They used the same wiring harnesses no matter what options your Jeep has. Those extra plugs are for options you don't have.

 

97 is notorious for elecrical bugs. They changed the wiring 3times during the model year, make sure you get one from late in the model run for that year.

 

Thermostat housing gasket. Im on my 4th one.

And thats it.

 

Hmmm...never had any electrical bugs in either '97 we've owned and still do. None in the '98 either.

The exhaust manifold is cracked in the '97 as we speak. I'm waiting for another board member to let me know the total price for a used one he wants to sell me. I also have heard of others.

I've replaced the CPS in both XJs.

I've replaced the radiators in all of the post '96 XJs we've owned. They just start falling apart.

Rear cargo light switch on the fixture goes bad on the pre '98 style, always.

Ditto to the gummed up power window lock button.

Bad design on the washer pumps. I need to replace the rear ones on both XJs. Already replaced the fronts.

I don't like the post '95 engineering change on the front hubs with the integral bearings. The bearings go, you replace the entire hub assembly. Maximum life seems to be just over 100,000 miles. Not a complicated fix, but it sucks that you have to do it this way.

Using the same wiring harness in any given vehicle is typical. Most vehicles are this way. Cuts down on production costs.

I never had a thermostat housing issue. Then again, I always Permatex my gaskets and they never leak. The location of the temp sensor could have been thought out better, though. It's vulnerable to damaging it too easily.

Rear wiper motor is crummy all right. I've replaced all of them and even replaced a replacement on the current '97. The aftermarket replacements are no better than the originals.

 

After just passing 100,000 miles ive ran into the following problems.

Power steering pump
water pump (couldnt for the life of me figure out where all the coolant was coming from!)
front axle u-joints
front wheel bearings

These are just the other problems i have with the good ol 97

continuous turn signal problems
rear cargo switch doesnt work
exhaust hangars are no longer (cost me a new cat converter/o2 sensor)
brake lines corroding to nothing
rusted out rocker panels
driver door speaker only working sometimes
rear speakers rarely/dont work (i gave up i just removed them to replace later)

 

What turn signal problems have you had?

 

Its really weird. If i use my right turn signal, it will short out and blow the 10Amp fuse. The left NEVER causes it to blow. 4-ways will cause it to blow bcause it uses the right side signals. It will blow fuse after fuse if it feels like it. And then it would randomly start working. I ended up putting a 25Amp fuse in. Now when it doesnt work, the right side will go dim, like its using a ton of power. But eventually it will start working perfectly again. Rain or shine.

Attempted solutions.

Multifunction Switch
Flasher Relay
Check Wires

All to no avail...

 

A few things that I ran into over the long holiday weekend on my new to me 98 XJ.

Stripped caliper holes on steering knuckles
Broken and stripped upper rear shock bolts
Broken lower rear shock mount bolt
Transmission cooler lines leaking at the quick disconnects
Intermittent auto door locks
Sagging doors - bad hinge pins

Hope I don't find much more! But this post has many I have yet to encounter so I am betting I'll have a few more full weekends under the XJ.

 

1. Crank sensor. Every owner of a 4.0 will replace it sooner or later.

2. Death wobble. Not all will suffer, but many do

3. 0331 head is a dog if you own an 00-01

4. Window regulators suck

5. NSS is a common problem. Can usually be refurbished to return function

I'll think of more!

 

Excuse my ignorance..
What does Nss stand for?

 

Internal slave on pre 94's. Done mine twice in a year...

 

Fuel pumps die. I've got through 4. Don't use airtec or airtex of whatever it is

 

Definitely those hatch lift supports!

None of them seem to work on older Cherokees and that hatch is freaking heavy too

 

Nss
Hatch lift supports
Window regulators suck.
Ill think of others, I'm sure..

 

Neutral Safety Switch. It attaches to the transmission and can cause a number of problems. Mine is going bad