Quick back story, I picked up a 96 abused XJ hoping it was down due to a bad head gasket. Turned out the head was cracked, one piston had a hole in it and another had melted the edge down to the rings. After the head was declared a loss, I located another block with a head (out of a 97XJ) with about 100 miles on the remanufactured head. I am in the process of merging parts from both to make one engine. I am going to use the block and head (97 XJ) with the distributor, oil filter adapter, intake/exhaust from the 96. I noticed that the 96 had a roll pin under the oil filter adapter and had the oil pressure gauge mounted to the top of the housing as in this pic:



The 97 block had a pressure port more to the rear of the block and did not have the roll pin under where the filter adapter goes. As in this pic:




Is the roll pin removable?
Was there that much difference in a 96 and 97 block?
How do you ID the year of a block?

Thanks in advance!

 

Get rid of the roll pin and orient the filter housing as you wish.

 

There is a stamped date code just forward of the distributor, between the #2 and #3 cylinder. Get it and check out:

http://cruiser54.com/?p=129

 

The roll pin was on the original engine, so I am glad I can do without it. I knew it kept the adapter in position but was not sure it was always needed.
Thanks Cruiser!

I got the date codes and checked Cruisers site. Sure enough the original engine was manufactured in 2/96.
The engine I acquired and will use is stamped as a 6/98 produced date, thought it was a 97, as that is how it was represented. But its all good!
Thanks Saudade and again Cruiser!

I think my questions have been answered and hopefully I will get it running in a couple of weeks. The wife came down with china flu, so I am relocating to our creek cabin for a few days and that will put me behind on getting it together by about a week. I would think.