I am going to replace the exhaust header on my 97, and I was wondering if swapping to a 2000 model intake manifold is worth doing. I have a whole 4.0 engine out of a 2000 model so I already have the manifold. Also if I do this will I need to order a header for a 2000 model? The header for a 2000 is a different part # than the one for a 91-99 and I thought it may be due to the different intake manifolds.

 

Should be plug and play. I broke the intake manifold on my 01 and did an emergency swap with one from a 93, you’re just doing the opposite. Only things that won’t line up are the vac lines, but I used some soft tube from autozone as adapters instead of the original right elbows.

 

get the header for your jeep. the difference is in the cyl head exhaust ports. easy swap except vac lines as aforementioned.

 

You don't need to use 2001 headers on your 97 The intake will bolt right up to your engine without any modification. You would just need to reroute the hoses to different locations but easily done. The intake air temp sensor is in different location so maybe u could need to extend the wiring a bit.

I have done this swap a dozen times

 

Thanks for the replies. Did anyone who did this notice a difference in power or throttle response? I am going to do the 62mm throttle body, 4 hole injectors, and THOR cowl intake also, along with a 2.5" exhaust dumped underneath with no cat and a glasspack.

 

You can't mention anything about the removal of cat on the forum. It's against federal law. So please edit it to remove the comment

 

Posted on 5/23/2017:

 

I guess I must have lost the memo. Lol.

 

No. Not only do you not need to, you don't want to either. See below.

No, the difference in exhaust manifolds is because the head itself is different. The exhaust ports on the head used in 2000 and 2001 are smaller than in prior years, and the exhaust manifolds (there are actually two manifolds on the '00-'01) were changed to match. If you try using a set of 2000 manifolds on your head, your exhaust ports will be too big, and you'll have exhaust leaks.

There's no problem with the intake manifold, however. The intake ports are the same size on both heads, and everything should mate up just fine. The '99 used that same intake manifold with the '99 exhaust manifold.

If you put all that on a dyno, you likely will not see much in the way of actual gains... BUT! That cowl intake is going to change the way it sounds enough to give you a big kick in the pants. It will feel more live and fun to drive. Personally, I have no problem with this. If making it sound better improves the driving experience, I could probably live with it even if it made it lose power.

 

The main reason I'm getting the cowl intake is to prevent water from getting in the intake. I really don't want a snorkel because they get knocked off by tree branches too easy.

 

the only gauge i have for performance is crude at best. when stock my xj pulled 1 length on my buddy’s, basically all in first gear. after cat delete, homemade cai, 4 hole injectors and 62mm tb it now pulls 3+ on him to the same speed. the intake alone made a noticeable difference above 3k rpm. the 62mm tb made the jeep 10x more responsive, unsure of power gains but off idle-2500 rpm it feels like it’s on a 50 hit vs stock tb. id guess all the mods together might be worth 40-50 crank hp. i am still running stock exhaust and look forward to installing the pacesetter long tube and 2.5” exhaust i have.