Potential New Owner

[rune1241]

Ok, so honestly I am quite blind when it comes to working on any American cars and especially a Jeep. So I been searching and found this forum, and you all seem to be the experts. I am gonna be picking up a Comanche soon, and I was wondering what all I should do and be aware of since it has been sitting for quite a bit of time. Honestly I don't even know how long. All I know is it has about 40k on it. Now I am not a stranger to working on cars, just usually I work on Nissan 300zxs and if you ever worked on one of those then you know the true definition of frustration. I am just really wanting advice on what to replace and what to be looking out for when I start cracking into this thing. 

[Dillithium]

Welcome to Comancheclub, I'm a pretty new member myself. I was in your shoes a few weeks ago, so I hope I can give you some tips.

 

First off, get familiar with the jeep dynasty. A comanche is very similar to a cherokee, everything from the cabin to the front of the vehicle is interchangeable with comanche's. Some parts will need a little fabrication, most will fit. 

 

What kind of comanche are you looking at?

Year, engine, wheelbase, manual or auto? This will determine what to look for. What are you going to be doing with the car? Wheeling or a daily driver?

 

An experienced member will check the floors before anything, the carpet sucks up moisture and corrodes the floor pretty badly. If it's a manual, you will need to check the under dash fuse box. It's located near the clutch pedal, impossible to miss. If the clutch master cylinder leaks or has leaked, chances are that fuse box will be melted and/or ruined.

Bodywise it's pretty cookie cutter, if it has a towbar make sure the back of the frame isn't bent. Check for rust on the frame, and the back of the wheelwells.

 

Enginewise it comes down to preference, I have the 2.5 TBI and it's great. Does 80 Mph very well. The 4.0 straight six is famous for being impossible to break, can't go wrong there. The 2.8 V6 is known for being underpowered and plagued with issues, it's just not reliable. If you have a choice, avoid that engine. You could always swap in a different engine, provided it was built in the second half of '87 and farther. Before that you'll run into issues with the firewall.

 

If you let us us know what you're looking at and what you want to do with it we can be more precise on what to look for.

As far as the rest goes, it's the same as any Nissan. Make sure it runs well, brakes well, etc.

[jimoshel]

The following suggestions are not from a degreed mechanical or chemical engineer. Just an old pharte that's been messing with old vehicles for way to many years.

Drain the old gas and flush the fuel system. Replace all liquids, oil, coolant, brake fluid etc. Over time they absorb moisture and go bad.

If sitting on the ground tires tend to dry rot. Inspect them very close and replace if cracked, dry or brittle. If a tire has been flat, replace it. The sidewalls are shot.

Remove any rodents that may have taken up residence. Give the thing a good cleaning. Remove the seats, carpet, floor mats etc. Gives you a chance to better inspect it and sometimes you'll be amazed at some of the things you'll find. Inspect drive belts, looking for cracks or brittleness. Make a walk around check on lights, turn signals, make sure they're working. Get a manual on the vehicle. A FSM is best but even a Haynes or Chilton is better than nothing.  Don't hesitate to call on CC if you have any problems or need any help. Good luck and welcome to the club. Jim :thumbsup: