Hello , kinda new to the forum but I just bought a 2001 Jaguar xj8 with 103,000 miles on her and I am just wondering what are some common problems to watch out for. The car is it MINT condition , not a sign of wear , it was lady driven and oil changed every summer. The car is coming with new brake pads and rotors so that’s a plus. I popped the hood and the timing chains sound good (no rattling) the owner says it’s the original fuel pump too. I’m still in high school with a part time job paying minimum wage so expensive repairs are expected. Just wondering the average miles where problems start accruing and what to look out for. The transmission shiftes fast and smooth currently. Thank you

 

You need to confirm that the tensioners have been changed. Remove the right cam cover to do so.

 

Verify the brake fluid has been changed at some point in time. Drain and refill the trans. fluid. Due for spark plug replacement. We love PICTURES !

 

103K is actually about when it starts to need a bunch of stuff. The usual fate of most high end luxury cars (BMW, Mercedes, even Lexus) is to be traded in about this time as people would rather put the money toward a new car than on repairs of the old one. That's why they are so cheap. Somebody posted an astute observation not long ago that its really a $10K car, you just pay half to the seller and the other half to repair shops over the next 100K miles. Most buyers of such cars don't do much preventative maintenance and choose to just drive it as-is and take their chances. After all, they got the car cheap so depending on how cheap, vs how much the maintenance is going to cost, that may be worth the risk. They may luck out and make it to 200K without any serious repairs. On the other hand, if the engine grenades at 30K, they ditch it and haven't lost much, probably drove a lot cheaper than if they'd bought a new car and suffered depreciation. But these Jaguars have two well-documented fatal flaws that you really need address right away.

Absolutely critical is to verify if it has the new type timing chain tensioners. The old style will NOT typically give you any warning before they let go. Seriously don't even drive it till you confirm. Next you want to read up on the A-drum failure. This too can be prevented by installing a new main pressure valve in the transmission. The valve piston oscillates in the bore and wears a ridge, which it eventually catches on allowing the hydraulic pressure to spike, rupturing the drum which is catastrophic. But the transmission usually starts giving some signs like being slow to go into reverse or jerking as it goes into drive or upshifts. Since the Jaguar service manual claims the transmission does not need fluid changed (which has in hindsight been determined bad advice), its probably never been done. Go ahead and schedule a transmission service and inspection and replacement of that main pressure valve. There's a couple of different kits but I recommend getting a remanufactured Sonnax valve body as they bore it out and press a steel sleeve into the aluminum housing so that you never have to worry about it wearing a ridge again.

Beyond those two things, I'd go through and change all the fluids and inspect all the hoses and accessory drive belt, replacing any that appear suspicious. Then its just a matter of expecting a lot of little things, some that could strand you like a fuel pump going out, but most you can postpone till its more convenient, like it will probably need a bunch of new rubber suspension bushings very soon. The best thing you can do is to learn to do most of these repairs and maintenance yourself. When I was your age, there was no internet, rather we had to check out general repair manuals at the library and figure it out on our own. You are lucky in that you can download the factory service manual and most anything your Jaguar will ever need, somebody has already posted detailed instructions here on this very forum or even made a youtube video. Heck, you got it easy.

 

Sorry for late reply, could you be more detailed on how to Check if the timing chain tensioners were replaced like maybe a link to another forum or something thanks, I do plan on taking it into the shop for a full transmission service and the pressure valve thing replaced. I can do the new fuel pump and spark plugs at home with some other normal maintenance checks. I’m handy with car tools. My only worry is that the timing chains were never replaced. If they are still the factory plastic ones how much am I looking at to get them replaced. And does anyone know a good jaguar mechanic in the buffalo NY area. Or should I just buy a kit online and try doing it myself? I’ve read a lot of forums and watched videos on how to do it. Unless you just recommend taking it to a shop. And here are some pictures.

The blue one is mine

 

Not to scare you too much, but here's what can lurk inside....................and the next stage from here is a wrecked motor as the pistons hit the valves.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ioners-220622/

As previously stated, if you remove the right valve cover the secondary tensioners are visible and it can easily be determined if they have been replaced. (post a picture if you are unsure).

It's a fairly complicated and lengthy job to do, but many members here have done it. If you have decent mechanical skills/experience you could do it yourself for around $500-$600 including tensioners, guides, chains, alignment tools, gaskets, oil, anti-freeze, hoses, waterpump, etc. Costs at the dealership would probably be around $3,500, and around $2,500+ at an independent Jag specialist, and maybe around $2,000 by a willing independent mechanic.

Here is an excellent walk thru by Blackonyx..............
Tmingi chain and tensioner replacement


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