Could you link me to this? The only ones I can find are around $450

You are right! Lol. I'm debating going 0630, as there is one locally, but it seems like I would either need to get an adapter to reuse my current exhaust manifolds, or switch to a 95-98 style manifold.

 

My bad. It was actually Odessa Cylinder Head from Clearwater, Florida. I went back and looked at my old purchase on Ebay. That price was from April 2014. This is their current listing that is basically identical to what I bought. Only $40 more.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-JEEP-CHEROKEE-LAREDO-4-0-0331-CYLINDER-HEAD-COMPLETE-/172146958114?vxp=mtr&hash=item2814c21f22

 

Great, thank you! This was the exact one I was eyeing. I appreciate your input!

-edit- I just noticed in the BRAND section, it says CHINA... is this true or a typo?

 

Yes this is a new casting from China. I've heard different opinions about metal quality and such but it was obviously thicker and heavier than my original 0331 head. I haven't had any problem with it. I found a clean $85 2003 TUPY from a GC for my Comanche project and it is also a thicker and heavier head. I will probably use TUPY heads now that I found a good machinist locally. It will end up costing me $185 total, 85 for head and 100 for cleaning, valve refacing and a cleanup refacing pass. I will be doing a port job and lapping the valves myself.

 

The one from China is more likely better than the original flawed head from Chrysler.

If had the misfortune of having a 2000-01, I would just bolt on a new direct replacement without having to mess around making adapters and stuff trying to retrofit something. You really aren't saving time or money.

Just spend the money and fix it, or sell it now with disclosure.

 

Yes. Hot exhaust escaping out of the combustion chamber into your coolant can definitely cause what you're describing. It will also boil the coolant at the leak, causing garbage to precipitate out of it. Eventually that garbage shows up as reddish brown mud gumming things up.

You can't switch to the earlier manifold. You have twin manifolds that feed into a twin downpipe with the two precats and four O2 sensors. The manifold from '99 and earlier had a single outlet into a single downpipe. You can't replace your twin downpipe because it's illegal to delete the cats, and doing it anyway would also require you to swap in a '99 or earlier computer and wiring harness since your current computer is expecting a signal from four O2 sensors sniffing around the two precats. That computer would also expect a distributor, so you'd have to make that conversion as well.

You can use the earlier 0630 if you just use your existing manifolds with the 2001 manifold gasket to keep the larger 0630 exhaust ports from leaking. Someone also makes a metal adapter plate to prevent leaks, but several people have reported here that it isn't necessary as long as you use the right gasket. You would also have to rig up a bracket for your coil rail (the 0331 has a provision for the coil rail, the 0630 doesn't) or use the Dodge minivan coil conversion that replaces the coil rail with a coil pack and spark plug wires.

My understanding is that Odessa Cylinder Head is the name Clearwater Cylinder Head uses to sell its heads on Ebay. I believe they're the same company and the same heads.

 

Can't tell by looking.