Howdy guys & gals,

I'm a retired psychology professor from the University of Maryland. Teaching was an enjoyable career and occasionally missed.

A long time Jaguar fan, I'm hoping this XK8 4.0 will present fewer problems than my earlier E-Types. The car has been in storage for many years and only has 51,000 miles on it. Tires are on order and hoses are next. I read that aftermarket hoses are thicker than OEM, so if anyone has a source web link handy for such, please send that along.

Home is in the Ozark Mountains, Mountain Home, Arkansas to be specific. Life here is rural, laid back, clean water & air, and a grand place for outdoor sports of all kinds. I like hiking, fishing, and canoeing on the Buffalo River.

Any tips on getting this otherwise fine automobile road worthy after decades of storage will find open ears.

George

__________________
1997 XK8 drophead, 4.0
Has been in storage for many years
Prior Jaguars:
'63 E-Type drophead
'64 E-Type drophead
'67 E-Type 2+2

 

Hey George,
How are things going with your XK8? I'm here just across the river in North Mississippi. I just purchased my first Jag this month and have enjoyed driving it daily on my commute to work. Not very many members in this region, so things tend to be a little quiet here.

Danny

 

Hi Danny,

Right. I've not been inundated with chatty folks from my area. Good ole Barratt (parts supplier for Jaguars) has sent the last of my order for all new hoses and metal timing chain tensioners. I'm having a real hard time finding a mechanic and have narrowed it down to maybe one who has ever worked on a Ford 4.0 engine to install the tensioners. At first he said the engine had to be pulled to do the job, then I reminded him it is a 4.0 V-8, NOT a 4.0 V-6 (which has to be pulled). Anyway, I'll get plates this week and run it by his shop so he can look at it.

What year is your buggy?

George

 

I am a first-time Jag owner and bought a 2010 XF Premium from a guy that I know (which made me feel a little safer). It's kind of scary to read in different forums at some of the issues other Jag owners have with their cars. I've only had it a little less than a month and really enjoy driving it. I have two issues with mine: 1) a message that reads "TYRE PRESSURE SYSTEM FAULT", and have received several different reasons why and 2) a faint smell of gas in the cabin. There has been a recall for that issue involving a outlet flange...but my car didn't make the recall which is interesting. Thankfully the smell isn't too bad...until the warm summer months here in Mississippi. I am an hour from a Jaguar dealership in Memphis, but there are two mechanics that do work on imports in Tupelo, Mississippi which is where I work. The car only has 64,000 miles, so I am hoping I have some good years of driving remaining. I've never been one to drive a vehicle like a madman, so I am hoping that will be beneficial. Keep us posted on your progress with your Jag and by all means, post a few pictures of that jewel!

Danny

 

Hi Danny,

The gas smell might be the carbon filter canister that is meant to catch fumes, but when the gas tank is over-filled (gotta get that last drop in there) liquid gas gets into the canister and ruins it. A common problem with many kinds of cars, not just Jaguars. Usually, the canister replacement is horribly expense because the canister is up in the wheel well between the inner fender and body. A dealership could give you a cost estimate. The second problem is easy indeed. In each tire (tyre) attached to the air valve stem, is a tiny battery powered sending unit to (bluetooth) notify the computer that tire pressure is either high or low. Those batteries are good for about 10 years, then the whole valve stem/battery gets replaced. I bought some for my pickup (Ford) on eBay for $45 for the set of four.

You probably have a much nicer car than my own. I would not be afraid of unusual maintenance or sudden problems. I'm replacing all of my water hoses because the car sat for 20 years and rubber rots sitting still. The timing chain tensioners are being replaced because the originals had a failure prone plastic part (newer ones are all metal) but I do not know about your 2010 Premium. You could ask in the XK8 forum and probably get an answer in <24 hours. If yours is like mine (I believe so) you have a Ford engine and a legendary Mercedes automatic. That is pretty nearly a fool proof combination for reliability. With reasonable care, you should get many, many miles from your car.

The forums are full of various problems, most are experienced by a few owners, but certainly after looking over a forum full of problems it begins to make it look like the car is problem prone...that is not necessarily true. Like some other things that fascinate humans, problems seem to get more "air time" than the wonders of life...in this case, the wonders of driving a well designed luxury sports car....I might add well engineered.

Still, I would start a thread in the XK8 forum to see if there are any known problems with your car that you could head off with prevention, such as the chain tensioners I'm replacing.

All the best,
George

 

Thanks for the positive reinforcement. I guess you are right. People mainly discuss their issues on forums much more than praises. Purchasing the tire pressure sensors was going to be the first step in my troubleshooting of that message. As far as the smell of the gas...I'll have to evaluate that issue going forward.

Take care,
Danny

 

You have the right idea: Enjoy the car and don't sweat the small stuff.

I'm not the crazy driver I used to be, but when I bought new tires, I opted for the W rated high speed tires just in case I had a burst of insanity. It has happened.

All the best,
George

 

**** it, I'll be the first! Consider this a very belated welcome. I'm in NWA, Fayetteville to be exact. There's a British car club up here that I've yet to rendezvous with, despite my best intentions, but they have monthly meetings, an annual show, and a handful of tours around the region annually as well.

I've got an independent here that has become much more friend than mechanic who would be willing to take a crack at whatever you might need, if you wanted to make the journey. I know that's a pretty damn good drive, but luckily for us, it's about as good and as pretty of a damn drive as exists on planet Earth! There is actually a guy out in LA who markets and hosts a yearly Porsche tour of the Ozarks for like 3-4 days and I wanna say about 6-9k... Don't think it's worth it as a local, but the fact that he's been doing it for 20+ years is a testament to what good driving we have right in our back yard.
Anyway, I digress, I hope you get a notification and see this after the intervening years. When you inevitably find yourself in NWA drop me a line and I'm glad to meet, drink, and bitch about/praise Jaguar .

JP
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