ball buster

weird.. ive got nothing.. i pulled the insulation back and ran a screwdriver down that whole side looking for a number

Entarl

Alright my jeep has developed the crack (01' xj) and i'm leaning towards the alabama head but had a few questions.
1) They are made new, with the flaw from the 0331 heads corrected right?
2) Are they a direct replacement for the 0331 head without any modifications to anything (manifolds, other gasket sets...ect.)
3) Where do people usually order them from? Directly from their site?

Sorry if these questions have previously been answered. I've seen that alot of people on various jeep forums like these heads, is that still the case or is there a better option (aside from shelling out 2k for an aluminum head)?

viper_venom600gtsr

Alabama and Clearwater Cylinder heads are two of the most widely used replacements on multiple forums and people have good things to say about both. ACH is probably a little more expensive than CCH. I have CCH and replaced mine during the winter after I had a crack in mine and it has been working fine without problems. CCH has an ebay store or you can call directly and order over the phone. Their 331 replacement heads are direct bolt-ons, no mods required.

matt62485

im sure its there. it can be "hidden" if ur not sure what ur looking at

tjwalker

It's there; just hard to see. Be sure to clean ALL grease away AND use a good light.

lurk520

I just bought an 02 WJ build date in mid 01, took me a while to find the 0331 stamp, didn't find the TUPY stamp under the oil fill cap either but bought it any way, hope I don't have problems. It has 124k miles and is 10years old and hasn't cracked yet.

Entarl

Yeah it was between clear water and alabama but i couldn't find any clear water replacement heads on ebay.

Edit: So I spoke with both Alabama and Clear Water and both are out of stock. Does anybody know of any other (reasonably priced) options? dealer wants $1,200 for a 02+ 4.0 head.

viper_venom600gtsr

I was looking into J & C also before I bought CCH. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-4-0-AMC-...ht_1555wt_1071

Details from their page
Brand new heavy duty stronger casting than factory
All parts are reconditioned factory pieces
Head is assembled with new valve seals
Head is complete and ready to install

You may want to call and find out what exactly the reconditioned parts are. As far as I know ACH and CCH both use brand new parts. I think it's the same price as CCH and direct bolt-on. Their ebay rating is really high so they maybe a good choice but probably want to ask around and others can chime in. Good luck.

Entarl

I ended up going with a new head from a company called american cylinder head. It came ready to go with valves springs and retainers and it's reinforced in the problem area. The only thing is there's an extra hole by head bolt #14 (rear drivers side) for a ECT sensor in previous model years, it requires a 1/8 mip or npt plug to seal it because it goes into the cooling system. Other then that i just got it running this morning and haven't had any problems so far!

letsgomuddin

So here's a question, what is the average mileage of failure for these heads? I ask because I have the 0331 head, and I also have 256k miles with no signs of it ever being changed and have no coolant loss or issues. Am I just super duper lucky or what?!

tjwalker

I don't think there is an "average mileage for an 0331 issue.

I've seen them crack at 60k and I've seen them crack at 260k.

And some will crack, some will not.

However, an OVERHEAT of the engine virtually guarantees you will be working some overtime.

letsgomuddin

So it's kinda like the GM 2.2 heads then, overheat it once and it's done, good to know! Hope I luck out and it holds for awhile!

jamurrin

I think its not even that bad...knock on wood.

About 3-4 years ago, I lost my radiator...it was a fairly slow leak that I ignored for about a month...well, didn't exactly ignore...but I topped up the radiator on the weekends, and by Friday, the reservoir was just about empty.

To make the long story short, I was in traffic...my engine (with its 0331 head) overheated, but the block did not crack!

I only more recently learned of the 0331 issues...and realize now how lucky I was! Now, I guarantee you that I check my coolant levels every weekend...change coolant every 2 years in the spring (I think TJWALKER suggests every 30K miles). And would have been more quick to swap out the leaky radiator.

From a bit of research that I've done...and I know the TJWALKER has done a lot more than me...there seems to be no hard or fast rule on these 0331 heads.

kronos1962

I don’t remember the mileage but my wife’s 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee began to lose coolant very slowly between 40,000 and 50,000 miles.


It has had the low oil pressure problem since 40,000 miles or so. I’m not sure if it really suffers from low oil pressure or if it’s just the sensor that’s not working properly but we have always ignored it.


The jeep has the 0331 head and for about 2 months it has been drinking the coolant at a rate of 1 gallon per week since the weather has gotten warmer.


I must have changed the oil 6 times.


Every mechanic I took it to said “no the heads not cracked.”


One day I cranked it up and took the oil cap off. I waited a few minutes then I saw a few drops of coolant flow by.

Previous mechanics who had changed the oil always said that they didn’t see any coolant in the oil but I sure did.


I finally broke down and ordered the replacement head from Clearwater.


This is what it cost to fix.

Head $470.00
Gasket kit, bolts, oil and filter plus coolant $260.00
Labor $325.00

To recap the Jeep has been losing coolant very slowly probably since it had around 40,000 or 50,000 miles. Then a few months ago (125,000) on one very warm day I’m thinking it probably overheated and started to pour the coolant out into the oil. I never smelled or saw any indication of coolant leaking.

BuckeyeBullet

I have a Jeep that had been previously overheated and was non-running when I bought it. Went with the Clearwater head during the rebuild. I'm still finishing up the motor. There are two alignment dowels that stick out under and between the 1&2 and 5&6 intake ports on the head for the purpose of supporting and aligning the intake manifold. My CCH head did not come with these dowels.

What have other people done? I have the part numbers and can order from my dealer, I also have a machinist friend with a lathe. Or, those of you who bought CCH heads, were the dowel pins included?