Input on 2000 Cherokee Sport for son

TheReV

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It's me again.. haven't been on in a while. Don't wry.. I'm not getting rid of the tj lol.
My son really wants an xj. I have found a 2000 sport in rather good condition. I know that some years with head casting 0331 I think have issues.. please guys any a all input I can get from you would be a tremendous help! Pros/Cons.. experiences.. anything will be a huge help.

It's a 2000 4dr sport 4.0 auto. 149000 Mile.. stock..

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a29a46ff10b2b9361821207b6fb5ec8b.jpg
 
It's me again.. haven't been on in a while. Don't wry.. I'm not getting rid of the tj lol.
My son really wants an xj. I have found a 2000 sport in rather good condition. I know that some years with head casting 0331 I think have issues.. please guys any a all input I can get from you would be a tremendous help! Pros/Cons.. experiences.. anything will be a huge help.

It's a 2000 4dr sport 4.0 auto. 149000 Mile.. stock..

Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
View attachment 76165
I’ve never heard anything bad about the 2K XJ’s I believe the exhaust crack issues were solved with the 2K. I really don’t know much more about them we had a 1990. Have fun with it.
 
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What are his/your plans for it? Going for the OEM thing or shirt untucked hair down sleeves rolled up Xj? Since you haven’t bought it yet it’s not to late for a 2 TJ driveway....... just saying.
 
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What are his/your plans for it? Going for the OEM thing or shirt untucked hair down sleeves rolled up Xj? Since you haven’t bought it yet it’s not to late for a 2 TJ driveway....... just saying.
He is leaning more towards the hair down version.. he wants to become a hunter and enjoys mud and light trails.. probably never going to hit things like Moab. Just local trails. Not ultra Rocky. But moderate at best.. something like a 4 inch lift with 33.. light bar.. Stuff like that.. I wish for two TJ's but not enough funds.

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Having owned a number of XJs myself, I have to tell you, WATCH OUT FOR THE 2000 model year!

If it has the 0331 cylinder head and it hasn't been changed, you've got a can of worms on your hands.

Other than that, it's mostly the same stuff to look for as used TJs.

The earlier 97-99 models are a bit more desirable (possibly) due to having high pinion axles as oppose to the low pinion axles they added on the 00-01 models.
 
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Having owned a number of XJs myself, I have to tell you, WATCH OUT FOR THE 2000 model year!

If it has the 0331 cylinder head and it hasn't been changed, you've got a can of worms on your hands.

You have to ask why would you switch out high pinion for low?
 
You have to ask why would you switch out high pinion for low?

There doesn't seem to be a conclusive answer as to why the earlier years has low pinions and the later years had high pinions. Most of the speculation revolves around the idea that since Chrysler knew the XJ was coming to an end, they decided to use up all of the leftover axles they had (most of which were low pinion axles) and put them on the remaining Cherokees they sold.

But otherwise I have no idea as to why they would do it, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever to me.
 
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Having owned a number of XJs myself, I have to tell you, WATCH OUT FOR THE 2000 model year!

If it has the 0331 cylinder head and it hasn't been changed, you've got a can of worms on your hands.

Other than that, it's mostly the same stuff to look for as used TJs.

The earlier 97-99 models are a bit more desirable (possibly) due to having high pinion axles as oppose to the low pinion axles they added on the 00-01 models.
Yes that's my only concern.. I've heard of the slow coolant loss with no evidence.. the chocolate milk in crank case.. I'm really hoping that the issues with the 0331 head isn't as bad as the net says (wishful) but un likely. In your opinion what's the likely hood of it going pop..
Also if it has and had been repaired how could I tell.. did they stop making 0331 heads as replacement. .. I guess all this would be pure speculation..
I guess my worry is I don't want to be sending my son down the road wearing a grenade strapped to his manly bits..


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Yes that's my only concern.. I've heard of the slow coolant loss with no evidence.. the chocolate milk in crank case.. I'm really hoping that the issues with the 0331 head isn't as bad as the net says (wishful) but un likely. In your opinion what's the likely hood of it going pop..
Also if it has and had been repaired how could I tell.. did they stop making 0331 heads as replacement. .. I guess all this would be pure speculation..
I guess my worry is I don't want to be sending my son down the road wearing a grenade strapped to his manly bits..


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I've never heard of one with an 0331 head that didn't go bad at some point. Some of them happened at really low miles, but the higher you get up there in mileage without it having happened yet, the more likely it will happen.

What you'll read below was taken from this thread: How to identify an 0331 TUPY cylinder head

The 2000 and 2001 4.0 came with the original casting 0331 head. The TUPY head was also a 0331 head that had been redesigned with a thicker deck. You can also buy an aftermarket 0331 head from Clearwater that has a thicker deck to prevent the cracks. All three of these are are 0331 heads because of the design of the ports, and all three of them have "0331" cast into them in the same spot.

If it's been replaced, there's a high probability that it has been replaced with an aftermarket 0331 head that has been redesigned with a thicker deck to prevent cracking. What you want to know is whether you have the original 0331, an aftermarket 0331 or a 0630 head from a '99 or prior.

For the casting number, look on the driver's side of the head near the center, and you'll see a number peeking out from under the valve cover, like so:

76187



Again, the original will have this number, and the replacements with the fixed deck will also have this number. The only way you won't see "0331" there is if someone has swapped in an earlier head.

To find out which 0331 you have, shine a light down in the oil filler cap and look at the surface of the head between the #3 and #4 cylinders. Below is a pic another member here posted a while back of an original 0331 on the left, and a Clearwater 0331 on the right.

76188



You'll notice that the Clearwater head (right) has a number cast into it between the #3 and #4 cylinders, near where the original 0331 liked to crack. The original 0331 (left) has nothing cast into that spot.

A TUPY head will have "TUPY" cast into it right there, like so:

76189
 
@Chris

Wow sir I really appreciate you taking the time to find all that info and relay it to me! Truly amazing and thanks!!

Any other feed back about the xjs.. good bad or otherwise..
Do they suffer like our TJ does without an sye?

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@Chris

Wow sir I really appreciate you taking the time to find all that info and relay it to me! Truly amazing and thanks!!

Any other feed back about the xjs.. good bad or otherwise..
Do they suffer like our TJ does without an sye?

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No problem, happy to help!

They still need an SYE, yes.

But they really are almost identical to a TJ in every way, except that they are unibody, not a body-on-frame. But everything you want to look out for on a TJ applies to the XJ as well.
 
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Check out this thread for some dialog on XJs..."Question for current & former XJ owners..."
Not sure if it'll have anything that will help you, but it's a fun read. Btw, I'm driving my wife's XJ, as we've seem some snow this week (that, and I just am enjoying driving it!).
76190
 
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