I've had this Jeep for almost a year and it has always run right at 210 degrees on the gauge. It gets there fast and stays there. I think this is
too hot, any ideas ? I did change the thermostat right after I bought it, it made no difference. It runs this temp whether it's cool out or in the high 90's with the air on.
Thanks

Sounds normal to me. My 97 does exactly the same thing, as did my sisters 99 from day one.

Basically, that's where the factory needle is rigged to point (when all is good)......like most other factory temp gauges, they point +/- to the middle. Since u have a OBD-II XJ, plugging a scan tool into the ALDL port under the dash will tell u what's really going on.

That sounds about right... a 195* thermostat is a good choice also. Also keep in mind that the gauges on the dash are really just all idiot gauges compared to something a little nicer... I wouldn't really weigh them on their accuracy.

Check for leaves, mud, caterpillars, and small children that may be blocking an air passage onto the radiator. Make sure your fan shroud is in good shape as well. Not saying that you have any type of problem as you described... That sounds normal. But these are just basic maintenance tips "just to make sure".

My 2000 4.0 runs one notch about the center 210 mark - what temp is the standard thermostat rated at? Wuold fitting a 195 dgree stat help lower it a little?

195 is the proper thermostat for a 4.0, and the normal operating range is 195*-210*. So you have nothing to worry about.

My 2000 gets up to 210 pretty fast and stays there-in the summer it gets there in about 2 minutes. The winter takes a little longer but its great when u need that heat fast. Its never gone past say 215ish.

Your temperature is sitting right where it should be for the stock 195 degree T-stat. The fact that it stays there whether on cool day or hot day with A/C running tells me your cooling system is doing it's job. If you don't like it running that hot you can install a 180 degree T-stat like I did. Lots of guys will tell you doing that will hurt your gas mileage and that isn't true. The Jeep 4.0 is designed to run at that temperature all day long, though. I installed a 180 degree T-stat and my Jeep temperature sits around 190 degrees on the highway and it flirts around 210 when crawling around on the trail, hot or cold weather...and even with 4.56 gears, lockers front and rear and 33 inch tires, I get 18mpg average on the highway.

This is what I did. Though replace phrase "crawling around on the trail" with "sitting in ****ing traffic for an hour".

Worked great though to bring temps down a bit. My thinking is if it can run cooler, why not?

Thanks guys, that makes feel better about it.