[quote=Leedsman;342376]I can't believe I'm reading this:--

"I just bought a 2006 s type 3.0. when I brought it home the first thing I did was check the oil. Nothing showd up on the dipstick which freaked me out cause I thought there was no oil in the engine and I had driven 45 miles home from the dealer. so I decided to..." (Copy&paste).

A dealer sold you a car with an improper amount of oil in the engine? AND when you renewed the oil you got a "tapping noise"?

If that were me, I'd be right back to that dealer demanding my money back PRONTO!!!

All sorts of reasons,
1) I'd be suspicious the car was full of faults, and the previous owner has decided to "get shot of it" rather than pay out horrendous money to rectify.
2) Any dealer who can't be bothered to at least check oil/water/etc. like any conscientious owner would is to be kept well clear of.
3) When engine bearings, hydraulic tappets etc. get worn or if the oil pressure is low, start to make noise, a quick "cure" is to feed a can of thick polymer made by STP etc. into the oil to quieten things. It also reduces heavy oil consumption due to wear.
EVEN AT HIGH MILEAGE, Jaguar engines don't normally burn/consume oil -- so why was the oil level off the dipstick in your car? I'd be suspicious that engine had had the STP treatment. Did you keep the old oil? Useful if you did as evidence.
I don't know the law in your area, but in UK a dealer is responsible for the cars he sells "being fit for purpose" whether they be second-hand or not. The Sale of goods act, and the Provision of goods and services act apply in UK.
Leedsman.[/quote

Yeah... there was nothing I can do though because the car was sold with papers saying as-is. This experiance makes me not want to buy a used car ever.

 

More than likely, yes... Remember.. The 3.0 holds approx. 7 quarts of oil..

 

Well David, fully understand your feelings, when I was younger, I got caught too. Learned that all experience is either painful or expensive, and sometimes both - and that one applies to legal and marital partic!
So as you bought the car "as seen, no guarantee, no warranty", we need a rescue package for you. There are many knowledgeable contributors here to help in this respect. You just have to go through the long haul of fixing all the problems, starting with engine oil.
BTW, re. your sentiments about not buying second-hand anymore, even new cars can have problems, and the vendor doesn't always bring satisfaction over these, if the hundreds of www. complaints I've read are anything to go by. There are personal procedures to go through:--

Check the outfit you're buying from -- if it's a big one, just Google their name plus "complaints". You'd be amazed at what turns up. Easy and costs nothing.

If you're not to au fey with car buying, take someone with you who is. There are even enterprizing firms who will help for a small fee. In UK it's the RAC and the AA who do most of this.

Read up on the things to look for, e.g.

Listen if the driver's door sounds VERY different from the others when you shut it.
Run your fingers gently over the tyre treads feeling for "feathering" or other improper wear.
Do the usual worn pedal rubbers, shiny steering wheel, worn seats etc., etc.
Run your fingers down every panel-joint checking for improper fit.
Walk round the car SLOWLY, checking for very slight paint color/sheen differences -- no hand-sprayed paint can look quite like the factory job (unless you spend time and money which defeats the seller's objective).
Only check engine when it's fully HOT after a drive, lift the oil filler cap carefully at hot-idle checking for the 'wind' coming out indicating worn bores/pistons.
Check autobox for slurry changes, torque converter shudder, again when fully hot.
Make a point of looking for EVERY tell-tale deliberately.

ETC., ETC., ETC., ETC.

You really have to focus when buying a second-hand car, and it's not easy when in the seller's arena, he's giving you the blarney and subtle soft-soap, it's a nice day and you're starting to fall in love with a car. Just be like me -- cynical...

Leedsman.

 

Isn't it very bad to remove the oil filler cap with engine running - apart from any mess you'll cause a MIL won't you?

 

I took the oil pan down to have a look at the crank. Didn't see or feel nothing wrong. tried looking for metal pieces in the pan and didn't find any and I even filtered out the motor oil and didn't find any. One thing that I forgot to mention is that the same day I changed the oil I also added lucas fuel injector cleaner to the tank. I'm wondering if the noise could have some thing to do with a bad fuel injector maybe? If I listen to the fuel injectors with a stethiscope what should I hear from a "in-working order" injector while the car is idleing and at op-temp?

 

I can say that injectors for diesels CAN cause a tapping noise (I AM aware your injectors are petrol BTW for picky readers), so I suppose it's just possible for a petrol injector to have a slight clatter, although the petrol pressure being so low it's unlikely. Your stethoscope is a good idea, but if you aren't in the medical profesion, I've found a long screwdriver to the ear is a reasonable substitute. My first 'listen' would be around the tappets, as even hydraulic ones can tap if unserviceable or the oil pressure is low, or there is an oil blockage to the feed -- possible knowing the history! I'm very glad there seems to be no damage to your engine.
Leedsman.

 

Could a bad fuel injector cause the engine to knock from injecting to much or to little fuel into the cylinder? I was thinking of having my injectors cleaned or replaceing them with new ones and see what happens.

 

I've not known a bad petrol injector to cause this knocking problem, BUT it's always a good idea to keep injectors clean, (by removing them and using an ultrasonic cleaner to clean), otherwise fuel consumption goes up. Bad atomization of the liquid petrol into large drops, + some dribbling of neat petrol is the reason for poor economy here. BTW, injector cleaners you put in the petrol aren't very effective. Same applies even more to diesel injectors. You just have to haul them out and take them to the cleaners. Oh, BTW#2, don't pay a fortune for new injectors if you haven't at least cleaned the originals first! Modern injectors, partic. diesels are frighteningly expensive, and that's not a rip-off.
Re. "classic" knocking, meaning what is oft called "pinking" or "knock-ping" -- a symptom of spurious end-gas ignition due to shock waves in the combustion chamber, is usually caused by maladjusted ignition timing in practice. Or sometimes the wrong low octane petrol. Today however, engines are designed to run on no-lead petrol which is only moderate octane. Also the micro monitors "knocking" with an acoustic sensor and will retard spark timing if knocking is detected. Retarded ignition reduces the shock wave impact on the end gas. But again, fuel consumption and power suffer here. Suffice it to say, if a Jaguar engine is genuinely "knocking" there's something wrong! You want to know what sort of "knocking" your own engine has. Here's how to decide --

Go out and drive the car until the engine is fully warm.
When doing, say 30mph., suddenly accelerate as hard as you can, if safe.
If you get a sound like someone rattling a chain vigorously under the bonnet, which disappears when you lift off your foot -- then you have classic "knocking" as described.

If the knocking is continuous no matter how you drive, it could be tappets, or a bearing. Low oil pressure would be noticed too. Under these conditions, you need around 60lb/sq" as a ball-park fig. If your oil pressure falls A LOT at idle, you have bearing wear problems. You need at least 15 to 20lb/sq" at idle, otherwise the hydraulic tappets don't pump-up properly.

A heavy tapping-knock that shows under acceleration only and disappears as soon as you lift off your foot will be worn/damaged big-end bearings. A deep heavy rumble all the time shows worn/damaged main bearings.

If your Jaguar petrol engine has done a lot of miles, remember funny noises can come from the timing chain and its tensioner if it's not a cambelt job. On mine, the noise was capricious, sometimes there, sometimes not. It was a "tinkling" sound, most obvious at idle.

Hope this helps....
Leedsman.

 

hey guys, I took the jag to a muffler shop 2 days ago cause im still trying to figure out that noise thats driving me nuts. They found an exhaust leake comming from the two exhaust clips that is center between the cats and the muffler. I had seen it before but didn't see it as the problem becaus the noise is more noticable near the engine so I find it hard to believe thats the problem. I havent had them fix it yet because I need the car to get to work. Ive also been having a rough idle issue when starting the engine cold. It idles fine just alot of vibration in the stearing wheel until it reaches op-temp after that it's very smooth. could that exhaust leak be causing this as well? or may be the thicker oil I put in (5w40 which the mechanic at jaguar suggested trying for the tick sound)?

 

Rough idle could be an air leak - such as intake gaskets or PCV hose - which seal (better, maybe not perfectly) as they warm up. Plenty of threads so try Search

(Fuel trims will confirm - covered in the threads.)

 

hey guys, havent had time to take the car to the muffler shop to get the leak fixed yet but when I do I'll let you guys know it that was the problem. sorry if Im obssessing over the low oil issue I'm just woundering as to why the "check oil light" didn't pop up when there was only 3qts oil in the engine. How low would the oil have to be for the light to come on? is 3qts enough to cycle through out the whole engine? Im just woundering if the engine might have lots of wear from being driven with 4qts low out of 7. even if the tap noise is from the exhaust leake Im still not going to have peace of mind because of the low oil issue unless a certified jag tech on this sight says otherwise.

 

Well, I'm no "certified" jag tech so I'm probably waisting my time... But, as I said before... If the light never came on, it is more than likely fine. Also, the light is not a level indicator but a pressure indicator. If for some reason your oil pump failed with a full crankcase the light would come on. So, despite being VERY low, there was still enough oil to keep the pressure where it needs to be...hence my comments that it is highly unlikely that any real damage occured... But, by all means, check with the experts...

 

hey guys I was doing some research on this forum on the STR since Im thinking about trading the 06 in for one and came across a thread where one guy had a ticking noise that sounded like it was comming from the supercharger. turns out that it was a burnt coil pack that was causing a miss, no check engine light and thats what was making the noise. So I thought I might look into it, but befor I get under the hood and start taking the intake off to get to the other three what should I see if this could be my problem?

 

You might see something or nothing. But if a coil is missing so often your OBD should reveal it, even if it's not so bad that a code is thrown. Look at the fuel trims. But better - look at misfire counters. Any suitably advanced OBD tool for the S-Type (but not the cheap ones) can probably do that.

Obviously, check for pending codes in case they point you straight to a bad coil.

 

Dave, It's not burnt coils. Before I thought your motor was toast I also mentioned that the cam followers on the 3.0 are weak. They can crack or twist, making a ticking noise. The oil change may have disrupted cam geometry.