Compatibility questions 88-90

I have 2 xj's
First is 1988 4.0 auto 4x4 limited
second is 1990 4.0 auto 4x4 limited
I have done alot of searching of old posts and would like some help.
The main item in question right now is are the alternators the same? (or will they bolt up and plug in)
Second question is where can find, or how do I find part compatibility between the 2 xj,s
Thank you all for the help!!
I am new here this is my first post, but im glad i found this site as i have fixed my overheating, non-functioning hvac control panel, and a few other items which were making me pull my hair out. <---What little I have LOL

Anyways wanted to say thanks to all of you for the help!!

Most parts will swap over. The alt will bolt in. Depending on options of the XJ's; AC, etc alt may be different amperage.

different amperage won't be a problem tho. lots of guys swap in an alt from a grand or a durango or dakota for more amperage. I believe that the only thing that would cause issue is trying to use an alt from a renix model on a more recent non-renix (or vice versa). IIRC the change over was between 90 and 91 (from the renix engine to the HO engine), so between 88 and 90 should be mostly interchangeable.

Johnnie Walker said:

Most parts will swap over. The alt will bolt in. Depending on options of the XJ's; AC, etc alt may be different amperage.

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As others have posted.... almost everything should swap over between the years 88 & 90. The change over year for the XJ was Aug/Sept 1990 when Chrysler started producing the XJ with the 4.0L HO.
As for the differences in the amperage ratings for the alternators; that is dependant upon what options your XJ came with. I would imagine since both vehicles are Limiteds; they should both have the same alternator amperage rating....

Greets. There is a wealth of information here from experts, and novices alike. Pay could attention, and balance the ideas to find the facts.

Not sure what you are trying to do.., is one vehicle, or the other going to be used to keep one 'up', while the other is 'down', and visa-versa, etc? We have the RENIX ECU systems. PM me, and I will send you a couple of dozen links as per, as there are some herein that get upset with too much info., and if one does not use paragraphs in their question/answer verbages, lol.

Most would upgrade their alternators to a higher amp. unit. However, we RENIX types have to make modifications to do so, i.e., move it's position from below to above in order to accomodate a larger bodied higher amp. alt. If you have a mirror, and a flashlight, take a look-see at the back sides, where the wires go, to see if they are the same, and the general overall appearance, and mounting points, and distances to surrounding metal. Probably are the same.

As far as overall parts compatibility between the two, there are tons. There are some dealer option upgrades offered when they were first sold, so there may be some differences as per axles, ("the Dana 44 8.5-inch semifloating (non-c-clip) rear differential with its heavy-duty iron housing, found only on some 1987-88 U.S. market Cherokees with towing package), etc., but without a run down on what you have, why you have them, and what you want to do.., it is difficult to simply speculate.

Yours are autos, mine is manual, so I am limited mostly to discussions on only one side of that division since there is so much dependent to either type of transmission, etc. Your transfer cases might be different depending on whether you have the NP-231 for the Command Trac system, or the NP-242 with Selec Trac. Your computer, (ECU) will be different between your years, #5300 5406 1 XJ, MJ 6 Cyl. Engine, Auto. Trans., 1987-88---AND---#5300 5428 1 XJ, MJ 6 Cyl. Engine, w/Auto. Trans., 1989-90

lol, but your dash instrumentation will be the same. So, there are some items that are compatible, and some are not. I'd make a list of what I want to replace, and let a part's man at NAPA, etc., look up for your compatibility needs for future point of purchase, or on the spot, etc.

Enough for now.

What year was the ABS nightmare?

Ecomike said:

What year was the ABS nightmare?

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All of them.

grand600 said:

I have 2 xj's
First is 1988 4.0 auto 4x4 limited
second is 1990 4.0 auto 4x4 limited
I have done alot of searching of old posts and would like some help.
The main item in question right now is are the alternators the same? (or will they bolt up and plug in)
Second question is where can find, or how do I find part compatibility between the 2 xj,s
Thank you all for the help!!
I am new here this is my first post, but im glad i found this site as i have fixed my overheating, non-functioning hvac control panel, and a few other items which were making me pull my hair out. <---What little I have LOL

Anyways wanted to say thanks to all of you for the help!!

Click to expand...

1) Yes - they're both Delco CS-130 series units.

2) Nearly everything will swap - there may be some slight difference in ECU programming, but not much. If you have anything specific, feel free to ask - that's the book I'm working on right now...

However, it's a safe bet that pretty much everything will swap between the 88 and 90 (the only real differences would be D35/D44 rear axles, and manual vice automatic transmission for transfer case and driveshafts.)

The early Bendix ABS can (and probably should) be disabled and/or removed; it wasn't a very good system, and the 1984-1995 XJ suffers from being "underbraked" as it is (throwing in the 1996-up dual diaphragm brake booster and master cylinder is a very common swap.)

There are some changes - the manual in the 88 is very likely the BA-10/5, while the 1990 would have the AX-15 (both assuming the 6-242 engine.) The AX-15 and transfer case are a direct swap for the BA-10/5. The AW4 will be essentially identical between the two.

1988 was the last year for availability of the D44 rear axle (which was exceedingly rare 1984 to early 1988!) and the pinion is longer on the D44 if you go to swap - ergo, swap the driveshaft as well. A 1988 D35 is going to be a true semi-float, while the 1990 is even odds on being a C-clip axle. The Chrysler 8.25" didn't start use until 1991MY.

ABS is about even odds as well, but you can readily discern it (usually) by the presence of the ABS control setup near the brake master cylinder.

Engines are mechanically identical, steering swaps, brakes could be 9" or 10" (will swap as assemblies in pairs - but don't mix!) &c &c.