Hi I recently bought a 2002 xj8 with 114k. My question is I have read what seems like a billion pages on info on exactly what timing chain tensioners it this year has. On the drivers side door the sticker says it was manufactured on 7/01. Does the VIN number helps figure it out? and where is the engine number located? I would love to have a pinpoint answer...This is my first post so go easy on me and thank you very much in advance!

 

The only clear definitive exact way of knowing is to remove the camshaft covers and look at the tensioners. You have no way of guessing who worked on the vehicle in the past nor what they may have done. If it hasn't been documented as being done you at 114K are due for plugs, and you will be able to take a look at the heater feed and return hoses that are down there baking in the valley
Just hit 110k with the XK8 and lost the heater feed hose.

 

The Vehicle Identification Number Number (redundant Number, Number................................)

Has no absolute bearing on the Engine Number except that the chassis VIN (or Vehicle ID Number) has to be EARLIER than the ENGINE Number. The car was built later than the engine because the engine needed to be made before the car was on the assembly line. Now that that fact has been established, if your car was manufactured in July 2001 and the first engine to be fitted with the newer chains/tensioners was August 13, 2001; (engine S/N 0108130000 onward were supposed to have the metal body tensioners) then logic would follow that your car was built EARLIER than the first engine that had the update modifications.

Unless your car has had an engine swap with a later engine then logic would also dictate that you have the plastic tensioners and should investigate.

Sequence of events!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Engine Number for your car is on the left side of the cylinder block to the rear of the engine mount bracket.

bob

 

I would def check if
i were you.

 

Ok. for what is worth the previous had owned for the past 12 years and had always serviced it a the dealership. The car engine bay does look like it has been taken care of. Unfortunately, he had some maintenance records but not all. He said he called the dealership and said the car had had the tensioners upgradedI had also read that this model year has the 2nd generation tensioners which are supposed to be trouble free. But thank you all for your insight and help!

 

2nd gen tensioners were also plastic body and not safe. The only difference is that they had external springs to prevent the warning rattle before failure.

I would not trust anyone, inspection is the only way to be certain.

 

Well that was one great solution by jaguar!! now you can't even hear the rattling before the engine implodes! God bless them!!

 

Although I think Bob misstated his first sentence, (he meant "LATER", not "EARLIER") the logic and dates are important. The ENGINE date is Aug 13, 2001. If the engine was built after that date, it has both metal tensioners and Morse style primary chains.

I don't know where you (he?) "read that this model year has the 2nd generation tensioners which are supposed to be trouble free" but that is not accurate. It guess it might be accurate to say " Most MY '02 XJs have engine built after August and are therefore OK. Mine built in September did have the new engine.

And, don't believe for a minute that just because Jaguar serviced the car, all things needing to be done were done. They do what they are told to do and paid to do!

 

Yes I had read on another thread that the second generation tensioners where supposed to be far more durable, maybe not trouble free! I had assumed that because it had been at least 3 years since the originals came out that one would think they would have that problem pretty much sorted out. But lo and behold all they could do is fit some springs on the tensioners! Does anyone know if the plastic was also upgraded? How was putting springs on them considered a fix? Thank you all

 

Just check the tensioners and end the discussion.

 

Yeah RJ237 I was just trying to gain some knowledge from people here who are far more experienced than me when it comes to x308's! I thought it would be almost foolish to not pick someone's brain about this subject first before taking anything apart...
Believe me, don't feel too obligated to answer my threads, that way you don't get too impatient. If you can't help/won't, I don't see the need to make comments like your last one...

 

If you read any of the threads on the tensioners, or on any other issue, then you would know that the people who responded to your thread are the most knowledgeable, most respected people on this forum. They have provided an incredible amount of help to me and hundreds of people on this forum.

I am grateful for their wisdom and their advice.

 

Yes!! I completely agree which is why I came on here first asking about it and i said that on my last post. However, I see RJ237 seems a little annoyed by all my questions, he also doesn't have to read or answer anymore of them if he chooses. I suppose he forgot about that. It's rude to say just take them off and end the discussion" like I'm annoying you with my thread! just get off of it if what you're about to say doesn't really help

 

He's probably frustrated because even after reading all of the other threads about tensioners, you still haven't managed to provide anything any more definitive than was covered by those other threads already.

The simple answer is that the only definitive way to know which tensioners you have is to inspect them. Especially as these cars are so old now there's no guarantee the original ones are still there, even if they were the ones you want, which are the third gen, metal ones.


FWIW, I thought the only guarantee that you had metal tensioners was to have a 4.2L X350. And that you should assume any 4.0 needs to be checked.


It's similar to all the old discussions about nicasil. Our cars are somewhere between 14 and 20 years old now. How they came out of the factory is far less important than the actual condition they're in now.

 

Yes as I said before, I do respect the vast knowledge and even more the time taken to answer my questions. last thing i will say now is that since mine is an '02, I thought I might have lucked out with metal tensioners since the '03 had them and I was trying to get a definitive answer as to if some '02 had them as well or if at the very least they has tensioners that weren't so prone to problems. I see my car missed that metal tensioners by about a month now. oh well thanks for all the help guys

 

Thanks sparkenzap!!! GOOD CATCH!!!!

The older I get, the older I get!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

bob

 

We ALL seemed to get annoyed at the timing chain tensioner questions because the 'horse has been beaten to death' on this and many Jaguar forums since the early 2000s.

The same typing over and over and over and over and over and over and over.
Frustrating.

Try a search on the internet with Jaguar Timing Chain Tensioner Problem and you will need a few years to read it all.

Just sayin'

bob

 

As others have said, just remove the camshaft covers and report back, with pictures if possible, so you can get the issue resolved.

If the engine has not had the secondary timing chain tensioners uprated to the newer versions, you are definitely on 'borrowed time' as far as your engine suffering catastrophic failure. Even if the secondary tensioners have been replaced, the primary chains, guides and tensioners are subject to wear. It's not uncommon to find bits of the guides in the sump once they've cracked and broken.

The AJ-V8 4.0 litre is quite bulletproof once the camshaft chains and tensioners have been replaced. Some still make an issue of the Nikasil coating, but in my opinion, the Nikasil engines will outlast the steel-lined blocks as long as the fuel does not have excessive sulfur, which has long since been resolved by the oil companies.