96-98 are the same 95 and below are different mainly just interior stuff

 

they are much different than just interior stuff.

 

The 98 limited's, some of them didnt have the gold accent on them i belive, the gold rims and gold writing ect. They had differenty name plates on the doors, and the rims were silver. Correct me if im wrong. I know i've seen 98's that are gold, but i have seen some that arent and im not talking about the special edition.

The 98's i think had a update to the computer software i think but other then these things i cant think of anything else. They are pretty much identical, im sure the 98 has some minor tweaks to it that were different from a 96 because of the year difference but nothing major.


The 93-95's, had different a body clading i belive, and different name plates, and the name was painted on vs having name plates on some parts of the body, the v8's has the v8 5.2 name plate vs the normal V8 for the 96-98's. The interior was totally changed, and the transfercases's were different NP242 and NP242J ect. Rims werent different, stuff like that

 

I think they changed the tranny cooler setup with the tow package for '98 IIRC, and the '96 might not have the flip out glass in the rear hatch, but other than that they're just about identical.

When looking at a 96-98, I'd let condition/mileage determine my purchase, not year, as it really doesn't make a difference.

 

the '96 might not have the flip out glass in the rear hatch, but other than that they're just about identical.

When looking at a 96-98, I'd let condition/mileage determine my purchase, not year, as it really doesn't make a difference.

My 96 has the glass flip out but it might not have been standard equipment. That said, I agree - condition/mileage should determine the purchase.

The only big thing is, that the 96 year, was the first to have OBDII instead of OBDI. some of the first models (Produced in late 95) only had OBDI. Mine is from March 1996 and has OBDII. You can see which it has on the top of the radiator in the engine bay. In case you don't know the difference, OBD allows you to connect a special tool to the vehicle and pull very specific codes to see what exactly is wrong when e.g. a warning light comes on. OBDII is more detailed than OBDI. Usually only garages carry these computers.

I hope you checked especially the tranny and TC. These are the 2 big things that should be in top condition when getting a ZJ.

 

96 still maintained an external fuel filter , 98 is inside the gas tank . Other than that , they should be pretty much identical mechanically

 

96-98 had the notched front bumper while the 93-95 models were straight across under the grill. I think just about everything is interchangeable between 96 and 98.

 

'97 and '98 used a different ABS (Teves Mk20 vs. Mk IV on '96 and earlier). '98 got the locking tab on all (or most of) the underhood connectors, which makes the sensors not interchangeable with earlier years. '98 was also the first year that started programming the VIN into some of the modules

 

My 96 Laredo has flip out glass

 

96 and up the flip glass was standard. you could special order a laredo without only in 96.

 

I think not. Flip glass was the option on a 96? Mine is a Laredo with lift gate.

 

96 98

Are the trannys the same 96 to 98 grand cherokee 4.0? Or would any other fit my 96 grand cherokee?

 

Dumb question time. What is Flip Glass? Is that where the back window opens independent of the lift gate?

 

Yes

 

It may be worth going for the 96 because the 97 and 98 have the fuel pump module rather than independent regulator, filter and pump. This is not a big issue if you have a well equipped shop or you are willing to cut a hole in the chassis to change the fuel module

Also, with the 98, a code reader must be used to determine why the check engine light is on, plus, when (not if) the PCM goes out, the replacement may require dealer programming.