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

[TekkaMaki]

I'm not aware of any big differences between 97 to 99 (?) ...
00 and 01 got the distributorless ign. (+)
00 and 01 have a low pinion Dana 30 (-)
00 5 speed has NV3550 instead of AX-15 (+ but rare, no 5 speeds made in 01 I don't think)

I'd say the front axle is the main reason a 99 is recommended over a 00 - 01. Also look for the 29 spline Corp 8.25 rear axle in 97 - 01 XJ's without ABS (all w/ ABS are weaker Dana 35's, and possibly some w/o ABS too)

:sunshine:

 

[dogtired]

I'm not aware of any big differences between 97 to 99 (?) ...
00 and 01 got the distributorless ign. (+)
00 and 01 have a low pinion Dana 30 (-)
00 5 speed has NV3550 instead of AX-15 (+ but rare, no 5 speeds made in 01 I don't think)

I'd say the front axle is the main reason a 99 is recommended over a 00 - 01. Also look for the 29 spline Corp 8.25 rear axle in 97 - 01 XJ's without ABS (all w/ ABS are weaker Dana 35's, and possibly some w/o ABS too)

:sunshine:

aww crap, so I guess mine sux then, and I still have no 4x4, so I am out of luck for both the front and rear axles, will i be ok if i do some light offroading? I am about to join a local Jeep club. Should I be worried? My buddy has a 5 speed on his 01. How weak is the low pinion Dana 30 compared to a 99's Dana?

another question, mine suppossedly has ABS, but how do i know if it works? I got my XJ used. I haven't really locked up the tires yet... so it should pulse when i stomp on it right?

 

[XJRubicon]

99' and newer has a much larger intake to make up for new emmisions (10 hp)

The older style holds about 2.8L of liquid volume and the newer one holds 4.3L if I remember right...

They did it becaue of increased emmisions regulations. they lost power with the emmisions but gained it back with this intake. so... it basicly keeps the same HP on the newer ones, but when installed on an older motor 10HP can be found in this.

Read that on that australian guys website. the one who did the 16 inch fan conversion.

 

[TOZOVR]

The two main differances between the HP30 and the LP 30 are these

1) The Low Pinion is excactly that...lower...less clearance and worse driveshaft angles

2) the gears are not reverse cut so you are spinning on the weaker side of the ring gear...word is it's about 15% to 20% weaker....but I know guys flogging LP30's with 36" SX's and no issues

 

[1xxxj]

88 xj 4.0 5spd is the best xj made!!!

 

[alwayzAMC]

well, my opinion is that the 87 is the only year to go, last year it is still AMC, and has the 4.0

weren;t there other years they went to a cv joint rather than the solid axle that is in mine??

 

[Dr. Dyno]

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

Yeah, that's my site. To summarize why the HP/TQ outputs varied between models:

1. All XJ 4.0's from '91-'99 were rated at 190hp/225lbft, but the '96 and later models produced these numbers at lower rpm due to a change in cam timing. From '00 onwards, XJ 4.0's were rated at 193hp/231lbft due to a distributorless ignition, a more efficient water pump, revised intake and exhaust manifolds, and a better downpipe to the cat.

2. YJ's have a more restrictive intake and exhaust than the XJ so they're rated at 180hp/220lbft.

3. '93-'95 ZJ 4.0's were rated the same as the XJ's of that vintage, but from '96 onwards they dropped 5hp/5lbft due to tighter OBD II emissions.

4. '96-'99 TJ 4.0's were rated at 181hp/222lbft but from '00 onwards they received distributorless ignition, a more efficient water pump, revised intake and exhaust manifolds, a better downpipe, and outputs increased to 190hp/235lbft.

5. '99 and later WJ 4.0's were rated at 195hp/230lbft. The 10hp/10lbft increase over the ZJ 4.0 was due to the same revisions that appeared in the TJ and XJ a year later.

 

[urbanXJ]

i work on my 2000, sisters 97, buddies 97, buddies 98. No 99 voucher.
suttle changes in design make the 2000 much more gerage mechanic frendly than the 97. Yup, the exaust changed, for the better. Also, if you've installed hitches and gas tank skids on those years you know.
I like the 2000,
the passanger window control goes out on all of them though.

 

[98XJ]

Re: DIS

DIS ign systems fire twice in different cylinders....
Each coil pack is paired and fires on compressin stroke in one cyl and on exhaust stroke in another cyl (it's called waste spark) no power gain from that.
Just to clarify!!!

 

[Nay]

The real question is what makes the '97 better than the '96 and back (if anything...there are pros and cons). There aren't any material differences in '97 to the end of the model run, except the introduction of a low pinion D30 in 2000, which is a major disadvantage.

Now as to what makes a '97 much better than a '99 for an offroader...its gonna be cheaper and you'll have more coin for mods. Buy a 2wd '97 for dirt cheap and convert it to 4wd. You don't really want anything behind the transmission on an XJ, so why spend the $$$ on a t-case that needs lots of $$$, axles that need to be replaced...etc, etc, etc. There is no question that's how I would go if I was doing it again.

Nay

 

[TOZOVR]

i work on my 2000, sisters 97, buddies 97, buddies 98. No 99 voucher.
suttle changes in design make the 2000 much more gerage mechanic frendly than the 97. Yup, the exaust changed, for the better. Also, if you've installed hitches and gas tank skids on those years you know.
I like the 2000,
the passanger window control goes out on all of them though.

The exhaust on the '99 is a tubular manifold with one Cat....the later model got 2 cats and reverted to the old manifold? Better? Worse? What is the reasoning?

The Ignition would seem Less friendly to deal with than plain old cap, rotor distributor especially for a moot gain....

 

[sweetjeep]

But can you upgrade a dist. ignition to a non-distributor ignition?

 

[Hawaiian Style]

Wasn't '99 the first year of the cracking heads problem? I'd say that makes a 99 worse than a 98.

 

[XJ Saga]

Well, from late 96 and up until the end the cam is a dual pattern set-up which allows the exhaust valves to stay open longer increasing effeciency and power. Very good thinking on Jeeps part.

 

[NN4S]

After 30 years... they completely redesigned the Mustang, and still called it the Mustang. Hmmmmpgh! Why can't they do the same with the Cherokee???

Because that's what the Liberty is called overseas... talk about an insult to a great name!

I've got two 88s, a 94 and a 01 two-door that I had to order since they weren't selling them off the lot. My 01 is one of the last ones to roll off the line before they shut it down; took delivery of it mid-March of 01. Other than recently croaking the rear end while towing a way-too-large load home for a friend (a 1-ton Chevy 4x4 on a 16' dual-axle trailer), the only problem I've had with it has been the #6 cylinder misfiring while idling for any length of time. It isn't noticable from the driver's seat, but it does set the MIL light and you have to reset the computer to clear the fault. No big deal so far since I've got ready access to EDT & DRBIII equipment (I work at the Huntsville DCX electronics plant), but that may change soon when Siemens takes over the plant in the near future.


Don T. NN4S
2001 Solar Yellow 2-door, auto w/6" Rock-Ready lift, 4.56 Trak-loc (soon to be a No-Slip!) & 33" BFG AT/KOs
1994 Navaho Turquois 2-door, auto w/4" Tomken lift, 3.73 Trak-loc & 31" Dunlops
two 1988 white 2-doors, 5-speed stockers

 

[climbon]

The 99 had a recall with it's air bag going off on it's own. I own a 99 and had to take it into the dealer to get it fixed. I have thrown this out there before, but in the JP magazine March 2003 issue they have an article called "how to buy a used cherokee". They seem to lean towards the 96 and 99 plus models calling the Engine and tranny the 300,000 marriage. Read this article has lots of info.

 

[tireroastin93XJ]

ummm if the 99's are better... what about the 2000 and 2001 models? are they freakin chopped liver??? :laugh3: don't tell me that my 2000 4.0L XJ sux

BTW, I couldn't wait for 2 model years after they changed the last two model years to distributorless design... because it was the LAST 2 model years! :laugh3:

So the last 2 model years are the "cream of the crop" after 16 years of the XJ, they had plenty of practice to make it right... I wish they reinstate the XJ back again, its too bad they had to retire it. Couldn't they improve the platform, like fix the unibody design to become more stiffer and the like? I like the boxy design, it made it unique and tough looking... in other words it looked "manly" , and they had to screw it up with the Liberty ! It looks like one of those jellybean SUV's... I think I wanna puke. The Grand Cherokee was ok, but I am not impressed. After 30 years... they completely redesigned the Mustang, and still called it the Mustang. Hmmmmpgh! Why can't they do the same with the Cherokee???

I think the volkwagon beetle had the longer shelf life... right?

Actually, the Liberty was supposed to inherit the Cherokee name orginally, but when it came time to axe the Cherokee and launch the Liberty, sales were a lot higher on the Cherokee than expected so they extended making them for another 6 months, I think. Otherwise, if the Cherokee got axed when it was supposed to, then the Liberty would be called the Cherokee adding insult to injury in my opinion.
Mike Harris

 

[BlueMJ]

Perfect timing on btt'ing this thread. I got my eye on a 1999 sand XJ classic. The distr- less IMO isnt worth all the potential hassle for a few horses & couple lbs of torque. I'd rather have a distributor & wires, plus the HP30 up front, besides the HPs can be gained through some mods later on.

Good info guys.

Tis thread should be archived somewhere so it isn't lost.

 

[Go Go]

the passanger window control goes out on all of them though.

what the F*** is up with that. I thought it was just mine! My passenger window ctrl is intermittent. If I get a new control will it break too? I've replaced the fog lamp switch 3 times!!!

Jim

 

[Go Go]

Actually, the Liberty was supposed to inherit the Cherokee name orginally, but when it came time to axe the Cherokee and launch the Liberty, sales were a lot higher on the Cherokee than expected so they extended making them for another 6 months, I think. Otherwise, if the Cherokee got axed when it was supposed to, then the Liberty would be called the Cherokee adding insult to injury in my opinion.
Mike Harris

It is still called cherokee overseas. I was told at camp jeep the same story you told but that because it was soooo different (and ugly imho) they decided to rename it. They kept cherokee for overseas markets because liberty has different conotations in different countrys.

Jim