What is the most important tip you'd share with MJ owners?

[co-MAN-che]

Never give up if the truck is proving more stubborn than you are. There are so many people here that know what they're doing that even failed attempt after failed attempt doesn't mean the truck is permanently broke down. Just try EVERY. SINGLE. SUGGESTION and the solution, even if oddball as all get out, will be reached. I was one chain away from scrapping mine until the father of a friend (who worked 30 years as a jeep dealership mechanic) took a paperclip and fixed my most recent severe issue

[cruiser54]

Never give up if the truck is proving more stubborn than you are. There are so many people here that know what they're doing that even failed attempt after failed attempt doesn't mean the truck is permanently broke down. Just try EVERY. SINGLE. SUGGESTION and the solution, even if oddball as all get out, will be reached. I was one chain away from scrapping mine until the father of a friend (who worked 30 years as a jeep dealership mechanic) took a paperclip and fixed my most recent severe issue

Well, what was the fix? 

[co-MAN-che]

Truck would start then immediately stop. Friend's father took a paper clip and jumped the auto shutdown relay and that was the most recent fix to the most recent problem of noteworthy severity

[HOrnbrod]

What year/model is your truck? You should edit your signature and put that info in.

[cruiser54]

What year/model is your truck? You should edit your signature and put that info in.

No kidding.

[co-MAN-che]

1991 Comanche pioneer, Non-renix. High output 4.0. I'll get on that signature

[chris71]

something i found while doing the renix tips on my 87 tps adjustment for high idle , still had a high idle after, so i shut it down and started again to reset the tps while doing this i noticed the butterfly was stuck open , after investageing i found that removing the throttle cable allowed the butter fly to close , removed throttle cable sprayed clean with some clean streak i had ( can be found in any bicycle shop ) and lubed the throttle cable with a very light coat of ptfe bicycle chain lube (dry lube) at the same time i found that my throttle pedal bracket assy was loose , now i have no high idle and a nice and smooth throttle pedal , well hope that helps someone out . :thumbsup:

[cruiser54]

Thanks!!!!

[HOrnbrod]

something i found while doing the renix tips on my 87 tps adjustment for high idle , still had a high idle after, so i shut it down and started again to reset the tps while doing this i noticed the butterfly was stuck open , after investageing i found that removing the throttle cable allowed the butter fly to close , removed throttle cable sprayed clean with some clean streak i had ( can be found in any bicycle shop ) and lubed the throttle cable with a very light coat of ptfe bicycle chain lube (dry lube) at the same time i found that my throttle pedal bracket assy was loose , now i have no high idle and a nice and smooth throttle pedal , well hope that helps someone out . :thumbsup:

 

That's good stuff, but for cables (throttle valve, accelerator, and hood release cables) I use Bike Aid Dri-Slide to lube them. It comes with a needle so you can inject it under the cable sheath until it runs out the other end. You can really notice the difference especially on the hood release cable.   :thumbsup:

 

[Jrwhite3230]

Cool down those  tires  those  roads  get very hot on them and by all means  kick them every so  often  animals  can make homes out of them !

[mrmel2you]

Here's a tip for when you replace your shocks (or whatever else); On the ends of the studs/bolts---put a small dab of wheel-bearing grease on it, then find a small piece of rubber tubing that will fit snug over it. Trim it to just cover the end of the threads.  Next time you replace them, pull off the tubing and your thread ends are clean and lubed.  Have been meaning to post this for a while now, been doing this for years and it has really saved me a ton of time.  Works for other applications also, but not on any exhaust system related parts, LOL :)  Another small tip; I've always double nutted the upper shock studs, actually have had them work loose----but not anymore.

[mrmel2you]

Found this out the hard way;

 

If you decide to purchase front disc brake caliper(s) from "Rock Auto", here's a very important tip for 2 wheel drive models.  In their parts listing is 2 numbers, 11-4181 and 11-4182.  4181 is listed as being for the right front and 4182 as being for the left front.  Both listings also state "Mounting may be reversed"---what they really mean is this; 4181 is for the LEFT side, not the right side-----4182 is for the RIGHT side, not the left side.  For some unknown reason my computer in the shop was not able to bring up the pictures on the listing.  So I ordered what I assumed was the right front caliper, I had already bought the left front caliper locally (could have gotten the right front one, but would have taken almost 2 weeks to arrive).  I had the 4181 caliper expedited and had it in 2 days, only to find out I now had 2 left front calipers.  I got online with Rock Auto, using my laptop, and then I was able to see the pictures in their listing------felt like a real dope.  But then again, their pictures plainly show a left front caliper as listed for the right front and vice versa for the right front showing a left front caliper.  Golden rule of thumb---always double check BEFORE ordering anything online, LOL :)

 

[madog7200]

Obviously parts are getting harder to find so buy what you can when you can, or one day you'll be up the creek

[Aric MJ]

All great Advice. :thumbsup:

[312BOB]

my tip:  Sit in an MJ before buying one. The cab area is fairly small.

I'm not a big guy, 5'9  180 and I feel a bit cramped in it.

 

Bob

 

[gogmorgo]

:dunno: I'm 6'2" and 220, and the only time I've found the cab cramped in four years was when I drove it 6500 miles (Vegas and back via the Pacific Coast) in 12 days not quite a month ago. Or if I've tried sleeping inside it, that never goes well. Otherwise I find the seating position to be just about ideal.

[1989 comanche mj]

I am 6' 5" and 260 and definately felt cramped in the first xj I bought for my wife many years ago.  I have gotten used to it over the years but my MJ has no headliner.  These have a lot more headroom than other midsize pickups.

 

Get under your truck with a screwdriver and jam it up in all the holes in the frame and wheel wells.  They get clogged inside and fill up with dirt.

 

Replace all the rubber brake lines when you buy it.

 

Change all the fluids when you buy it.

 

Keep a spare belt and idler pulley in the truck with tools to change them.

 

Grease the door pins often.

 

Add a transmission cooler.

 

Don't go quickly from drive to reverse.

 

Make sure the axles are square front to back and the front one is centered.

 

Don't pull the engine by attaching the chains to the exhaust manifold bolts!!!

 

Don't waste money on a high flow water pump.

 

Don't use platinum plugs.

 

Don't use energy resource conserving oil.

 

Don't expect most alignment shops to do a good job on anything that isn't at stock height.

 

Your trucks at least 24 years old.  Don't buy one unless you plan to work on it yourself or have money to burn.

 

Buy a nice low mileage wrecked XJ when you find one and set the engine aside for a spare.  I have a 98 XJ engine with 54k miles I got for free.  Owner bought the truck wrecked.  Had no where to work on it thanks to homeowners association.  He said if i pull the front axle trans t case and bring it back to him I can keep the rest.

[895XJ]

Keep a whole XJ or three on hand for parts, they're handy

[WyoCherokee]

Keep a whole XJ or three on hand for parts, they're handy

:rotfl2: :cheers:  The Best Tip yet

[Tex06]

If you have the tranny/tc out,put them back in as a single unit. The top 2 bolts holding the tc to the tranny are a real PITA to install with the tranny in the truck.

 

 

Or use about 3 ft of extension!  I installed mine seperate and while it was all 4 tires (no jack stands), easy easy!!!

[GrayWolf]

Go to a wrecking yard and go over several MJ's and Cherokees and pick up the little bits and pieces in good condition.  They usually don't cost much total, but can be invaluable when you need them.  A lot of those little pieces are not available new any more, or aren't easy to find.  Example is the 10" speedo cable that runs from the cruise control module to the speedometer.  Went to my parts box and there it was!!

[Minuit]

Go to a wrecking yard and go over several MJ's and Cherokees and pick up the little bits and pieces in good condition.  They usually don't cost much total, but can be invaluable when you need them.  A lot of those little pieces are not available new any more, or aren't easy to find.  Example is the 10" speedo cable that runs from the cruise control module to the speedometer.  Went to my parts box and there it was!!

 

Great idea. I do this for everything - vacuum lines, bolts, brackets, any little thing I can think of any time I go to the junkyard. As a general rule, I keep any fastener I take off at the junkyard, so now I have a cigar box sized collection of at least one of probably every major bolt on an XJ/MJ, and especially for Renix era trucks, having a few spare vacuum lines is essential.

 

If you're doing a speaker install, most aftermarket car speakers have two different sizes of quick disconnect terminals on them. On my speakers, the + terminal is 0.187" wide, and the - is 0.110". They did this for a reason! This is so you can attach the proper size connectors and not be able to mix the + and - up! This might not be a problem when you're looking at a wiring diagram, but it's very easy to accidentally hook them up the wrong way if the speaker has to come out for any reason. Hooking up speakers out of phase makes the system sound much worse. The ones you find at the parts store are usually way too big, but they can be found on ebay. Or better yet, go to somewhere like Digikey or Mouser and get some from a reputable brand like AMP or Molex. They're much nicer than the cheap junk you see in most places, and much less likely to fall off by themselves. The ones that places like Crutchfield sell are passable. If your connectors haven't been hacked off, you can also get adapters that will plug in to them.

 

 

Oh yeah, and the round hole you see in the speaker bracket is for the wiring harness. I noticed about 5 seconds after taking this picture... :doh:

[1989 Eliminator]

Upgrade your ground cables!!!

 

Recommend doing the WJ/XJ brake booster conversion. It makes your stopping power so much more.

 

Replace the hard vacuum lines with rubber hoses of the same inside diameter.

 

Use POR15 rust proofing on the rear of your frame, bumpers, and rocker panels. Expensive stuff but works amazing.

 

Duck tape your spare set of keys on the connector for the rear lights! I do this because it looks like a terrible electrical job with all the tape but if you ever lock your keys in your jeep all you have to do is go underneath the back to the connector, rip off the tape, and you have your spare set with you!

[1989 comanche mj]

If you have vehicles that sit put rat traps and poison around.  Those little bastards love to chew wires and build nests.  Put the poison in a pvc tube so cats and coons can't get to it.  Coons will eat all your poison and it won't kill them, gives them energy.

[1989 comanche mj]

Use the felpro expensive valve cover gasket and be done with vc leaks.