98Redbird

Hey All,

Cyl head arrived today from Clearwater. Going on a 2001 XJ.

My only concern was the fact that it had the "0331" stamped into the casting on the new head and I wanted to make sure that this was correct before I got everything installed.

Can you guys/girls look through the pictures and make sure that it's correct?

I do see a 2014 stamped into it as well, so I'm assuming it's the new, thicker casting, but want to make certain.

As far as quality so far, it seems to be fairly decent. Head gasket seems to line up pretty much on center, machine work looks decent enough, etc...

This is my first jeep head swap though, so I wanted some of you, more experienced folks to take a look at make sure all looks good before we start going back together with it!

Thanks!

extrashaky

It should be fine. The aftermarket replacements are still 0331 heads, because they have the smaller 0331 exhaust ports and provision for the coil rail. The TUPY heads were also marked as 0331.

Thanks for posting the pics. It's interesting to see that the TUPY heads and all the aftermarket options cast something into the head between the #3 and #4 cylinders, right where the original 0331 liked to crack, to immediately differentiate them from the junk heads.

travs2448

Its an aftermarket casting that they claim to have never had an issue with. I went through the same thing a little over a year and a half ago with a clearwater head and all is good to this day

98Redbird

Lol, maybe I'm blind, but the area between cylinders 3 and 4 look pretty much the same to me...

That was kinda what threw me for a minute. They looked awfully similar, and the 0331 casting number. I thought maybe I got the wrong head or something.

Thanks for the clarification!

I guess I'll have to take a closer look tomorrow.

98Redbird

Also, just to make sure, this is the torque procedure that I found... Is this correct for an 01 also?

Cherokee Wolverine

Hi people. I'm new to the forum here and have a few questions.
I have 2, 2000 XJ's. 1 bone stock with 175,000 mi. and 1 lifted with a 3.5" Rough Country lift, 218,000 mi., 265x75xR16 Cooper STT and a custom front bumper. I am facing the reality of having to swap out the head in the near future on my lifted XJ due to a lifter tick.
Question 1: Are the Clearwater heads a trustworthy head to make the swap?
Question 2: What other alternatives are there without breaking the bank?
Question 3: If I'm going through the process of replacing the head, should I dive further into this and just rebuild the entire top half? Pros? Cons?


Thanks in advance for your comments and advice.

extrashaky

They have a good reputation. Their head is reasonably priced and corrects the casting flaw from the original 0331. It's the all around easiest solution.

Edelbrock makes a head, but it's $1700, so you don't want that.

You can try to find a used TUPY head, which was Chrysler's replacement to correct the 0331 head crack. You may be able to find one in a junk yard, but it will still need to go to the machine shop to be checked out. They are apparently not easy to find. If you do find one, it could be a real bargain, or it could end up costing you more than the Clearwater head if it needs a lot of work.

You can use an older 0630 or 7120 head. However, the exhaust ports are bigger on those, so you have to be careful to avoid exhaust leaks. They also don't have a provision for the coil rail, so you'll have to rig up some brackets to hold it in place. And again, with a used head, you'll want to get it checked out at a minimum.

The Clearwater doesn't need to be rebuilt, because it comes to you ready to bolt on. As for the used head options, that depends on the condition of the one you find.

extrashaky

It should be, but you really ought to have your own FSM for your year. You can download a PDF of it from Pacific Coast Manuals for $8. Their PDF scan is searchable, which comes in really handy sometimes. Then you can just print out the pages you need with you in the garage.

travs2448

Im willing to bet your lifter tick has more to do with youre engine getting old as it has 218xxx on it. Unless you can verify a cracked head or are losing coolant a new head isnt gonna do a thing for you.

madmanmarty

My wife had a lifter tick on her '04 grand.
Running shell t6 full synthetic + a can of Engine Restorer.
Tick gone.no joke.
Put a can into my '94 XJ after doing a head rebuild also. It's now the quietest engine I've ever not heard.

DFlintstone

I gather the TUPY foundry mark can be seen through the oil filler. Also they may not be in XJ's, (or very many of them). Other 4.0's, post 91 might be the place to look.

extrashaky

Yes, it can be seen through the hole with a flashlight and a prayer.

No XJs came with TUPY heads. IIRC, they weren't available until 2002. So you would want to look for a 4.0L on a Jeep made after the XJs went out of production.

90s Jeeps did not come with TUPY heads. Most of those will be 0630 heads.

DFlintstone

Whoops! "Post 2001" I meant....Yea, no tupys years before the 0331!