My '86 Custom

[Vintage]

Hey, everybody. Been lurking around here for a while ever since I found out a Comanche would be in my future. I've had it probably two months now, and finally got some time to snap a few pictures. So, let me introduce ya.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1986 Comanche Custom. 2.5l 4-cylinder, 4-speed, 4-wheel-drive, with a glasspack. Very (sometimes obnoxiously) loud, but has a nice rally tone. Not too ricer.

 

I'm actually not sure yet what direction to go with this. All I've got plans for so far is to put the wheels on the back that match the front (I like the way they look better than the Jeep wheels.), and a new set of tires. (Yes, there's really no tread on those front tires.) Otherwise, I'm up in the air about it, and just enjoying her.

[Pete M]

welcome to the addiction :wavey:

 

and I think those fronts are also Jeep rims. :thumbsup:

[Squeegy410]

Welcome to the club :cheers: nice truck :thumbsup: don't be shy to ask questions :yes: where are you from?

[btm24]

sry about the 2.5 I4 but it is a very nice truck. and as far as i know thats a hard to find model. welcome :waving:

 

Brandon

[Pete M]

the 2.5 is the good engine for 86 models. :thumbsup:

[Vintage]

Thanks, everyone. Glad to be a part of the community.

 

Squeegy410: I've been living in West Virginia for about 9 years now. My dad bought about 40 acres when I was around 10, and just picked up about 30 more across the street, so there's plenty of room for wheelin' around here.

 

Pete M: I wasn't sure about the fronts. The rears seem to sit in more, which I don't really like.

 

I haven't had much trouble with the 2.5 so far. You just really notice when you've got some weight on it. But honestly, it runs like a tractor. It may slow you down, but you'll still just chug along. My dad actually drove the truck from my hometown (York, Pa) which is about 5 hours away loaded with a refrigerator, an air conditioner, two welders, a generator, and two tires/wheels.

[Pete M]

it's not the rims or the axles. the bed of a comanche is wider than the front. check for a recent thread in the Tech forum about wheel spacers. :thumbsup:

[Vintage]

Thanks! I'll check it out. It's not so much that they actually sit in more, just that they have that look. Whereas the others give a wider allusion.

[Geonovast]

Am I the only one who likes the stock look of the tucked in rear wheels and rake?

[Vintage]

I don't dislike the way it looks, I just prefer the wider look myself. About even with the fender flares. I do think it looks tacky when the fender flares seem to hang out way further than the tires, though.

[Pete M]

Am I the only one who likes the stock look of the tucked in rear wheels and rake?

 

 

probably not, but it's certainly possible Mr. 16"-rims-are-the-devil's-handiwork. :rotf:

[Vintage]

Crawled underneath to check out the parking brake, and this was the view of the driver's side floorboard:

 

[Squeegy410]

west virginia :D thats closer to me than most people on CC haha

[Vintage]

Squeegy410: I'm the closest? Man, that's too bad because according to mapquest, I'm still just over 8 hours, 500 miles away, lol.

 

So, I headed down to the DMV today (that's how you know it's not a good story) to try to get her on the road (legally anyway). Got my paperwork together, quite sure that I had everything I needed (aren't we always?). My turn at the desk, the lady (I'm sure you've met her. Mrs. Can't-believe-you-didn't-notice-or-know-this-rule-before-you-bothered-coming-all-the-way-down-here.) tells me she can't sell me a plate because the insurance for this vehicle is not effective until tomorrow. Puzzled bickering ensues. Long story short, I'll be making a trip to the DMV tomorrow.

 

Then it'll be on the road and I'll be taking it in for alignment, but only if I find some tires.

[cluricaunne]

Welcome, nice MJ

[Vintage]

Well, after a pleasant (right) trip to the DMV, it's finally my daily driver. Or so I thought.

 

The first problem I encountered was a dead battery, which was strange since it had only been sitting for two days. It had sat for two weeks not long ago and still started right up. No biggy, jump it and it's running. Get it home, which is about a 20 minute drive, and it's still dead. I mean dead dead. I'll try charging it in the morning and see if it holds.

 

Second thing was I lost my turn signals. Hoping for just a bad fuse here, but we'll see.

 

The third, and biggest, problem I had was the clutch. Pulled in the driveway, and it wouldn't go into reverse. Tried putting it back in first and couldn't for a good 5 minutes. It's got fluid, so I'll try bleeding it and see what I come up with.

 

The most annoying problem is a loud chunking sound coming from what seems to be directly in front of and below me while driving, though it's hard to tell. It's just a loud noise that increases in speed with the truck, not the engine. It's hard to describe, but if anyones experienced anything similar, I wouldn't mind your opinions. :hmm:

 

Well, those are my gripes for the night, and tomorrow's another day!

[jimmy21669]

Well, after a pleasant (right) trip to the DMV, it's finally my daily driver. Or so I thought.

 

The first problem I encountered was a dead battery, which was strange since it had only been sitting for two days. It had sat for two weeks not long ago and still started right up. No biggy, jump it and it's running. Get it home, which is about a 20 minute drive, and it's still dead. I mean dead dead. I'll try charging it in the morning and see if it holds.

 

Second thing was I lost my turn signals. Hoping for just a bad fuse here, but we'll see.

 

The third, and biggest, problem I had was the clutch. Pulled in the driveway, and it wouldn't go into reverse. Tried putting it back in first and couldn't for a good 5 minutes. It's got fluid, so I'll try bleeding it and see what I come up with. Check for leaking in the bellhousing, if none, check behind the clutch pedal for leaks. It could be the clutch master cylinder.

 

The most annoying problem is a loud chunking sound coming from what seems to be directly in front of and below me while driving, though it's hard to tell. It's just a loud noise that increases in speed with the truck, not the engine. It's hard to describe, but if anyones experienced anything similar, I wouldn't mind your opinions. :hmm: Disconnect the front driveshaft and see if it still clunks...sounds like u-joints.

Well, those are my gripes for the night, and tomorrow's another day!

[Vintage]

Finally was able to bleed the clutch this morning. Unfortunately had to cut the carpet up as there was no room to do it from underneath.

 

 

It helped somewhat since I was able to get into first, but reverse is still a no go. It grabs if I try starting in reverse also. Outside of bleeding it some more, I'm unsure of what to try.

[Vintage]

Well, after a couple wasted bottles of fluid, I'm gonna try throwing some other things at it. It rolls a bit starting in gear, but once it's started, the clutch reacts normally. Won't come back out of gear, though. Gonna replace the master, probably in the morning.

 

I've got 10 days to get it inspected and they're being wasted on a new problem instead of the ones that needed done to pass. :headpop:

[Comanche County]

Sounds like the pressure plate is weak. It's not hard to replace a clutch, just dirty and a little time consuming. If you can find a helper it will go faster...while you've got it off be sure to do the pilot bearing.

[Pete M]

Sounds like the pressure plate is weak. It's not hard to replace a clutch, just dirty and a little time consuming. If you can find a helper it will go faster...while you've got it off be sure to do the pilot bearing.

 

 

haha. clearly you've never worked on a rusted out Michigan vehicle. :yes: those dang lower trans crossmember bolts reeeealy like to snap off if you look at them wrong. :fs1:

[Comanche County]

Haha, yeah I've been lucky when it comes rust.

[Vintage]

Sounds like the pressure plate is weak. It's not hard to replace a clutch, just dirty and a little time consuming. If you can find a helper it will go faster...while you've got it off be sure to do the pilot bearing.

 

 

haha. clearly you've never worked on a rusted out Michigan vehicle. :yes: those dang lower trans crossmember bolts reeeealy like to snap off if you look at them wrong. :fs1:

This is exactly what I'm trying to avoid, haha. I'm going to cover all my bases before I dig into anything internal. Like I said in my tech thread, I've already replaced the master and slave. I even made up a new push rod to get a bit more travel. I'm going to try a vacuum bleeder asap. If that doesn't do the job, then I'll worry about tearing it apart. And I mean worry.

[Comanche County]

The reason I think the pressure plate is weak is that you said it does fine when you get it rolling....I take that as actually driving it down the road.

 

Most pressure plates work better when they have centrifugal force applied,,,as when they are spinning, they exhibit more force on the clutch disc and the effect seems to allow you to "shift" almost normally or at least better than when starting from a stop.

 

Question, do you have to rev the engine any extra when starting out in first gear to get the clutch to engage?

[Vintage]

Question, do you have to rev the engine any extra when starting out in first gear to get the clutch to engage?

My problem is that it won't go into gear in the first place. If the truck's running, it's not going into gear. What I meant was that if I start the truck in gear, and release the clutch, it feels normal. I haven't driven it (or tried) through any other gears due to where it's parked at the moment.