Bad XJ Heads - What year(s)?

[WahooSteeler]

What year(s) were the bad heads on the XJ's? Kicking around getting one for my son to replace my MJ as his DD. Looked at a 99 tonight w/183k, asking $3k. Thanks

[87MJTIM]

I don’t remember the years (99-01)?, but you want to avoid 0331 stamped on the head. They were corrected with TUPY stamped on the head. 

[Big Dan]

This thread says 2000 and 2001. In case you weren't tracking, there is, also, a picture reference showing where the head casting is located.

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/0331-head-years-my-99-a-241057/

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[AZJeff]

1999 should be ok.  The years affected are 2000-2001 for the XJ.

 

In all seriousness, just because an XJ has one of these heads does NOT mean the vehicle is living on borrowed time.

 

Those heads crack when they get overheated.  If the vehicle has a properly maintained cooling system, it will never overheat, and thus the head won’t crack.

 

Unfortunately, the 4.0 cooling system is just barely adequate when all parts are functioning at OEM levels.  Once poor maintenance comes along, the cooling system now can be less than acceptable, and then overheating becomes a real possibility.   That, in turn kills an “0331” head pretty quickly.

 

The good news is that a bad head can be detected visually by inspecting through the oil fill cap opening, as the crack always appears in a rocker arm boss directly below the cap.

 

And I know all about this, since my MJ has an engine from a 2001XJ, and a previous owner let it overheat, and I discovered the crack when my oil started to look weird☹️

[75sv1]

I have had/have 3 98 XJs and one 2000, my present DD. I do have a 2001 chassis. The '99 might be the best year, or the '95. There seems to possibly be some transitions in the '99 year. I'd look to see if it has the rail coil vs the distributor. 

      My 2000 has 265K on it. I bought it two yeas ago. I've only had it on the road since spring. So, a few months. I do not know if the head has been replaced. If and when the 0331 cracks is a mystery. The two I had been around had about 80K on them. They looked well maintained. Also, there is a Fed and a Cali (pre cats) version of the 2000 XJ. The 2001 had the precats. What I look for in an XJ is 'no rust'. 

[WahooSteeler]

Thanks for all the info guys!