i am looking for some input and/or advice. i have an opportunity to pick up a nice 1 owner 1998 xj8 that needs head gaskets(so i am told). in pondering this i am considering all of the alternatives: how much will a head job cost at a shop and is it really necessary, can i do it myself? are nikasil engines really bad and if all else fails...what engines will swap into this car...ie, lincoln ls?

 

Whatever the cost it will be half of what it costs in Australia. I may be qualified to quote head job prices here but not in the US.
I would be thinking all depends on the overall condition and the cars price.Jury is still out on Nicasil blocks but most think if it has made it 'til now (insert miles travelled) it will keep on going.
You seem unsure if the heagasket/s need doing. What are the symptoms? Some have done head gaskets themselves usually using advice found within the forum. I am sure with some information you will get better advice.

 

Welcome to the forum Cheezygrits,

You should find out from the vendor exactly WHY it needs head gaskets. If the answer is that it lost all coolant and was seriously overheated, then it is unlikely gaskets alone will fix this and it will probably need new heads. If compression is down because of worn Nikasil bores, that's an entirely different issue.

Jaguar engine work is expensive and the vendor is almost certainly offloading a costly problem. The purchase price needs to reflect the worst case scenario of sourcing and fitting a replacement engine.

Graham

 

+1 with GGG. 1998 was the first year of Nikasil lined engines. Great when the lining is intact. However, once it cracks that engine becomes a very large paperweight. Depending on your budget and your intentions with the car, I would look at a 2001 or newer XJ. The parts for these cars are not cheap and the repairs can get a bit complex. So, everything you will save upfront may be spend (and then some) on bringing the car back from the dead.

 

story on car is that it belonged to a lady who died and left it to her granddaugther, who didn't want to fix it and sold it to this guy. it has 120,000 miles, so at least the nikasil worked for awhile. he took it to a shop to have it checked out. they had it running, but it would shut down after reaching operating temperature and they declared it head/gasket problems.
to me, that could be anything like a water pump, thermostat etc.
but the way i am looking at this is i am basically buying a pig in a poke, so to speak....a nice body, interior and wheels. that is why i was wondering what other engines might swap into this chassis. lincoln ls engines are not all that expensive or hard to find.... or possibly a later model xj engine.

 

That's an interesting diagnosis they've made.

The way to start troubleshooting the actual cause would be to have the codes read and check the compressions.

If the purchase price is right and factors in the possibility of having to do an engine swap, you could be in for a nice surprise if it's something as simple as a faulty sensor.

Graham

 

Very interesting Cheezygrits
Poses more questions,like who are "they" that concluded head gaskets and by what means did they measure operating temp? If "they" were looking at the temp gauge that would be a problem in itself. OBD readout is the ONLY way to see engine temperature.
There seems no reason to suspect the Nikasil block is at fault/or faulty. It could be a great find for you and a possible easy fix,you just need to find a Jag mechanic for correct diagnosis.