MJ and XJ Leaf Springs

[PhilSine]

I have owned 3 XJ's now and just bought an MJ. The first XJ is long gone, the second (96 Sport) is my wife's and running beautifully, and the 3rd (88 Limited) is in my yard with a toasted transfer case (I'll be asking questions on that in another thread).

The 88 was my daily driver but I cannot trust a front wheel drive Jeep to go 25 miles a day so I bought an 86 MJ for $500 that's in moderate condition to replace the 88 XJ.

Upon my pre-purchase inspection I missed the fact that the MJ has a broken leaf spring. Not wanting to admit defeat and having desired an MJ in my collection of Jeeps (I have 5.5 total) I decided that replacing the broken spring will be my course of action.

I am having difficulty locating a spring that indicates it is for an MJ. I am by no means new to Jeeps but I would appreciate someone telling me if there is a difference between the MJ and XJ leaf springs from 84 to 96. I am aware that the MJ is based on the same platform as the XJ but before I spend money on a spring whether it be locally or mail-order I need th be 100% certain that I can look up an XJ spring and know that it will fit the MJ as well.

I have done a forum search prior to this post just to be sure that it was not adequately covered. Nothing in OEM forums and I did not look in others.

Phil

 

[T&A-XJ]

MJ leafs are 5 inches longer and are sprung under so they have more arch.

 

[043500]

I've seen them on jcwhitney in the past (been a while)...last time I checked they were $89 for a stock replacement.

Only other option I am aware of is if you have someone make you a set or find a set for sale. If you're not in a rush maybe post in the wanted section.

 

[MudDawg]

JC Whitney is one source...Do not be tempted to replace ONE spring....they need to be replaced in sets. The remaining "good" spring will be sagged in comparison to the new spring.

You will LOVE the MJ.

 

[Eagle]

The MJ spring, as noted, is 5" longer. The additional arch may be hard to spot if lookin at springs that are out of the vehicle. Look at the forward eye, and on the MJ it has a sort of reverse bend before it loops around to form the eye, whereas the XJ springs just transition directly from the "straight" portion into the loop for the bushing.

If it's the second leaf that's broken, you might find it cheaper to just have a local spring shop, if you're near one, make up two new leaves of the correct thickness and arch. If you go that route, consider having them make you four leaves (two for each side) with a bit less arch. That should keep your ride height close to stock but give you stronger springs with more load capacity.

 

[Tim_MN]

Phil,
If you ever travel down to the Twin Cities, we have 2 U-Pull self service junkyards that often have MJ's. Call them and they can tell you what they have in the yard and the prices (ususally cheap).

 

[PhilSine]

Thank you all for the info. So glad I decided to ask. The spring that is broken is in the middle of teh pack so a partial replacement may be possible. I did see them in JC Whitney but just wanted to see if there were other options in that using an XJ spring. I'll do a bit of price shopping between local shops and on-line sources. I've been driving my 77 Cherokee for now that is in better shape than any other Jeep I own save for the 96 XJ. Its a good rig only it gets a whopping 7.5 mpg and is killing me on fuel costs. The low mpg is due to a combination of the cold weather and a tired engine.

 

[PhilSine]

Phil,
If you ever travel down to the Twin Cities, we have 2 U-Pull self service junkyards that often have MJ's. Call them and they can tell you what they have in the yard and the prices (ususally cheap).

oooh!

Any chance you could post the phone numbers of the 2 junkyards? Or send em to me in an email?

Thanks.

 

[Pete M]

car-part.com is a good source for junkyards. Make sure the springs a 'yard tries to sell you are all good before you pay for them. I found 2 cracked leafs in the junkyard set I got. Fortunately I was still able to make two good packs out of the four I had.
Jeep on!
--Pete

ComancheClub.com

 

[87manche]

might want to check out Espo springs. They quoted me just shy of $200 for new HD springs.

 

[Tim_MN]

Call them soon, they don't keep stuff around for very long. I know Rosemount has a nice 2WD 88 longbed with good springs and a nice topper, it had a D44 which is now in my garage. They have 1 or 2 more.
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2985 160th St W Rosemount, MN (651) 322-1800
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20418 NE Hwy 65 Cedar, MN (763) 434-5229