To Daily or not to Daily

[Swampy]

What are your opinions? I have had a few people tell me not to daily drive the Comanche because its too old. I just wanted to hear from some of you. My original plan was to try and eliminate any weak points from the truck from the beginning. Battery, starter, trans, ball joints, u joints, wheel bearings, radiator, etc

[kryptronic]

Get comfortable with it, and make it reliable, and drive it.  Its my experience that you can fix anything on an MJ with limited skills and a tight budget.

[Jeep Driver]

What are the reasons you are given?

[Swampy]

1 hour ago, kryptronic said:

Get comfortable with it, and make it reliable, and drive it.  Its my experience that you can fix anything on an MJ with limited skills and a tight budget.

Thats what I was thinking, to fix alot of the weaknesses before I start to daily drive it

 

1 hour ago, Jeep Driver said:

What are the reasons you are given?

 The main reason was because "it's too old" followed by "its unreliable". Followed by no factual support or evidence 😂😂

[ftpiercecracker1]

A Comanche is just like any other vehicle, if maintained it will serve you well.

 

I've driven my MJ from south FL to TN and back many times. Once pulling a fullsize bass boat with a huge azz topper on the bed loaded to the gills with my crap and then from South FL to LA (state) and back. Never left me stranded. 

 

Though I wouldn't recommend one for an older person for their lack of safety features.

[Minuit]

I've put 26,000 stoppage free miles on one old, unreliable MJ and about 1,500 stoppage free miles on another old, unreliable MJ that literally looks like I built it in a junkyard. Don't worry about it.

[Pete M]

all depends on your commute I guess.  if I was staring at a couple hours a day on the highway I wouldn't take my 30 year old truck (though I did do 3 hrs daily back when she was only 12).  she's too special to me to do the daily roll of the dice that someone is going to ruin her because they were too into their phone.  in my opinion long commutes are for expendable rides.  

[Dzimm]

I occasionally daily mine however I have a constant fear that someone is going to hit me and wreck it.  They are no different than any other vehicle to daily drive like stated above. 

[DesertRat1991]

First things first...

 

A/C or Non-A/C? 

[Wiggilez]

I did daily mine for a bit, but I also had a corolla at the time, and I found myself in a position where if I knew it was going to be more then just me in the truck or if I had to pick some things up that I couldn't put in the bed. That I ended up taking the corolla more often that not.

[Minuit]

1 hour ago, Pete M said:

all depends on your commute I guess.  if I was staring at a couple hours a day on the highway I wouldn't take my 30 year old truck (though I did do 3 hrs daily back when she was only 12).  she's too special to me to do the daily roll of the dice that someone is going to ruin her because they were too into their phone.  in my opinion long commutes are for expendable rides.  

 

1 hour ago, Dzimm said:

I occasionally daily mine however I have a constant fear that someone is going to hit me and wreck it.  They are no different than any other vehicle to daily drive like stated above. 

 

As someone who does lots of highway miles in his MJ, I really agree. If somebody hits me that's 5 years of my life and many thousands of dollars down the toilet. More and more the mental image of someone hitting me pops into my head and that makes me think "you know, I think I'll take the car instead." Plus, no airbags. Your safety in an MJ is "guess you better not crash, then"

 

At the risk of sounding like an egotistical douche, it's getting to the point where I cannot replace my MJ if someone hits it. Where am I supposed to find a loaded, rust free '91 in a 1-year only paint scheme? But if I'm afraid of scratching the bed up and getting the interior dirty doing work with it, what am I supposed to do? Park it in the garage and stare at it? This is where we see a clear split in how the CC members view their trucks. Some of us see them as classics to be preserved, some see them as toys, and others see them as old, durable work trucks.

 

If you're doing highway miles, the MJ - especially a base model 4-banger with a bench seat - isn't the best vehicle for it. Extra soundproofing really helps, as does some more comfortable seats.

[FrankTheDog]

I daily drove my 92 MJ from 4/2011-6/2017 adding 100k to it.

Only time it left me stranded was when the spider gears in the D35 popped leaving a stop sign gently. I only had it on the road a month and I put a Dana 44 in it and was never stranded again.

Only reason I stopped was because it needed major rust repair.

[HOrnbrod]

39 minutes ago, FrankTheDog said:

I daily drove my 92 MJ from 4/2011-6/2017 adding 100k to it.

Only time it left me stranded was when the spider gears in the D35 popped leaving a stop sign gently. I only had it on the road a month and I put a Dana 44 in it and was never stranded again.

Only reason I stopped was because it needed major rust repair.

 

Ain't nuthin' you can do about that Frank daily driving year round in your neck of the woods.   

 

If you have a good basic mechanical skill set an MJ can be daily driven indefinitely, especially if it's a HO. I daily drove my 91 for five years when I returned from my last overseas assignment until I retired, an 80 mile daily commute. Never had a major problem. A stock HO MJ is basically a simple uncomplicated and conventional vehicle that's not too difficult to keep going. And HO repair parts are for the most part still readily available when needed.

 

I would NOT recommend daily driving a Renix MJ w/o a reliable backup mainly because it's a unique, weird, one-of-a-kind ignition system that uses a lot of parts that can be tough to find quickly. And the learning curve to become proficient repairing this system takes longer to master, especially for a youngster, because it's so unconventional.

[FrankTheDog]

I can't complain, all I did to it was to put the 44 in, refresh the cooling system and did the front brakes three times and rear once. One alternator one set of second hand wheel bearings and a 4 wheel drive transmission and transfer case and front end to convert it to 4wd.

I paid $500 for it and maybe put $2,000 into it over 6 years.

 

[Skorpyo]

I used to commute 35 miles each way and for that reason alone I bought a 4cyl commuter car that gets about 30mpg. When I used to daily my cherokee it cost me a fortune in gas, but soon my commute will be rather short and I plan to alternate between the XJ and MJ. Traffic in my area sucks, which makes driving a stick a real chore if you ever want to drink a cup of coffee while driving. A lot of stop and go so the automatic is preferable for me.

 

If your commute is reasonable, and you enjoy driving the MJ, drive it I say.

[neohic]

Drive it. Enjoy it. Can't take it with you come the day the Grim Jeeper come knocking anyhow. 

[PCO6]

I have 4 Jeeps and 3 of them are year round daily drivers.   The 4th one is a project and it's the one I worry the most about.   The longer they sit the worse they get.

[87Warrior]

I would NEVER daily drive a rust free MJ in the winter.

 

I do daily drive my rusty 86. It's amazing how much room other drivers give me compared to when I drive the Land Cruiser 

[Swampy]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 10:47 PM, DesertRat1991 said:

First things first...

 

A/C or Non-A/C? 

 It has A/C but need freon or something because it blows air just not cold.

 

10 hours ago, neohic said:

Drive it. Enjoy it. Can't take it with you come the day the Grim Jeeper come knocking anyhow. 

This is very true... and the thought of someone wrecking her after I put all this work into her does scare me a bit but hopefully will not happen.

 

14 hours ago, Skorpyo said:

I used to commute 35 miles each way and for that reason alone I bought a 4cyl commuter car that gets about 30mpg. When I used to daily my cherokee it cost me a fortune in gas, but soon my commute will be rather short and I plan to alternate between the XJ and MJ. Traffic in my area sucks, which makes driving a stick a real chore if you ever want to drink a cup of coffee while driving. A lot of stop and go so the automatic is preferable for me.

 

If your commute is reasonable, and you enjoy driving the MJ, drive it I say.

My commute is mostly to school and work. Driving to college is about a 30-40 minute drive in the morning and going to work is about a 20 minute drive. That's about all the duty she will be doing with the wheeling/camping trip thrown in

[Swampy]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 11:09 PM, Minuit said:

 

 

As someone who does lots of highway miles in his MJ, I really agree. If somebody hits me that's 5 years of my life and many thousands of dollars down the toilet. More and more the mental image of someone hitting me pops into my head and that makes me think "you know, I think I'll take the car instead." Plus, no airbags. Your safety in an MJ is "guess you better not crash, then"

 

At the risk of sounding like an egotistical douche, it's getting to the point where I cannot replace my MJ if someone hits it. Where am I supposed to find a loaded, rust free '91 in a 1-year only paint scheme? But if I'm afraid of scratching the bed up and getting the interior dirty doing work with it, what am I supposed to do? Park it in the garage and stare at it? This is where we see a clear split in how the CC members view their trucks. Some of us see them as classics to be preserved, some see them as toys, and others see them as old, durable work trucks.

 

If you're doing highway miles, the MJ - especially a base model 4-banger with a bench seat - isn't the best vehicle for it. Extra soundproofing really helps, as does some more comfortable seats.

I definitely want to preserve it because it is a classic/antique, but I wouldn't want to build it and just have it sitting there, I guess it also helps that I just have a base model 4banger

[Swampy]

23 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

Ain't nuthin' you can do about that Frank daily driving year round in your neck of the woods.   

 

If you have a good basic mechanical skill set an MJ can be daily driven indefinitely, especially if it's a HO. I daily drove my 91 for five years when I returned from my last overseas assignment until I retired, an 80 mile daily commute. Never had a major problem. A stock HO MJ is basically a simple uncomplicated and conventional vehicle that's not too difficult to keep going. And HO repair parts are for the most part still readily available when needed.

 

I would NOT recommend daily driving a Renix MJ w/o a reliable backup mainly because it's a unique, weird, one-of-a-kind ignition system that uses a lot of parts that can be tough to find quickly. And the learning curve to become proficient repairing this system takes longer to master, especially for a youngster, because it's so unconventional.

I have a tbi 4banger, I have a mechanical skill set and it grows the more work I do myself to the Comanche. I did want to swap in a i6 but probably going to stick with the 4banger, a little different, may take some more money to get it to where I want it

[Swampy]

Thanks for all the replies fellas. I pretty much have my mind made up. Going to keep building Wendy, my mj, get her streetable, sell my ranger and use some of the money to put into the mj to increase the reliability and comfort. Really have helped in more ways then one. maybe this thread will be useful to someone else

[DirtyComanche]

On 9/27/2017 at 9:07 PM, HOrnbrod said:

I would NOT recommend daily driving a Renix MJ w/o a reliable backup mainly because it's a unique, weird, one-of-a-kind ignition system that uses a lot of parts that can be tough to find quickly. And the learning curve to become proficient repairing this system takes longer to master, especially for a youngster, because it's so unconventional.

 

What.  Ever.

 

Seriously Don.  I know you hate the Renix.  But guess what?  There's more Renix era XJs still running around than OBD-I HO XJs.  You know why I know this?  Because I need an external slave AX-15 like a sailor needs his rum, and all I can find is Renix XJs, or 97+ XJs for too much money.  The Renix, as stupid, illogical, and inferior as it is, does work, and generally just continues to work.  It cranks long, it revs high for 5 seconds when it does start, the idle fluctuates between 300 and 1200rpm for no apparent reason, stoich isn't a fuel ratio that's going to happen, and you're probably going to have a mystery driveability issue at some point BUT still be able to limp it to work/home/the liquor store despite it.

 

Swap the MAP to a GM one, or just buy a spare GM built Renix spec one, get a spare CPS and automatic TPS off Rockauto, drive it, don't look back.

 

I was DDing mine until the slave exploded.  Engine problems aren't something I had.  Any decent auto parts store has the major sensors in stock (CPS, MAP, automatic TPS).  If anything you're more likely to be screwed by the early brake/hub parts as they seem to be much less available now.

[HOrnbrod]

4 hours ago, DirtyComanche said:

 

What.  Ever.

 

Seriously Don.  I know you hate the Renix.  But guess what?  There's more Renix era XJs still running around than OBD-I HO XJs.  You know why I know this?  Because I need an external slave AX-15 like a sailor needs his rum, and all I can find is Renix XJs, or 97+ XJs for too much money.  The Renix, as stupid, illogical, and inferior as it is, does work, and generally just continues to work.  It cranks long, it revs high for 5 seconds when it does start, the idle fluctuates between 300 and 1200rpm for no apparent reason, stoich isn't a fuel ratio that's going to happen, and you're probably going to have a mystery driveability issue at some point BUT still be able to limp it to work/home/the liquor store despite it.

 

Swap the MAP to a GM one, or just buy a spare GM built Renix spec one, get a spare CPS and automatic TPS off Rockauto, drive it, don't look back.

 

I was DDing mine until the slave exploded.  Engine problems aren't something I had.  Any decent auto parts store has the major sensors in stock (CPS, MAP, automatic TPS).  If anything you're more likely to be screwed by the early brake/hub parts as they seem to be much less available now.

 

Did you forget to take your meds Dirty? 

[Skorpyo]

9 minutes ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

Did you forget to take your meds Dirty? 

While I'm not as fervent I also disagree that just because it's a Renix you can't DD it. Engine maintenance and upkeep are no different between them and each has its own unique abilities to fail or succeed. Just because it's a Renix isn't a sufficient reason in my book to not DD it. Now if it's a Renix OR an HO and it's not maintained well, or in rough shape then no I wouldn't DD it. If you have a Renix just go through @cruiser54's list of articles and you'd be good.