Minuit

Agreed with all of the above. All around great guy and constructive club member . Eagerly awaiting info on my 89 once he gets to it. Also hoping I have the 91's build date right

The warning light is useless. Why add an aftermarket gauge? Just swap in a full gauge cluster. You'll gain a tach, trip meter, and temp gauge too. The odometer can be adjusted to the correct mileage. This would also be easier if we knew what your vehicle was. You should create a signature:

It's worth checking for sure. You might be able to make the trans move a little bit if you really rock it around (that's just the compliance in the mount) but it shouldn't move very much and it certainly shouldn't be easy to shake it around. Check the motor mounts too. The three mounts all work together to support the drivetrain.

You have a perfectly good port for an oil gauge already, on the block right next to where where the oil filter is (2.5/4.0, not sure where it is on the 2.8). If you insist on running an aftermarket gauge, I'm sure it won't be much trouble to connect the aftermarket gauge up to the factory location. Easier to swap a full gauge factory cluster and use the factory style sensor, which is accurate enough so long as you verify it against a known good mechanical gauge.

The doors are an upgrade worth talking about for all the reasons listed above. The front clip is a matter of taste. I don't care for it, but I'm one of those dirty purists that DirtyComanche mentioned. As far as I know, no MJs that didn't have PW/PL are "wired for it" in that you can just plug window regulators and lock actuators in and have it work. Through '92 all of that is on a subharness that plugs into the fuse box that can be added with absolutely no changes to the existing wiring. Starting in I think '93 it is more integrated into the dash harness, and I have no clue on the specifics of that. When I added (year correct) power windows and locks to my 91, I snatched the cross-body and door wiring from a '92 and all of the other stuff from various 91-96 XJs. Didn't have to touch the wiring on my truck, and with some small modifications to the cross-body harness it all plugged into the fuse box.

I think the switch was where the little "coin tray" is in the newer consoles. That's why I love the very earliest XJs. So much early installment weirdness and strange parts that were only used on a handful of vehicles. Then Chrysler got involved and Jeep started acting like a real car company. Boring!

The noise you're focusing on in the video sounds to me like a worn "division bar" weatherstrip as they call it, or possibly the "window channel" seal where it meets at the front corner of the door. I have had trouble with aftermarket weatherstripping fitting poorly in this area, causing a very similar noise. Also, double check that the door seals line up. I've had trouble getting the door to squish that seal properly at the top of the door frame. Somewhere I have a list written down of all of the Mopar part numbers for the weatherstripping. I'll see if I can find that. Replace all of the weatherstripping in the door with good quality new parts (prefer Mopar where possible) and see where that gets you.

11:22 on that video. Ouch.

I... may have taken some slight inspiration from the system you built. By that, I mean I did the exact same thing. When I get down to business on this, I'd be happy to accept any help from anyone willing to lend it that knows their stuff. It'll make for a better end product if multiple qualified people review it.

I believe it has to do with "likes" on your post from mobile users... or something like that.

The oil pump creates flow, not pressure. The pressure comes from the bearing clearances in your engine, but the pressure still won't be up to snuff if the oil pump is worn out. The best oil pump in the world still won't lead to decent pressure if you can fly a B-17 between the main bearings and the crankshaft. Replacing or rebuilding the pump probably will help a little, but it's a toss up as to whether your engine is even capable of making good oil pressure anymore. Case in point my '89: Engine sounds like $#!& and has probably never been treated well. The engine abruptly lost oil pressure, leading me to rebuild the pump. On the original pump gearset, it made 60 psi cold, dropping very quickly to almost nothing when hot. The pump rebuild made no difference to the cold oil pressure, but it brought the warm idle pressure up to roughly 20 psi, which is just within spec for the 4.0L engine. Still not great (and it still drops like a rock as the oil warms up), but better. The oil pump was worn enough to reduce its ability to pump oil, but the bearings on this engine are just too worn to provide very good oil pressure once warm. When I did the RMS in my '91 I replaced the oil pump with a new unit. That made literally no difference to the oil pressure, warm or cold. That engine's in good shape and has been treated well its whole life. The lowest oil pressure I've ever seen from this engine is 30 psi at hot idle. The original oil pump was providing sufficient flow, and the bearings are tight enough to provide oil pressure well within the design specifications for the engine. Get a real oil filter and see if that improves things. My rule of thumb is Wix or Bosch, Motorcraft if it's a Ford.

That was a mid to high end priced MJ in the first place. Maybe it's cheap by Wrangler standards, but by MJ standards (and mine) they're throwing their wallet at this thing full force, and that's before we talk about the sponsored parts. I don't think I have the $6500 purchase price into my 91 from beginning to now, and if I do I'm not over by much. Admittedly, I have very different priorities from these guys, but still. I also didn't spend 3 grand rebuilding a BA-10, so I've got that going for me. Maybe it's just me, but I get absolutely nothing out of "builds" where they just go to a shop and open the wallet. Doubt I'll keep watching this series. If I want to see a lifted MJ on 33s, there is plenty of material on this very site. Way more entertaining to watch someone actually doing things, even if they're fumbling through it.

Isn't bureaucracy just great? Drove Mr. 89 about 10 miles to the dump and back yesterday. It did alright! Even after fully warming up, I still had a not-great but-better-than-before 20 psi of oil pressure at idle! Gotta do those control arm bushings though. I can feel it in the steering wheel, the caster is way under spec. The axle gets a little shaky under there too. Wouldn't mind having a cooling system that holds pressure either.

Looks like an A/C writeup is going to happen after all, there definitely seems to be demand for it. Can't guarantee a time table, but I'll start on it in earnest after I finish documenting my ZJ rear disc swap. I'll be starting a new job relatively soonish so my playing around with Jeeps time might get cut off abruptly. I might throw a proposed table of contents in here if I get time. That would be extremely helpful. The biggest thing I think I'm going to need help with is factory vs. add-on A/C and the various parts differences. My '91 definitely has factory A/C and I think my 89 does as well (see? I don't even know if my own truck has it!). Also, I have no info about the various A/C systems as fitted to the 2.5L. As to the thermistor in the evaporator, I'm fairly sure they're different between Renix and HO. I remember seeing a replacement for the HO years from a different model that was still available. It's quite expensive but I consider it worth it. NOS 91+ evaporators were available on Team Cherokee last I checked. What they won't tell you is that they're RHD evaporators and are not an exact match, but they do fit. I have one in my 91 and IMO it's almost worth it to keep the evaporator probe alone. After running my system WITH the thermistor, I recommend that it be kept if at all possible. In certain situations, my '91 cycles on the evaporator probe rather than the low pressure cut-off switch.

I believe this is intended for a YJ Wrangler from '88 to '95. It has the Jeep/Eagle plug, and the YJ is the only Jeep I know of that they offered the pull-out radios for. These were usually aftermarket units (Fujitsu seems to ring a bell) that Jeep rebranded as a Mopar accessory. Cool little find!

A recent thread on here got me thinking about this, and at least where I live A/C season (tm) has officially begun. What interest would there be on a DIY writeup on proper car A/C system work? It's surprisingly hard to find resources on the internet for doing this stuff right. I spent a while watching some Youtube tutorials on the subject and so far I haven't found one that I liked. I'm not talking recharge kits here, I'm talking the real deal. I have what I'd consider to be a golden opportunity for a real instructional writeup on MJ A/C coming up - my own lovely '89. I know nothing about the history of that truck's A/C, but there are a few common PO hacks to correct. There'd be plenty of material to cover - R-134a conversion, most likely a few parts replacements, performance testing, etc. Would the club at large get enough benefit out of this to make it worth the effort of putting together? I know there are a few other MVAC guys here, and I'd like to know what they think too.

This is what the future of MJ specific parts (originals, anyway) looks like. Can't wait for the day that a used fuel sender breaks $500.

Big fan of the brushed gauge bezel Enjoying watching your build!

DAMN! Nicely done. Hello neighbor!

Hard to put into words how much better it stops and the pedal feels now. Totally worth getting sunburnt in a crappy junkyard in the middle of the hood. Writeup incoming, maybe? All OEM parts, and the ZJ parking brake cables even fit, if a little short. I did have to make new brake lines to each caliper, as neither one came off nicely. There are aftermarket parking brake cables that are about the right length. Just have to patch up one small leak. It was a flare that I knew was suspect before I even bolted it up. Turns out it was dripping a tiny bit of fluid after a very hard panic stop. I'll fix it tomorrow. I hate those bar clamp flaring tools so, so much.

Alright, more details as promised. I do not like stop-leak in any form, be it for A/C or transmissions or engines or whatever. You aren't really fixing an A/C system by putting a stop-leak chemical in it. Find the problem and fix it properly, or don't bother. In the short term, you're degrading performance (the stop leak $#!& takes the place of refrigerant), and while it may stop the leak in the short term, it is NOT worth the cost. In the long term, it will RUIN your system. I personally will not touch any automotive A/C system that has been "stop leaked". From that point on, it's tainted and needs to be either flushed or replaced. That crap can plug up things in the system and create restrictions. In particular, the expansion valve - the part that gives you cooling. High pressure refrigerant flows through a tiny orifice, in the process reducing in pressure. That orifice is REALLY small. What if the stop leak chemical decides to solidify in the expansion valve and deadheads the compressor? They say it doesn't, but that's not a chance I'm willing to take. If you're willing to learn and take this on properly, find yourself a set of manifold gauges. I think you can rent a set at most auto parts stores. They won't be great, but they'll be good enough. The manifold gauges will allow you to see a fuller picture of the system's operation. At best, a "recharge kit" only has a low side gauge, and that won't tell you much about how the system is performing on its own. You really need manifold gauges to do this, I can't stress it enough. Your system was retrofitted from R-12 to R-134a. These conversions are usually half-assed at best, but I have no way of knowing since I can't look at your truck. A/C compressors are lubricated by having oil mixed in with the refrigerant. R-12 used mineral oil, which does not mix with R-134a. Hopefully, they replaced the oil when they converted it. If not, your system ain't gonna work for long. If it's worked for a decent amount of time on R-134a, you're probably ok. If I was working on this, before doing anything else I'd want to drain the compressor and replace the receiver-drier just for purposes of changing out some oil (and seeing what type of oil is in there), as well as finding out if the compressor is full of junk. You can grab the very front face of the compressor and give it a spin. If it rotates smoothly without any "hard spots" in the rotation, the compressor is likely in good health inside, or at least it hasn't been completely turned to glitter. Before you put hands on it, you need to do some reading on A/C system theory. To do any of this work from a well informed point of view, you need to understand how it works. If you really want to understand it, there is a lot of math involved. I learned it in college, but I've probably forgotten it all by now. Here's a good but high-level explanation of it. Lots of thermodynamics jargon: http://www.evanstempcon.com/pdf/Air_Conditioning_Theory.pdf Here's just what you need to know. There are several pages to read through on the right side of the page. Also, MJs have a receiver-drier located in the high side of the system just before the expansion valve. It just acts as a reservoir, and contains desiccant that can help get any last bit of moisture out of the system if it wasn't vacuumed properly: https://swtc.edu/Ag_Power/air_conditioning/lecture/basic_cycle.htm Step One: Diagnosis with manifold gauges This step is just to see what's going on. You're not putting anything in yet, just seeing how the system behaves by looking at pressures. Don't add anything yet! Make sure both valves on the gauges are closed, and the hose fittings are all tightened. You should be wearing leather gloves and eye protection. If refrigerant spits out, it can give you frostbite in a split second. The gauges will have quick connectors on them that mate with the ones connected to the compressor. The bigger one is the high side (red) fitting. The smaller one is the low side (blue) fitting. They should snap on just like a hose connector. Make sure they're fully seated and that the "collar" has clicked! Static pressure: with the system off for at least an hour or so and the engine cool, this number should be roughly equal to the ambient temperature in Fahrenheit and equal on both the high and low sides. It should be marked on the low-side gauge. There is one correct number that this should be, and if it isn't that number, there is a problem. If this number is too high, the system is contaminated. If the number isn't equal on both sides after the system has been off overnight, the system is restricted. If it's too low, there is most likely so little refrigerant left that the compressor wouldn't kick on at all, or it would immediately turn back off. Once the gauges are hooked up and you've taken a static reading, start the truck up and turn the A/C on. Watch the gauges as the system works. You might hear the compressor clutch kicking on and off - that's normal, as long as the compressor doesn't kick on and immediately kick off again. Play with it a little bit. Rev the engine up and see what happens to the pressures. Watch what happens when the compressor kicks on and off. Running pressures: These should roughly correspond with the temperature. Here's a basic chart of roughly what you should be looking for: Here's my truck with the compressor running and an outside temperature of about 75. If the running pressures, especially the high side pressure, is lower than what you see on the chart, and the system hasn't been recharged in at least a couple of years, then you most likely just need a top-off! But you don't know this until you see the system running with gauges hooked up. If the system needs to be recharged every few months or less, there is a leak that will need to be tracked down. If it's very much higher than the number on the chart (a little too high is fine, these are rough numbers), there are a few possibilities, and none of them are fixed by stuffing more refrigerant in it. - You have a restriction. The most likely readings are a very low (maybe even vacuum) low side pressure and a very high high side pressure. If the system cools at all, this is probably not happening. - The system is overcharged. The charge needs to be evacuated and a proper charge needs to be weighed in. - Insufficient airflow through the condenser, or poor condenser performance. If the pressure comes right down if you spray some cool water on the condenser, this is your issue. If you're willing to get your hands dirty in automotive HVAC, rent a set of manifold gauges and tell us what the pressures look like. I don't like any of the Youtube tutorials I've seen. They always seem to get something wrong. I wish I had a good resource to add for more reading, but right now I'm having a hard time coming up with one. I read a well put together guide on some car forum years back, but I don't remember where or who wrote it. To answer your actual question, the A/C system in my 91 is an exact copy of the R-134a system used in a 1996 Cherokee. As a first generation R-134a system, it'll never be as good as an OG R-12 system that's still using R-12 or what they have now, but I'm very satisfied.

STOP! DO NOT USE THAT RECHARGE KIT! AC repair is not something to be taken lightly. At a bare minimum, you'll need a set of manifold gauges. You need to know what's in that system. This is something that you really need to be willing to do properly and cleanly, otherwise you will make things worse. If you aren't willing to read up and do it properly, find an AC guy that knows how to do it right, and I'm not talking about someone who just knows how to push buttons on a Robinair machine. Why is the recharge kit bad? It contains stop-leak and who knows what else. Stop-leak will plug up the tiny orifices that system relies on to operate. You do not want anything but refrigerant, the proper oil, and maybe some dye in that system. It also has no way of telling you what the high side pressure is. If there's a leak, it needs to be fixed properly. If the system has been in use for several years and hasn't been recharged in that time, you may very well just need a simple top-off. But you have no way of knowing that for sure. What if the system is already overcharged? You put 20oz of refrigerant and stop-leak in that system, you're going to have a bad day. I'm away from my PC now. I'll type up more details later. If you're willing to learn the correct way to do things, I'm more than willing to help. But for the love of whoever you regard as holy, do not put that recharge kit into your system.

Damn, you're killing it with these rare NOS parts here

OE replacement from NAPA I think that's a "serpentine" tube and fin style condenser. A lot of guys have similar complaints with them on 134a. Back when my A/C still had the original parts including the condenser, it'd struggle to reach 50F at the vents even when moving and it was even worse at idle. If your pressures are good and you're getting good airflow through the condenser (fan clutch?), that's probably what I'd be looking at myself. It sounds like you know what you're doing so you might know about this, but I've always tried misting some cool water on the condenser and seeing what happens to the pressures. If you get a big drop on the high side, the problem is either the condenser or airflow through it. Although with a stock condenser on R-134a, I'd personally expect "just ok" temperatures at idle. When I built my system I used a parallel flow APDI 7014173 condenser. I don't know if that was what made the difference, but the A/C now is much better than I ever remember it being before the rebuild.