jteckmann

I really like it. The real reason I didn't go all black on mine was because I didn't trust myself to remove the pieces and get them reinstalled right, or to get a straight clean line if I tried to do it while on the truck :D. I only sprayed the pieces I could remove. But after seeing yours, I'm tempted to go out and give it a shot.

That looks like an 8-slot grill from a '93-'95 ZJ. Personally, I like the blacked-out look that you've done. That's what I have on mine (but I kept the strip of chrome at the top, to match the hood emblem and the gutter strips on the cab).

Could be the switch, I'd check the connection on that. Other common problem areas are if a previous owner spliced in a trailer light wiring harness in the back and messed things up. Or, if it's a manual, the reservoir on the firewall is notorious for leaking into the cab, behind the fuse panel, and can cause a whole host of electrical gremlins back there.

From the factory, I think the Comanche's highest economy ratings were with the "fuel miser" package, which was - if I remember right - the 2.5, 4sp, 3.31 gears, and then dropping extra weight like the tailgate, spare tire, etc. That sounds like it'd be a dog to drive though, IMO. I currently have the 2.5, 4sp, and 3.55. I generally get mid-low 20's mpg. Mixed highway driving and I have a light foot. It's okay - generally peppy enough around town, and I like the grunt in 2nd & 3rd gears for passing/merging. Where it really struggles it at highway speeds and on hills in 4th. Not enough power to maintain speeds of 55-65mph at grade, and running to many rpms to drop it down into 3rd. I really want to switch mine over to the 5spd and 4.10's. Based on all the advice I've gotten here, definitely sounds like the way to go. I'm willing to sacrifice a few mpg's so I won't have to be stuck in the far right lane with the big rigs, creeping up hills. Now I'm just waiting for one of my driveline parts to fail, so I'll have a legitimate excuse to spend the $$ :D

Not interchangable. I ran into this problem at the parts store a lot - their computer keeps wanting to give me standard GM ignition parts (which I assume go with the 2.8 V6 or the carbed version of the 2.5) and not the Renix TBI set up. Getting the right part for the Renix (especially the 2.5) is always more $$ because they're getting rare and not much is interchangible with them. The right coil is the square type and has 2 prongs underneath where it fits into clips on top of the ICU. It's not really a good design, IMO - you'd be amazed at the amount of junk that builds up and is trapped under the ICO and between the coil. I assume you're having the same problem you asked about in the earlier thread (starts/idles fine, warms up, starts sputtering or bogs under throttle)? I had a very similar problem with my 2.5. Started and idled fine, drove under very light throttle, but as soon as I stepped on the gas it would bog down and die. First I thought bad gas or clogged filter. Changed those. Thought it was the pump, but I was getting 15psi at the throttle body. My TPS and CPS both checked out fine. I was at a dead-end, so I started throwing money/parts at it - new plugs, wires, cap & rotor (needed those anyway) and then another coil & ICU out of a junyard, no help. Finally it dawned on me to check the injector itself :doh: Took it off and had the parts store test it, and sure enough it had failed - wasn't producing a spray, just dripping a constant amount of gas into the intake - enough to keep it running at low rpms, but not enough to make it go. The right injector is expensive ($200 from NAPA!!!) and hard to find because it's specific to the Renix 2.5. But it looks exactly like/same dimensions as a standard GM-style TBI (just one injector instead of two). I did some research and found that the the flow rate for the Jeep is right in the middle between the ones used in the GM V6s and the smaller GM V8s. And those are 1/8th the price and readily available at junkyards. I wound up replacing mine with an injector I pulled from a Chevy 5.7. The truck's run fine ever since, and I haven't noticed any changes in performance/economy.

I don't have any personal experience with Line-X. I always hear it's the best, and I've wanted to get it done, but like you, I always get outrageous quotes for the cost. I have a longbed, and I've been quoted upwards of $550-$650 for an over the rail job. Even visited a guy who works out of his garage and was assured he was the cheapest around, and he was asking $500. This was even after I said I'd bring in the truck fully sanded & prepped. I just can't stomach spending almost as much on the bedliner as I spent to buy the whole truck. I wound up going the Herculiner route. Researched it a lot, and of all the more reasonably priced DIY options, seemed to have a lot of good reviews. I bought 2 gallons, and that was enough to coat my entire bed, over the rails, the inside & outside of the tailgate, the rocker panels, and the end of the bed sides around the taillights (those were the areas where my paint/body was in the worst shape, so the Herculiner route was cheaper than a paint job, and it masks the small dents fairly well). Then I bought a couple more quarts and did the floor of the cab. So I spent about half the price ($275) to do almost the entire truck as what Line-X wanted for just the bed. Sanding & prep is the key to getting any DIY liner to hold up well. And I used a rust inhibitor on the problem spots then rattle-canned on a base layer of Rustoleum primer before rolling on the Herculiner. I've been happy with it so far. The bed takes a lot of abuse, hauling lumber, landscaping supplies, rock, etc. I've spilled gas, oil, and paint on it, and it's cleaned up well. Like was said, the liners trap dirt, and it's next to impossible to ever get them as clean looking as when they were first applied. But on the rare occasions when I do wash my truck, I've taken a pressure washer to the liner and cleaned it up fairly well. I cut drain holes in the floor of the cab, so I can clean that up with the hose too. The only thing that's damaged the Herculiner so far has been sharp metal objects that have gouged it. But I keep a spare quart handy, and you can just touch it up with a brush, and it looks/works as good as new. I know Herculiner comes in some different colors - black, gray, red and white - but you usually just find the black on the shelf at the store. I think you need to order the other colors through their website. Here's a quick pic I snapped with my cell phone (my old tailgate got bashed in good, so I found a junkyard replacement, and haven't had a chance to reapply the liner to it yet):

check over at http://www.ifsja.org and keep an eye on the classifieds. The full-size are still fairly common up here in the PacNW. On my daily commute, I'll see 2 J20's, a J10, a FSJ Cherokee, and about 4-5 FSJ Waggy's, all running and still being driven. Of course, this is logger country, so they sold well up here, and no salt on the roads to kill 'em off. I actually had a much tougher time finding my MJ than I did either of my FSJ's.

The sensor is located in between the two speedo cables, with wires going over to the control module. Sorry I don't have a pic to post, but it's a black disc. Follow the speedo cable where it enters the cab, and you'll find it about halfway up the steering column, behind the instrument cluster. And once again, thanks jimoshel - that's great info.

Thanks, jimoshel! I really appreciate it.

Yeah, that's the part I'm wondering about. (sorry - should've been more specific) Will one from a 6cyl work on a 4cyl? Thanks for the info on the wipers, Wildman. That's my goal - try and get a whole new tilt-column and hopefully a 3-spoke steering wheel if I'm lucky. But the boneyards around here have been pretty dry lately.

Hi all. Sorry if this has been asked and answered a bunch, but couldn't find the exact info I was looking for when I searched. I have an '86 2.5, TBI, 4sp. Next junkyard trip, I want to pull a factory cruise set up and install it in my ride. Main question: can I pull the parts off any Renix era manual tranny XJ/MJ, or do I need specific parts off another 2.5? i.e., does the "brain" from a 4.0 work on a 2.5? slightly related question: when I get the control switch, it will likely have wiper delay settings on it. My current wipers are not delay. Is there an additional part/relay I need to pull to transfer that feature over? Thanks in advance.

What a crazy story - I've been reading as much as I can about it on the news. I spent high school growing up in Huntsville and the Florence area. Have a lot of friends who went to UAH, and some that had classes at various times with the shooter and victims. Talking to a few of them, the shooter definitely sounds like she had issues bubbling under the surface - could be the world's greatest teacher one day, then on edge the next and prone to long outbursts in class about others in the department, her research, funding, etc. But of course, no one ever imagined anything like this coming from her. I'm very glad your daughter is safe. Just a horrible tragedy for everyone to deal with, and definitely not something you'd see coming in a place like Huntsville.

The wife and I just spent a week in the Vegas/Death Valley area and had a Patriot as our rental - and I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. It was a plain, stripped model (no power locks/windows, cruise, etc) but it had the 2.4, auto, and the AWD system (Freedom Drive I(?) - not the one with the low range or extra ground clearance) Anyways - it handled very nice, had plenty of power on the highway. Drove very car-like (in a good way) responsive steering, didn't feel top heavy in corners, etc. Had about 40K of rental car abuse miles on it, but the quality seemed good - no bad squeaks or rattles even when I was flying down gravel roads in the National Park. Comfortable, lots of room up front and I liked the driving position. Great visibility. With the rear seats folded down it had tons of space in the back (just as much if not more than my wife's full-size Magnum) and it was very easy to drive around town and zip into small parking spaces or tight corners. Did some quick math on the back of my gas receipts, and figured I got between 28-30mpg in mixed driving the week I had it. Can't say I'm a fan of the CVT auto though - maybe if I owned one and got used to how it responded (or using the auto-stick feature to cycle through the gears) I'd like it better, but it definitely takes some getting used to. But my wife and I agreed that if she ever gets rid of her Magnum, that a Patriot would be high on our list of replacements. I'd probably get a 5sp with the basic AWD system - that seems good enough for bad weather and low traction conditions. I wouldn't spend the $$ for the "trail rated" version, because that's what the MJ's for.

It's the round turn lights. The "razor" grills on the J-trucks have rectangular turn lamps below the headlights. Whoever did this had to trim the bottom 2"-3" from the grille to fit it height-wise (not to mention cutting a good chunk out of the middle to fit it width-wise). Now that you've pointed it out, the way they incorporated the round lights into the grille reminds me a lot of an old AMC Hornet or something .... but I'm pretty sure they started off with a J-Truck razor grille.

Tanks again for all the help, guys - especially that drawing. Was able to wedge my hand up in there to feel around, and it's definitely coming from the vent tubes. Can't see what's going on, of course, but the hoses feel brittle & are saturated. So it's probably a combo of rotten rubber, and gas sloshing around in the tank as I drive. Definitely be dropping the tank this weekend. Added: I've been doing a lot of long-distance commuting lately - going through a whole tank of gas in 1-2 days. I'll usually fill up on my way home, so the truck's been sitting with a full tank at night, and my driveway is at a slight incline. That probably explains why it's coming out the top. The filler tube does not appear to be leaking, but it is old. So I'll be replacing all of it while I have the tank down. :cheers:

Thanks for the tips, guys. :thumbsup: I can see the seal around the sending unit/pump and the leak's not coming from there. But those vent lines you describe, hornbrod, that sounds exactly like where it's coming from. Dropping the tank's a PITA I wanted to avoid this weekend, but looks like that's what I'll be doing. Also - stupid question, but I don't know much about emissions systems - does the evap cannister under the hood ever wear out or get clogged up? Is it possible I might need to change that out?

It's definitely gas. The odor around the truck in the morning would have you scared to light a match. I tried putting a pan under it one night to get a measurement of just how much was coming out, but in the morning all the gas had evap'd out, and all that was left in the pan was the grime it had carried down off the tank.

I have a '86 2.5 w/ the 23gal tank. We've been having unusually hot weather lately (well, what qualifies as "hot" in the PacNW). So it's the first time my MJ's been exposed to 90-100 degree temps on a regular basis. The truck has started venting out a lot of gas when I leave it parked overnight. It's coming from the top of the tank, running down the sides, and leaving a visible wet spot underneath in my gravel driveway. It's my DD, so I haven't had a chance to drop the tank yet and see exactly where it's coming from. But from looking at the truck underneath, I can't find any visible leaks around the filler hose or fuel lines. Truck's been running fine, and I haven't noticed a significant change in my mpg. Is it normal for the system to vent this much in hot weather, or do I have something clogged in the system?

Here's a link with some good info and history on the 70's era QuadraTrac: http://jubileejeeps.org/quadratrac/index.htm

Exactly why waste time cutting and welding....simple as this...what i did and works perfect Ditto. This is what I did. Re-used the brackets from my old bench seat. It's a minor PITA to drill out the rivets holding the brackets on. But knowing me, if I fired up a welder, I'd wind up burning down my house or truck. I used the "rocking chair" seats, just because I didn't know any better at the time. I'm average height: 5'10". I have to duck my head a bit when entering/exiting the truck - but I've found I actually prefer the driving position to the old bench. Sitting up higher just feels right for me, and visibility's a tad better. My arms are in a more comfortable position and I can reach the dash/radio/heater controls easier. Plus, the rocking chair adjusts to more positions than the simple slider ... but that's all just my preference, of course. Just make sure whatever type seat you get to measure and test fit, because there will be a change in seat height and clearance between the wheel (especially if you don't have tilt)

I had a '95 ZJ, 5.2, Quadra-Trac. Loved it, and still miss it from time to time. Sold it to my Dad when I got my MJ, and it's still going strong with >275K on the odo. Pros & cons all depend on what you want to use it for. IMO, they ride smoother, handle pavement better, and have more room and creature comforts than an XJ. Full coil suspension rather than coil and leaf spring. Downside is that you sacrifice some off-road capability for the better road manners, and more complicated electronics mean more potential gremlins to chase down - and the early year models are notorious for electrical bugs and shoddy wiring. But, If you're looking for a solid multi-purpose daily driver, with occasional off-road use, IMO a ZJ's tough to beat. If you're looking for something to build into a capable off-roader, then an XJ's a better bet. ZJ's usually came with Mopar 42RE auto trannies, rather than the AW-4 the XJ's had. Both have their fans and critics, so YMMV - I never had an issue with mine. D30 fronts and basically same front suspension set up as an XJ. Depending on the year, a ZJ rear either has the same D35c axles lots of XJ & MJ's were stuck with, or it has D44a. However, these are not the same thing as the "real" D44's. I can't remember all the details, so someone with real knowledge can chime in, but what I do recall is that the 44's in ZJ's had aluminum center sections and different internals. Durability issues, and hard to upgrade. This is where the junk axle rep came from. Most people I know who used their ZJ's off road swapped 'em out for real 44's or Ford 8.8's first thing. The full time 4wd transfer cases need to have their fluid changed religiously according to schedule, or they have a rep for problems and being expensive to fix. The 4.0 is a great engine, cheap parts and easy to work on. But in my opinion is slightly underpowered in the ZJ. The 5.2 is definitely the better driver of the two, and the mpg is about the same, since it doesn't have to work as hard. Downside is that it's crammed into that engine bay pretty tight and can be a pain to work on (I have scars on my forearms from changing out the back plugs) That's about all I can think of.

Some HU's have a reset button. If it's a detachable faceplate, remove it and look for a small hole usually big enough for a paperclip or small pin, to hold down the reset button. Also pull the radio out and check if there's a fuse on the back that's blown or loose. But more likely it's a problem with the amps, speakers, or shorted/pinched wires. Sounds like you run the speakers from the 4ch, and the sub from a separate amp? Check any fuses on the amps or see if it's getting really hot. Could be overheating and that's what's cutting out the mids & high's. Or you could have faulty ground connections that have vibrated loose. Make sure the grounds are tight & secured. Check the power supply all the way from the battery to the amp, and make sure there isn't a loose or damaged connection. Does the sub run off of RCA wires coming from the HU? Sounds like it's still getting a signal after everything else has cut out, which usually means the HU is still okay. You need to get a multimeter - it will help you track down where the problem is between the HU, amps, and speakers and keep you from throwing money at it or a bunch of trial and error. If you get a multimeter, check each of your speaker wires between the HU and the amp, and then between the amp & speakers. Put the meter on the "continuity" function. Touch the black probe to a ground point, and then the red probe to each wire. There should be no continuity. If you get a reading, that means the wires are pinched/damaged and are the likely cause. If the wires are fine, then use set the multimeter to the "resistance" function and check each speakers - they should not be less than 3ohms - if one is, then it is probably blown and shorting out the system. If the Amp & speakers all check out fine, then move on to the HU. Pull the harness from the back, and use the multimeter to check that all connections are getting power. And with the HU on, make sure that the "remote on" wire to the amps is still working. Somewhere in all of that, you should be able to track down your problem. HU's can definitely burn out & stop working. But in my experience, that's usually the least likely cause. What's far more common are damaged wires or speaker coils, and when they overload it causes the whole system to cut out.

Yes, there is a test port - it's on the side of the TBI facing the driver's side fender, upper right corner, above the throttle position sensor (TPS). Pressure should be 15psi. Haynes/Chiltons manuals say a range of 12-15psi is acceptable, but in my personal experience, anything less than 14 is a sign the fuel pump is starting to fail or the fuel lines are clogged.

Thanks for the pics. Always good to know what other applications will fit these things since a lot of aftermarket companies don't support it anymore. Looks like once you drill the holes in the bed rails, the rack is easy to take on/off? I haul a lot of bulky/odd-sized items in mine. I have a shell with a ladder rack on the top .... but something like this definitely looks interesting for the summer months, when I like to run without the shell on.

IIRC, '94-'01 Cherokees sold in Europe, Australia and South America were available with an Italian-made 2.5 Diesels, mated to the AX15 transmission. The engine was made by VM Motori, which was owned by Daimler/Chysler for a time, and is the same company that made the CRD Liberty's that were available here in the US for a bit. The Diesel Cherokees were never available in the US, but some popped up in Canada, and a lot ended up in Mexico. If you live in a border state, you may luck out and be able to find one, but they are rare.