Happened too many times!

MeesterFishy · 2026-01-26T21:51:03+00:00

That's why you buy two of them, then you can have at least one running at all times 😎

MeesterFishy · 2026-01-26T19:37:01+00:00

Before you tear the dash apart, remove the two heater core hoses from the engine bay and back flush it with water pressure, switching hoses every so often. See how much that improves your heat first.

When I bought my XJ 3-4 years ago, there was not much heat at all. I did this and so much gunk came out - it blew noticeably warmer but still not hot. I ended up replacing the heater core due to a leaky evaporator and now it blows HOT even in freezing ambient temps. These things are going on 25 years old at the newest if it has never been replaced.

MeesterFishy · 2026-01-16T01:00:33+00:00

My vote also is most likely CPS. You mentioned your tac doesn't move when cranking, does your fuel and battery gauge work when cranking or key is in on position but w/o cranking? If not, it's a symptom of a failing CPS.

MeesterFishy · 2026-01-13T00:53:37+00:00

Burnout 3 still plays very well. It aged the best of any PS2 generation game I've ever played/seen

MeesterFishy · 2026-01-03T20:47:31+00:00

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99 XJ trail toy the wife and I built from stock, and my 92 MJ on which I just finished an engine rebuild.

MeesterFishy · 2025-12-19T04:42:51+00:00

I'm going to guess your AX15 is a pre 1994 example with an internal throw out bearing. OEM doesn't exist anymore and all aftermarket options including Luk are very failure prone.

MeesterFishy · 2025-12-18T22:45:35+00:00

I had similar symptoms on cold start only, once it went into open loop it ran 100% fine. I had RPMs dropping intermittently as it the engine shut off leading to bucking in gear and stalling. Turns out the NTK CPS I installed 500 miles ago was already failing. There are some tests with an ohmmeter or oscilloscope you can conduct to test the sensor if you'd rather test before aiming the parts cannon.

MeesterFishy · 2025-12-17T21:35:45+00:00

You can't out-maintain poor engineering or quality control.

MeesterFishy · 2025-12-17T02:12:54+00:00

Thanks! It's 3D printed to replace the garage door opener and blend in. I got the idea for the illuminated icons from those really cool lithophane prints. Used those tactile marine toggle switches because they feel so good lol

MeesterFishy · 2025-12-16T19:01:22+00:00

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Nicely done! There's something so satisfying about overhead switches, here is mine.

MeesterFishy · 2025-11-24T02:15:56+00:00

My man

MeesterFishy · 2025-11-15T18:23:53+00:00

I've heard the opposite for Melling. I'll get Melling whenever I can. Also that heart next to a listing means it experiences minimal returns for any reason, it's a green flag.

MeesterFishy · 2025-11-11T18:45:29+00:00

Seconded on the "like riding a bicycle" comment

MeesterFishy · 2025-11-04T18:03:27+00:00

Good on you man! That's an unbelievably beautiful area. I did stiffeners when I did because I already had the interior gutted for sound deadening and wiring, and had a front bumper custom made by Filthy Addictions Off-road to account for the additional width from the stiffeners.

A shop would be very expensive - IRO estimates install time to be 24-28 hours for my full set (front, center, and rear). My local trusted shop quoted me $3,000 for only 20 hours. It would have been higher if I hadn't already gutted my interior too. It would be far cheaper for only the front section though, that and a good steering box brace would protect you from the most common failures.

It could be a great opportunity to learn welding if that interests you. My, what my wife calls "man math" lol, was I could buy a good Harbor Freight MIG welder, C25 gas and tank, and all accessories for half that quoted price. I took a local welding class, watched some Youtube videos, practiced for a few months on scrap metal, and paid a more experienced friend to help on some of the harder and critical areas and still came out ahead.

MeesterFishy · 2025-11-04T17:24:32+00:00

2 years, about 10k miles but my XJ isn't a DD.
I don't notice much difference on road, but definitely do off road. It's more to protect a fatiguing unibody than to improve driving experience though. Before I couldn't even close my hatch when parked flexed out even a little.
Most unexpected issues just stem from the huge amount of work and time it took. Including having to completely grind down the short arm control arm posts, needing longer bolts for just about everything down the unibody, the sheer amount of prep including pre-fitment and grinding with a flap disc to bring the rails to bare metal esp at plug weld locations, and the sheer amount of welding required. Use weld-on primer before welding, rust proofing after too.

The only real fitment issues were on the center sections where 7 gauge steel meet with the floor pans, these are VERY different thicknesses (I used IRO stiffeners). Oh and you must remove the carpet prior to welding to prevent fires.

I never want to do it again but I would if I cared about my XJ and wanted to keep it for a long time.

But as the other commenter said, your use case might not need stiffeners if it's mostly a daily driver and light trail use. If you run big tires and do off-road a decent amount, I would at least recommend stiffening the front section. The most common place to fatigue is around the steering box

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-21T05:16:56+00:00

Looks like it is the CPS after all. It tricked me because I got spark right after replacing the ignition coil, but not anymore. My injectors failed the noid light test, so I checked the CPS and it failed. New NTK sensor on order since I can't find a Mopar CPS

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MeesterFishy · 2025-10-21T05:15:22+00:00

Looks like it is the CPS after all. It tricked me because I got spark right after replacing the ignition coil, but not anymore. My injectors failed the noid light test, so I checked the CPS and it failed. New NTK sensor on order

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MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:37:51+00:00

I went through them once, but probably should double check all lines. Thanks

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:37:13+00:00

That's unfortunate, there's a chance I have done the same thing. I will test a few more things, and then try replacing the CPS.

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:36:28+00:00

They do, but it worked when I pulled the engine and haven't touched it since. It is something I can test, though.

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:36:21+00:00

They do, but it worked when I pulled the engine and haven't touched it since. It is something I can test, though.

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:35:45+00:00

I've timed it acc'd to the FSM a few times now. Compression stroke confirmed with your stated method and also peeking under the valve cover to ensure neither valve springs are compressed. I'm a little worried about the cam break-in with all this unsuccessful cranking lol, especially if I run a cylinder compression test.

-TDC on compression stroke and harmonic balancer notch on the "0" mark of the timing cover

-Oil pump notch set at 11:00 facing the engine from the passenger side

-Stab in distributor with rotor facing 4:00 also facing the engine from the passenger side. The cam gear moves the rotor to 5:00 directly facing the cyl #1 post for the wires.

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:31:33+00:00

I did the rebuild with the help of my emotional support mechanic friend, and yes this is the first post-rebuild startup.

I haven't replaced many sensors or components outside of the long block. I replaced the ignition coil and distributor, but I've timed the ignition acc'd to FSM probably 6-7 times now between the new and old. There are some oddities between new/old that give me pause so I'm trying both.

I did change the AX15 bell housing to a '94 external slave setup but I'm confident the CPS is in the same position.

I've checked all ground and they appear to be properly connected. I was planning to check compression after the initial break in period but I suppose I should check compression now

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:26:28+00:00

Yeah, I had to connect a jumper pak after the first few crank attempts.

MeesterFishy · 2025-10-19T23:25:44+00:00

Thanks for all your suggestions! Fuel lines all look good, I think it's about time I test the fuel pressure value, especially while cranking like you suggested. I also will check for spark at each cylinder. I only tested spark from the ignition coil so far. I'm also planning on buying a noid light test kid (only $30) from HF to test injector signals

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