Hey. I am writing in hope that someone here would be kind enough to advise me.

I have a 1996 Jaguar XJR X300/X306 that has not been started in more than ten years. I have been searching for a fool-proof set of procedures for preparing the engine to be started, but am still unclear on a few points, hence the need to consult someone more knowledgeable.

When the car was put away, it was not prepared for long-term storage; I only changed the engine oil (semi-synthetic) and filter, and the transmission oil and filter, but did not run the engine afterward. There is approximately a third of a tank of old fuel.

I had a friend check inside the cylinder bores / combustion chambers with a digital borescope / endoscope. It is difficult to make out much detail, as the picture quality of the device is not that great. The cylinder sleeve walls look fine, with no signs of corrosion. The piston tops look a little rough to me; there appears to be some kind of silver-colored coating that is flaking off, and maybe some corrosion (it is hard to tell). On the side camera shots, this coating appears black, so presumably these are actually carbon deposits. Some of the valve seating surfaces appear to have minor surface corrosion, and some have what looks like slight corrosion creep into the hollow exhaust port behind the valve seating area. There appears to be some varnish-like deposits at the top of the cylinders, near the edges of the valve heads.

I am a little concerned that some grit could have entered the bores from the borescope probe; is it OK to use a vacuum cleaner in there, or is that likely to suck in debris from the exhaust?


Engine rotation:

Before I attempt to rotate the engine, what oil should I put in the bores? - engine oil, ATF, 'Marvel Mystery Oil', or diesel? Should compressed air be used to distribute the oil? The exhaust has catalytic converters, which I understand can be damaged by oil, but I am more concerned with preventing engine damage caused by dry bores.

Assuming the engine is not seized, is it OK to turn it over by hand using the crankshaft pulley bolt (with the spark plugs removed), or should I try to get hold of the appropriate Jaguar service tool and use that? Should the belts be removed when doing this?

I read that the engine should only be rotated clockwise (standing in front of the engine, looking at the front of the engine / timing chain end), is that correct?

Is it OK to turn the engine over with the old (but unused) engine oil, or should that be changed first?

Is it necessary to remove the camshaft cover and pour oil over the camshafts? I think the cams sit in little 'baths' that retain oil when the engine is not running; is that correct? Might the bearings be dry though?

I guess I should also check that the water pump is not seized.


Fuel system flush:

Is it sufficient to siphon out as much old fuel as possible through the tank filler pipe, and flush the fuel lines, or will the whole system need to come apart and be thoroughly cleaned? I heard that any 'varnish' that enters the engine can ruin it; is that true?

How would I go about flushing the fuel lines? Could that be done by attaching a can of aerosol carburetor cleaner after the fuel filter? Presumably, I would then need to flush out any remaining cleaner with compressed air?


Coolant flush:

I am located in an area with very hard water; scale build-up is very bad, so I am thinking that I will need to run the supply through a scale inhibitor (salt-free catalytic, TAC), prior to flushing out the old coolant with a garden hose. Is this necessary or indeed effective?

The cooling system appears to be quite extensive on the XJR; it looks like the system will need flushing at multiple points. Is there an accepted method of doing this in order to get a thorough flush? (I intend to switch to OAT coolant, 50/50 with deionized water.)

The engine block coolant drain plug is difficult to reach; is it OK for that amount of tap water to remain in there?


Pre-oiling:

Once I have confirmed that the engine is not seized, is there a procedure for 'pre-oiling' before I attempt to turn it on the starter or fire it? Will turning the engine over by hand cause the oil to be pumped around?

Also, at what stages of this whole operation should I be changing the oil? If this has to be done more than once, is it OK to use a cheaper mineral oil the first time? What is the current recommended engine oil for these AJ16 engines? Is the drastic reduction of ZDDP in oil a concern? Is 15w/40 diesel mineral oil a good option for the first change? What about the supercharger oil?


Having carried out all of the above, this is what I have next:

1. Remove fuel pump relays (2nd comes in at 4,000 RPM), disconnect coils, and remove spark plugs.
2. Crank the engine using the starter motor until oil pressure registers on the gauge.
3. Put the plugs back in, reconnect everything, and fire it up.

Does that sound right? What is the recommended RPM to run at after it fires, and for what period?


If there is someone experienced out there that is able to answer these questions, I would be very grateful.

Thank you.



Keywords: How to safely start an engine that has been sitting dormant for a long period of time.

 

Here are some pictures from the bore inspection, in case anyone is interested:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/g/album/21765261

 

There is a factory recommendation to not rev the engine up unless it is rolling , this may have to do with transmission cooling

If water got into the fuel rail somehow and has been sitting there for years there is the possibility the basket filters in each of the fuel injectors may have rust deposits clogging then

Someone had this accrue to them back in the homeland

Your supercharged fuel injectors are a different part number te the non - supercharged

 

I like to soak the cylinders in wd-40 (you can get it in gallon jugs from hardware store) or a mixture of diesel fuel and kerosene (use actual kerosene, not a substitute). Soak for a few days, then drain. Pour boiling hot marvel mystery oil into the cylinders and let it sit at least overnight. Drain the engine oil and replace with fresh oil prior to starting. The fluid you soaked cylinders with will get into the crankcase. You don't want to start engine with oil diluted by wd-40 or kerosene, it won't end well.

Pre-oiling: Crank the motor with plugs out using a starter until the oil pressure is good.

Of course, I would drain the tank and put fresh gas. Once the engine starts, I would run some fuel system cleaner through it. Techron has served me well for this purpose.

Never flush with tap water, distilled water is dirt cheap. Throw some "water wetter" into it, motorcycle stores usually have it in stock. Make sure you drain that stuff and replace with actual coolant before it gets cold.

Good luck.

 

For what it is worth, I dont think your cylinder bores/ pistons look all that bad, so I wouldnt stress about them particularly. Vacuuming the cylinders wont do any harm, and putting some light oil down them makes sense. Turning the engine over by hand with the plugs out is a good place to start, allowing you to assess how smoothly she turns, and establishing that none of the ancilliaries (alternator etc) are seized. Assuming this goes satisfactorily, I would drain the coolant and remove the fuel pump relays before trying to spin the engine on the starter, which should circulate oil and again afford an opportunity to assess how she seems.

Assuming this is all ok, draining the fuel tank and flushing the fuel lines as far as possible would seem like a plan. I would leave the injectors alone until you have some evidence whether they are stuck or not, so just crack the fuel rail connection and bleed the line.

I would be content to use the "old" oil for the time being, changing it once you have her running properly, and would be happy to flush the cooling system with tap water, and to use it for the initial start. If she starts, you can assess how she runs, and check her condition and look for leaks before investing in the correct fluids and maintenance procedures.

Others will have variations on these themes, and there are different approaches which you can take.

 

As above, nothing wrong with your cylinders and nothing to worry about there, bit of whatever oil you have in the cylinders is definitely a good idea, definitely flush old fuel, you can run pump directly of the battery if needs be and just crack a fitting under bonnet and point it to some container.
I think biggest issue will be with the injectors. I had approx 30 of them at one point, all sitting unused for a number of years and I think at least half of them were proper stuck and no amount of pulsing and current was able to free them up. With my old 40, when it came to starting it up after few years I had to keep taping injectors with a hammer and crank the engine for 5 minutes before slowly one by one they would start ticking. Similarly my XJS, only starts every 2 to 3 years and it takes a few minutes before all injectors and cylinders are firing.
Re coolant flush, I suggest running the engine for a while with one of these coolant flush fluids in, then draining it. At that point, fill it all up with water and run the car with the full heat on into the cabin until it gets to temperature and drop water from the lower rad hose(easiest to do from there) and repeat until you get clear water out. Think it literally took me 7 or more cycles before I got clear water out, last time I had to do it. It is crucial to have the heat on into the cabin, as its only then that the water is cycled through the entire system.

 

I had similar challenges in trying to rescue my 1995 XJR which stood in the open for three years, experiencing torrential rain, heat and moisture, and the four seasons. Expect bad fuel in the tank, water and mud in the bottom, fuel pump weak or dead, fuel filter bad, fuel rails rusty, fuel injectors rusty or partially clogged, starter stuck and engine with rust on top of the cylinders and cylinder walls dry. So before you turn the ignition key, you should avoid starting the engine without tackling these possibilities. The final preparation which my mechanic did was to soaked the cylinders with lubricant oil, and add some engine oil into the fuel tank, and try knock and turn the engine a few times a day.

 

My X300 had been standing for 10 years in a car port in Southern Spain. It was started every couple of months for the first few years and taken around the block. Battery maintenance was a problem and eventually I just removed it, covered the car and left it.



Last year it turned over for the first time in 7 years, but would not start.



The fuel filter and line were clogged with gunge (I'd put 3 gallons in the tank) so figured the same for tank contents. I had a friendly mechanic drop the tank and we cleaned out a good gallon of syrupy gunge that had clogged the sender and pump, having formed by evaporation over the years.

He fitted a new pump and sender before refitting the tank. After a service with new plugs, oil and filters it started on the button.

You may be lucky, as mine has been in the heat of south Spain for 10 years, but I would seriously encourage you to make sure your tank is cleaned.

Good luck to you.

Dave

 

Wow, thank you all very much for the comprehensive and helpful replies. I am going to go and digest this information, and expect to come back at some point with an update on the outcome (it will take me some time, so don't hold your breath!).

The car has been garaged the whole time, but the garage is not climate controlled, so it gets pretty damp in there due to the overly humid climate here in England.