rzldzl

the internet says the d35 is axle waiting to fall apart, i gots 2 of em no troubles.

internet says 0331 head is garbage, plenty to say theyre fine, plenty to have had troubles

same goes for 42re, lp30 etc...

my view is go for the most reliable of the bunch and avoid the classic and already reported problems so you dont kick yourself later

i live 15 miles up a mountain logging road, there is snow up to my armpits in my yard, i drive thru the rocky ****ing mountains to get to work and work at 6000' where FEET of snow overnight is not strange.

ive still yet to use the 4wd on a road, and 90% of the time im driving my 96 miata....4wd isnt needed and will just get you in trouble.

dBusteR

Go with the most reliable one... which in your opinion is the most reliable year? The 98? I hope so as that is the year I am looking most closely at.

Bluebyu

98s a good year. I have one haha but seriously 98 still has a distributor, has the good heads and is a nice year to have.

rzldzl

my choice is 98...i will buy another 98 if something happened to my 2 98's

werd...i like the simpleness of the distributor.

both these 98's (one in 05, other in 08) i bought over the internet, took the bus 8hrs to them and bought them, dont need no mechanic inspection and all that...they work.

dBusteR

Would you go after the 98 I linked the add to in an earlier post? Since you went 8 hours to get the ones you have now.

rzldzl

i dont know the pricing in your area...it varies all over the country...

when i bought my last 98, i was rdy to fly to austin, tx to buy one, dirt cheap down there, and no rust, etc...stay with friends couple days, drive back the 2000 miles and still be $1000s less than local price

but a great deal 8hrs popped up, $6500 with NEW lift and tires under 3000 miles each (eggsactly how i wouldve lifted it and eggsact tires...local cost $3000 plus the hassle of install,etc) so in essence a $3500 xj with 100,000 miles.

id pay $2500 in my area for the 98 you linked....id prefer it was already tinted...

dBusteR

From what you have shared and what appears to be a vast wealth of knowledge with your garage full of XJ's that I feel more comfortable being aggressive towards that 98! Regards to the tint, sure it is nice, but I don't need it. If it was I would surely enjoy it but if it isn't it isn't. Thus it being a XJ. If I was to get a GC of some sorts I would definitely want the tint.

dBusteR

Okay made contact with the seller. It is a dealer, a small town dealer. Price is negotiable. Asked about a stop by this weekend to take a look at the two 98 and 96 models. He asked for time to get them dug out of the snow and thawed out a little and started. So they have been sitting for a month or so according to the guy. Lets hope that there is nothing wrong from sitting. I doubt it but you never know. I asked about rust and floorboards and he offered to put it up on the rack and check floorboard rust out. With someone being so open like that my fingers are crossed that by this time Saturday I will have an XJ parked at the house!!! He was honest and said that one of the two he believes has an inoperative air conditioning unit. Is that a major fix? That is if it is the 98 with the busted AC. Not that I would be needing it all that much but if it is there I would rather have it working or removed all together. I have done AC work back in the day but this might be new ground for me.

I am confident though with the wealth of knowledge here that if I do have a new to me XJ sitting here at home this weekend that I can with confidence come here for the guidance and assistance needed.

If that happens I will definitely get photos uploaded and share with my excitement.

rzldzl

ya figure out what you need out of the vehicle....i need the tint to keep my 3 dogs cool

rzldzl

1 month sitting is nothing....when i go to work, my vehicle sits for 20 days every month...if im taking the miata, my 98 xj sits at the house for months...the 92xj gets started maybe 5x a yr

the ac....if the chemical leaked out, itll need replaced and figured why it leaked, could be cheap could be not....might even be the compressor, could be as simple as a fuse or relay...my wifes 98 lost overdrive solenoid, and while that was happening there was no ac....replaced the overdrive solenoid, ac is back

my 3 xjs still have working ac, no work ever done ....i was sure i broke an ac line when installing new alt....but still works

NewKindOfClown

I had an '01, yes. If you look at the pictures, you'll understand why I use the past-tense verb.

For your application, the LP30 front axle won't matter. A D35 rear axle likely won't matter, but a C8.25 would be preferred. A C8.25 also allows an easy rear disc brake conversion from an older Jeep Liberty.

I never had a problem with my 0331 head, but it is a weak point. Another reason I recommended the 98 is that, as mentioned, it still has a distributor. It's a simpler setup, and it also has fewer O2 sensors (expensive to replace).

Rzldzl is still saying the 242 is pointless, but I still disagree. The example I gave initially is if a heavy rain starts while you're towing your boat or something else heavy. It would help then, and it certainly wouldn't hurt on a wet boat ramp.

There's nothing wrong with using full time 4wd (242) on dry or slick pavement. That's what it's made for. The 231, however, should not be used on pavement. The driving surface needs to be slippery enough to allow one or more wheels to spin in place, or else it can cause damage.

I still say it isn't a deal breaker, but it would be nice to have.

All that said, I still like the 98. I might've missed something cause I'm exhausted, but feel free to ask any more questions.


EDIT: Correction. I forgot that we had discovered after the rollover that my block numbers didn't match my Jeep's numbers. I don't know when the motor was swapped or why.

KCXJKID

A dose of XJ a day Keeps the ZJ blues away lol GET AN XJ!!!

dBusteR

Well i have an XJ now!

Question, the passenger mirror is there but the glass is not, is there a replacement mirror glass that is recommended or replace the while assembly?

Plus one headlight is dimmer than the other, any ideas as to why that might be?

motorcharge

Any windshield shop can replace the glass for you or you can pickup the whole assembly from a JY and swap it.

As for the headlight, most likely thing is a previous owner replaced one when it burned out and one is just newer than the other.

dBusteR

Which is cheaper for the mirror? the assembly is all there just the mirror part is not. some put some silver paper like stuff on it to act like a mirror but you can't see anything...

Makes sense about the headlight... one newer than the other..