So I have a 1997 Jeep Cherokee with the upgraded 99+ intake. Bought a header (yes from eBay) that didn’t seem to match the intake manifold. When I put the bolts back in the header and Intake they didn’t even touch the header. So I used washers and even after that I still have an exhaust leak. So did I just get a bad header or are the flanges for 99+ a little thicker?

 

A common issue with cheap headers is a flange that is under spec. You can measure it take a pic and report back to the ebay seller. They might give you a partial refund and let you keep the piece. You may need to use thicker washers or stack them to achieve 0.5 inch of thickness. The gasket is also probably sub par as well. A remflex 10-001 is the thickest gasket I've found and it holds up well.

 

I tried two different cheap headers on my 97 with a 00 intake manifold, neither one fit right. I sent them both back and finally ordered an ATP header from Summit Racing, it was much better made and it fit great.