1987 Trooper II Q's

umm ok, I am at wits end on one problem that recently surfaced. I did a tunbe up (plugs, cap, rotor, air filter, oil change) shortly afterwards a problem surfaced, I would drive for 15-20 minutes and the tach would bounce from 1k-6k back and forth for qa few moments then the engine would backfire and stop running. It wont restart, no spark... I wait 20 minutes or so and she starts right up like nothing ever happened and 15-20 minutes later the same thing happens. I tried locating the test connection so I could get the engine error code(s) if any, and the chiltons manual says it is either a 12 pin, a 3 pin or a 2 pin, and is located under the instrament panel toward the left kick panel. I seen none of these connections described in the manual. Any Ideas?

another oddity... looking at the vin it says I have an 1987 vehicle, with a 2.3 engine and a 13 gallon gas tank, however I recently just bought her and went to get gas, drove 1 mile put 20 bux in at 2.09 per gallon, drove back that mile and about 10 miles afterward and I wanted to top off the tank so I could calculate fuel economy and added another 20 bux at the same price and she still wanted more... looking at the Chilton manual I just bought this points to a 21 gallon tank wich only came with the 2.2 engine... does this make sense?

Lastly, are there any aftermarket minor (read as inexpensive) performance upgrades for this year vehicle? and what engine swaps are "no hassle" deals with only minor inexpensive changes needed to perform the swap?

"are there any aftermarket minor (read as inexpensive) performance upgrades for this year vehicle? and what engine swaps are "no hassle" deals with only minor inexpensive changes needed to perform the swap"

-yes. A Weber carb kit is available, as well as an exhaust header. You may get 15 hp from these additions. You have only one choice for an engine swap, provided you don't want to swap the entire drivetrain. The 2.3 is essentially the same motor as the 2.6. The swap is clean...you have to convert the 2.6 to carb (easy) or convert your Trooper to Multi Port Fuel Inj. (hard). You will add about 45 hp with the same Weber/header combo, but you'll lose a chunk of fuel efficiency (mine went from 24 hwy to 16 hwy).
helpful websites:
www.independent4x.com
www.4x4wire.com

I owned a 1987 Trooper before I bought my Rodeo and was very happy with it. Great mileage and very dependable, but low on power.

First of all, you will get nowhere using a Chilton manual to repair your Trooper, they don't have enough specific information on your car.

If you have the federal engine setup (look at your underhood sticker), there is no diagnostic connector on your Trooper. On the California engine, there is an ECM which controls the emissions system, but I don't see that you can pull any codes from it. Blame Chilton, their manual covers too many models.

Your Trooper has a 21.9 gallon gas tank installed.

Shameless self-promotion:

I still have my 1987 Trooper (KB83) factory service manual. PM me if you are interested in buying it. It will save you a bunch of time and headache on repairs. I'll sell it to you for what I paid for it, which is $35.00 + shipping. I also have a new Wolf "bra" for the front, never installed.

Dale

i have a chance to buy a 1989 trooper, which has a new rebuilt engine w/ 10k miles on it, new brakes, and fairly new tires, the guy wants me to make an offer, and said that his mechanic said that the truck is worth like 2400. i was wondering what i good price for it would be....