Cracked Headers

The headers on my 98 XJ are apparently cracked but I'm half away around the world on deployment so I don't know how bad it is. I'm looking to order a new set but I'm not sure what kind to get. I have a flowmaster 40 series exhaust on there now and I'm not looking for any more noise just something a little better performance wise than the stock was. Any suggestions?

I had gibson headers and really thought they were great on my old 95 xj 4.0. I noticed the torque boost right away. They cost about 500$ but worth it.

yeah i was looking at Gibson headers earlier but my buddy said they were to much and headers don't make that much of a difference. Thanks for the advice man obviously im a rookie

Get an APN header from ineedparts.com. They're about $150 shipped.

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I got the 1A header, for around 100. I am happy enough with it

I went with the APN header as well and was happy with it. But I guess on the 96+ 4.0s they need a little intake manifold clearing.

Dirt Yota said:

I went with the APN header as well and was happy with it. But I guess on the 96+ 4.0s they need a little intake manifold clearing.

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I didn't have to do any clearing when I put it on my 98.

FWIW, I run the Edelbrock header for a '93 on my stroker. While you're in there, do the 99+ intake swap.

x2 on the APN.

I just went on Rusty's and the got some flowdaddy headers not to expensive and they look decent enough.

Aren't those the same as APN. Rusty's is famous for rebranding parts.

Dirt Yota said:

I went with the APN header as well and was happy with it. But I guess on the 96+ 4.0s they need a little intake manifold clearing.

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99 is the year that needs clearing. This is the year the bigger intakes came into play. I had two APN's on mine, first one cracked because my drivers side motor mount decided to part ways with the rest of the Jeep and took my less than 6 month old header with it.

The 2nd one, was a defect from the manufacturing process. The flange (that seats up against the head) that runners 1-3 are welded to was about 1/8th inch higher than the flange that runners 4-6 are welded to. This caused it to not seal properly (duh) and leak worse than the cracked one did! APN's customer service is very good, but I didn't have time to wait for another one to be shipped. I already had the Jeep apart (again) and didn't feel like putting a bad header back on only to have to turn around and take it off again a week later, so I borrowed a vehicle and ran down to O-Rilley's to grab a Dorman. At least if this one goes, I can get it replaced locally (lifetime warranty). I really like the Dorman actually, it fit perfectly and they're worked in two flex joints to help with the issue (like it should have been done from the factory). Oddly enough, my first APN fit like a glove, but my second one needed some work to clear the intake.

Either way, now is an excellent time to replace your motor mounts. If they're not in good shape, you will be putting another header on again very soon, no matter what brand you go with.