1988 Jeep Comanche Pioneer 4.0L in line 6

Summary:

The most reliable vehicle I've ever owned!

Faults:

The air conditioner blower motor stopped working in the first year.

The paint started fading out on the hood, roof and bed rails after about three years.

The gear shift indicator is off a half notch between drive and third.

I had to replace the head gasket at about 98,000 miles.

I converted the air conditioning to R-134 at 157,000 miles.

I had to replace the fuel pump at 157,000 miles.

The radiator had to be replaced at 148,000 miles.

The wiper motors do not distinguish between slow and fast continuous speeds.

General Comments:

I've had fewer problems with the Comanche than with the new 1998 Chevy Malibu I only had until recently.

The Comanche has a lot of pick up (pardon the pun) for a mid-sized truck.

The engine still runs as well as it did the day I bought the truck new in 1988.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 2nd June, 2003

17th Aug 2003, 13:37

My aunt's ex boss had a jeep comanche. With his permission, He let's us get in his Comanche. And every time just about. we get in it to take off the next time she start it, it die on us. and she tries to get it start back up again, but it didn't start until she pumped the gas to make it start. Other than that, that's not strange.

10th Aug 2005, 00:11

My old Comanche did the same thing I even replaced the hole fuel system and still nothing. So I took it to a dealer and it turned out to be one of the brain boxes. Ran fine till the day I sold it.

In reply to 10th Aug 2005, 00:11

20th Jan 2020, 20:26

I dreaded replacing the fuel pump until I got under my '88 Comanche. The fuel pump loads from the side of the fuel tank, which makes changing the pump a breeze.

1988 Jeep Comanche I-6

Summary:

A reliable and unique vehicle at a bargain price

Faults:

Brake rotors and rear drums were replaced at 115,000 miles.

The engine has an intermittent miss (hiccup) which the local dealer cannot seem to fix.

Some rust is appearing on the tailgate.

General Comments:

The vehicle is unique for this region.

With the long wheelbase, the truck rides reasonably well, and in 4X virtually unstoppable in the snow.

Though the truck is reasonably quiet at low speeds, the wind noise at highway speeds is tiresome.

The truck has been very reliable with very low overall maintenance costs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 12th March, 2003

1988 Jeep Comanche 4.0L inline six cylinder

Summary:

Lots of bang for the buck

Faults:

I have had a blow-by problem, which I still haven't figured out how to fix.

I replaced the brakes.

Exhaust system was redone.

Leaks some oil from somewhere. I think it's the rear main seal.

Driver's side floor board is rusting out.

Hydraulic lifters are ticking. They are getting fixed soon.

General Comments:

This truck has a lot of low end torque and seems to handle very good in snow so far.

I like the manual transmission as well as the four wheel drive.

The steering is a little vague, but it is a truck.

If anyone knows how to fix my blow-by problem please email me. I have already replaced the ccv valve, and cleaned the valve cover up. gearhead_852000@yahoo.com.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 9th February, 2003

21st Mar 2005, 06:34

The only good advice I can offer as of now is to rebuild the engine. The piston rings are what cause you to have the blow by. The rings slowly wear to allow the compression in the piston chambers to escape around the pistons. I am currently replacing my 4.0L with a crate motor for this very same problem.

20th Jan 2020, 20:31

I replaced several PCV valves on my AMC Comanche without remedying my blow-by problem. Finally, I removed the vacuum hose leading to the PCV. Its inside diameter is small and prone to clogging. After cleaning out the vacuum line, the blow-by issue was eliminated. Helped the rear main seal leakage too.