Minuit

90-96 XJ. ZJs and later XJs have a similar console but the "extra" functions like MPG and distance to empty aren't supported by our ECUs.

Postal XJs were often originally Japanese export models reimported to the US. I wonder if that's where it's from. I'd think Japan would have the speedometer in km/h though...

That looks excellent. Exactly what I'm going to do on my 91, except mine will be between the visors like they are on XJs. What did you do about the front bracket? Also, is that vinyl wrapped or painted?

That's a new one for me too. What country uses mph as a unit of speed but km as a unit of distance?

You're absolutely right. I spent the last 5 months wearing myself out. Just to clear stuff up a bit: My degree is in mechanical engineering, and that is what I have always intended to end up in. For reasons that basically amounted to "I need money and I need it right now" I started working in industrial contracting, essentially installing machinery with a little bit of maintenance on the side. It's only tangentially related to what I actually wanted to do, and the only reason I stuck with it for so long was that I figured the experience would look good on my resume. Last month, I took a week off for some required training classes, realized how much better I felt even though I still had to get up early and drive 2 hours a day, and decided to quit. Ever since, I've been applying for various engineering positions. So next month I'm taking a vacation to go see some family up north and I'm not going back to work until I have an engineering job. In the mean time I'm going to do the things I want to do.

Guess who has two thumbs and quit his job a couple of weeks ago? And now actually has time to do stuff? Shook the dust off the 91 today too to pick up some good stuff for its disappointing bigger brother. Lucky finds include a grey tilt column with a good leather steering wheel, 3/4s of a good set of 98 ZJ seats, 98 tilt forward XJ seats(!) which will donate their tilting mechanisms to the ZJ seats, a cosmetically perfect climate control panel, and more.

Alright then, guess I'll acquire a 97+ wiper motor and see what happens.

How accurate is your fuel gauge?

Question - have the LKQs around you guys gone to hell like mine has? I was just there for the first time in years and it had to have been the worst junkyard experience I've ever had.

I've noticed the wipers on my friend's 2000 XJ are FAR faster than my 91 or 89's ever have been, even after messing with grounds, bushings, and grease.

I mean, at least the mounting tabs aren't busted like 90% of them.

Have fun guys!

I don't see any source for electrolyte to have come from. There are capacitors there, but they all look like ceramic caps which do not leak and fail very rarely in general. That does, however, look very much like the brown corrosive death glue that various manufacturers love to use. Check that brown crap for conductivity too, as it could also be shorting the board out. Can you get a closer pic of the area around the top connector with the ceramic capacitor and 0 ohm "resistors"? It almost looks like there's damage to the board there. Is there anything around this board in the hard drive that could be overheating it, or any possibility that a small amount of liquid has spilled on it? Anyone who's watched a Louis Rossmann video can tell you it really doesn't take much.

If it's a factory bar, replaced as a unit. You'll also get the bushing at the other end as a bonus. That was probably worn out anyway.

So does that mean there's an aftermarket weatherstripping kit that fits good now? I wasn't too happy with the ones I got a few years ago. Left way too many gaps.

Technically the Sanden name for the 7-cylinder R134a unit is the SD7H15 (SD5H14 for the 5 cylinder unit used by the Renix trucks, but in the R12 days it was called the SD508). I don't think there is an SD708. I've seen plenty of R134a remans built on R12-era SD709 cores. It really isn't a big deal. I doubt there is much if any actual difference inside. Sanden has a long list of replacement compressors based on refrigerant, connection style, and belt drive. The one for the '96 XJ is 4727. When I retrofitted my system to the R134a native system from the' 96 XJ, I spent north of 300 bucks on a genuine Sanden compressor - it very quickly repaid me by leaking from the front seal and making excessive NVH, just like the much cheaper parts store reman that replaced it the night before I took the truck on a cross country roadtrip. I am no fan of Sanden compressors and I would use a different style if I could. I think there is a much smoother running Seltec model that is a very close fit but with the fittings turned 90 degrees to the Sanden; close enough that it would work by making some slight modifications to the suction and discharge lines, but that line of research got cut short for personal reasons before I got a chance to confirm. Welcome to what I think about at night.

1 Year Update - "Not Dead" edition For those who might care, I am, in fact, not dead. However, a combination of a physically stressful job with long hours, trying to get hired somewhere that isn't my current job, and a lack of things that I've done that are really relevant to this forum in any way really put the damper on my activity. I might have some Volvo content and maybe even some radio content to come. Jeep stuff might have to wait.

I wouldn't, simply because MJ foot brakes tend to fail. People have made them work again, but once one started popping out on me I would never trust it again.

235-75-15s look just right on a stock truck. And are probably the only relevant 15" size where you still have a decent choice of tires.

I haven't seen an MJ that didn't belong to me this year. I haven't even driven mine in at least a month.

For anyone who might not know the "why" for this since I don't think the clock thread has been linked yet: the "Quartz" and 1991 clocks have vacuum fluorescent displays which are much more aesthetically pleasing and much easier to read than the LCD clocks of other years. Here's a Quartz clock out of an '87 (which had the Metri-Pack connector on it already) in my '89: and here's the 1991 clock, which uses a different connector but also works the same way. Here is an LCD clock with a fresh bulb in it:

If you're going to use one, try to get a Mopar one if at all possible. The aftermarket (plastic HO-era, anyway) ones are junk and leak right out of the box more often than not. I don't know if the Renix valve is still available. The HO era one was still available when I re-added mine a couple of years ago and cost about $60. They are a controversial feature and I completely understand why someone would not want to have one. I live in the hot, steamy Southeast where those few degrees of A/C vent temp drop are precious for at least 6 months a year. If I didn't live here, I wouldn't have the valve.

$4.88 for premium last week. Oof. At least it'll last a while. It's down about 10 cents since then.