SHAES Farm Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I bought this truck last week, and for the first few days after the previous owner graciously delivered it, I couldn't stop thinking, "Oh $#!+, what have I done now?" I have enough projects, I don't need another, not this one, especially. Blizzards make you do stupid things. Leading up to this storm (late January 2026), the local Walmart, the hardware and farm stores, every propane store, has looked like people were prepping for the end of the world! It gets crazy in Northeast Tennessee when people hear a few inches of snow are going to fall. The temperatures are forecast into teens and single digits in the coming days, highs below freezing. Welcome to winter in the middle south, deep in Appalachia. I have a built 2005 TJ Rubicon that's fallen victim to a botched oil change by a local garage. Engine is gone, and it's currently being held as evidence for the case against the shop - a hard lesson in "always do your own work!" So, a couple months ago I bought a 2000 XJ with a rebuilt 4.0L and automatic in near pristine condition, but after getting it home and going over it, it's just too nice to drive! I can't take that out in snow and salt! Then, I saw this little truck on Facebook Marketplace, and with a monster of a storm headed my way, threatening 16" of the fluffy stuff, I thought this might work as a reliable little farm truck to get me to and from my animals twice a day, every day, weather be damned. I went to look at it, it ran and drove, shifted smoothly enough through all the gears, grinding a bit into reverse, but it moved and steered and stopped - she's so eager she won't shut off! This was the birth of one of those projects that I'm already beginning to question my sanity over. The more I dig into this one, the more I realize I'm going to need some professional help, and not just with the condition of my mind. The project is a 1986 Jeep Comanche MJ, 2.5L AMC I4 Renix TBI, AX5 manual, 4WD NP207, Dana 35 rear, and Dana 30 front. It was a long bed, but the previous owner chopped the bed down. Why? I don't know. The Mission: Turn this into a reliable daily driver farm truck for my remote mountain property. I've got a 12-mile commute up (and down) steep grades, twice a day, in all weather. This isn't a restoration - it's a mechanical rescue. Keeping the "Mad Max" aesthetic and going for function over form, battle scars welcome, just needs to start every time and get me home alive. What I Got: The good news? Frame rails are solid, the lift looks decent (some geometry needs checked), new tires, mostly rust free on the body, starts on the first crank even in sub-freezing temps, she's still got some fight left in her. The bad news? There's a laundry list of hidden gremlins lurking underneath: Immediate Safety Priorities: The engine won't shut off Floorpans have minor rust-through holes Driver's door was knocked off it's hinges and welded badly Exhaust system leaking and needs complete replacement Brakes are suspect Known Mechanical Issues: Renix wiring harness is a rat's nest of backfeed paths Ignition switch possibly causing run-on U-joints need replaced Oil pressure sender and valve cover gasket leaking Transfer case is leaking Every fluid seal is questionable The hood release cable came off in my hand The parking brake pedal is laying flaccid on the floorpan The dash has been destroyed, no lights, indicators, gauges useless Windshield wipers are barely operative Driver window rolled down, and won't go back up The Plan: Systematic rebuild in phases—safety first, then reliability, then durability. I'm taking a methodical approach: document everything, test before assuming repairs worked, and build toward "starts every time" status. This is going to be a long-term project. I'll be posting progress updates here, procedures, parts notes, plenty of questions, the success stories, all the pictures, and probably a few "what the hell is this?" moments along the way. I'm new here, I haven't been lurking long, so apologies for not spending more time reading before jumping in, but I most certainly need the help here. If you've wrestled with Renix demons, rust repair, or just general MJ entropy, I'd love to hear your war stories and advice! Let's see if we can drag Mad Maxine back from the brink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted January 27 Share Posted January 27 3 minutes ago, Iron Mountain MJ said: The engine won't shut off Check out the Ignition Control Module (ICM) w/Coil. Make sure that there's no RED WIRE plugged into the coil. Know problem. Flip your front grille, it's upside down. Welcome to CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted January 28 Author Share Posted January 28 22 hours ago, Ωhm said: Check out the Ignition Control Module (ICM) w/Coil. Make sure that there's no RED WIRE plugged into the coil. Know problem. Flip your front grille, it's upside down. Welcome to CC. Thanks for the welcome! I'm glad to have found you all! Your grille comment sounds like an inside joke! It's been too cold to wrestle with the hood latch, but as soon as I can get the hood open, I'll check the coil to see what I find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted January 28 Share Posted January 28 4 hours ago, SHAES Farm said: Your grille comment sounds like an inside joke! It kinda is. We’re suspecting at this point that the factory put them on wrong. But the 84-90 years for Jeep, you can put the grill on wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted January 29 Author Share Posted January 29 Interesting. That had to have been confusing for the production workers, or somebody didn't RTM. I think I'll leave it upside down, it's fitting that she came out of the factory a little not-right-in-the-head! Still too cold to wrestle with the hood much. I got a pair of vice grips on the hood release cable and I can get a good tug on it. I hear the mechanisms moving under there, but it's not releasing. I found the post describing the headlight removal trick for freeing the hood latches, that may be next. So much good stuff here...thanks to you folks for this treasure of information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle_SX4 Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 9 hours ago, eaglescout526 said: We’re suspecting at this point that the factory put them on wrong. It defiantly happened here is some proof. The very first pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted February 12 Author Share Posted February 12 On 1/26/2026 at 7:06 PM, Ωhm said: Check out the Ignition Control Module (ICM) w/Coil. Make sure that there's no RED WIRE plugged into the coil. Know problem. I was able to get the hood open and take some engine compartment pictures. I can't make sense of the wiring into the ICM, but I don't see anything going into the coil. It looks like I might have the "ICM & COIL" on this truck, here's a pic. Sorry for he bad angle, this is a hard thing to photograph well! Where should I look for the red wire? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ωhm Posted Saturday at 10:22 PM Share Posted Saturday at 10:22 PM 2nd photo shows the red wire (engine compartment lamp) I was talking about. This not your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted Sunday at 12:25 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 12:25 AM 14 hours ago, Ωhm said: 2nd photo shows the red wire (engine compartment lamp) I was talking about. This not your problem. Thanks for that. This has so many problems it's just going to be one system at a time. The entire vacuum system is deteriorated, new line just arrived this weekend. The electrical has been monkey hacked, manuals just started to arrive this weekend. Things are miswired, disconnected, rotten, and removed. Fortunately parts aren't too expensive for most of this truck, compared to a 3/4-ton Dodge 2500 Diesel I used to maintain, the work at the moment is mapping the damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted Sunday at 12:46 AM Author Share Posted Sunday at 12:46 AM Shop manuals began arriving this weekend. Found a good selection of these here: https://www.faxonautoliterature.com/1986-Jeep-Comanche New Detroit Iron reprint of the original service manual: With the I.S. notes: A used original electrical troubleshooting manual: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHAES Farm Posted 5 hours ago Author Share Posted 5 hours ago The last of the service manuals arrived today. Good things to have inside on cold days! An engineer by trade, I try to do things to spec, and by the book. That said, books can be wrong. Still, a good to place to start understanding any system. If these can help anyone else, glad to look things up and send photos. M.R. 278 (the factory body manual) 1986-1990 Throttle Body Fuel Injection System MOT. I-4 B.V. AX 4/5 w/I.S. Notes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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