in the 97+ XJ is a radio frequency (RF) system, but as far as I know the remotes must be programmed to the keyless receiver by a dealer. Pretty sure you can install a matched receiver + remote into another vehicle without any programming, but not 100% sure. The connectors and remotes for the IR system changed a few times in there if I'm not mistaken. Also, the OEM remotes are stupidly expensive. I considered adding it to my 91 for novelty reasons. Talking to people who've used the original system (and having its limitations demonstrated in person) changed my mind in a hurry. I currently have a $18 kit from Amazon in my truck, which has worked great. Once the weather cools down in TN I'll be wiring in the overhead console and hiding a slightly modified keyless module from a '94 Camaro in there, because that's an RF system with good range, lets me use an OEM looking Chrysler remote, and programming the remote is a simple matter of "short two wires together, push button on remote".

There should be a piece of velcro on the inside of the lower dash panel. That's what keeps it in place.

The arm connected directly to the valve needs to be horizontal. The arm that bolts to the diff cover needs to be vertical. Otherwise, the rear brakes receive almost no fluid.