Hi all,

I am looking at a 2000 XJ Sport, and the owner says that it has a problem where, after driving for a while, there begins to be steam coming from under the hood. His mechanic thinks that it could be a cracked radiator or hoses. Does this sound familiar to anyone? I am thinking it could be a great deal if all it needs is a radiator and some hoses. Thanks!

 

With a 2000 it may well be the cracked 0331 head that the 00-01's 4.0's were all affected with from the factory. Take it in to someone to have it checked before buying, it can be repaired but the engine could be damaged also. If its just the head use it as a bargaining chip, just be aware those were a problem.

 

X1^^^^^^ what Fred said.

Also Welcome to CF

 

Thanks for the replies! That helps a lot. He claims it has a new engine with 80k on it. Could that still be the case?

 

LOL. This guy could sell water to a fish. 80K is not new in anyone's book.

Stay away from 00-01 XJs. Their head has a factory casting flaw that is just poison.

This particular Jeep needs a totally rebuilt short block along with a brand new aftermarket head. $3000-3500 at retail prices, installed, can be expected.

Plus whatever else needs to be done to a 15 year old used car.

 

I apologize. I can see how that was worded in a misleading way. I meant to say a new engine was put in 80,000 miles ago.

 

Sounds like that replacement engine has a busted head now, too.

 

I have a 2000. The head cracked. So speaking somewhat from experience:

That might be good thinking on some cars.

Not this one.

The 0331 head crack can be nasty business. You can get a good deal on a 2000 or 2001 IF you know what you're looking at and what you need to do to make it reliable. However, if you're here asking questions about steam coming from under the hood, I doubt you're ready to jump into that mess. That's not a reflection on your technical abilities, but simply that you don't realize what you're getting into with this particular problem.

If you want an XJ (and who wouldn't?), look for a '97 - '99. Those have all the modern conveniences of the '00 and '01 without the head cracking problem. The '99 was the best year made.

 

I bought a 2000 XJ just over a month ago. I wasn't aware of the cracking head issues. Sure enough, my cylinder head was cracked. Fortunately, I'm pretty handy with a wrench and replaced it myself. But the new, improved, aftermarket head still cost me $440 and it was another $150 just for the gasket set. If I had paid someone to do it? Likely thousands.


So, yeah. Be extremely leery about buying any 2000 or 2001 XJ and don't even consider one "with steam coming out" unless it's a gift free and clear! You can bet it has a cracked head!

 

I have a 2000 and my block cracked before my head. 155k.

 

Overheating? How'd the block crack?

 

My crystal ball must be defective. As I cannot see where the steam is coming from, exactly what engine/head was installed 80k ago. Nor have I ever seen mention of a cracked head causing steaming under the hood.

Lots of variables in this equation. Could be a clunk, could be a steal.

 

Agreed. All the 0331 doom and gloom has many of the above posters blinded. It's probably just a small leak somewhere or bad radiator cap. We need more information (should at least be easy to find where the leak comes from without guessing) before we can help.


Some of these guys need to seriously chill out. Anyone who jumps straight to "OMG, 0331 head! 00 and 01 XJ's can't be trusted! Stay away!" with such little information is not helpful and should not be trusted. Even IF a 0331 cracks, replacing a head on the 4.0 isn't that hard, and the 02-06 TUPY 0331 heads do not have the casting flaw in them that leads to cracking, so you need only use one of them to put all worries of cracking again behind you.

 

Couldn't agree more, most likely a rad/ hose/ cap issue showing steam.
Lots of folks eager to help and just spew info that they've read along the way. You really need to go after evidence not just guess or condemn the issue at hand.

 

You should take a look at the valve cover gasket. I had a very small leak that would eventually let a drop of oil get on the manifold. When I would stop at a light you would see a small bit of smoke come out from under the hood.

178,000 on a 2001 XJ here with nothing wrong with it. Maintain the cooling system and keep her cool. No one talks about the couple of hundred thousand of 00-01's that don't have head problems.