for future reference:
Oil the gasket very well, spin it with your fingers until it stops, then turn it until it is tight with one hand. It should not leak and it will be easy to get off when you change your oil.
I have done this on my girlfriends 96 (horizontal oil filter) many times and never had a problem. Only time I had to use a wrench is the first time I changed it, it was taken to a shop the time before.
I also do this on my 89, but it is easier to get the filter off in the first place.

Also, put a rag over the starter. You dont want the filter shorting out on the pos terminal.

Napa filters are good too.

lol that would suck. I have a vertical filter so its not a problem.

The point about oiling the gasket and hand tightening it is a good point. tahts what I've done with every filter I've ever changed, getting them back off is really easy and they don't leak.

I use napa silver (wix) on my jeep (51324 next time, oversize filter for renix)
and Mopar 090 on hers


For the thread:
Bought a 99 TRE for it.
Had to order the 89 TRE from Oreillys, but my tie rod is from a 99. Didnt realize they werent the same. (sleeve diameter is different. M22 vs m20)
Had to take the 89 one back and get one for a 99.

Over the past couple of days Replaced the cps, ignition coil, distributor cap, rotor & camshaft sensor, she was sparkles for a couple days. I was a trouble shootin' fool...Good times in 104 degrees of Arizona heat in the shade. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Got my parts axle out for a swap

it was running hot and missing (very slightly) today. I think I had a fouled plug, when I got home I revved it a few times and it seems that my miss went away.

Sucked my brake fluid out with a turkey baster from the resivour, replaced it with synthetic dot3. Will do it a few more times until it looks clear.

drained the mostly water mix that was in the pressure bottle, and added 50/50 mix.

Cleaned and oiled my CAI Air Filter, Cut off the bottom part of my bumper to make it more flush, and installed an air horn because the old horn was broken.

Also checked out a local shop to see how much I could get a SYE installed for since I have an overall 5.5" lift and bad vibes. They quoted $900 for parts and labor (~$250 for sye, $450 for custom drive shaft and about $200-250 for labor). Not sure if this sounds at all reasonable. I was going to do the RE hack n' tap myself, but decided against and don't want to take apart my transfer case myself, so I gotta find a shop with reasonable prices.

That's a lot of money. Honestly the SYE kits aren't that tough, they just look like they are. Mine was done in the Jeep, but if I did another I might take it out. Follow the instructions and take your time, see if someone on the board in your area has done one and bribe/enlist them to help. If you want, look at Advance Adapters or JB Conversions websites and download the instructions. They're all pretty much the same.

Don't pay that much for a new shaft! Go to a junk yard and grab a front double-cardan shaft out of an '88 or later Cherokee with an auto trans. It bolts right in and is usually less than $50. I grabbed one for $35. If it needs new joints like mine did you're still only in it about $100. The only thing to be careful of is to make sure there's no play in the splines. Most stock Cherokees have had a pretty easy life so unless it has a big mileage on it you'll likely be OK. The custom shafts are nice but they're overkill and most of us don't need to go that route.

Thanks for the info, I didn't realize it was possible to use a front drive shaft without some sort of modification or hack n' tap. I will definitely have to look more into this. Thanks for the help.

OWhere ia the actual temp sencer located? Mine has recently gone out and I would like to replace it.

It is on the thermostat housin (the plug with two wires). What I did was went directly to the fan and cut the white wire and added a wire that went to dash and the a wire from the fuse box near the battey and added a in line fuse put the switch in the dash. This mean that the fan will not come onm at 235 degrees or when you run the AC. But that's what you control now. Hope that helps. If anyone reading what I did and find I wrong please tell me. Ran around in AZ temp yesterday and found that my XJ was running bout 240 then turned on fan and got it down to around 225 (give or take a few degrees. At night my jeep stayed around 210 and not any higher

I went to the Jy today and got a GC auto gear shifter,I thought it would be cool to have a beefier handle on it.Sooooo it did not fit at first,you can see the difference in the length.So I just chopped a lil off with a hack saw and it fit perfect,feels much better in your hand and should be a lil tougher too.Then I got the air box out of a 91 Xj.These have about a 3"extension on the front that extends up to just behind the drivers side headlight(unlike on my 97)I also took out that stupid dust cover behind the headlight too,this should help her breathe a little better (cone filter in the box too)

Replaced my ugly steering wheel cover that said NOS on it with a plain black 100% leather steering wheel cover. Looks 1000x better.

Had more fights with it. Tested the relay sockets for the fuel pump to see if something was wrong ... still no power to the fuel pump.

This is just stupid...

You'll still need a hack n tap or regular SYE kit, you just don't need to spend huge money for a new shaft.