1987Comanche

It's been quite a while since I've updated the build thread. In late winter/early spring Georgia started having shifting problems that got progressively worse. She reached the point where I couldn't shift into 1st from neutral when hot so I drove her minimally throughout the year. I got a quote of $1800 to rebuild the AX-15 so I decided to keep an eye out for a donor I could try to rebuild myself. I found a suitable candidate at LKQ over Labor Day Weekend:

Looks promising for someone: https://asheville.craigslist.org/cto/d/1991-jeep-comanche-40-5-speed/6302900283.html

Works great!! :banana:

That's good news! I've been pretty pi$$ed since Photobucket pulled that stunt. I haven't changed anything on my build thread, how to threads, etc. but that's mostly b/c I didn't have the time to. Here's hoping the plan works :thumbsup:

I just got back from vacation and found that all my photos are jacked too :doh: . :fs1:

That's great :thumbsup: . I'll have to R&R the clutch, flywheel, etc when I can find the time to do so.

I wanted to check in and see how the trans was doing. Figure you have about 1,000KM on it now?

Definitely keep us posted on how she does as you continue to put miles on it. I'm getting better at adapting my driving style to compensate for the clutch/shifting problem but, long term, I need to fix it.

Still working ok? How many KM do you have on the clutch now?

That's quite encouraging. Hopefully it continues to behave well. It would be great if all I need is a clutch and a flywheel.

Any updates? I changed the clutch master cylinder on Georgia as it's fairly quick. The pedal feels a bit better but the problem remains. The pedal assembly looks ok.

I replaced Georgia's front calipers (RF was hanging up), took her for a ride, and checked to see if the truck would creep forward with the pedal to the floor. Tried it 2x and she didn't move either time. I haven't checked the pedal, bushings, etc but I didn't notice any issues with it. I'll have to check to see if it contacts the stop. One point of clarification. The flywheel in the pics is not the flywheel currently in my truck. I wanted to check for taper. The one that's currently in the truck was cut and should have zero taper.

The mating surface on the flywheel isn't the greatest looking but, to your point, I don't really see a smoking gun that explains the trans/clutch issue. IIRC my 2nd replacement LUK disc had the same markings but no manufacturer's stamp. I clearly remember the 1st replacement clutch (2013) having "flywheel side" stamped in it as I looked closely for it on the 2nd clutch disc and didn't find it. I hate those external Torx bolts. I replaced mine with conventional bolts when I pulled the trans. Here's where it gets interesting. I pulled my old flywheel from the dark recesses of the basement and checked it for crown. The crown on my HO flywheel is opposite the crown on your Renix flywheel. Granted it's worn but I measured 0.002" near the outer edge of the working surface and 0.0035" at the inner working surface:

That's a bummer :(. I found a good deal on a clutch master ($20 for a Bendix MC) so figured I'd give it a try. It sounds like it might help a bit but not necessarily solve the problem. When do you think you'll be pulling the trans?

Any updates on this one? I haven't progressed any further on the trans/clutch issue. I've been driving Georgia a little around town (been using a little GM N body as the DD for work) but that ended on Saturday when the RF caliper locked up on me. RF hub measured 468 degrees after I limped Georgia home so it looks like I'm doing a brake job too.

Nice video!!

Definitely keep us posted as to what you find and what happens after installing the new clutch & flywheel. I haven't torn into mine yet.

I'm having a very similar problem with Georgia now. I swapped in a junkyard, external slave, 4WD AX-15 about 25K miles ago and everything worked fine until about 2 months ago. Now she's a real bear to put in 1st from a dead stop at hot idle. When I did the swap I used a LUK clutch kit and had the flywheel surface cleaned up at the machine shop. I changed the fluid (synthetic 10W-30 with Lucas) and it looked good. Also changed the clutch slave and it didn't make much of a difference. While hard to put in gear I don't hear any grinding when she does shift into 1st. If the truck is off shifting isn't an issue. I still need to find a level parking lot to see if she creeps forward but I'm wondering if I have a bent shift fork. I know there are a few trains of thought on cutting a 4.0 flywheel but I had no issues for about 2.5 years so I don't think that's it. The donor XJ had 184K miles and a broken NP231 (chain hanging out the bottom) so the AX-15 now has about 210K miles on it.

The cruise servo doesn't interchange on on the 97+ (different plug). I just added cruise to my '92 and did some comparisons. 53009315 is the '92-93 servo.

I just watched the YouTube video. I wondered who had methodically stripped parts off the truck and now I know...he beat me by 2 days :(. I was also pained to see someone junked a '92. It makes me wonder what one could intercept in the parking lot at Pull-a-Part if you were there at the right time. This MJ could have been salvaged but the underside wasn't all that clean. Not sure if it was road salt or sitting on dirt/grass for an extended period of time that caused the rust blooms. It's what I've have expected one of these to have looked like in the rust belt in, say, 2000. Still eminently usable but the cancer was starting to take hold.

Saw that Pull-a-Part in Knoxville had added a '92 MJ to the inventory so I made the pilgrimage out to check it out. She hadn't been there for long but was already fairly well picked over. Overall condition was fair to poor with rust in the wheel arches, underneath, etc. Cab corners looked ok but the front floors were gone, had a rear slider, D35 was still there, and had something pretty rare: column shift automatic with tilt, cruise, and a key in the ignition. I'm not heading out that way again any time soon but thought someone might want/need the column or something else from her. Once this one is crushed perhaps the whole post can be moved to the registry. According to the door sticker it's a 12/91 truck.

I cheated and used 5/8" and 3/4" heater hose. To fit the 5/8" hose on the 3/4" fitting I stuck the end of the hose in boiling water to soften it up. Not as pretty as the molded hoses but it was dirt cheap.

Went back over Xmas and mounted the cruise control servo assembly and cable. Drilling the mounting holes was a pain as I had to wiggle a lot of stuff around to get a straight shot with the drill. Cruise is in! Checked communications and everything looks good: Cruise control works pretty well but is a little "jerky" relative to what I expected. The junkyard fresh assembly may need to loosen up a bit more or perhaps I need a long, flat run for a true test. It will hold speed within 2mph but isn't as smooth as I'd expect it to be in doing so. I've never had an MJ/XJ with cruise so I don't have a basis for comparison. Can anyone else comment on their cruise control system (either Renix or HO)?

Dug the cruise control connector out from it's hiding place near the fuse & relay panel. It was shot as it had been open to the elements for all these years. Found a '93 ZJ that donated a new connector to the cause:

I knew I was behind on updates but I didn't realize I was 4 months behind. Mea culpa :dunno: . The 12.7:1 ZJ steering box and V8 solid TREs have been in for about 2K miles and there is a noticeable improvement in how she handles. Georgia ready for the ZJ steering box: Hollow and solid TREs side by side. Box installed! Yes the pump didn't need to come out just to reach the box but I was going to replace it. Long story but the old pump went back in: Note the new TRE at the Pitman arm. Figured might as well replace it if I had it apart: