Minuit

Sounds like the typical trash tier "wiring kit" you'll get from the usual suspects. Probably not the actual gauge it says it is either. Aluminum has significantly less current carrying ability than copper for a given cross sectional area, and has absolutely no advantages I can think of. I have seen all aluminum wire, but maybe it's getting more common? The only way to do this is the right way. 8awg thin strand welding cable, hydraulically crimped name-brand lugs, fused as close to the battery as possible and grounded with something more than a sheet metal screw, etc. But almost nobody gives enough of a damn to do it the right way.

Aaaah, now I'm never going to be able to unsee the steering column thing.

No, but it should be. Any time one goes to scrap, every single part that could be put to use should be saved beforehand. Use all of the buffalo.

Here's the problem. The ignition coil (as well as the fuel pump and injectors) are fed by the ASD relay circuit. That circuit is energized when the ignition is on and the ECU is receiving a valid signal from both the distributor sync sensor and the CPS. So just checking the coil for voltage at any old time without the engine running (which is kinda the point of this whole troubleshooting exercise) wouldn't tell you anything, because the coil is only energized when the ASD relay is, which is either cranking or running with signals from the CPS and sync sensor. Normally for me, this is about when the expensive lab gear comes out. What I would do with your equipment is to buy these: https://www.amazon.com/AST-Labs-Banana-Stackable-Yellow/dp/B07FKPJ7RR/ref=sr_1_15?crid=210QNYODBKVMT&keywords=banana+extension+cable&qid=1664925651&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjM2IiwicXNhIjoiMi4yMSIsInFzcCI6IjEuNjkifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=banana+extension+cable%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-15 https://www.amazon.com/Tool-Aid-23500-Back-Probe/dp/B00G9C3RSU/ref=sr_1_11?crid=YG9B1ZPI9F2S&keywords=backprobe&qid=1664925577&qu=eyJxc2MiOiI0LjEzIiwicXNhIjoiMy44NCIsInFzcCI6IjMuNjQifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=backprobe%2Caps%2C108&sr=8-11 The first is a set of extension leads so you can connect your test leads in the engine bay, close the hood, and run them inside the truck so you can leave your test leads setup any time you want to drive the truck, and so you don't have to set anything up in a hurry when the problem rears its head. The second is a set of backprobes. You stick these up the butt of a connector so you can take measurements from it while it's plugged in. I own both of these items, and they're good enough quality to work for occasional use. Connect a backprobe to the coil's positive wire, then connect enough of the extender leads until you can have the meter in the truck. Then connect an alligator clip to something with a good ground and run it to your meter. Verify that you have a reading of 12V with the engine running normally. If not, check connections. Once you're set up, just wait for the problem to happen again. Once it happens, you've gotta be ready, because this seems like the kind of thing that disappears in a hurry. Try to crank the engine and see if the 12V has disappeared. If not, suspect coil or connection issue between coil connector and coil. If yes, suspect CPS, sync sensor, or circuit fault in ASD relay circuit. That doesn't narrow it down much, but it's what you have to work with now. Have you recently checked the OBD1 flash codes? Cycle the key on, off, on, off then on and stop. Count the flashes of the check engine light. They are read as follows:

That is about what I would expect from Cardone. Just curious - what kind of caps did they use?

In my signature

I'm not done yet, but I'll be replicating the ZJ's mounts in my 89 MJ like so: Fitment right out of the box is not perfect, but it's amazingly close considering how different the ZJ and MJ floor areas are. Key Parts makes both the late XJ seat mounts, and the floor pan. The seats are 98 ZJ seats with 97+ 2-door XJ seat pedestals and tilt mechanisms. The Chrysler seats of this time period are almost totally modular, so you can freely mix and match seat parts within that year range. Late XJ, ZJ, and WJ seat parts at a minimum should be fair game. Likely TJ seats as well. So when I get bored of the cloth seats I can swap in some heated leather WJ seats in like an hour, tops with no modifications to anything. I'm considering running the wiring for power and heated seats even though I'll be starting out without those features. I'll be aligning the back of the seat mount with the center of the flat surface located roughly at the beginning of the B-pillar, and locating the front mount to match. I'll be replicating the way the ZJ mounts the seats, with captive nuts on the bottom side of the floor. The MJ's floor pan is not reinforced for this, so I'll be plating that area of the floor on the bottom. I will need to add new captive nuts on the seat mounts to line up with the bolt holes on the seat pedestals. Just based on a dry mock-up without bolting anything down, it seems like I'll be gaining a small amount of leg room, moving the seating position up roughly 1.5", and retaining clearance for the plastic trim around the seat. There will also be no meaningful loss to space behind the seat. I'm an "almost six footer" with a long torso and headroom is still comfortable - or it would be if the headliner wasn't drooping, anyway. The seating position is going to be flatter than the MJ factory buckets - if you look sideways on at the MJ factory seats, they're pointed way up at the dash. The rise of the XJ seat mount makes up for the incline of the MJ floor pan. Steering column clearance might be tight for a straight column, but I don't care since I'm putting in a tilt column anyway. You're also gaining room under the seat to hide audio gear, so this 89 is definitely going to rock a little harder than my 91. If properly installed (read:properly welded, and the MJ floor pan is sufficiently reinforced on the other side - you can't just bolt seats to a single layer of sheet metal), this should add some side-impact protection to the cab as well. The factory floor braces are obviously not going to work with this unless modified. I'll be throwing out the sideways floor brace completely (since this does the same thing better while also being a dual-purpose part), and modifying the longitudinal one to fit around the seat mount. Let me know if this doesn't answer all of your questions.

That's about what I expected to see. Some Jeep electronics of this era are very prone to developing cold solder joints, and any exposure to the elements would make that tendency worse. I don't know about the ECUs but the radios certainly do it very badly. That's a plated-thru-hole board, which makes things better, but you'll still want to check for cracks in the solder. Especially check around the larger parts and any area that is under mechanical stress, such as the big connector. Those caps don't look out of the ordinary to me, but I could be missing something based on the camera angle. You're a smart guy, I'm sure you know when something looks wrong. The tops of the caps should be a perfectly flat surface. There are not many electrolytic caps on that board at all and you could replace them for a couple bucks (for extremely high quality parts) if desired.

Check your PMs. There is likely some internal fault to the radio. What exactly that is, I couldn't say over the internet. Both channels meet at the amplifier chip, and if there's a problem there then neither would work. I'd start there.

That's coolant temperature. Check on the very back driver side of the cylinder head for another one-wire connection. Make sure it is not loose.

Which light is coming on? There is a low oil pressure light, and a coolant temperature light, but there is not an oil temperature light. The one on the right is for oil pressure, the one on the left is for coolant temperature. The switch for the oil pressure light is located near the oil filter, and has a single wire connected to it. Make sure this wire is connected well and the connector is in good shape. If your added gauge really is an oil temperature gauge, you'll still want to verify the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge connected in place of the oil pressure sensor to make sure that the light coming on really is a problem, rather than it telling you that your engine is not making enough oil pressure.

Pics of yours? Recapping it should be a straightforward procedure. Conformal coating can always be reapplied.

Nothing commercially available for 86 and 87, but can be made from Metri-Pack 150 unsealed parts. If you're willing to be patient, I might be able to make you one.

Getting settled back in after returning home from a trip. Taking the deck apart... maybe 2 hours? There was really no purpose to the exercise and I didn't put it back together. These tape decks are some of the most service-unfriendly electronics ever. Glued on phone screens don't even come close.

This just reminded ME that I also have some of your cruise control stuff. Would be interested in a full kit to put it all together at some point in the indeterminate future. How many kits worth of parts do you think you'd be able to put together?

I would agree that that's a lot of money for a 2.5, and I would also add that I have not heard great things about ATK. I would honestly try to go for a used running engine as long as I was able to hear it run, and then do a light refresh on it (gaskets, maybe a new timing chain) before putting it in. 2.5L guys would have the info on what donor vehicles you could use.

1500 lb payload, but only a 54" bed. One of my old teachers from HS that I'm still in touch with has one and likes it well enough. I don't think I'd be able to live with that tiny bed though. I think the MJ is a much more suitable vehicle for any sort of "real trucking" usage. The Maverick is a car that just happens to have a bed and not half bad payload capacity. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not for me.

Won't hurt a thing to leave it bypassed, unless your fuel pump is noisy enough to bother you.

To be more specific, I think they're the exact same switches as found on the boxy 80s Crown Vic and other cars that share that platform. No idea what sort of connector Ford uses for them. I'd love to have a proper connector body instead of the molded resin... thing that Jeep used. Next time I see one of those cars in the junkyard I'll try to take a look.

No. The Comanche tail lights are totally unique.

The power window/lock switches, for some years, literally say Ford on them.

What kind?

What do you have, as far as electrical test equipment goes?

97+ wiper arms use the same spline and use "hook" style attachments for the blades rather than the "stud" style attachment. I recommend upgrading to the 97+ arms. The transmission is the same, motor plug is different. The motor may actually be better, because every late XJ I've personally been in has much better wipers than my trucks.

No clutch safety switch either.