General advise on 97+ XJ's

[Cris_XJ]

Hey guys I have a 96' XJ 3" lift 31's auto 4.0l with a Chrysler 8.25 rear 153K , in the next few months I'll be looking into selling this one to buy a 97+ XJ with less miles and get that better interior ....so my question is , is there any difference on the 97,98,99,00 compare to the 96 I got ??? this is for wheeling purpose and DD ,anything made stronger or weaker ,different stock 4x4 system ???
Thanks for the input

 

[Kejtar]

Hey guys I have a 96' XJ 3" lift 31's auto 4.0l with a Chrysler 8.25 rear 153K , in the next few months I'll be looking into selling this one to buy a 97+ XJ with less miles and get that better interior ....so my question is , is there any difference on the 97,98,99,00 compare to the 96 I got ??? this is for wheeling purpose and DD ,anything made stronger or weaker ,different stock 4x4 system ???
Thanks for the input

the lat few years (2?) had an LP front D30 (which is a downside) but then you'd gain a distributorless setup during the last year (IIRC).
I had a 98 and currently have a 97 and I'd say that I don't see really any differences between the two.

 

[cs109c2]

also the last few years went to a cast exhaust manifold because of the faulty tubular setup that kept cracking at the collector in previous models

 

[Timber]

I like my '99. The only "problem" is that many catalogues' part listings end at '98, for some reason. I'm not sure why, because I've ordered some parts that are supposed to end with '98s and they still fit/worked fine. Kejtar is right about the last two years--low pinion v. distributorless.

 

[willyb]

98's went to a different keyless entry system than the '97's. For 2000 they recieved the distributorless ignition (read: expensive) and had more emissions related components on them... The '97-'99's seem to be the best... But that's biased - I've owned two 1997's...

Will.

 

[Kejtar]

98's went to a different keyless entry system than the '97's. For 2000 they recieved the distributorless ignition (read: expensive) and had more emissions related components on them... The '97-'99's seem to be the best... But that's biased - I've owned two 1997's...

Will.

Are you sure about the keyless entry change? all the keyless entry stuff that I had from the 98 plugged right into the 97.

 

[Dirt]

i think they redesigned the head in 99 or 2k. do a search to be sure. if i remember correctly there is not alot of praise for the new head. seems they were cracking and letting the coolant and oil mix :nono: not good. but i bought a 2k anyway. the LP d30 is another issue i have 6'' of lift though and no vibes with an alignment. but thats on the street. i dont know about wheelin yet. I'm not even gonna waste my time till i get long arms.

 

[Cris_XJ]

It seems that 98' is a good year ....the LP Im not sure how it works but for what I read is not a good thing so 98 and 99 I will think is a good year to get ......is the 4x4 from the 98/99 the same as the 96???

 

[Littlewhitexj]

the output on the Tcase changed in 97+

 

[Kejtar]

the output on the Tcase changed in 97+

wrong..... I believe it changed in 96 if not even in 95 mid year. But in general the same 2 tcases were available just the output cone changed slightly in length and seal type.

 

[ChandlerXJ]

well my 97 has been totalled twice and me and my father refuse to get rid of it. we restored it mint condition, after a civic tried to maul me, and a tacoma tried to cut me off... not cool. not my fault either... jeeps are tanks, for real, 97 and up is mint. an airbag punch is insane from a 97 ;-)...

i wish i had a pic of the 2004 civic i killed... this guy pulled out of traffic and continued his turn underneath my engine, my tire was almost in this guys windshield.

oh, and i got rear ended one time buy a suburban, and he tried to tell me to not even bother taking his insurance information, because his car was worth more then mine... i looked at him and said, don't you ever f***ing mess with a jeep, buddy. too bad there wasn't an organized jeep army to come pull his car off of my trailer hitch!!!

 

[willyb]

Are you sure about the keyless entry change? all the keyless entry stuff that I had from the 98 plugged right into the 97.

I know that the system changed, though it may still be plug n' play...

Will.

 

[Kejtar]

I know that the system changed, though it may still be plug n' play...

Will.

Maybe... although I doubt it. They changed some little things between the 97 and 98 and the connectors changed with them.

 

[corbinafly]

Along with the new weaker head in the 99+ they changed the intake manifold. From what I've read, they did that to compensate for the loss of power from the smaller exhaust ports on the newer heads. Much longer runners for better low end torque. That's why some, including myself, have put that newer intake on their earlier 91-98 4.0s.

K

 

[CheapXJ]

a little OT, but what is of the change in 99 to the head?

I have an 01 WJ that decided to dump about 2gal of coolant into my oil pan in a matter of seconds (fried the bottom end real quick) but it wasn't the head, the block cracked open right behind the water pump impeller.

I knew the 99+ heads were undesirable because of the smaller ports, but I've never heard about them being weaker...

where do they crack?