My 96 compressor is set up a little different then yours, mine appears to mounted be higher. With the "refer" lines coming straight out the back of the compressor.
That hose won't work with the 96 and under compressor.
The 98+ may have extra clearance over the compressor. When you get home lift the hose and see if the compressor is all shiny under the hose, that would indicate chafing. It's definitely an issue with 96 and under.

I'd still check on how it clears the battery and if it's got the proper angle coming off the water pump.
The hose they sold me had the right part number but was the dead wrong part. It took a couple of stops to figure out what was going on.
God bless the kids at McLaughlin Automotive in Smithfield RI, they figured it out for me.

You just "out of town" or are you over in the sand box?

 

Definitely worth keeping an eye on the bottom of the rad hose rubbing on the compressor......ours came with a protective sleeve.

 

Mine had the sleeve too, the extra thickness of the sleeve compounded the clearance issue.
You could see the pattern of the corrugations worn into the compressor housing
Check the bend at the water pump and how it clears the battery, that was a worse problem then getting crushed above the compressor.

 

Your hose is different than ours.....we have zero kinks at the pump or rad and no clearance issues with the hood or battery. The hose does rest on the compressor but the sleeve protects it.

 

Check the insulation on the hood, if you can see an imprint of the sleeve, your hose is being compressed.

If its not happening to yours, or you if you don't believe me or the photos I posted for some reason, that's fine.
But you might want to leave the thread alone because this is info that will definitly benifit people with 96 and under XJ's.

...and the hose is the same, it's the compressor that's different.

 

The hose is not being compressed....there are no marks on the top of it....it's not kinked at the pump or rad as yours is. There may be a difference in compressor height, I doubt it, but there is definitely a difference in the shape/routing of the rad hose. Gotta get the right one. Surely u can see the shape difference, no? Maybe the '98 hose wouldn't rub on a '96. Ever think about that? The '98/'99 hose sure looks like a cleaner install. Did u ever take that chill pill? U gotta learn how to relax dude.

 

You've got to start paying more attention.
I don't need a chill pill, you need to learn to read.

The guy that started the thread was asking about a 1990, which makes it a pre '96 issue.
It doesn't matter what happens in a '98.
HE'S ASKING ABOUT A 1990
THAT HOSE IS WRONG 96 AND UNDER
Try and stay on topic.

 

"The guy" would be me and I never asked anything about the upper radiator hose. Since it got mentioned however (and for those of you who are getting all worked up about it), Marcucco is correct. On a 90 model with A/C, there are no clearance issues because the upper radiator hose is routed around behind the A/C compressor rather than on top of it.

 

The '90 hose doesn't rub on the hood nor does the '98/'99 hose rub. What does that tell u about the kinked and rubbing hose on your '96?