1988 Comanche Question

[AustinDeh]

Hey all,

 

First off, Ive been looking into getting an MJ for a while and am finally pushing myself to do so! They are just very difficult to find over here on the west coast.

 

So I'm looking into getting an MJ for myself as a dailydriver/project truck. I found one located here in Los Angeles for 1k. The owner listed a couple problems being some minor corrosion in the driver side footwell and he noted that the 4x4 transfer case was removed from the truck a few years ago so it only has 2wd currently.

The motor also has 350k miles but he says it runs strong with no knocks or sounds coming from it. The only thing is a high idle sometimes in the morning when its cold. It has been a very strong and reliable truck.

 

My questions were whether this truck is even worth it, and if I run this thing till it blows what is the best motor to swap into it. I know the cherokees swap easily but are there any motors that are a clean swap same mounts and all? Would it be better to just rebuild the motor when it dies? I am not expecting this to make it to 400k so a motor is definitely something id anticipate. What is the general cost of something like that?

Are there any other things to look for if I go look at it aside from the tranny, and rust?

 

 

Thank you all in advance!

 

Here is the listing

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/4550098167.html

[87MJTIM]

The 88 did not come with a v6.  It would have come with a 2.5/4 cyl or the 4.0/6 cyl.

 

The PO must have done a complete eng/tran/tcase swap.  The stock trans that takes a tcase could not work with removing the tcase. 

 

Find out what eng and trans are installed. 

 

Just my 2¢

[sloride]

Ditto, what he said...... I'm guessing the PO isn't quite sure what he's been driving. I bet it has the 4.0 I6 but he thinks its a V6. The transfer case isn't missing but the front drive shaft...... Go look at it. It's still worth a look.

[Eagle]

Any Comanche that runs and isn't a bucket of rust is worth $1000. In the rust belt states, people want twice that for vehicles I would never consider buying except for scrap.

 

350,000 is getting up there in miles for a 4.0L, but if the previous owner changed the oil regularly it should still have life left in it. If it really is a 1988 and if it really has a six-cylinder engine, it's a Jeep 4.0L in-line six (unless it has been changed), and the best replacement is another Jeep 4.0L engine. The ones from 1987 through 1990 all have the same injection and ignition system and the same ECU as the '88. Cherokees and Comanches are identical under the hood and dashboard, which is why XJs are good donor vehicles for engines and drive train for the MJ. In 1991 Jeep changed over to a different ignition, injection and computer system. You can use the later engines, but it means either changing the entire wiring harness, or modifying the newer engine to work with the 1988 electrics.

 

If you're into rebuilding the engine yourself, it can be bored out and rebuilt using the crankshaft from the older Jeep 4.2L I-6 to bring the displacement up to 4.5L to 4.7L (depending on how much you bore it). At 350,000+ miles, a rebuild will probably mean boring and new pistols anyway, so you might as well go for it. A LOT of people have done this, and there's a lot of information available.

[collkid]

Get her.

 

Really, if you need to engine swap, those 4.0's can be found all over for cheap as millions of then were made.

 

Especially if it's a California truck, it's work a grand. Easy.