Thanks DieselGreg. The jeep passed TX state inspection a few days ago. So I am not confined to running around and around the block.
DieselGreg, Do you have a conversion running with an AW4??
I now am having shift point issues. I get auto function in D, but only when the e-fan is switched on, The shift points are all late. I don't have a working TPS ( TPS is just hooked up to the harness but not to the throttle ) and I lost my speedometer I have not been able to get to full highway speeds because of a death wobble when I applied the brakes from about 50mph. On a positive note no bump steer that I noticed, so that means I got the trackbar right.
I need to get a steering damper that does not use the OEM mount location on the draglink. I know they make dampers that use u-bolts to attach to the axle housing and then the draglink. I just need to find the correct size.
I am considering removing the 2" coil spacers, and going back to original ride height as well.
Once I offset and dropped the steering box, that got rid of all the steering clearance problems. (well I do have a death wobble). The wobble is fairly common on the xj's. I had one on my DD xj.

So I need to sort out the wobble, and the speedometer, and I hope to hit the highway.
I ended up with a TinyTach, and that works very well. Also I have a direct reading oil pressure gauge and a electric temp gauge. A nice little black pushbutton for the glow plugs, and a red button to shutdown. I ordered a 3-way solenoid valve from the internet, looks a bit like the one johnnyd had with the 4mm push fittings. But it was vented all the time, I ended up using the stock EGR vent solenoid for engine shutdown, and I drilled a highly calibrated orifice in the shutdown side to ( the smallest drill bit I had) to act as a vent. the hole was a bit big so I closed it up some.
So far it is all working ok. I think the mounts are going to be fine as well. I have to say I am still a bit wary of the reliability, It did not help that the jeep I started with was kind of a POS, that had been sitting for a long long time as a non runner.

I am not sure what to do about the speedo. In '96 it was already electric

The last pic is of the new jeep I picked up 2 weeks ago, it is a '01 w/125k miles all original, no damage. Not sure if I am going dieselize this one yet it has a 5 speed and gets a solid 21mpg on the hi-way already. I need to see how the '96 does first

sweet build hoping to do my Cherokee that way

as a relatively simple solution to your speedo issue, you could revert back to the older style (pre 91) guage cluster. they had a mechanical cable running the speedo. just make sure you get the Tcase drive with it- anything older than 1993 is fine for that part.

Youll need to change around some wires to make the new guages work, but none of it is a big deal.


for your death wobble, sounds to me like your Toe-in is off. I like to set my toe-in around 1/8". (narrower in the front)


And, as a pre-carnage prediction, this is the area your motor mount will fail first. where circled, it will pull out from the body. there is also nothing keeping it from moving upwards.


But Im happy to hear its on the road! swapping a diesel into an xj is a bit of work, its exhilarating when it goes down the road under its own power after sitting in the shop so long.

Edit: I find it interesting that your 4 gear works when your Efan is on. the E fan relay is switched with a negative ground, could that be grounding other circuits in the fuse block?

HI Moneypit. Thanks for the suggestions on the speedo, and the deathwobble. I believe you may be correct on the Toe-in. I need to get an alignment. It does not help the death wobble that the jeep sat for about 10 years. Pretty much all the rubber bushings in the front end are shot, and it certainly does not help that there is no steering damper installed. I feel pretty confident that I can sort out the death wobble with out too much trouble.
On the speedo I really don't want to have to go to a mechanical speedo. This is a 2wd SE model, so no gauges , just dummy lights, and I did not hook them up as I went with direct reading gauges. I think I can sort out the speedo, it also will just take some time ( which I have run out of for a while).
I was surprised that the trans shifted at all in "D". I fully expected to have to make a trans shifter. To get the trans to shift manually when the shift lever was moved, and then have a push button on the lever to activate the TC lockup. I am even more surprised that the trans is shifting and the speedo is not working.
To get the E-fan to work, I just jumpered a switch onto the bottom of the Fan relay on the back side of the electric junction box. So yes it does work by grounding that one wire. I forget the color. Most all of the electronics are working. For some reason the radio will not keep its memory any more, and it did for a while. And the front windshield washer is not working, but the rear is. That is all I can think of at the moment.
I still think the mounts will be fine. I have hit some pretty good bumps at speed already, and they are steady steady, with no signs of movement at all. You will be the first person I tell if they fail.
sorry I got a go

The merjeep saves the day. I just got home from work; gone a month. the Dakota was a no start, NO spark. I guess been sitting in the salt a bit too long. I started trouble shooting, I got a computer code about a defective autoshutdown relay, then I was checking all the electrical connection, and the oil pressure sender fell apart in my hands. So the Dakota is DOA at least for a bit.
I put a fresh battery in the merjeep and she fired up immediately; I mean rite now immediately. The merjeep has been sitting unstarted untouched for almost a full year. so there is something to be said for a computer less everything else LESS Mercedes diesel converted jeep. It might not be the most comfortable vehicle without AC or power steering, but the thing starts and runs every time so far. This engine sat for over 16 years before I bought it; and it fired up then as now. Immediately.
I will get a fresh state inspection sticker on the jeep tomorrow and put it back on the road until I can get the Dakota sorted out or the Kubota jeep finished. Most likely the Dakota.
But you gotta love the MB they run forever