My recently purchased 98 XJ8 VDP (103K) is emitting the dreaded rattling sound. Mitchell's British Automotive (Culver City) advises removing the valve covers to replace the (presumed) 1st gen tensioners.

I know the parts don't cost that much but there's a lot of labor involved. My question is, how much is a reasonable charge for this update?

I thought about doing it myself but then discretion overcame valor. I'm thinking of taking it in on Tuesday, 7/5 so a timely response will be greatly appreciated.

 

Parts will be less than $180 if Ford parts are used, $400 if you get the Jaguar boxes. Your engine cannot use the low cost FelPro gasket set. I replaced mine in 4 hours and I had never done that before so that is about the time I would expect on a labor bill times their labor rate. That could range from $80 to $140.

That should work out to about $800 at an independent to $1200 at a Jaguar dealer.

It really is not a difficult task and there is plenty of information on this forum and lots of folks to help.

Please take care of this immediately as I would hate to see another Jaguar engine die.

 

Not as difficult as you may think- if you take your time and take pictures, you will be fine. I am going to do it as PM when I get the next one since it was so easy on my current XJ8. It can be done in a couple of hours- if you work slow and methodically, a Saturday. If you are a perfectionist, Saturday and half of Sunday. I am in Orange County, so feel free to contact me if you have questions etc.

 

Thanks for the encouragement! If you don't mind please let me know exactly which parts you used and where you got them. Also any guidance you can give will be appreciated.

I looked at a step-by-step posted on the web and the procedure involved removing the hood and a lot of other parts so I had second thoughts. However, I think I'll tackle it if my neighbor (a certified Toyota mechanic) agrees to help (or at least supervise).

 

You might want to replace the gasket set but I did not on my '02 and did not have a problem with leaks. The complete set comes with the cover gaskets, the spark plug gaskets and the little gaskets for the cover bolts. That set is available from any of the on-line Jaguar parts suppliers or from Nalley Jaguar. They offer a 15% discount and free shipping. Be sure to get the set for the AJ26 1997/1998 engine.

The tensioners are best obtained from an on-line Ford or Lincoln dealer for either the '02 Thunderbird or Lincoln LS. They should be less than $60 each. You also need the 4 shorter bolts.

Ford PN 2W9Z6K254BA Right Secondary metal bodied Tensioner (1 required)
Ford PN 2W9Z6K254CA Left Secondary metal bodied Tensioner (1 required)
Ford PN W500301S300 Bolt (4 required)

I replaced mine with the hood in its normal up position but there is a service position available by popping the lifts off and securing the hood in a vertical position with a bolt through aligned holes. I used the Jaguar recommended hold down tool set but many are now going with the zip tie method.

You will love your car more by doing it yourself.

 

Great questions-
1. Didn't remove the hood....? Not neccessary unless you are doing lowers, and even then I didnt. It would make the lowers easier but I don't like that the paint gets weird when I remove the hood bolts..
2. I got the gasket set for the valve covers from a local independant shop $70 I think. (Hub Auto)
2. Tensioners I bought from a different local shop in Costa Mesa (Mesa Performance) their prices were pretty much as good as any internet price/ebay
3. Chains- Mine busted, so it was mandatory- KRAGEN believe it or not. $25. The guy somehow knew which warehouse to call and get them.
4. Parts to remove- Valve covers and Exhaust cam.
5. I didn't use the zip tie method since I had to do lowers as well, but I think if you are just doing upper tensioners, it sounds like the way to go. (no need for the special locking tools either)
IF you decide to do the lowers, it much more work but still not that bad.
Will need rails, main pully seal/bolt and a gasket for the timing cover. More stuff to remove like pulleys and such but pretty straightforward once you get into it... I did my wife's Disco, and it took me WAAAY longer than the tensioners on this car.

I am actually seeking out another XJ8/R with the same problem to purchase, they are a great value if you understand how to work/diagnose them. And everything is 50% faster the second time.

 

+2 on the shorter bolts.... you will need them.

 

Here's a link to the step-by-step guide I found online. It would be nice if someone who has done this update would look at it and let me know if it's accurate, or provide another guide. Thanks to all!

http://jeg.serverhouse.com/Jag_docs/Timingchain.pdf

 

I found a much simpler guide. Here's the link:

http://jeg.serverhouse.com/Jag_docs/2nd_chain_tension.pdf

 

Check out this thread- Easy Peazy.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/j.../?ref=esp-link

The guides go through the complete upper and lower job, you may only need to do the uppers...

 

SUGGESTION: One (or more) of you master tech types (formally trained or self-taught) should hold a TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER REPLACEMENT Seminar. Charge a few $$$ and pass on the knowledge in a more direct, hands-on fashion. I volunteer my '98 XJ8 as the demonstration vehicle! What say you?

 

There must be a half dozen well documented replacement procedures on this forum alone. If you think you can change spark plugs you can replace the tensioners. Taking the valve covers off/on is more difficult than the tensioner work.

This is not rocket surgery. Maybe a 3 on a 5 scale for auto work, 1 being changing a tire, 2 being replacing a serpentine belt.

 

Ok! I'm convinced! I'm placing the order(s) and those covers are coming off! I'll post updates...

 

I've scheduled surgery for Sat., July 9. However, I'm a little concerned because some enthusiasts are adamant that as long as you're in their you should replace the chains, guides, sprockets, etc. That's a little daunting for me at this point so I'm just going to replace the tensioners, gaskets and spark plug seals (see pic).

 

Gonna keep it for another 100K miles or 5 years? Change the rest. Gonna keep it for 50K? Just the top tensioners.

The "While your at it" list can be endless... While your at it, change the pulleys, while your at it, change the radiator, while your at it, have the valves redone...you get the picture... You need to draw the line somewhere, if you replace the upper tensioners, the odds of a catastrophic event are nominal. Fix, drive for 2-3 years, then if you decide to dive in again you can do the top end along with the lower tensioners, chains etc.

I forgot to mention, the only reason I did the lowers is I had to remove the bank 2 head to replace two bent valves.

 

This car will be driven <3K miles per year. After the upper tensioner and gasket updates I'll replace all the filters and the coolant hoses. Some yoyo used screw clamps on the current hoses instead of the pre-tensioned clamps that Jaguar used originally.

 

My new Lincoln LS tensioners arrived from SunroadFordParts.com on Monday. However, I had a gut feeling that I should have them installed immediately instead of waiting to do the job myself on Saturday so I took her in to Mitchell's British Automotive Tuesday morning. They had two techs (one per bank) install the tensioners and update the gaskets and seals. Approx 3-1/2 hours later they called me to pick her up. Total cost with oil change and new oil filter, $927 (incl. CA tax).

I WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY! One tensioner had lost it's top and the chain was running metal to metal. The other had a huge crack and was no doubt about to let go. I'm really glad that I followed my gut instinct!

Obviously anyone with a '98 to '03 that has not yet replaced these parts should do so immediately!

 

Hi
The weblinks in post#8 and #9 are not working properly.
Here are the corrected weblinks:
http:jeg.serverhouse.com/Jag_docs/Timingchain.pdf

http:jeg.serverhouse.com/Jag_docs/2nd_chain_tension.pdf

Jim Lombardi

 

This business just keeps getting me confused! If you have the non-supercharged car, do you still need to drain the coolant?

 

Firstly, thank you for this thread.... with the help of the great people on this thread I saved crazy money on doing the secondary tensioners myself. Paid $299.99 for the secondary kit (gaskets, tensioners, chains) and $100.00 for the cam lock tool. I as anyone who lived through the scary rattle at start up have officially over come the anxiety of doing the repair myself. Said screw it, and opened her up. To my surprise BOTH tensioners had multiple cracks with both having metal exposed on the tensioning sides. Driver side tensioner literally crumbled (crack into two pieces) as I was removing it. I got extremely lucky today and I can only hope that if you have any questions or concerns with your timing I hope you repair it ASAP. It's not that difficult to remove and repair... If you live in Cleveland area I will lend you the tools and may even help. Hate to see a Jaguar in distress.