Redpill

I am a new forum member, in the market for an XJ. So far, my research suggests I should look for a 97-99. I am also certain I want a 5-speed manual. I have purchased automatics in the past, and have always regretted it.

So, given my constraints, the selection of used vehicles on the market is limited. I have only found one in my area (Denver, CO), and it is purple. While "not purple" was not explicitly stated as a necessity, it seems it should have been because I cant seem to pull the trigger on that one.

I have found one '01 5-speed, but, of course, am concerned about the head. I spoke with the owner, and he said he never had a problem with it. The vehicle has 130k miles. Also, fourwheeler.com seems to suggest the '00-01 may be fine:

"Some people will tell you to stay away from the '99s because the heads crack, some will tell you stay away from the coil-on-plug ignitions because of misfire codes. Really, these last four years are good years and while there might be problems, they are associated with specific vehicles, not specific years"
http://www.fourwheeler.com/project-v...-buyers-guide/

Also, I have seen one '96 for sale that had a cracked head, and therefore needed a whole engine rebuild due to coolant in the oil. This would seem to suggest the cracked head problem is not specific to the late models.

My question: If the '01 XJ in question has made it to 130k without a problem, can I trust it? Is anyone willing to vouch for an '01? Would you buy an '01 if it were a good deal? Thoughts? Should I just wait for a 98, not purple, 5-speed? (which, as far as I know, may not ever happen)

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

I wish mine was purple....

Anyway, do some more research and you'll come to find out that the AW4 automatic that was offered in these XJ's are very very stout and reliable. The only way you're getting an 01 without a bad head is if it has already been addressed by the previous owner. Would I buy one that was a good deal? Sure, but that deal has to be good enough knowing that I'd be replacing the head. Stop restricting yourself to manuals transmission XJ's and you'll see many more options.

rzldzl

the bad head came on all xjs with coil packs, all 00 and 01 and some late 99s

every vehicle in the world can need head repair, that a 96 needed a head is meaningless against other 96s

the 0331 head is more likely to fail than the previous head

ive only owned 3 automatics , my 2 98s and my diesel cruze, all with aisin transmissions.

do not overlook auto xj cuz of other manufacturers automatics, zero relevance.

if you want a 5 speed, great....youll be waiting for one and paying more for it.

that its made it to 130k is meaningless to it future. it might fail it might not.

i would not buy newer than 98 and havent, not a risk im willing to take.

i have 180,000 miles each on my 98s autos....ive had to rebuild the nss once (cost $10 and several hours monkeying around) and a OD solenoid (cost $50, but i replaced them all while it was apart, total $200)....under $300 total for the pair

my 92 xj 5 speed, slave cyl went and replaced the clutch at same time....$1200...its got 240,000 miles, owned since new.

dont be afraid of the autos

extrashaky

Short answer: No.

Long answer: It depends.

All '00 and '01 XJs had the 0331 head, which had a casting flaw that causes some--not all--of them to crack for no reason. It did NOT come in the '99 XJ. That confusion comes from the fact that it was installed in the '99 WJs, and that some of the early '00 model year XJs had 1999 build dates on the door (which makes sense if you think about it). XJs with model year 2000 and 2001 are the ones at issue.

The 0331 heads usually don't crack before 100K miles and usually crack before 200K if they're going to do it, but people have reported cracks at lower and higher mileage, so you can't count on it. Somebody here posted that he had 400K miles on his original head. The problem with the 0331 is that you simply don't know if yours is going to crack until it does. So you have a couple of options:

1. You can leave the original 0331 on there and watch like a hawk for signs of a crack, then swap it for an aftermarket 0331 with the casting flaw corrected if the crack develops. That requires you to know the signs. The most obvious one is unexplained coolant loss from the overflow bottle without an obvious leak. You may also see odd temperature spikes, evidence of exhaust gas in the coolant, brown sludge forming in the coolant, and in some cases you can look right down in the oil filler cap and see the crack weeping coolant. If you're going to watch and wait, it's better to catch it early to avoid as much bearing damage as possible. To that end, it's a good idea to have a $28 oil analysis done at each oil change as an early detector of coolant getting into the oil.

2. You can preemptively swap the head for a Clearwater 0331, a TUPY 0331 or an earlier 0630 head to avoid the issue altogether. The easiest is the Clearwater 0331, which costs around $500 and comes almost complete and ready to bolt in over a weekend. There are plenty of DIYs around that show the process, which isn't complicated.

The advantage to #1 is that you don't throw money at a problem you don't actually have. The disadvantage is that by waiting and gambling on the head, you risk having it crack when it's most inconvenient. The advantage to #2 is that you can take away the doubt on your own timetable and have confidence in the motor without always worrying about whether it's gonna go.

What you choose really depends on your situation. If an XJ with the 0331 was my only transportation, or if I routinely drove it very long distances, I would set aside the funds and make time for#2 so that I could feel comfortable relying on it. If I had alternate transportation, I would probably just keep driving it with the original head on it and monitor for a crack, knowing that I would have something else to drive if it cracked when I was out of money or had no time. That's just me, though, so you may think differently.

While the earlier 0630 and 7120 heads can crack, it's unusual. When it does happen, it's usually because somebody overheated it. With the original casting 0331, you didn't have to overheat it to crack it. They just crack if they feel like it. The crack as a frequent issue is really restricted to the original casting 0331.

Redpill

Thanks for the feedback. I'll probably pass on the XJ in question. The owner said it was loosing coolant (4 years ago), but he replaced the radiator to solve the problem. I suspect the problem was not solved, and coolant is getting into the engine. Especially since it sounds like the problem likes to occur at around 130k. Not sure why a new radiator would "solve" the issue, but maybe it just has a larger reservoir so harder to notice the loss (or something).

I am avoiding the automatic because I prefer to drive a stick. Its just personal preference, nothing about the quality, or lack-there-of, with one transmission over the other. I have a very strong preference for manual. If I am not engaged in the process of shifting, I may as well be riding the bus. (Seriously, I have a bus pass, and prefer riding the bus to driving an automatic car. I dont mean any disrespect to auto drivers, this is my quirk) Without the constant tactile feedback of what gear I am in, I feel completely out of control of the car. I do heel-toe rev-matched down shifts all the time. I am very picky when it comes to drive-trains. I dont even like the higher inertia of cross plane cranks (V8, V6), because they are slower to lose revs when you let off the pedal. An inline-6 connected to a stick shift is pretty much my dream drive-train, and a big reason why I am interested in the XJ.

I'll just keep looking.... or maybe get that purple one.

nujeepguy

i have a 2000, 168000 miles. how can i tell if the head has been changed?

Dumajones

If you have the OEM replacement

It will say TUPY if you take the oil filler cap off, look down inside.





If it doesn't say TUPY look for casting number,, reference pic.






If all you see is 0331, no TUPY.. you can put two and two together
If something else then 0331, then it has been changed with aftermarket/other maybe.

nujeepguy

i looked b4 and saw no tupy. ill look for thr dreaded o331!
thanks much.

nujeepguy

my 97 is hard to read but does not look like 0331.
but the 2000 is 0331 so im concerned.but is good right now?

andrewmp6

With it having the bad head i would pass on it unless its 1200 bucks or less and you can swap the head once it cracks.I know your heart set on owning a stick but can you replace a clutch yourself or have you on a 4x4 ?Or ever drove one daily in traffic?

extrashaky

That's not entirely correct or complete. The Clearwater 0331 heads are not TUPY heads. TUPY heads were cast in Brazil, whereas Clearwater heads are new castings from China.

The easiest way to know if you have a replacement 0331 is to look down into the oil filler hole between the #3 and #4 cylinders. The original crack-prone casting had no marks there, just a "smooth" surface (or as smooth as it got in a sand mold). All the replacement castings I've seen have something cast into the head at that spot. As mentioned, Tupy heads have "TUPY" cast there. Clearwater heads have a number cast there. I suspect they all put a casting mark there so that when people look there for a crack, they see numbers and/or letters instead and know they have a better casting.

A '97 should have the 0630 head. No XJs before 2000 came with the 0331. The 0630 does not crack frequently.

EvstaG

I would be curious to know what the ACTUAL frequency of the 0331 heads cracking is. Obviously we have a very concentrated exposure of it here being on a Cherokee repair forum. If the Jeep is everything you want notwithstanding the fact that it has the 0331 head casting, is the increased risk really worth passing on it or offering basically salvage value?

For the manual transmission, the NV3550 or AX15 are also stout transmissions, and the 10.5" clutch is pretty significantly overengineered for on the power output of the 4.0. My factory original clutch was at 50% with 200k miles and still going strong, I only replaced it because the pilot bearing was junk. If you know how to actually use a clutch and understand what it's doing, towing (although 5000# would be a lot with stock gearing) or driving in traffic isn't an issue with these rigs.

abodyjoe

the head sure wouldn't scare me away.. if its that much of a concern then budget the $500 for a rebuilt tupy (ebay) or a clearwater head and change it out soon after perchase. i have 210,000 miles on my "bad" head..

Martlor13

To answer the first part, it depends if you can change the head yourself. The second part. You have to offer. Salvage value because 500 bucks is 500 bucks and the time it takes to change it out is lost time on other things

Martlor13

It may not scare you away but would you still offer what a seller was asking if it was for retail value? No because you still have to spend another 500