So, I found a cream puff 01 60 anniversary XJ for my daughter. 122k, you can eat off the engine compartment, it's that clean.
Didn't know about the head issue, but now I do. I have no symptoms of the bad head, but in calling around for lifts, etc., some of the jeep gurus have advised me to go ahead and bite the bullet. They say you'll see no symptoms until it's too late.
What do you guys think?
I monitor the coolant levels, keep an eye on the oil,anything else to look for?
Thanks in advance

I disagree with them telling you that you will see no symptoms until it's too late. I've had two 01 XJs and neither one had the head issue (first had 200k miles and my current has 160k miles). If the cooling system and vehicle in general is well maintained, I wouldn't be concerned. That's my $.02 based on personal experience.

I have a 2000 without issues. I agree with post #2.

It's my opinion that as long as you monitor coolant and oil and temp regularly, you will know when you have an issue, and can correct it without causing further damage. As long as you are aware of the issue and dont run around with chocolate milk for coolant, you should be ok until (if and when) the head becomes an issue.

If daughter will be hundreds of miles away at school then maybe worth the pre-emptive work to avoid having to deal with it remote

Sometimes taking something apart when it's not quite needed causes more problems than an issue you might have been trying to avoid.

Other posters are correct, stay up with the fluids, and change them regularly. You can change your coolant / antifreeze too, I flush mine once a year, because those can break down some chemically. Run the heater for a few minutes too, to get the nasty stuff out of the heater core.

A well maintained vehicle will be less costly for repairs in the end. :-)

I have 174k on mine with no issues at all. Like others have said, pay attention to fluid levels. I would probably go ahead and flush the cooling system really well. If you keep her from getting hot you will more than likely be ok. The internet and shops are full of folks that have had problems with their 0331 heads. You don't hear about the hundreds of thousands that don't have any problems at all.

I have a 2001 that showed no symptoms whatsoever then overheated once, (not badly either, immediately shut off the engine, needle barely in the red) Cracked the head, but such a tiny crack that the coolant leaked to slowly into the combustion chambers that I never realized it was doing it. Destroyed the piston rings, total rebuild a few months ago. Aftermarket head on it now.

how much did the rebuild cost?

I also have a '00 XJ which is still fine with 80k miles on it.
I worried about it at first then saw the survey below...

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/how...9-01-xj-68400/

...which, albeit unscientifically, suggests that only about 20% of the heads crack.
Here in the UK you don't see too many vehicles of any make over 15 years old. I kinda think that a vehicle this age you can only keep on top of the routine maintenance and wait for an unforeseen major mechanical failure and deal with it or scrap it when it happens.
There's plenty of other expensive stuff that can go wrong that we don't obsess about nearly as much as cracked heads.

I believe they can crack without overheating. Some have cracked as early as 60,000 miles. The casting flaw exists in every one of them. None escaped.

You can change coolant every month and they will still crack.

I would flush the green coolant out of it 4 times then refill with Dexcool and monitor the coolant levels.

Dexcool won't eat the bearings if it gets into the crankcase.

This also happened to me. Mine had just over 100k on it

Thanks for all the good info, I Have lost maybe 1/8-1/4 inch of coolant since I got it. That was 3k miles ago. I will flush coolant, but it doesn't too bad and oil is clean. I have the dreaded OFA issue to address as well. Wanted to put a lift on it, but if they head needs to be replaced first, I'd go that route. I cracked a head on my '92, heated up, and I only drove about 5 milesl ( to closest gas station). So, I know how that goes.
So, what after market head should I get? If I go that route.

The DEX-COOL and the green/yellow appear to have the same ingredients....why would one (DEX) not eat bearings and the other would?

I'd leave it alone. a friend of mine put 250k on an 01 Cherokee. he sold it, and bought another 01. this one has 180k on it with no issues. teach your girl how to read the gauges and when she needs to be concerned. bear in mind, it seems like 99% of problems with a vehicle are a direct result of someone else working on it. this someone could ultimately be you. don't fix it if it ain't broke.

Yes please explain.