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Just picked up and added to the collection of MJ’s with an 87 Comanche Chief. This truck is almost fully optioned out from factory with all the skid plates, Tow Mirrors, RollBar, Bedlight, 4wd 5spd, and Air conditioning. The body is 99% rust free, the plan now is to do a full day 1 restoration on this truck. Here’s a link to the guy I bought it from’s build thread

89 MJ 4.0L 2WD AUTO 140k - found this delightful surprise while going after the thermostat - lower mounting boss broken off - previous owner busted it and basically RTV'd thermostat housing it in place - any suggestion to repair without pulling head would be appreciated - reman CYL head #2686 is hard to find / expensive. Comments on these ideas appreciated 1) clean thoroughly and JB Weld a helicoil in place and use smaller fastener 2) drill into water jacket / tap and use longer fastener - seal with #2 permatex 3) add 2 smaller adjacent fasteners into the cylinder head face on either side of the busted one Any other approaches would be appreciated

My latest acquisition. I’ll get it in the registry once I get the interior emptied. It’s an 88 Pioneer, 4.0, 5 speed (AX-15 swapped in), D30 and D35, looks to have a 3 inch lift. The only rust that I’ve found on the truck is in the floors. It needs front fenders, which I have, a header panel, which I have, and doors, one of which I will need to source. It came with most of the needed parts to swap to a grey interior from a tan one (not sure I will), grey MJ bucket seats, and of course, a sportbar, which will find its way into the my blue truck, and a bunch of misc parts. What’s the plan for the truck? I do not know, as of now, the first step is to make it fun and drive, then I will probably start replacing the damaged body panels. This truck is honestly nicer than my blue truck was when I first got it, but pictures make it look nicer than it really is.

So, I have had my 1981 CJ-5 torn down forever. The 4.2 was clapped out, so I started 4.0 HO OBD1 swap. Then we bought a house, and what was supposed to be shop got turned into a barn, I brought a tub, started rust repair... Anyway, I have always wanted a Comanche, have had several Cherokees, have a 1990 I am putting back together for my youngest son right now. I have been looking for a while, I saw one quite a ways away go up on Craigslist a couple of months ago. Price was a little high for a 4 hour drive. And it stayed up. It looked really clean, but it didn't run and needs brake work. And it's 2wd, and it's the snowy season. So, the price drops a little, and I need to head that way on a business trip in the next month. So I kept watching. And the week before I'm heading that way, the price drops again. So I set up a meet, agreed to 20 percent less than he was asking so bought it. Scheduled to come back the following weekend with my car trailer. And, one of my employees called in sick, I had to cover for him, so there goes my trip. I had be on call, have to be in my district. So, reschedule. And, then a spring snowstorm shows up, and it just seemed stupid to me to drive in the snow 350 miles round trip. So we rescheduled. Again. Finally, everything lines up, and it made it home last night. I started messing around today. First thing is figuring out if it really is a no fuel issue. When I looked at it, tye PO had a battery set in place, and told me there was a problem with the cables, they were too short. It did crank, sounded just like a RENIX 4.0, no noticeable bad noises. But also, no fuel pump sounds. So this morning, after opening the stuck hood from underneath, I went to put a battery in it, and OOPS! Decided before I tried to chase the fuel issue too much I would replace both battery cables. So, that's where I sit right now.

Starting up my thread for my Comanche build. As it sits today, its a 1992, 4.0L, 5Sp, 2wd, SWB, Dana 35 that runs and drives fine with a few small issues. Overall, looking to make it go anywhere and be able to daily drive if needed. Currently, its being used off and on for quick rides/errands. History: Bought it from @kryptronic last fall Installed 2 new tires, changed oiled and trans fluid to get ready for inspection Passed PA inspection with the addition of license plate lights (the only one i didnt check) Picked up a 99 Donor with a blown engine for the start of the 97+ swap (4wd, 5sp, dana 30 and dana 35) Fixed a power steering leak Bought a (supposedly) XJ Dana 44 rear axle with what the seller thinks were 4.56 gears and no mounts for $100 Sold to a jeep aficionado here just south of Pittsburgh. Current Issues: Damp Floorboard (need to investigate more) Some weather stripping is rough Multiple Dents/Dings (especially in the bed) Windows are rough to roll down Plans: 97+ Conversion (interior and exterior) Onboard Air Air lockers possible axle shaft upgrades Determine gearing (will depend on lift/axles) SOA Rear Front lift (3 Link, 4 Link?) Steering Upgrades Bumpers, rock sliders, bed rack, bed sliders? Lighting upgrade (LED or halogen, adding fogs) Tires/Wheels Paint/body panel fix Frame stiffeners? Engine Rebuild/Stroker/LS Swap TBD Pic Dump (a few from the day i brought it home and of the parts jeep):

My 1988 MJ won't start and the cpk is good, the starter won't crank suddenly after I replaced the ignition switch. But the dash is clearly engaged and wants to start. Anyone know why it won't start?

Hey all, new to the forum, been using this and jeepforum for the past 2 months to keep my MJ up and running. Quick history on the MJ then I'll give ya the dirty dirty: Swapped for the MJ (4x4, 4.0L, Big Ton, with 5-spd) about the end of August down in NOLA. Exhaust manifold wasn't connected, but otherwise it ran great. Drove around town like a bandit then left a week later to Alanta with no issues other than gassing myself in slow traffic (also, possible hearing loss). In Atlanta, bought nuts and reconnected exhaust. Much quieter, ran good for another tank of gas (300 miles maybe less) started idling rough. Pulled plugs (they were shot, maybe even original to the jeep). Replaced with Autolite 985 copper core (gapped to .035" I'm pretty sure). Fixed idle issue. Loaded up and headed back to NOLA. Left mid afternoon, got a hesitation or two along the way, could have been a bump in the road. I get about to the La. state line (about 11pm) and the truck starts misfiring and surging erratically. Hold the throttle and try to cruise at any speed/gear/rpm and it bucks and fights. Under hard acceleration the problem is there but much less pronounced. Let off the throttle and the issue seems to go away (truck isn't shaking anymore, hard to tell over hwy noise). No CEL at any time. Limp into NOLA and over next 3 weeks: Replaced Fuel filter- no change Tested fuel rail pressure and flow rate- ~31psi and 39psi with regulator connected/disconnected. With return pinched off flowing close to 2l/min (filled 500ml bottle in 13 seconds). Pulled spark plug wires and checked for resistance...all were similar with longer wires slightly higher than shorter wires. Cleaned ends and reattached (all done one at a time then double checked for order) - no change in symptoms Pulled old O2 sensor and bench tested. Readings very erratic. Order new Standard SG1829, bench tested it to compare readings. New one cycles as expected from .1-1.0A in flame. Installed new O2 sensor and problem appears to be fixed. Test drives, no bucking, no skipping. Next day leave NOLA around 4pm, drives great for first 150 miles. Pouring rain, temps drop and from around Lake Charles to Victoria, Texas the misfires are as bad as ever. Pulled over several times and disconnected/reconnected O2 sensor trying to get the ECU to run the motor rich, used ether to locate at least one vacuum leak (repaired with electrical tape), tried plugging vacuum lines, looked for spark leaks, wiggled wires and lines, dumped in a bottle of B12 Chemtool and 89 Octane out of desperation, nothing. If driven at high rpm the misfire is dealable but anything below 2000 rpm I'm afraid I'm going to blow the bottom end of the motor out unless I'm accelerating WOT. Then, after taking a nap in Victoria I wake up this morning, fight the misfire for about an hour and after the sun comes out and it's 84 outside, the truck drives with no issues. I can't get it to misfire, even by lugging the engine under 1200 rpm. I've got a cap/rotor/wire set on order, bought PCV(CCV, little plastic elbow thingys) to fix my blow by, and some new vacuum lines just as maintenance items on this thing. If these don't fix it, does anyone else have any other ideas? I've read about a coolant temp sensor maybe? The fact that it seems to drive ok in 80*F and hotter has me a little confused. Posting this on two separate forums....I'm not looking to parts swap and guess. If you can give me an idea and a possible troubleshooting (or hell steps even!) I would rather do that than throw money away.

Ive got my hands on a couple of comanches thats are 4wd what parts do i need to do a 4wd conversion on my 88 jeep comanche 4.0 v6 pioneer 2wd, thanks again guys for yalls feedback, can't wait to post the project on here ! Its a 5 speed transmission on original axles so i believe its the dana 35

Hi everyone, I was going to update my pics today when I realized that I never posted any. That has led to a search through phones and old files, and I posted a few from 2015 and 2016. More coming. I bought my Comanche new on December 17, 1987, and it was my first new vehicle. It is older than two of my three kids, and a part of the family now. Although it still needs paint and interior done, I have made great strides toward getting it back in good running order. I'll run through some of the things I've done toward that goal a little later on. My finished Comanche should look almost exactly as it came off the showroom floor, with the exception of the hockey stick stripes. No lift, no mudders, no winch, just a fully restored beauty.

Hey people, As some of you way know of my build thread "Wendy". Well I have a 1988 Comanche with a 2.5l inline 4 (tbi) and a 1988 Cherokee with a renix 4.0l/aw4/np242 drivetrain. I tried to start the Cherokee but it was just cranking (not turning over) sounded like it had a rod knock and some smoke was coming out of the dipstick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keTuB2oHwsY (wasn't sure how to make the video thumbnail appear) But I'm not 100% sure what it is. It sounds like knocking. Because of this, ​ was ​going to keep the 2.5l in the Comanche, and just make the best of it. My real question is, would I be able to "fix" the 4.0l for around or less than $700? Because if it is more than that I might as well swap in an ax5 behind the 2.5 and just save for the time being

Hello fellas Well, i've just acquired my Comanche 1988 4.0L, 6 cyl, and looking behind the hood i saw some unusual things. One of them is that some hoses are not plugged in, and other components. (I don't know a lot about mechanics, but i try to do my best) I saw this component called "Charcoal Cannister" And yes, is not plugged in. Also, i saw that the engine have 2 hoses, one in front, and another one in the back (near the cabin i mean), the hose nearest to the cabin is not plugged on anything, in fact the seal broke and is uncovered that part of the engine. Someone can explain me how to reconnect this? Because i was looking for info and not having connected the cannister can affect the consumption of gas and the emissions can be higher. Please, help

I am looking for a 3/4 or full guage cluster for my 1989 MJ with the 4.0L and automatic transmission. Let me know what you have and price shipped to 72687. Thanks.

I have a bad oil leak. I jumped the gun and I replaced my rms. In the process of doing that I power washed the engine. Upon driving the jeep after I now realize it is leaking oil from the head gasket on passenger side. Any advice? I guess I will pull the head and check the head for cracks/ straightness and replace the head gasket. Do I need to replace head studs as well? Engine is a 4.0 that just turned over 170k.

Did a search but nothing came up... I've really only worked on or owned long enough to know 2.5l 86s (4x4 ax4/ax5) before I got myself an 87 4.0l. automatic 4x4...... Now I am totally lost. I noticed the rear driveshaft on my 86s is almost twice as thick as the 87's. What othe differnces are there between them? We found one of three vacuum lines that seem to go to the t-body/intake-manifold via a U shaped hard plastic hose isnt connected to anything and I don't know whats missing here as it is definitely sucking (and hissing). The other lines are attached. Does anyone have a list of what lines/components are supposed to be attached to the t-body vacuums? I followed one larger white hose from the junction clip that is just infront of the tbody to the airbox and engine, the other is a smaller black hose that snakes under the air box - brake booster? Which gauge cluster is supposed to be in an 87? The blue or the black/red? Its obvious someone swapped them at one point since the odometer is meddled with and the temp/oil dials don't work. Also the scratches from the tinsnips used to cut out the gear selector panel are obvious. Good effort though. Some genious removed the CAT - is it necessary for function? I am e-test exempt and have no intentions of driving to california. What is the function of the transmission button on the dash that says power/comfort?