Gonna do a vcg on my 95 I did one on my 96 a couple months ago. I ordered the same gasket for it off Amazon, Amazon was saying it fits a 96 but not a 95 which seemed weird. Do I need a different valve cover for my 95 or can I use this one?

 

The issue is the valve cover itself. I had a 92, 20 years ago...then stroked a 96 to drop in, and now have an 01 - stroked with a 98...got all that? One of those years , I think it was the 92, the valve cover was thick cast aluminum with a big lip overhang on the inside. It didn't fit the head on the 96. The later model valve cover was plain flat stamped steel with no lip. The valve cover gaskets might be the same, but not all valve covers fit all the years heads. Im going to go out on a limb and speculate that the stamped steel fits all the years. Try to cross reference on RockAuto...they are usually fairly accurate

 

No, they are different. The 1995 and earlier 4.0L uses a center-bolt valve cover. The 1996 and later uses a perimeter-bolt valve cover. The gaskets are not interchangeable. You need the correct one for your '95.

 

It's amazing how much forward a and backward interchangeability of parts there is across the years for our XJ's.

For as long a production run as they had how many they made and how old they are now, expect the unexpected.

A part or assembly need not be VIN number and year correct to fit and make the Jeep run and may have been swapped with whatever was available that fit enough to get it running....or was deemed an upgrade by the owner at the time.

The difference between '95 and '96 valve covers is in '95 the gasket was molded on, '96 it was separate. Both use perimeter bolts. Btw the bolts are different between years but interchangeable too !

See Figure 9B-210, CYLINDER HEAD 4.0L ENGINE in Group 9B of the Factory Parts Catalog for more details.

Take nothing for granted. Always verify what you actually have in your hands before buying a replacement.

 

I got the right one and put it on. Got it from advance that day. Amazon and rock auto would have only been 4 bucks cheaper. It sucks that it was like 25 dollars more. The one for the 96 was only like 20 bucks when I got it. Oh well now I know th differences in valve covers between the different year jeeps lol