Swapping a 1992 Jeep YJ into 2000 XJ

[Jeep Collector]

I am new to this Forum and didn't see if anyone has swapped a 4.0L 1992 Wrangler YJ for a 2000 4.0L XJ. My 2000 XJ had a blown head gasket and I found a broken piston skirt after pulling the oil pan. A friend gave me his 1992 Wrangler YJ engine and wasn't sure how difficult it would be to swap. The 2000 XJ has coil packs and I don't know how you would connect them. I can swap the heads so I can attach the coil pack, but I don't know how you would modify the distributor.

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Tim_MN]

Put all the necessary 2000 parts onto the YJ block.

Any 1987-2001 XJ Cherokee 4.0 L engine block, 1993-98 ZJ Grand Cherokee 4.0 L engine block, 1991 to 1995 YJ Wrangler 4.0 L engine block, or 1997-1999 TJ Wrangler 4.0 L engine block will interchange.

Remove and re-use ( or replace with new ) as needed or required from your original engine: Intake/Exhaust manifolds, motor mounts, throttle body, fuel injector rail, flex plate/flywheel, cylinder head, water pump, distributor-less ignition or distributor assembly, OBD engine computer sensors, fan belt driven accessories, and/or mounting brackets.

If your 2000-2001 XJ Cherokee has a cracked 0331 head, buy a good used redesigned and more durable TUPY 0331 head from a 2002+ 4.0L TJ Wrangler or WJ Grand Cherokee. The 0331 head up through mid-2001 was fit only for scrap - look for a replacement with the TUPY foundry mark under the oil fill cap, this is the revised head that will last. Available late 2001-2006, this TUPY 0331 can be retrofitted in place of an early 0331 head without difficulty.

0331 head interchange:
XJ: Cherokees 2000-01
WJ: Grand Cherokee 2002+ (Gen2)
TJ: Wrangler 2002+ (Gen2)

 

[Jeep Collector]

Thanks Tim, I was curious about the distributor-less ignition. The 2000 XJ is distributor-less and the 1992 has a distributor. If I replace the distributor from the 1992 YJ with the distributor-less from the 2000 XJ,, do they connect the same way? Does the computer fire the ignition the same way regardless of distributor or distributor-less?

 

[Tim_MN]

Long story short, you are converting a YJ long block into a 2000 XJ engine. Find a good used 0331 Cylinder head, and install all the original 2000 OBD-II engine sensors onto the YJ block.

The 2000-01 ignition uses a Camshaft Pickup Sensor to fire the coil rail on the spark plugs. Just like a distributor install, you find TDC, and install the Camshaft Pickup Sensor sensor assembly into the distributor hole in the block.

I would suppose that the are a number of YouTube videos that will explain better than I can. I find that BleepinJeep and ScannerDanner have some of the bet Jeep videos.

You can find a copy of the Jeep Dealership Service Manual on eBay or the Internet.