I have been trying to find out how I knew to put 6 quarts in the kitty when changing the oil, but luckily I had a couple extra. I ended up putting in another 1/2 quart to total 6.5 quarts. After adding the 6 I took it for a little drive to check for leaks and burn off the oil on the exhaust (I wish I would have read about that one). I let her sit for a good 10+ minutes and found it at the half way point between the min and max marks. That's a lot of oil for this thing, but I don't mind.

a couple more things...I used 5W20 because it was what I had lying around. I didn't plan on keeping it in for long anyway (3,000 miles max), but you don't think it will cause much of an issue do you? I have some Mobil 1 5W30 I bought, but only 6 quarts. This interim oil change is to get rid of any sludge in the engine from the extended 10,000 mile oil changes it previously was getting. I'm just not a fan of that.

I also put some synthetic grease in the drive shaft support. I didn't have any noise, but an ounce of prevention...

I also have noticed the rear hoping when going over bridge expansion joints on corners. The rear really sags when accelerating and the right rear tire almost seems to lean in. I'm at right around 52K miles. Bumps are very harsh too. Think its shocks, sway bar links, control arm bushings???

Thanks for your input!

Sam

 

5W20 isn't going to hurt a thing. 5W30 is factory recommended. why not a fan of the 10K oil interval?? Have you ever considered getting an oil analysis? A real eye opener. Most conventional thought, especially in the US is changing oil way too soon.

 

Thanks Steve. I didn't think it would hurt it, since the oil I had was for my Mazda 6S I just sold and it has the same 3.0 Duratec short block. Who knows, maybe my gas mileage will go up a little.

I'm not a fan, because I believe the extended oil changes are the reason we have sludge problems these days. I don't think it is necessarily the oil, but the lack of filtering. There's only so much the filter can do before clogging up. I might as well change the oil if I'm changing the filter. Besides, I'm not doing much highway driving these days with it. Mostly stop and go, short trips, etc. I don't think I fit under the extended service category.

It's funny my Mazda oil changes were at 7,500 max with basically the same motor.

 

Hello everyone,

First time posting but been following for a long time.
5w20 is not going to do anything bad, most ford engines ask for 5w20 and run really well on it. If you are running syntec or other group 4 oils you will have NO problems with 10k mile changes as long as the motor is clean on the inside. I have been running 10k mile changes for a long time with all my vehicles having spotless motors.
Currently run 10k mile change on
2009 MB C300(wifes cage) M1 0w40
2008 Dodge Durango 4.7SLT (my cage) Syntec 5w20
2003 x-type 2.5 sport (sold)

 

You will find a bazillion opinions on oil change intervals, types, brands, etc. slenser you sound like you know what you are doing and you are not doing anything wrong that I can tell. Go with what you think is best, there is supporting evidence on the interwebs for just about any method or strategy.

I set my trip B when i do a change and when it hits 7500 it gets changed.

I will say I have used nothing but K&N oil filters on this car since it still had that new car smell and have no complaints and the nut they weld on the top makes it easy to get off should it become really tight. I trust you have found the trick of using the oil filter box to drape over the downpipe and allow the oil to run onto the box and then into the container and not onto the pipe.

I belive there is an FAQ for greasing the prop shaft with a grease needle. Pretty easy to do and is good prevention.

 

slenser, odds are, if your tires are leaning in at the top, then you need new bushings on the upper control arm for the rear tires. These bushings wear out and unfortunately, at the moment, there is no other option other than putting in a new arm there. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to also spend a little more and do the lower forward arms too. These will more than likely be just about due too. Unfortunately, that is going to be about $400 in parts ($100 per arm). Then you have another $100ish for a good alignment.

As for the rough ride, since you are under the car doing the arms, you will have a chance to look over the shocks. It is possible the shocks are starting to go and would need replacement. But, look them over and if you need to know how to check the shocks, let me know. It is pretty easy to do.

 

Thank you all for the advice! I will be checking the oil periodically to see if it starts changing color quickly or not. My next task is probably the transfer case and then the rear control arms.

The shocks seem like they are bad...not bouncy, but close. They have 52,000 miles on them, so they are likely bad.

Where can I get the rear control arms?

Sam

 

Are the shocks leaking? Or one leaking?

I have 8 years and 84k mi on the OEM shocks and they ride the same as they did new. So, don't jump to conclusions too quick on them.

 

Honestly, I haven't looked at them. I just feel the rear of the car pushes down too easy by hand and feels too bouncy on the rebound, plus it really seems to sag when launching from a stop. Maybe that's how it's supposed to be, but I'm not used to that type of suspension so it could be throwing me off.

Can I just take the rear wheel off to see if the control arm bushings are bad or does the control arm have to come off too?

Thanks,
Sam

 

Slenser, send and e-mail to ken@britishparts.com. he is a member here. Tell him you are part of this forum and he will hook you up. he should be able to get all the parts you need for that fix. If he can't, then I have had good luck with http://www.jaguarparts.com. They are a dealership out of Cleveland Ohio and have some pretty good prices. The big thing to keep in mind with Jaguarparts.com is that if you want the internet prices, you have to do everything through the internet. You can't find the price online and then call them to place the order.

 

Thanks Thermo! I'll look into that!

Great people make up a great forum...this is a great forum!

 

Color of the oil does not tell you much so dont go by that.

I would go to www.bobistheoilguy.com and read read and read. You will know more about oil in a day then you ever wanted.

Good luck

 

Agreed. Color tells you nothing. Guessing is old school. High tech way is to do an oil analysis. Blackstone is one lab that provides detailed analysis for a small cost....you'll be surprise at all you'll learn.

 

I believe the oil pan is located under the car in the front closer to the passengers side of the vehicle. I've change the oil in my other cars, but I've always taken my XJ8 to the dealer or another shop that specializes in foreign autos. I'm tired of paying a $100 for an oil change, so I'm planning on doing it myself. This is my first Jag so I get a little nervous when I touch it. Don't want to mess anything, it can be very expensive. Thanks for any help.

 

^ This is the X type forum dreamcar - best to go check with the guys in the XJ forum for specifics. But there is nothing special about changing the oil in your car.

 

Something to think about... short trips and stop and go traffic aren't any better than highway miles and in some ways worse. Short trips don't allow all the components to get up to operating temps or burn off condensation. Stop and go doesn't allow your engine to run optimally for any length of time. Each can cause deposits to accumulate quicker than under "normal" conditions.

When I buy a used car, I always opt for the one with highway miles verses city miles, all other things being equal.

 

Thanks. I'm new to the forum so still finding my way through. I did however receive an answer throught my XJ counterparts. Thanks again.

 

Understood. If you re-read my statement you will notice we are saying the same thing.