New Member. Green to Comanches

[Rampage]

Hey people, I'm Mark. From Vancouver, BC.

 

I just bought an 88 Jeep Comanche. I chose it because I believe it is one of the best and unique trucks in the market.

 

Mine is a beater 4.0L 5-spd 2WD shortbox. Its clocking 203K and despite some front end cosmetic damage, runs great.

 

I wanted a 4.0, I wanted a 5-spd, and I wanted a comanche. Its perfect.

 

Please bear with me, as I know NOTHING of jeeps and parts and all that, but I can tell you that I am an accomplished mechanic, and moderator of a similar but different forum called redpepperracing. Its dedicated to 84-87 Honda Civics, and while the polar opposite of a jeep, in a similar category being a honda unlike all the more common-place fast and furious rice burners. Its the oddball, like the comanche.

 

I build tasteful vehicles, or take beaters to their full potential. I'm looking forward to learning a completely new animal!

 

Okay, enough about that, here's a teaser of my new machine:

 

 

 

 

Plans? Bring it back to life with a mechanical overhaul of the running gear, a new front clip, and eventually, a 4WD conversion.

 

 

Here's a picture of one of my other cars, an 87 CRX Si:

 

 

 

Okay, its not a Jeep, but anyone who knows cars knows these things are getting hard to come by. I've had it for a year and after a full drivetrain repair and engine swap it serves as my daily driver.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[vaquaro]

Welcome aboard :wavey: Good group here to help thru the mysteries of Comanches , as you will find out for yourself . Locally :Canadaflag: you'll find Gary's auto wrecking ( maple Ridge ) and Gemini Jeeps ( Burnaby,Langley ) great places to source parts :thumbsup:

[streetjeep2.5]

Hey, welcome! You WILL get addicted! :brows:

 

As most here will tell you the first thing to do is :smart: CHECK YOUR FLOORBOARDS!!!!!! They love to rust out!

 

Keep us posted!

[Squeegy410]

welcome to the club :waving: never be scared to ask a question we really do love to answer them :yes: even the obvious ones. i have learned a ton on this club and you will too :yes: feel free to ask questions

[MancheKid86]

were you the one who bought the $500 comanche on cl?

[Rampage]

were you the one who bought the $500 comanche on cl?

 

Yep, that was me.

 

Thanks for the welcomes.

 

 

I'll be posting some full pictures of the truck soon, but i've been too busy going over all the things it needs.

 

 

So, the Jeep honeymoon is over. Last night my starter packed it in. I had already thought there was a problem in the starting system, so I charged my battery and cleaned and coated the battery terminals, replacing the positive as it was cracked. I also checked the ground to the side of the block for any possible issues. They had actually been replaced so I wasn't concerned with them. The only things remaining to fail would be the ignition switch, starter solenoid, starter brushes, or the ground to the transmission.

 

Basically the stater had a hard time turning over at first, then would manage to pick up speed but still crank a bit slow. Eventually it was only turning a bit before stopping, then clicks only, then nothing. Boosting the battery using a running vehicle had no effect. Jumping the starter solenoid had no effect.

 

Today I removed the starter and found that two of the four brushes are worn out. Its a mitusbishi unit. The two brushes soldered to the brush cage are still serviceable, but the removable brushes that join to contact the solenoid are finished.

 

I'm old school, and I don't see the point in replacing a starter that only needs a few brushes. My question is does anyone local have a good idea where to get some brushes? Or have a good set to sell? Anyone not local have a good set?

 

Cheers,

Mark

[vaquaro]

Try " Edmonds Starter " between Kingsway & Canada Way on Edmonds , they are a local rebuilder in Burnaby . I bought a 100 amp alternator from them for $ 95 installed :thumbsup:

[Red 1989 MJ]

First of all Welcome to CC.

 

You could expect anything from 20+ years truck.

 

For your information the 4.0l is a MPI.

[Rampage]

Try " Edmonds Starter " between Kingsway & Canada Way on Edmonds , they are a local rebuilder in Burnaby . I bought a 100 amp alternator from them for $ 95 installed :thumbsup:

 

Thanks! I actually went there last night. Buddy was a bit of a shyster because he said $25 over the phone for the brushes.... then told me $45 in person! We came to an agreement at $30.

 

Good enough, put the brushes in, and now it cranks with fury!

 

Still a bit of a problem remaining with long crank time, and i've been doing some research about it, seems that oil on the crank sensor can cause this problem, so i'll be looking into that.

 

Another thing, I have a cracked exhaust manifold (probably) and I'm looking into replacing it. I was considering removing it, welding the crack, and installing it, but at 5 hours labour to change, I figure I may as well upgrade. There is a Dynomax 6-2-1 on eBay for about $220 shipped to me, looks promising. Only thing is that it says its 97 and up, but I doubt the head bolt pattern would be any different.... anyone know? I can see it has two oxygen sensor bungs, but I can just plug one...

 

Unfortunately budget is going to play into this build quite a bit at the beginning, but there are certain things I HAVE to do.

 

So the 205/75-15's with 4/32" remaining are being replaced today with some cheap Arctic Claw 235/75-15's. I'm excited!

 

RedMJ: I noticed that it was multi-port after I looked at it in the daylight... not sure why but I thought being so old it would be a TBI!

 

Cheers,

Mark

[kro10000]

It is normal for renix 4.0s to have a longer than usual (most cars) starting time. It usually takes 4-6 seconds or so to fire up.

[Rampage]

It is normal for renix 4.0s to have a longer than usual (most cars) starting time. It usually takes 4-6 seconds or so to fire up.

 

That makes me feel better. It does take a bit longer than what i'm used to, but now that the starter is re-brushed it turns strong.

 

Okay, time for a few more pictures. I've done much more than what i'm showing here, but here are some of what it looked like the next day, before I touched it:

 

The engine. AMC 242, with 203K:

 

 

 

The Bad: The left front has been obliterated. Thankfully i've already been to the wrecker where they had a pristine MJ front end. All but the hood and right fender will soon be replaced:

 

 

I've got some more pics but its about time to create a new project thread.

 

Also, a side note, I replaced the oxygen sensor after it failed the ohms test. I removed the EGR and EVAP system and replaced the damaged stock air box with a cone. I still have to address the rear brakes and emergency brake system, but now the engine is running very strong, and no longer in open loop! Sounds pretty mean with the cone, too.

 

Cheers,

Mark