I noticed haha…now I'm afraid to ask what oil to use :sweat drop: I read 5w 30 or 10w 30 in the manual it came with. Not sure what the previous owner used. Also have read not to use synthetic because it has about 120xxx miles on it, as it may cause leaks, so ill probably just use regular oil. Maybe mobile 1 and ill stay away from fram filters.

 

Ive read all the discussions about why fram is so terrible and why people refuse to use them, but i used to use them all the time with my old ford fairmont with zero problems. I feel as long as you are consistent wih your changes, there is no difference between oil and filter manufacturers.

Now i wait for the flaming.

 

Oh yeah. It's probably on.....

There are ppl who are very, very particular, brand loyal, spout endless paragraphs of research and will steadfastly assert that you must study petroleum engineering principles in order to keep your XJ functioning properly. Well, some ppl may have similar fetishes about their brakes or their tool brands or their toothpaste. The bottom line is that the fanatical oil debate is tired. It's played. It's not as important as some would have you believe. Everyone has their hot issues. Oil is that issue for some. I would personally spend more time and energy making sure I have capable quality tires than a marginally different brand of oil and filter. There are lots of good choices from the major mfg of oil. Just stick to the specs recommended by Chrysler, do your maintenance on a timely basis and leave the oil obsession to others. Now the flaming will really begin.

 

Agreed, keep up on your maintenance and your rig will run good for along time.

No flaming intended. I use Valvoline 5w30 in my chevy's and Jeep. Napa's oil is made in the same factory just not branded Valvoline so I buy which ever is on sale. I used to work for a filter distributor years ago (1985) and WIX was definitely the best made filter back in the day so I have used them religously.

To each there own.

Dean

 

Damn it....it turned into an oil thread. If you read all of the discussions, then you should know why they are bad. Watch the youtube videos. You know what? I had used FRAM on all of my Fords before and never had a problem either. Got the Jeep, spun a FRAM on there before I knew better and bam...oil pressure problems.

Thats all I will say in regards to oil on this thread...

 

.

 

I have a 97 and dgaf bout you guys in the #0331head section.

my buddy had an 01 with almost 300k on it utilizing the original head. he wasn't nice to it. he spun a rod bearing basically trying to climb a vertical wall, then replaced JUST THE ROD BEARINGS while the engine was in the jeep, on a 4 post lift...yeah...and overheated it in the mountains attempting to climb a hill that was way too long. frequently ran the dog**** out of it. etc etc.

just drive it and don't worry about it. keeping up on maintenance and being proactive goes a long way.

 

This ^^^^^

I've worked on more cracked 0331 heads than I can remember. I can tell you that they happen to vehicles that have been maintained religiously and a little more so to ones that haven't. But more so, there is not any rhyme or reason; it's more of a flip of the coin.

Commit the following sentence to memory:

"The #1 symptom of a cracked 0331 cylinder head is unexplained coolant loss"

Yes, there can be other symptoms, but by far the #1 tip off is that you're losing coolant and have no leaks. You now own an 00-01 XJ. Your new hobby is to check the level in the overflow tank AT LEAST once a week. Takes you all of about a minute. Time well spent.

Personally I'd skip the oil analysis; overkill. Check your coolant, religiously maintain your cooling system (an overheat really increases the chance of a cracked head) and enjoy your XJ!

 

Exactly. I run the **** out of mine all summer and winter long havent had a single major issue

 

Thanks guys for the confidence gonna enjoy it while it last and will do routine maintenance! And be religiously checking the coolant

 

so about this cracked head deal.. "0331" or whatever it is. Where do you look for this casting number or what not? I am looking to buy a Cherokee soon and Id like to have a idea of what I am about to get ..

 

All 2000 and 2001 Cherokees come from the factory with the 0331 head.

 

I stole this pic off Google:




Didn't some of the '99s have them also? I thought they switched mid-year.

 

If you don't think you can afford to replace the head someday, then yeah, sell it now.

I am religious with maintenance on my XJ, still ended up with a cracked head... but I caught it early enough to save the motor. Put on a new head (ended up needing an oil pressure sensor too), and it's good to go. Spent maybe $800 when all is said and done (gasket kit, head bolts, thermostat, this, that and the other thing), but I did the work myself so that's what kept cost down.

Routine maintenance will not prevent a cracked head. It might never happen, and if it doesn't, you're lucky... but there's nothing you can do to prevent it. I never overheated my motor, never even got it REALLY hot or anything. Early oil changes, so on and so forth - still happened.

 

I think the moral of the story here is....if it ain't broke, don't fix it!