What I'm stuck on is locking the cams.
i have cylinder 1 on the righthand side (when sitting in the car) at tdc but the flat spots on the cams are not lined up so I can't put the tool on to lock the cams.
also when I was turning the crank with the ratchet the intake cam would stop turning the it would start turning again.
right

Left

 

You don't time the motor at TDC. You lock the crankshaft at the crank pksition sensor. Give me a few minutes to look up the proceedure.

 

Page 26 of the engine assembly section describes procedure.

http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...Code%20168.pdf

When you turn the engine only turn it in s clockwise direction.

 

You need the CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR not the camshaft position sensor. The crank sensor is under the car on the engine side of the bellhousing.

 

Do you have a guide for doing timing, or the FSM, or JTIS installed? Both the FSM and a timing chains/tensioners guide are available here https://www.mediafire.com/?oc5ad7qbl2j6t the guide is under DIY Files, and the FSM is under Tech Guide towards the bottom (called x308 workshop manual I think).

Do you have the tool kit for doing timing? You will need a special locking pin for locking the crank in the correct place. Are you doing only secondaries or both primaries and secondaries? If doing primaries, you will need a pulley locking tool or some way to do so. Don't use the crank locking pin for that, the torque to loosen the crank pulley bolt will bend the locking slot in the flywheel and you will be pulling the engine and swapping flywheels then.

It looks like your exhaust cam has already jumped a tooth since the flats aren't lined up, so you caught this barely in time to prevent damage, hopefully. You'll need to loosen the bolt holding the sprocket while slowly clamping down the locking bar, so that the cam can rotate into the correct position. Both of those are done together, so the locking bar is half-clamped to keep the cam from rotating the other way, etc. if that makes sense, or there could be another way to align the cams to sit flat under the locking bar.

 

What will the mark on the flywheel look like?
i also drove the car to its spot now to replace the valve cover gaskets
here are the tools I have

 

And the reason I'm doing the timing is because of this

 

That's the tool kit I was talking about in the earlier image.

Look in the link BobRoy posted, on page 23/174 it shows the drive plate and the slot in there. You'll need to take off the rubber cover on the engine side near the bell housing bottom and watch for a mark, I think it's a triangle sort of thing. The locking pin goes in place of the crank pos sensor, which will be near there. It should drop in all the way once it's in the right spot. I think mine used the silver one, the only difference between the two is that one will be rotated from the other - they both fit, but only one will have the bolt "tang" line up with the crank sensor bolt. Or you could do what I did the second time when I was feeling a bit lazy, since the rubber thing is a pain to r&i, you hold the locking pin in place and gently press down while slowly rotating the crank, and wait until it drops in. Probably not a factory-approved move though :P

If you're doing primaries and taking off the front cover and crank pulley, you'll still need a crank pulley holding tool. Do a search on the x308 forums, lots of methods have been done.

 

Ok I need to wait for my brother to help me take the hood off and bring a impact gun for the crank pulley. Also when I get that tool in the flywheel and the cams still don't line up do I just take the chains off then put the cam locking tool on when I put the cams in the right position?

 

The way I get the locking tool in the crsnk sensor is get your good side head cams flat. This will get the slot in the flexplate very close to where you need it. The cam locking tool will slide into that slot when it is aligned and the bolt that was holding the crank sensor in will be used to keep the locking tool in place. It will ysle one or the pther locking tool you have in you kit. I'm not positive but I think the AJ26 & AJ27 motors use different locking tools.

 

You should use the correct balancer removal tool.

If you just use an impact gun the crank will probably just turn. You don't want to use the crank locking tool to remove the balancer. If you do there is the possibility of damage to flexplate or its housing. If you use an inpact gun you will need a large one. The bolt is on with more than 264ft lbs.I use the crank removal tool with a breaker bar and the put a 4ft piece of pipe over the bar to gove me enough force to break the bolt loose.

 

Ok got the pulley/harmonic balancer noticed it needed to be replaced till I dropped it now it has to be replaced. And I got the front cover off to pictures will follow

 

Also when I get that tool in place where the crank sensor is. And the flat spots on the camshafts still don't line up. do I take the timing chains off then move the cams to the right position? Or is there a other way that you guys do it?

 

Again a nice example of plastic guides crack and fall apart. Mine were all crumbling away. Those of the other cars (I've done a total of 19 timing chain jobs since Januar 2016 and all of them had cracking guides!) are the same... DON'T only do the top tensioners. The lot or nothing...

Are you replacing the front oil seal at the same time? I'd highly recommend doing it. You'll otherwise bite your tongue if you don't as it will leak shortly after.

Good luck sourcing a new pulley! Jaguar doesn't offer them anymore. You MIGHT be able to use one from a later model, unless they changed that.

 

For taking the chains off to align cams - yes. Assuming you got a new kit with fresh chains and all, you may as well put the new chains on. There is also a procedure when putting the new chains and tensioners on, to put tension on the chains using shims while tightening down the cam sprocket bolts. I know the XJ8 has some extra steps due to the VVT, but I wouldn't know since I haven't done that.

Crank pulleys are very hard to find, though since it's an xj8 you might get lucky. You might be able to find them on ebay, or from another forum member. I've read that the x350 pulleys will work, but you will need to get a 6rib belt in the right length in place of the 7rib, and they may interfere with the front cover, so you would need an x350 front cover.

+1 on the oil seal, I got a kit for the front cover seals that included the front oil seal and something that I think was an oil pump seal. Didn't realize what the oil pump seal was until after everything was back together, hopefully it won't come back and haunt me... But even so, I think it was the wrong style seal - of the two front cover seals, I think the outer didn't fit on my car, since it used the older style seal with the round sections in the front cover. Ended up reusing and RTVing my old outer seal... I'm not sure if the new outer seal I have would work on 00-03 fronts, or only x350. Because of this I think the oil pump seal was also the newer style compared to mine... Bit off topic but stuff to keep in mind. You can also just order OEM and be sure you'll get the right fit.

 

I have a spare balancer if you want to shoot me a PM.

On mine I ordered a complere gasket kit fot the Lincoln LS, figure I save a nickel but it cost me a dime. As nalanium mentioned there is a slight difference. I had to buy a Jaguar specific.

Did you buy a kit for your timing chains. Every kit but one that I have seen has the wrong guides. Some have used the guides but my research showed that they were for a later model. You can get the cottect guides from SnG Barrett.

 

Bear with me while I endeavor to take this god awful sensor off

 

Ok I'm stumped I put the tool in the flywheel but the flat spots on all 4 cams are upside down. Are there 2 holes that tool can go in or what?

 

You're 180° off. Remove the lock tool, rotate the engine 1 revolution, and you should be close. That's why I said to get the cam flats first. Your getting there. Post if you have any other problems.

 

I have a question. Sense I'm this far should I pull the heads off and do the head gaskets?
Also thanks for all the help I'm going to call it quits today got the chains off.