Hi All,

I bought my 99 XJR a few months back that appeared to have been sitting for quite some time and have been doing some work on her. I picked her up with 189k miles and a shot rear differential. Sourced another unit and took it apart, cleaned it up inside, made sure no metal or other debris were present, and since I couldn't find a replacement gasket between the diff cover and the unit itself, I used permatex and filled it up with 75w90 full synthetic gear oil.

The paint was fading (Carnival Red Metallic) so I had a full respray done.

I ordered a few parts from Mina Gallery: upgraded supercharger pulley, air intake system with cone filter, and exhaust (surprisingly I found minimal to no difference in noise...I was hoping for some growl).

Restored the interior, installed an aftermarket radio, bypassed factory amplifier and installed an enclosed woofer in the trunk blah blah blah

Okay enough of that...

I completed the following at 189k along with the differential (just broke 190k this week)

- LOF
- Fuel filter
- Rear struts

The car's last service history was from 2011 @ 185k miles from Madison Jaguar.

The following was done:

- Brake fluid flush
- Replaced left front caliper (piston had seized)
- Replaced spark plugs
- Coolant flush
- Fuel pump (not both)
- Front hub bearing

They recommended the following but they were not addressed (I was not aware of this page until tonight actually)

- AC compressor (leaking)
- Camshaft cover gaskets are leaking
- Recommend drive and supercharger belt (though upon visual inspection I see no cracking)
- "Due to high milage, timing chains and tensioners should be monitored"

I tested the coolant and it'll probably need a flush before the summer.

How big of a job is the AC compressor and camshaft cover gasket?

Lastly, I know that the timing chains have been done at some point, but what does Jaguar mean by saying they need to be monitored? How can I tell if something is wrong with the timing chains and tensioners?

Is there anything else not mentioned that I should be looking at/taking care of at this milage?

Thanks in advance everyone

 

Hi there, I cannot speak for the AC compressor, but the camshaft/valve cover gaskets are an easy task and coincidentally you need to take them off to "monitor" the timing chains and tensioners, 2 birds 1 stone. What they meant is you should def at least take a look and see which generation tensioners you are running because originally the 98-00 XJR/XJ8 was equipped with sub-par plastic sachs tensioners that are a time bomb ticking until you replace them with upgraded newer gen metal ones. At 190k it is probably not a bad idea to take a look and see what the overall chains and tensioners conditions are since that part of the service history is not available to you. If you search around for upper tensioner replacement threads and you will find everything you need regarding camshaft cover removal, how to assess your present tensioners, and how to reassemble with new gaskets. Your tensioners and chains have probably been tended to but you never know until something horribly horrible happens! Good luck and I am extremely envious of your '01 GT3 btw, amazing cars

 

Many early cars had tensioners replaced with the second generation plastic spring assisted versions that failed just as reliability. The spring was added to hide the 'rattle' symptom of a failing tensioner. With all the effort you have put into saving this car the tensioner should the very next item on your list.

 

For your A/C, there are plenty of web articles (Here's a popular site repair guide...JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource) on proper purging and replacement of associated parts. I was going to do my own, I read up on it. But after adding up the cost of a purge canister, gauges, oil, refrigerant, orifice tube...for just a hundred more I could have someone do it.
I was pleasantly surprised when my mechanic said it just needed a charge and I didn't have to do any of what I was dreading. It only cost me $25, 30 minutes and that was 2 yrs ago. But yours (as you've stated) does need some replacement parts and will need to be purged and refilled properly. A good tech will tell you all you need to have done, be aware of and cost so you can review it and determine your course of action.
I'm not trying to scare you from it, just to be aware.

 

Many thanks for your reply,

I'm aware of the sub-par tensioners and I've yet to investigate to see the condition/wear or even if a newer setup was retrofitted. But thank you very much for that information

Also, thanks for the 2 birds 1 stone news! Once I do the valve cover gaskets (done the job a million times but can't fine the gasket for the life of me...yet), I'll definitely have a better eye beside me for the timing chain.

Thanks for the kind words as well, the 996 MKI GT3 is the only MKI GT3 in the country. I had to build that car piece by piece, from obtaining the Mezger motor from a shop outside of Leipzig and rebuilding it with a reputable Porsche guy by my side, to fine tuning and combing through the chassis to ensure that I did everything I possibly could to make it identical to a euro MKI GT3...as many know, the MKI's were not allowed in the U.S. because of D.O.T. regulations, but they will be in 2026!

 

Thank you very much for noting that. Absolutely will comb through the tensioner and have those components dialed in. It is imperative do to so not only because I absolutely love the car over any other car I've owned (and that means a lot coming from me! Despite owning an XF Supercharged), I am planning on keeping it for a very long time, it's slowly starting to replace me SQ5 as a daily, and in July I plan on taking it on a road trip/rally with an organized group of cars from Denver to Seattle. I would drive it to Denver from my home in New Jersey but I think it'd be best if I transport. Plus the XJR will be the oldest car there, most of those cars are 360's, LP560-2's, 991 GT3's, F-Type R's, and newer AMG cars. But I don't plan on being the caboose!

Until then, most likely in late June early July, I plan on tending to the issues outlines, as well as a coolant flush since the pH was borderline, tranny flush, brakes all around, hopefully some quieter tires, and aggressive front suspension to match the rear.

You guys are all amazing and I firmly believe these cars to be one of the most impeccable examples of anything meant to be on the road.

 

Many thanks for that,

Those guides will surely come in handy (well, they already have)

I completely agree with your mentality, even with my non-Jag's, on some rarer occasions it is more efficient to take your car to a tech rather than have to source all of the parts and do the labor yourself.

Thanks for the help!

 

I remember in the early 2000s reading articles about how amazing the GT3 was and most of all how it wouldn't make it to the US! You've built a special car For help with finding part numbers and such like gaskets (if thats what you meant by "find the gasket") jaguarclassicparts.com is a good source and has great diagrams with part numbers.
Camshaft Cover and Gasket-4.0 Litre-V8 - Parts For XJ Series from (V)812317 to (V)F59525 (X308 - Canada/Mexico/USA) | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK

This is my dog we named Porsche, I call her GT3 RS, no joke

 

Wow! You've got to be kidding, we've named our Bernese Mountain dog Porsche as well! lol small world.

Thanks for the link, very comprehensive site. Just ordered both banks with no problem, I owe you a drink now.

I'm a Porsche enthusiast because I grew up around 914's and migrated to air cooled 911's. Should've bought them before the prices skyrocketed. There may be a similar trend now that all 2016+ 911's are turbocharged. At least that's what this article says, you could pick up a 996 for $10k-$15k today...might be a good investment. I'm keeping an eye out for a lower milage unit.

Potential Comeback Of The 996 Porsche 911?

Here's a pic of the C4 turned GT3 and the Jag (went with a C4 body because the 996 MKI GT3 was a wide body shared with the Carrera 4)

 

Hahaha thats awesome about the dogs! That is a sweet car, I want to pick up a 996 sooner than later but it will not quite be the caliber of yours! Clear corners look nice in the jag and i'm glad you were able to score some gaskets