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This 0331 work working on?

gradon

gradon

NAXJA Forum User
Location
DC
So I pulled an 00 0331 off an 01 XJ yesterday. There was no oil in coolant when I drained it, but a little leftover coolant got in the lifter area when I pulled it. I pressure washed the head and don't see any cracks in the valve cover area, but do notice 3 hairline cracks coming off these coolant ports. I did see that #2 and #3 intake valves let water shoot through, so it definitely needs a valve job. It's just that I can pay $250 for a valve job or buy a reconn'd one off ebay for $325. This digi camera sucks, so forgive me if they don't show the cracks:
pa220031.jpg

pa220033.jpg
 
I'm biased. My 0331 is cracked at 110k. Got a '98 head to put on it. I sure wouldn't put anything into a 0331. I picked up my head for $50, so no point in risking the known weakness of the 0331.
 
I highly suggest going to Clearwater Cylinder Head for a replacement 0331 head. The head is similar to the Alabama Cylinder Head, has a better warranty and is delivered in 3 business days. I think I payed around $350 for mine. It is a brand new head casting that has been reinforced in the areas that the original 0331 castings have been prone to cracking. I did have one minor issue with mine, a valve spring broke, but I believe that that occurance is consistent with the 1 in 10,000 chance (or whatever it is) of receiving a defective valve spring and can't really blame CCH for it.

Give them a call and talk to Pat. He's a good guy and will set you straight.
 
I'm selling this jeep, so it's definitely getting another 0331(I'm not changing exhaust manis or fabbing coil rail mount). It was $250 for this one to get worked on, $325 for reworked, or $400 for improved casting. I was just gonna go with the reworked one, but if I can get an improved casting for $350 to my door, then that might be the way to go.
edit: just checked ebay--cch wants $400+25shipping for it. There is another one from J&C with improved casting for $379 shipped.
 
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Yeah sorry I just checked my Amex bill and it was $475..sorry for incorrectly quoting it. I'm assuming by "re-worked" you mean the cracks have been welded. Personally I'd rather spend the extra money, even if I didn't get the full benefit out of it. If you were selling the jeep to me, as a somewhat xj-educated person, I'd be willing to pay a $150 extra for a jeep knowing that it had the head replaced with a stronger casting, not one that was just mended.... but that is totally my opinion.
 
reworked is an 0331 they got from the JY that they cleaned, pressure checked for cracks, gave a valve job to(replaced only bent/unsalvageable valves), new valve seals, and refaced. No welding involved. So it could be a crack potential head that hasn't surfaced yet.
 
IMHO... the JY head has a 90% change of cracking in the future...so basically you're fixing it long enough to sell it and have the next owner deal with it when it cracks. Granted the jeep may never hit the mileage for it to crack, but I think for the extra $100 you're saving someone else the pain and hassle of dealing with a cracked head, and you probably can recover the majority of it in the selling price. Plus if you decide to keep it you won't have to worry about it since it's warrantied..
 
gradon said:
Worth working on. This has 172K on it so made it a lot further than other 0331s.
Click to expand...

I vote none of the above

Get a different head casting. Even though its made it farther than most, whos to say whether it will crack down the road (after you put money into it)? Its not worth putting money into a head that is known to be weaker. It already shows some cracks like you mentioned. If I was going to be shelling out the money I would get a different, better head casting. The '03-'06 casting was supposedly improved, you could also go with an alabama head. Expensive but a smarter investment then putting money into an 0331. If I was you instead of putting money into that head I would go find a better one for 200 bucks off an '03-'04 WJ or '03-'06 TJ 4.0L and not have to worry ever again about cracks.
 
You replied to me in another thread about sources for reworked heads (at least I think it was you!). I might be getting that same cylinder head for my cousin's '01 XJ. I explained to him the high failure rate of the 0331 head, but since that company claims the casting is improved, I might as well go for it. Also, I don't think these are reworked heads...they're brand new as they don't require a core charge.
 
Yes the 0331s from Odessa(CCH) and J&C are new heads with improved castings and cost $50 more than a reworked 0331 goes for(worth the peace of mind). Note that Odessa comes with a 2yr warranty, the J&C a 1 yr, and $425 will get you one with a 5yr warranty.
 
I'm wondering about results also. I just found coolant in my oil today, it wasn't there yesterday:tears:. I am guessing it's the head, not the head gasket, so I am shopping around(Hesco's head is out, my wallet ain't fat like that)
 
The 01 I put that J&C head on runs great. I'll be driving it to its new owner in State College later this week(should've been two weeks ago, but title still had banks name on it--release mailed to me today). Only issues I didn't solve were fixing the leaking OFA(it wasn't coming off even w/200+lb-ft of torque and torching) and finding the 52-62mph hum culprit(front axle u-joints, front driveshaft u-joints, or the tires). It's gotta come with some issues, right?
 
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