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Newer style gaskets on the last XJ's

md21722

NAXJA Forum User
Location
TN
I have a 1997 and 2001 XJ. I notice that when I order parts, some of the gaskets are different material even though the mating parts are the same. The water pump, thermostat housing, and front cover seals are the ones I'm talking about. The old style was more of blue paper and the newer one are gray. The water pump and thermostat housing gaskets also have a red bead on the newer style.

I am wondering if the newer style is better? Why do companies still sell both?
 
Sorry for not being more clear. The part numbers are also different. You can get either but they appear interchangeable.
 
Um. I think I get what you mean. Newer year gaskets that seem better, but not shown on the interchange list for older vehicles.

I know the newer 4.0 oil pan and valve cover gaskets can be used on the older 4.0.
Other than that I don't know if any of the water pump or thermostat gaskets are the same.
Usually the something like the housing changes requiring a different seal but I honestly don't know. Although I'd be interested if there are better alternatives.
 
I think I see one if the gaskets you're talking about felpro 35630 . Looks like a 1999 up gasket, it doesn't look too different from a1992 gasket but they don't show they'd interchange.
 
I don't know about 1992, but they are definitely interchangeable 1997-2001. Same with the front cover gasket & water pump gasket. The front cover, water pump, and thermostat housing are all the same 1997-2001 even though they changed the gaskets. I bet even earlier than 1997 but that's the earliest I own. There are other parts that changed over the years, like the rear main seal & manifold gasket so it makes sense that they would maintain two part numbers for those.
 
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Sorry I always think in terms of the older XJ.
I wonder if some of the gaskets are originally for the older XJ with paper gaskets then suppliers never took them off the listing for newer as they came out .
Water pump and block are the same I think every 4.0 to end of
production , I thought the housing was too. I don't know why a old XJ couldn't use the newer better gasket by the same token I bet the old regular paper gaskets are left over and listed probably because they are cheap and early interchanged written when the vehicles came out were grasping for cross over.

If I look the parts up for my 92 XJ none of the nicer felpro gaskets show up. Although in theory they should be identical because the same regular paper gaskets show up in the 1999 Cherokee parts list.
 
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