Here we go again! A 1986 Eagle.

[eaglescout526]

19 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

My dad's car doesn't have cruise (manual transmission). I will check for HVAC vacuum hoses tomorrow night.

Perfect! No rush there. 

[eaglescout526]

More I’m digging into emissions stuff, the more I’m finding that’s either weird from the factory that contradicts the diagram on the firewall and finding stuff that the POs removed to just get the car running and driving. 
 

Luckily the stuff I’m missing, the PO of Chunk kept all of it when he simplified the emissions, those parts will be used here in this build/resto. So now I’ve gotta dig out the big ole box of carb stuff to start throwing parts at the Eagle and get the emissions stuff right so we can get it registered. Hoping it passes emissions. 

[eaglescout526]

Oh and I know we all want more pictures and to see what we got, I’m hanging on until we get everything officially ours. Probably will do a video of it too. But honestly, this car is mostly stock with a couple questionable things that I will dive into. 

[JZLAJeep]

On 10/7/2025 at 5:07 PM, eaglescout526 said:

Emissions is making me despise living in the valley. Doing all the lines that the previous owners deleted just to get the car running. 

I can tell you that it is nice living in a place with no emissions testing when driving old cars.  Not that it was particularly difficult before. For pre-OBD2 the test was tailpipe emissions only, no visual inspection.

[eaglescout526]

3 minutes ago, JZLAJeep said:

I can tell you that it is nice living in a place with no emissions testing when driving old cars.  Not that it was particularly difficult before. For pre-OBD2 the test was tailpipe emissions only, no visual inspection.

Sadly they do visual inspections to to make sure we’re not “defeating” the system. I know cause I had a couple plugged lines on Chunk and they failed me because of that. 
Now if I moved to Prescott that wouldn’t be an issue at all for me. 

[eaglescout526]

Ok I’m getting there. Almost done with the vacuum lines. As it stands the previous owners deleted the emissions from the exhaust. Ok no big deal I’ll just work around that. I doubt they will look for what’s missing. They looked for what was an open port when I took chunk through with the TBI. 
so I’ve got two open lines left. One for the sole vac which I need to get new and the other will probably go to an open port on the manifold. Is it correct? Maybe? Some of it still doesn’t make much sense. It all mostly looks factory and like it has accumulated 40 years of dust and grime but it could also be recent too. I need a good stock 86 to look at. 
But I’m getting there! Hopefully a drive will tell me it’s all good to go. 

[eaglescout526]

I have some good news!

 

I got all the lines routed. Except one. Its for the Sole-vac. Once I get that the Eagle will be ready to fly. I took it for a drive, runs and drives better. Fixed the stalling issue it would have when turning or backing out, I knew that was gonna be vac related when the seller told me about that issue.

[eaglescout526]

Got some updates!

 

Got a 30 day permit, shouldve gotten that from the getgo but whatever. Thanks AZ.

 

But I got new mirrors, just needed the glass to do some fixes. Got it running and driving just fine. Cleaned the grounds, got some stuff working but it definitely needs help or its connectors cleaned like the radio being intermittent.

[eaglescout526]

Well this is an interesting discovery. So I am thinking that I don’t have a lot of electrical gremlins like I think but more just stuff failing. Clock doesn’t work, radio works when it wants to like my 141/161 hybrid. However! I took the radio out to replace it and discovered two things. One there’s a stopper that doesn’t allow full size radios in and two that radio might as well be dead since I plugged in my 141/161 hybrid and it came to life. Also didn’t know for a late production 85 for the 86 model year used metri pack connectors for the radio. I thought it would use the pack cons. Oh well. I might trim the stopper as it’s more of a support bracket. 

[Smash6]

Is there a stopper or just a strap that the factory radio mounts to? If it's the factory strap, just cut it out so you can slide a new stereo in.

 

Eagle looks killer. I've always loved them and I'm glad to see some still out there on the road.

[eaglescout526]

3 minutes ago, Smash6 said:

Is there a stopper or just a strap that the factory radio mounts to? If it's the factory strap, just cut it out so you can slide a new stereo in.

 

Eagle looks killer. I've always loved them and I'm glad to see some still out there on the road.

It’s like a stopper. Shaped like an L and it’s there to allow certain length of radios apparently. What’s weird is it looks 3D printed but there’s no way in hell the POs took the dash apart and put that in.  I had to ask @89 MJ if there was Eagle specific radios and there isn’t. It’s weird. Otherwise this eagle is mostly unmolested. 
 

I plan to do a video and get some pics posted soon since I’ve got a 30 day to get the emissions done and registered. 

[Eagle_SX4]

On 10/7/2025 at 6:45 PM, eaglescout526 said:

That reminds me, I’m looking for where the cruise control vacuum line goes and the HVAC from the firewall. 

I checked both my Eagle and my dad's and the only vacuum line for the HVAC is for the heater control valve everything else is cable actuated. I wish the Comanches were like that.

[eaglescout526]

36 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

I checked both my Eagle and my dad's and the only vacuum line for the HVAC is for the heater control valve everything else is cable actuated. I wish the Comanches were like that.

Well darn. I kinda hooked something up to the manifold but I need to look at it a little bit better. I found something the other day that helps me get a better idea of how it should be hooked up. 
 

Those cables are nice. 

[eaglescout526]

 

Took it to the cruise in. Got some attention. Still have lots to do but I think I’ve got the carb situation dialed in. 

[Eagle_SX4]

Looks like you still have the original wiper arms on the windshield. While they work the 97+ XJ wiper arms are a direct swap and you get a much better wiper attachment with the hook style instead of the original skewer style.

[eaglescout526]

6 minutes ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

Looks like you still have the original wiper arms on the windshield. While they work the 97+ XJ wiper arms are a direct swap and you get a much better wiper attachment with the hook style instead of the original skewer style.

I went to confirm and I still do. What an interesting yet lazy design. Makes the Jeep pegs look better. So wiper arms will be in the future. 

[89 MJ]

10 hours ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

Looks like you still have the original wiper arms on the windshield. While they work the 97+ XJ wiper arms are a direct swap and you get a much better wiper attachment with the hook style instead of the original skewer style.

I’m not sure if they’re the same or not, but either ZJ or WJ ones work too because that’s what are on my car. 

[eaglescout526]

Blew up the passenger side CV axle testing the 4wheel drive. needless to say it works. We were told it was serviced and the axle was replaced. i dont understand why it blew up which means something is either going on or the axle is crap like 89 MJ told me. Gonna get an S10 on in the future. 

[eaglescout526]

Ok so the TF727 decided it hated the RTV job the mechanics did when the PO had all the oil leaks "taken" care of. So decided to do a little googling, recalled somewhere that the TF could take the 42RE oil pan gasket. Picked one up from work, got the pan down, fluid was new and clean, might look into saving that and putting it to use in the engines. Painted it AMC blue cause I had some paint and I had to have it cure for a couple days and in the oven, wife wasnt too happy haha.

 

Got it installed tonight and no leaks!! Just the valve cover and steering remain as leaks. 

[hgeranium]

1 hour ago, eaglescout526 said:

Ok so the TF727 decided it hated the RTV job the mechanics did when the PO had all the oil leaks "taken" care of. So decided to do a little googling, recalled somewhere that the TF could take the 42RE oil pan gasket. Picked one up from work, got the pan down, fluid was new and clean, might look into saving that and putting it to use in the engines. Painted it AMC blue cause I had some paint and I had to have it cure for a couple days and in the oven, wife wasnt too happy haha.

 

Got it installed tonight and no leaks!! Just the valve cover and steering remain as leaks. 

Lol is that the kitchen oven? I wonder how safe that is

[eaglescout526]

6 minutes ago, hgeranium said:

Lol is that the kitchen oven? I wonder how safe that is

Lol yes. I only heated it to about 100*. Just enough so the paint would cure. All the flammable stuff had been cleaned and wiped away. 

[eaglescout526]

Well failed emissions, running rich based on the numbers. Gonna try to lean it out and try again with the Carter carb before committing to a carb swap. 
 

Also found a nice pin hole leak in the power steering pressure hose. Glad it’s not the pump or the steering gear. 
 

Addressed the sleeve that got mangled from the CV axle exploding. 
Will need a new tie rod in the future. 
 

Hooked up one of the tachs I have laying around and got the idle and stuff dialed in. 
 

Now to address its cooling issues as the coolant has turned brown. Probably some build up inside. 

And for your viewing pleasure, the really pristine 140k interior. 

[89 MJ]

That is a super nice interior. 

[Eagle_SX4]

44 minutes ago, eaglescout526 said:

Well failed emissions, running rich based on the numbers. Gonna try to lean it out and try again with the Carter carb before committing to a carb swap. 

The jets are probably worn out. The metering rods go through the jets and move every time the pedal is pressed down. That is the most likely cause you are running rich. You can move the metering rods down to help compensate for them wearing out but it only helps so much. The jets are usually numbered so just replace them with what is in there.

 

You can change the jets without removing the carb. Just remove the upper half of the carb and you will see the jets in the bottom of the float bowl. Unscrew them with a flat blade screwdriver then use a toothpick pressed into the middle of the jet to remove it.

[eaglescout526]

1 minute ago, Eagle_SX4 said:

The jets are probably worn out. The metering rods go through the jets and move every time the pedal is pressed down. That is the most likely cause you are running rich. You can move the metering rods down to help compensate for them wearing out but it only helps so much. The jets are usually numbered so just replace them with what is in there.

 

You can change the jets without removing the carb. Just remove the upper half of the carb and you will see the jets in the bottom of the float bowl. Unscrew them with a flat blade screwdriver then use a toothpick pressed into the middle of the jet to remove it.

I can see such but I am not entirely sure thats the case. One thing I did notice is that the PO replaced the carb for whatever reason with a rebuilt one from holley and I have what I can assume is the second carb for this car and the third is installed and running. As to what happened to the first one is unknown.

 

But both being rebuilt could be anything. There could be substandard parts in the carb and already have worn out. Carb couldve been sold as "rebuilt" but just had gaskets replaced. One thing I do not like about the carb thats in the Eagle is that it looks like the protective housings for the mixture screws are broken off.