The year at-a-glance

What are the little things that differentiate between the different year models? I am guessing some years can't be distinguished just by a passing glance, but I would like to be able to narrow it down as much as possible.

For instance:
What year did the "4X4" emblem, near the tailgate, change to a sticker?
What was the last year for the vent windows?
Are there other changes that give a clue to the year?

door tag should have the build date.... I think...

LOL, I think he wanted more of a "history of XJ" type of resource that can provide useful to impress your friends and tell them the exact year of the XJ driving down the road.

I remember one use to be around, I'll take a look for it.

Yeah, I tried opening people's doors at stoplights but they kept calling the cops! I tried to explain I was just trying to determine the year of their XJ but they didn't seem to care.:roll:

Mopar500 said:

Yeah, I tried opening people's doors at stoplights but they kept calling the cops! I tried to explain I was just trying to determine the year of their XJ but they didn't seem to care.:roll:

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I kind of miss the old days when you could tell a 55 from a 56 Ford or Chevy from the changes in the taillights, or when Buicks had the year imprinted on the grille emblem. I remember long ago VW put out a little field guide for beetles that listed all the minor changes, so it was actually possible to determine the virtualy imperceptible differences between, say, a 58 or a 59. But even those were pretty consistent. Everybody who bought a 59 beetle got basically the same thing. For XJ's, it's going to be tricky to get more than ballpark estimates for features and trim lines that overlap. For example, you might be able to guess an old-style body (plastic hatch, square nose) that says "Classic" is a 96, because as far as I know there was no Classic in 95, but if it's a Sport or base model with steel wheels, the best you can do is to take a peek at the steering wheel to see if it's a 95-6. I don't think you'll find any other distinguishing marks at a glance unless you crawl underneath and check for a slip yoke. I imagine that an exhaustive list of minor changes would get you pretty close some of the time: things like whether the labeling was with decals or embossed, certain colors that were unique to a year or a range, but I think you'll still have problems with some years and trim options, and you'll always have to reckon with the possibility of boneyard swaps and updates. The windshield trim changed, I think, in 94, but many replacement windshields are done with the later rubber trim. My 95 has alloy wheels off an earlier model and a set of base type steel wheels that span a number of years. Since it's also a base model in a color that was used for several years, the "HO" emblem says it's 91-up, roof rack rails would identify it as post-92 (I think), and the seats and steering wheel as 95-up, but that's about all you'd see.

Looks like another job for "Super 5-90"....lol

http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/history.html

Other than the obvious body differences between the 84-96 and 97-01, the main visual clues to get an idea of the age include rear-seat belts, placement of the center-mounted brake light, or the engine label. 2.8L V6 is going to indicate the 84-86, while "4.0 Liter" is 87-90 but the "High Output" add-on to the 4.0L indicates 1991+

My '89 had roof rack rails.

Yucca-Man said:

http://www.yuccaman.com/jeep/history.html

Other than the obvious body differences between the 84-96 and 97-01, the main visual clues to get an idea of the age include rear-seat belts, placement of the center-mounted brake light, or the engine label. 2.8L V6 is going to indicate the 84-86, while "4.0 Liter" is 87-90 but the "High Output" add-on to the 4.0L indicates 1991+

My '89 had roof rack rails.

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Roof rack rails changed in design sometime in the early 90's. I think they also changed early on. My 87 had a different design from the earliest ones, and the 93 has the later type with pushbuttons. The pushbutton design changed a little in the last few years too. I think there's a break between 97 and 98 when the rails become shorter, and the feet of the crossbars become larger. Not sure of exact dates of change, but it's one clue to general age. Brake light is a good one, but I'm not sure what year it came in. I know the 93 lacked it and the 95 has it, but what about 94?

94 has the brake light in on the bottom middle of the rear hatch window, inside.

colors are often a good tell. the duller colors like instead of red the maroonish colors are the older pre 93 ones then the regular shades were in the middle, then the brighter glossier ones with matching fenders were 97+


i can usually just guess the ages the grill is a giveaway too the chrome overlay indicates its an older from very early to about 92-93