big66440 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm planning on making my Comanche my daily driver, I want to make it reliable enough to start er up and drive across the country any given day :wrench: but have read on the net about the AW4 being somewhat unreliable or just OK as far as strength, the unibody structure being somewhat flimsy and trucks breaking in half? Dana 35's being weak rears I know the 4.0 is heck of a good reliable engine but are there any specific parts for the renix equipped manches to keep a close eye on? I have an 89 renix 4.0/AW4 D35 rear so cal (Very little rust,even under the carpet) I don't plan on towing with the truck,but I plan on occasionally throwing my engine blocks or a cherry picker in the rear for my other projects,any input on suspension,drivetrain,body mods are welcome(By the way iv'e already gone through the "what would you share with other comanche owners thread") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 A Comanche is no less unreliable than any vehicle that has been abused and mistreated, nor is it any more reliable than any vehicle that has been properly maintained and operated. The AW4 is one of the better transmissions available. The unibody has proven to be equal to, if not superior to frame-body construction. I have never heard of a Comanche "Btreaking in half" although I have heard of pulling the bumper off due to rust. The Dana 35 is not the strongest axe in the world but still manages to rack up in excess of 200,000 miles in daily use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 It will easily be a reliable DD truck once you've trapped all the mechanical and electrical Gremlins and sent them packing. Might take you a little while to catch them all though. Don't worry about any "my dana35 or aw4 or engine exploded" threads, they're mostly on trucks that get an off road pasting. If yours hasn't been too badly abused it should be fine. Sounds like you want a bed liner though :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm the second owner of my truck. The Original owner put 336,000 mile on it and kept up the maintinance till he parked it after buying a cherokee. It was parked for 4 years before I got it, but the guy would go out once a week and run it till warm and drive it around the block while it was parked till he decided to move across the country and sell everything. Ive done a tune up, and an O2 sensor and it has been great ever since. Like Jim said, it helps if the previous owner took care of it, but you still have to expect to fix stuff every now and then even on a well maintained 25 year old vehicle. My truck put all of that mileage on a Dana 35. It is fine with a stock vehicle in most cases. They just don't do well beyond that. If you take the weak points for what they were meant to do.... work good on a stock vehicle... then youll be fine. No one can tell you for sure if your truck will be dead reliable for your needs. They can be, but there are too many variables to say for sure with a vehicle this old. If you keep in mind that it might break down and are prepared for it mentally, youll be much happier than you would be if you arent prepared and are expecting it to be perfect. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaquaro Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 :yes: Absolutely , I do 80km daily :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Just my 2 cents worth........I got 250,000 on my 86 2.5 5spd rust free all original. I do tinker with things on the weekends but thats to be expected for a 25 yo truck but I can honestly say I would feel comfortable taking it on a cross country trip if I had to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalob Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 Granted I am very new to this list but I have to say that two weeks after buying the 88 SWB comanche 4.0 liter 5 speed 2WD we call Bucky (my son trying to learn to drive a stick...and the name stuck) I had a family emergency that caused me to drive from Denver to Phoenix, not knowing anymore about the vehicle than that it had 239 K on the odometer. I drove straight through at 70 to 85 MPH in 16 hours with absolutely not a hickup. I was there long enough to overfill the bed, cram the cab full of houseplants and hitch up a very overloaded 5X8 enclosed u-haul and return to Denver. I was one tired SOB but Bucky was and is awsome. You bet I wrench a bit on the weekends but it is because it is what I enjoy doing. Slowly I am putting all the issues and gremlins to right. I am enjoying very much my daily read on this website. I would not hesitate to drive coast to coast should the need (or a whim) arrise. In part due to the good help and advise from this website. Thanks to all here who share thier knowledge wit and wisdom. Buffalo Bob in Denver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big66440 Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Sounds great! thank you all for the input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeepcoMJ Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I don't know where you're getting any tech about AW4's not being reliable. the Aw4 is easily the most reliable transmission I have ever had in any vehicle. any failure in it is directly correlated to improper/lack of maintenance. I've owned well over 40 jeeps, and that's being generous. I have thrown aw4's in the scrap pile simply because they hardly ever fail, and I have a hard time selling them for anything worth my while...they usually end up sitting around a LONG time before I sell them, because the demand for them is so little. as far as reliability, I've daily driven one from the age of 17 to the age of 22....5 good years on it. the other one that I kept was DD'd on and off for several years, the only down time on it being because I had "upgrades" to do to it...it never failed on me, save when I beat it hard enough to bend the front axle, or put the trans computer in bypass mode doing too many high rpm forward reverse drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMCJeepMJ Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I use mine for a 35 mile round trip to/from work, 5 days a week. Yes, they can be DDs... even with 2WD, a 2.5, AX4, a D35, and no air conditioning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW86 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 yes. i don't though. i should but i don't. hell i did but i don't anymore :( :rotf: its like any other vehicle, take care of it and itll take care of you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula69 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 It will easily be a reliable DD truck once you've trapped all the mechanical and electrical Gremlins and sent them packing. Might take you a little while to catch them all though. Bingo! My son's truck goes out every day (all over creation - wanna see my gas bill?) and we haven't had too many problems...but in the beginning we had to correct many problems due to poor maintenance by the PO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I'm planning on making my Comanche my daily driver, I want to make it reliable enough to start er up and drive across the country any given day Works for me. have read on the net about the AW4 being somewhat unreliable or just OK as far as strength, Don't believe what you read on the Errornet. The AW4 is one of the most bulletproof automatic transmissions you'll ever find. the unibody structure being somewhat flimsy and trucks breaking in half? Unibodies are used because they are stronger than chassis-on-frame, not because they are weaker. Those few trucks that break in half don't break at the unibody, they break in the rear, where there's a conventional frame. FWIW, although I have never seen an MJ break there (and I live in the salt belt), my brother's Nissan "Hardbody" did break there. And the Nissan has a full frame under it. Dana 35's being weak rears Don't beat on it. I have 288,000 miles on my '88 Cherokee, with the original Dana 35 rear. I've wheeled it all over the northeast, from the Mohawk Train to Paragon in PA to some undisclosed trails in MA and RI. I've also driven it across the country twice and wheeled a bunch of fire roads in New Mexico. It ain't a Dana 60, but it's MORE than adequate for street use as a daily driver. I know the 4.0 is heck of a good reliable engine but are there any specific parts for the renix equipped manches to keep a close eye on? Harmonic damper. Flex plate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big66440 Posted September 21, 2011 Author Share Posted September 21, 2011 WOW I didn't know these machines had so much going for them :cheers: do the balancer's have a tendency to slip ? do the flexplate's crack? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Mine is a daily driver. It's all I got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexluthier72 Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Mine is also a DD. It has some isssues due to lack of maintenence, but overall, I can't complain. The 2.5L is also a very solid engine. My last Wrangler had the same engine, and went 300,000 miles with almost no maintenence. (oil changes, and tires) Like everyone is saying, sort out the problems it may have now, and keep up on the maint. and you'll do fine. And when things go wrong, this seems to be a great community of like minded folks, who have helped immensly. -Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boots Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I drive mine to school 5 days a week. Take care of it and it will take care of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue88Comanche Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 I used mine as a DD till my crappy BA-10 crapped out on me, after i get the AX-15 in i will be using it as my DD again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 do the balancer's have a tendency to slip ? ALL harmonic balancers eventually separate. do the flexplate's crack? Often, yes. Not always. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A-man930 Posted September 22, 2011 Share Posted September 22, 2011 I used to DD my MJ, now I'm a sucker for 35+ MPG in my Saturn. But yes, with proper maintenance and the knowledge that it is a 20+ year old vehicle you can DD and MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockMJ Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 I'm in the same boat essentially. My LJ and I parted ways shortly after moving to FL and with gathered funds I bought a 88 MJ. I always wanted a Comanche and I was and still am excited about driving it. I have driven it once around the block before I parked it and started tearing into it. I have my fair share of cleaning up to do when it comes to the PO's "handy work." I am replacing or refreshing pretty much everything inside, outside and under the Jeep minus the engine and trans. Thankfully both are sound and when, not IF, but when the BA-10 goes out it will get the 4x4 swap. But definitely take pride in your MJ man. There arent a ton of them running around anymore, let a lone ones that are in good shape. Ive lived in FL for about seven months now and I have yet to see another MJ on the road and I travel all over the place regularly. Any questions that you might have go ahead and ask. Your in the right place RockMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big66440 Posted September 23, 2011 Author Share Posted September 23, 2011 How bout gas mileage? anyone have tips on better mileage from the renix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny quest Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 man, am i glad i found this thread. found an 88 4cyl stick 4x4 shortbed w/140k locally, and wondering how reliable of a DD this would be. obviously, id have to look at the particular truck. it sounds like the 2.5 is a decent engine, but I'm also wondering about fuel consumption, since i drive 80 miles everyday for work, but need to make it through lots of snow. obviously the smaller the tire, the better, so it would stay very stock to help me climb through the mountains at highway speeds to get to work, (i live @4000' and the highest part of my commute is around 7600'). would you go for it?? i have a little subaru that just isnt cutting it right now.....very underpowered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeepjerry Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 The renix in my girlfriends 89 xj proved more reliable than my moms 99 xj when the 99 didnt start over the winter in very cold temps and the renix fired right up. The 99 cranked over but didnt fire until the temp rose throughout the day. We got my girlfriends 89 in '07 and she has been daily driving it ever since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGross Posted October 3, 2011 Share Posted October 3, 2011 How bout gas mileage? anyone have tips on better mileage from the renix? Adopt some hyper miling strategies. If your starter is good and on a down hill or something, you can turn off the engine, coast, and then crank back on when you need it. I have manual steering, so it's not like I'll lose any abilities other than quick braking, but that doesn't change much anyway for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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