How hard is this for a newbie? Is there a step by step guide somewhere?

I have new filter, drain plug washer and o-rings for loop where oil cooler is in some markets.

 

Are you a newbie just to Jags or a newbie to do-it-yourself auto servicing?

The oil change on your Jag is just the same as any ordinary car so if you've done it on any other car, you can do it on your Jag.

Or are we starting from scratch here?

Cheers
DD

 

It's pretty straightforward. It may shock you the amount of oil it requires. The pressure of the oil flooding out can knock the nut out of your hands and you need to be careful to position your catch pan so that it accepts the oil.

You'll need a larger than usual spanner for the nut.

I think there are pictures in another forum, jag-lovers.org maybe???

Someone else will chime in soon and give you some ideas.

 

New to auto servicing. I've done the plugs and wheel bearing tighten but that's about it

I've seen guides for other cars and I feel pretty confident... as long as there are no jaguar specific "surprise".

I'm still not sure which oil to use though, there seems to be some debate from jaguar forums. my car is quite high kms (280), and that seem to affect oil choice? And also I read on jaglovers that plug washer is copper, but the one I have looks like steel and rubber. Thats OK?

 

I looked over at Jag-lovers - the most visited Jaguar enthusiast site on the Planet! and could not find x300 specific pics on an oil change, here are my directions from the manual.

1. Undo and remove the sump plug positioned at the rear of the sump, drain the engine oil into a suitable receptacle and dispose of it in an environmentally safe manner.

2. Replenish the engine oil to the correct level on the dipstick.

That's exactly what the manual says.... So you must remember that if you are renewing the filter to do so when the oil is emptied from the system. When putting the filter on simply make sure your hands are clean and only tighten it as hard as your hand can make it. The manual strictly forbids the use of a tightening strap of any kind. Possibly because it is such a large filter it may collapse easily under pressure. The exact wording states: "The normal tightening torque of the oil filter is a 3/8 to 1/2 turn after initial contact."

As far as oil goes I may start an argument, but my dad says that you should use oil with less detergents in older cars because the deposits they scrub away may just be at the tolerances your engine needs to perform correctly. Perhaps he has a point. I am told that "high mileage" oils are just that, more oil and less additives.

Personally, I use Valvoline High Mileage. But there are others who will tell you it doesn't matter a hill of beans what you use. I also add a container of Lucas Oil Stabilizer to each change to increase the "stickiness" of my oil to prevent the dry startup sound these engines sometimes have.

Good luck man. You can do anything you set your mind to.

 

thanks jack. does anyone else have an idea about 5/30 vs 10/40 vs 20/50 before I buy?

 

use 25/50. people suggest it. these cars love thick oil

 

In the winter I use 10/30, in the summer I use 20/30 both with a bottle of Lucas. It gets around and below freezing here in the winter and I only have a carport not a garage, so it can get a little like butter

 

My car had a fresh change of 15w-40 in it when I bought it. Put 5k mi. on that with no makeup oil. Changed to Valvoline 10w-30 Synthetic. Not exactly sure but I think it took me 2 or 2.5 qts makeup oil to get to 5k mi. Switched that to Valvoline 20w-50 VR1 Racing oil and I'm at 5k on it with 1 qt of makeup oil. Considering trying a 5w-40 Synthetic if I can find it for the next change.

Brutal advised me to try Engine Restore. I haven't taken that step yet. Runs great, no leaks, no visible smoke. Brutal, Motorcarman, and others with years of Jag experience have counseled the heavier oils for these.

There's probably more than one thread and more opinions than a leopard has spots on the topic if you do a search...

BTW:
Oil: AVG MPG
10W30 Syn: 20.9 (Sep 10 - Jan 11)
20W50: 19.8 (Jan 11 - Present)
15w40: 20.6 (Aug10 - Oct 10)

Not sure what effect the weather may've had on mpg....car is garaged so no extended idling for deicing or anything like that.

 

as nobody else has mentioned it:

Do not, under any circumstances, get under the car unless it is solidly supported by at least two means. The jack alone is not sufficient. Cement blocks are no good because they crumble. Use proper jackstands or ramps built for the purpose.

If there is *any* movement while under the car, immediatley get out from under the car.

 

Plumsauce, that was perhaps the most important thing said all day. Thank you for having the good sense to emphasize something that the rest of us take for granted. This is the number one key to oil change. SAFETY!!! ABSOLUTELY!!!

 

From memory this is the procedure I used for the X300:

1) Give the car a short run to warm the oil and kick up any sediments.

2) Make sure the car is on a good level surface, in Park, handbrake on, rear wheels chocked on both sides.

3) Jack just enough (on too much of an angle the car might not drain properly) and secure with jack stands or heavy wooden blocks.

4) Remove oil cap in engine bay.

5) Remove sump oil plug and drain into suitable container. (be careful of hot oil)

6) Remove oil filter, drain, and ensure that it hasn't left any of it's rubber seal behind.

(I ususally leave things to drip for half an hour here)

7) Remove the oil cooler bypass loop and re install with new O-Rings.

8) Now clean up the mating/sealing surfaces for the sump plug and oil filter.

9) Re-insert plug with new washer. Do not overtighten.

10) Pre-fill new filter half way and moisten the rubber seal with oil.

11) Install filter and tighten as far as you can by hand. Do not use a tool to overtighten.

12) Pour in the majority of your new oil, check level with dipstick. Top up level carefully. DO NOT OVERFILL.

13) Screw on oil cap, and take another short drive, then check thoroughly for leaks.

14) After the car has been sitting overnight, re-check oil level and top up if necessary.

I use 20w/50 as I understand it's recommended for high mileage cars and the climate here is temperate.

And yes, most of those sump plug washers are now metal with a rubber seal around the inner edge.

Dispose of used oil in a way that is considerate to the environment

(errr... actually I'm not sure if slathering it over my back yard trebuchet is environmentally friendly, but I don't like to see waste)

Have I forgotten anything?

 

Dont do what i did and use a 5 litre pan to catch 8 litre of oil

Made a slight mess of the drive and my dad wasn't too happy lol

 

Welcome to the forum mate...

There is obviously an excellent write up from Oubadah before this post.

But what i did first time I did a job on a car search on youtube for a small video clip

The first oil change I did on the X300 I contacted the oil supplier chap on my forum for my 420G.

He came back with this answer for my my '97 x300

"Hi Clive

I would use a 5w-40 synthetic and you will find those through the link below.

5w-40 engine oil | 5w40 oil

Out of those, the best ones are the Fuchs/Silkolene Pro S, Motul 300V, Redline and Gulf Competition. The Motul 8100 X-Cess, Millers XFS, Fuchs Supersyn and Mobil Synt S are good, cheaper alternatives.

As a budget choice, a 10w-40 will be fine and I would either go for the Fuchs XTR, Millers XSS or Motul 6100

10w-40 car engine oil | 10w40 oil "

Hope it helps and good luck

 

For the record :
Oil filler plug : 30m spanner/wrench
Plug washer : M20 dowty washer
Refill : 8 litres

AndyP

 

... typo - I should have put 30mm spanner !

 

One more thing:
Use thick lathex gloves, oil is cancerogen and can burn your skin, so prevent that to.
Lots of rags, old Tshearts, for cleanup, and carbord undernith car just to protect surface from spiling.