So I finally have a good used engine for my XJR. Same year, VIN is about 300 newer.. but only 55k miles. Came from a rearended car which I'd driven, so I'm not expecting problems if the swap is done right.

I've read a bunch of posts on engine swaps.. and have all 15 pages on the removal job from JTIS.. and I'm now deciding whether to do the job myself or farm it out. I've done plenty of gearbox swaps and engine work on much older cars (old Triumphs/Rovers mainly), but this is my first time on something built since 1979.

The question is.. how much room is actually needed to get the engine/gearbox out as one? I have a "normal" garage with a 10ft ceiling height and plenty of working room. I have an engine crane that'll lift the engine, but I *don't* have an overhead hoist or the fancy gantry thing in the Jaguar documentation. The docs all assume a four post lift and a crane above, hence my paranoia.

I was planning to put the car on stands, do the necessary underneath, lower the front (back end in the air!), and then lift the engine out. Does this sound like a plan?

Thanks for reading.. my "original" thread is linked below. It's been diagnosed as oil pump failure leading to bearing failure.. and I'm quite interested in getting into the engine to figure out if that's true. Once it's out of the car, obviously.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-ideas-102034/

 

I have not pulled a Jaguar but have had a Ford V8 plus transmission out of a Volvo at least a dozen times with a standard engine crane and 10' ceilings. I cannot see a problem with the Jaguar. You should invest in a load leveler. That will allow the engine/trans to come out at an angle and then move to a more level position to clear the radiator.

 

Look at my thread, here- https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-97146/page5/

It will give you an idea of the height required.

 

dsnyder86 has also done it and posted about it

you might consider pulling the engine with the nose at the garage door and the rest of the car in the driveway ... then the sky's the limit

sounds like you lucked out on the engine

while the engine is out and easy access is possible, consider doing:

both primary and secondary timing

changing supercharger oil

changing hoses under supercharger

front and rear oil seals

rebuild alternator

replace water pump

if older than 2001 model year, changing the head gaskets to the 4.2L MLS type

motor mounts

vee mounts

 

Not had the privilege of doing it to an XJ yet (that joy is to come very soon) but XKs many times..... Its no different from doing the old skool stuff, a few more wires but nothing that will upset you......go for it

 

Appreciate the replies - and especially the pics. I have a load leveler and plan on using it.

The engine that's going in has its original (second-gen, plastic) tensioners - I've got an updated metal tensioner set and chains for both primary and secondary to go on before the engine gets installed. Hadn't considered doing the front/rear seals.. but seems like a good idea.

Just looking forward to driving it again. It's been off the road since last Sept!

 

Don't forget those valley hoses ... you will never have easier access.

 

What Plums said. I did not use a leveler, so I had to lift it pretty high to clear the nose with the trans attached.

Out of curiosity, why are you removing gearbox? I would with an XJ8 (A-drum) but no real reason to with the R.

I would also replace the octopus hoses in the rear of the engine since they are so easy to get to.

 

I actually had forgotten the valley hoses.. so I'll add that to the list.

Reason I'm removing both engine and gearbox together is that that's how the replacement is. My engine/gearbox have 160k on them, the replacement engine/gearbox have 55k on them and a known history. It also didn't seem like there was *much* of a time saving in only taking the engine out!

 

Ah that makes sense. You are correct not much more to remove to get both out.

 

Oh well then ... may as well dump all the ATF out including the torque converter and change the filter.

And the electrical connector sleeve on the transmission.

Sleeve and filter are cheaper and better at any Merc dealer.

 

When Sean B and I removed my engine, we were doing it in an old barn on a farm. We had the car on axle stands, and had drained all the fluids, disconnected everything and had the engine loose. Due to the fact we were working on dirt and grass, the engine crane wouldn't cut the mustard, so we used the farmer's JCB to lift the engine out.

The key thing to do is do as AVT007 has done and protect the bodywork. It would be very easy for a loose hose or cable to catch the front wing and scratch it.

 

How much easier would it be to extract engine/g'box out the reverse way of which it was installed at the factory....ie, from underneath?
The whole engine/g'box package could be lowered along with the front subframe as a unit....therefore giving you the oportunity to refresh susp. and subframe mountings while you're at it ;o)

 

Bumping an old thread.. but hey, it's my thread.

Finally got around to getting the engine out this week. I had the Alldata guide to work from, and - while it wasn't 100% accurate - the job is done and the engine/gearbox are now sitting on my garage floor. I didn't hit any real problems, getting to the propshaft bolts was probably the fiddliest bit of the job. I used the "lift the back of the car as high as you can, jack under the transmission, pull it out crooked" approach.

Also got the supercharger off the replacement engine to replace the valley hoses. I'd love to meet the person who thought that rear bolt location was a good idea.

 

Well.. IT LIVES!

Got the engine/trans back in last weekend, spun it up yesterday, fixed a couple vacuum leaks this morning, and fired it up properly this afternoon. No bad noises, no rattles, no fault codes. Discovered two bad O-rings in a coolant hose, but no other real problems.

In the end, on the replacement engine - I replaced the under-SC hoses.. changed the SC oil.. changed the plugs.. replaced chains, tensioners and guides.. and a few other thing I've obviously forgotten. I even treated it to a proper wash.

Looking forward to getting it back on the road...

 

So, you took the engine and transmission out the bottom, still bolted together?

 

No no, it all came out the top. I had the back of the car about 2ft in the air and the front of the car on the ground. With a normal engine crane, it came right out.

I was kinda worried about getting it back in, but I didn't have any problems. I also (preemptively) replaced the engine mounts, but I'm not sure I really needed to. I went from "no engine or trans" to "turning the key" in about 6hrs of work... spread over two days, but nonetheless.

 

I lucked out with a swap back in 2009. Got a great robust motor. It took me and other guy a case of beer and a weekend

 

500 miles on the new motor, runs like a champ. Only problem is a 455 evap loss code every couple days. Overall.. pretty happy. If I can swap an engine and end up with a running car, anyone can!

 

Good work!