what makes the 99' xj better than the 97-98 xj's

[Jeep nasty]

What makes the 99' XJ better than 97-98 xj's

i'm still on my quest to get a great deal on a newer style XJ and from other forums and others info i'm told that 99 was one of the best years, i'm just curious as to what upgrades were made to the 99's that make them superior to the 97-98's i.e. drivetrain upgrades, fixes or additional features.

also is the a website where i can find out all the options availibles for the different years of XJ's so i know what to look for when shopping the used maket. somthing that states all the stats on the xj's.

or does anyone know how to decode the VIN for 97-99 cherokee because i'll ask the owners for it before i go to see it so i know exactaly what is in it and so i'm not going off the owners guess for those that dont know about the differences in there vehicles.
thanks for any help

[M. Lake]

VIN decoder

'84-'86 didn't come with the 4.0 at all, engine bay needs mods to use a 4.0

'87-'90 had the option of the 2.5-4banger, 2.8 v6 and 4.0 NON-HO, AW-4 for the 4.0 had different input gear, and is stronger then the other ones used on weaker blocks

'91 is start year for the HO motor

'94 is last year made with out the air bag

'95 is the last year the 7120 heads were used, better flow exhaust ports

'96 switched to the OBDII, new head, intank FPR and single fuel line (no return), went from 39# FPR to an adjustable 49# FPR, longer output shaft on the x-case and requires a short shaft SYE kit to lift above stock, girdle on main caps interduce or maybe in '97

'99 changed the intake manifold, but the 4.0 block on the '99 up GC has the longer runners, and have to remove stock ABS to use in an XJ.

'01 last year of XJ.

If I missed anything, sorry.

[john swann]

I believe 98 was last year for distributor. 99 and up has individual coils on the plugs

[Jeep nasty]

great info, thanks for the VIN decoder.
heres another question; Are the 4.0 in the XJ's the same motor that are in the tj. I only ask because i have a spare 4.0 engine out of a 97 TJ with only 3500 mi. on it and was wondering if i could use it for the XJ also as long as it was being put in a later style xj with the same setup ie distributor style engine.

thanks again, i really appriciate the help.

[Grizzley]

Take a look about 1/2 way down this page. The specs for the 4.0's used in different Jeeps are listed. Seems that the SWB's got a detuned one or something.

http://www.jeep4.0performance.4mg.com/index.html

grizzley

[TOZOVR]

Originally Posted by john swann

I believe 98 was last year for distributor. 99 and up has individual coils on the plugs

Nope 2000 was the Coil on plug...

My '99 has regular plugs and wires.

[dogtired]

Originally Posted by TOZOVR

Nope 2000 was the Coil on plug...

My '99 has regular plugs and wires.

I thought so too, mine is a 2000 Sport 4.0L, no distributor or wires

[Jeep nasty]

anyone have some opinions on the benifits of a distributorless enging
besides not having to waterproof the distributor.

also anyone have so tip on waterproofing the distributor


BTW: TOZOVR i never had a chance to really thank you for the RE lift on my TJ after i picked it up from you, i'm sure kruger has shown you some pics since i had gotten it on though. so thanks for the help getting the kit.

[dogtired]

Originally Posted by Jeep nasty

anyone have some opinions on the benifits of a distributorless enging
besides not having to waterproof the distributor.

also anyone have so tip on waterproofing the distributor


BTW: TOZOVR i never had a chance to really thank you for the RE lift on my TJ after i picked it up from you, i'm sure kruger has shown you some pics since i had gotten it on though. so thanks for the help getting the kit.

I heard you get the full spark from the coils from being in contact directly to the plugs, so no middleman via spark plug wires to rob you of power, and you save money and time not to worry about replacing wires

[XJ Saga]

Originally Posted by dogtired

I heard you get the full spark from the coils from being in contact directly to the plugs, so no middleman via spark plug wires to rob you of power, and you save money and time not to worry about replacing wires

The newer ignition coil also fires the spark plug twice vs. the older set up, during a normal intake/exhaust stroke. Timeline wise, starting in late 99, some XJ's were coming from the factory with the newer ignition and then obviously all 00-01's had it. Pretty robust set up, once again the Jeep engineers knew what they were doing. No recalls/problems to date with the newer style. I like it.

[TOZOVR]

No worries man!! Sorry to hear about the Disco though!!!

Really wishing you still had those 33" TSL's for sale now!!!!!


RJ

Originally Posted by Jeep nasty

anyone have some opinions on the benifits of a distributorless enging
besides not having to waterproof the distributor.

also anyone have so tip on waterproofing the distributor


BTW: TOZOVR i never had a chance to really thank you for the RE lift on my TJ after i picked it up from you, i'm sure kruger has shown you some pics since i had gotten it on though. so thanks for the help getting the kit.

[dogtired]

Originally Posted by XJ Saga

The newer ignition coil also fires the spark plug twice vs. the older set up, during a normal intake/exhaust stroke. Timeline wise, starting in late 99, some XJ's were coming from the factory with the newer ignition and then obviously all 00-01's had it. Pretty robust set up, once again the Jeep engineers knew what they were doing. No recalls/problems to date with the newer style. I like it.

didn't know that they fired it twice, i guess thay burn a bit more efficient as well as increase hp's

[TOZOVR]

Originally Posted by dogtired

didn't know that they fired it twice, i guess thay burn a bit more efficient as well as increase hp's

Same HP as far as I know....

[dogtired]

Originally Posted by TOZOVR

Same HP as far as I know....

oh... do they fire the spark in the exhaust stroke to get at the remaining gas that would be otherwise wasted?

what year is yers?

[TOZOVR]

Originally Posted by dogtired

oh... do they fire the spark in the exhaust stroke to get at the remaining gas that would be otherwise wasted?

what year is yers?

Mine is a '99...