So I went out looking for a cheap convertible for the summer while I drop a 4.9L V8 into my MGB and came across a 2011 XKR convertible with 31K miles on it. Then I went and bought it!
Now I have a not so cheap convertible. It has only done 1000 miles in the last year, and I intend to change the fluids and filters over the long weekend. Anything else I should attend to ? I probably wont put more than 3000 miles on it before it goes into winter storage. As this was bought without the proper permissions from a loving wife ( apparently, "do what ever you want " doesn't mean what I thought it did) I want to keep the maintenance costs to a sustainable level and enjoy it for a couple of summers.
Any weak spots that that should be sorted now ?

 

IMHO, the only two weak spots you have that need sorting are your "loving wife" and the MGB project.

 

Congratulations, you've bought a wonderful car. Only suggestions I would have would be that since you'll be driving it sparingly, keep it on a battery tender as these cars go a little nuts with warnings lighting up the display if the battery voltage is not full. Secondly, change the oil at 3-5000 mile intervals and check your oil frequently. The 5.0L engine isn't known to burn a lot of oil, but if they're low you won't get a warning. And since it's an electronic dipstick that forces you to wait about 30 minutes after driving to check it, I check mine in the morning before I start the car for the first time. Finally, I regularly check coolant level (at least weekly) as the one well known weakness in these cars is the water pump. They can start to bleed coolant, they can do a death rattle, etc. But all in all, these cars are very reliable, astonishingly quick, and a very pleasurable drive that you will find excuses to take trips in. Enjoy!

 

Any recommended engine oils ?. I usually use Red Line 5w-20 or 5w-30 in the summer months.

 

Congratulations!!! Take your wife for a spin and she will rapidly change her mind. Regarding oil, you will find several or many threads dealing with oil for your XKR. Welcome aboard and enjoy your new toy!

 

Thanks I will.

 

4.9 in a MGB ? Have you thought about ground clearance issues, upgraded suspension, weight and balance?
How are you going to keep the frame from twisting? Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

 

I have the ‘11 XK NA. Use 5w-20 or 0w20 not 5w-30. Oil changes are relatively easy since there is a built in suction tube beneath the oil filler cap. Vacuum aspiration of oil (versus drainage from below) is common and acceptable.The filter lives on top of the engine as well. You’ll find many many posts by veteran members.

Water pump failure is common—mine has been replaced. They make a rattle when failing but you need a bit of a trained ear to pick that up over the engine noise.

The battery needs constant feeding of trickle power (the cars electronics are forever hungry) if you don’t drive this car at least twice a week for a 1/2 hour. Set up a smart charger anyway (CTEK is popular). Again many posts in the forum. You can test the health of your battery with an inexpensive electronic load tester (I use a Topdon) but I’d swap the battery for an AGM. Hooking up a permanent trickle charger and swapping a battery both require some intuitive disassembly and some serious leaning into the trunk for access in the convertible.

You will need to reset the service required warning and possibly other resets when pulling the car off DC power. The reset maneuvers are odd but doable and there are many posts by veteran members on the process.

Good luck with this car and welcome to the XK convertible brotherhood. The car drives and handles with muscled grace—you’ll love it.

 

I currently have a 4.0L Rover V8 in my MGB, the MGB had a 3.5L V8 version from the factory in '73 and '74. The 4.9L I have built is a Rover 4.2L V8 that has been bored and stroked out to 4.9L and fitted with FiTech fuel injection. The all aluminum Rover V8 fully dressed is 50 lbs lighter than the original 1.8L MGB cast iron engine. I see a 4.9L MGB V8 vs XKR drag race in my future :-)
"There is no such thing at too much power or too many cylinders"........... a quote from my son !

 

Please tell me this set up isn't for a daily driver.LOL

 

While I highly approve, have you paused to consider that the result will be a death machine out to kill you every time you take it out for a spin? Unless that 5L V8 is contemporary to MGB, you should be able to get at least 300+ hp out of it at 2750rpm. The end result will be nose-heavy, traction light, too much power drift machine. You might as well remove steering wheel, because you will be able to steer with only throttle.

Timing chain, water pump, coolant hoses. Otherwise solid with regular oil changes.

 

PAH! That's nothing. I have a 9.2 liter (557cid) 850hp (1100hp with nitrous) Mustang II.
Okay, never mind. It sort of IS a death trap, and can't take corners (except at the turn-off at the end of the strip) and sort of IS steered with the skinny pedal.

 

That's Fun @Cee Jay !
To balance it out, you better start working on a slalom car too. ;-)

 

Sounds very cool!

 

I have a 1989 Porsche 911 Turbo that is the real killer, scares the crap out of me every time drive it !
The Rover V8 is actually lighter than the original MGB engine.

 

I went out and bought a new AGM H8 battery. The original Jaguar branded battery was 5 years old anyway and after testing, it had a diminished reserve capacity. The only engine oil I could find locally that meets the Jag STJLR.51.5122 spec is the Liqui Moly LR + Jaguar 0w-20.

 

Before you install the new battery make sure it is fully charged. Many times they have lost power due to be on the shelf for long time periods.

 

Thanks, its on my charger overnight. I'll install it tomorrow.

 

Hope the installation went well. If not done yet and not discovered already, there is a horizontal brace that is best removed prior to accessing the battery hold down. A simple socket set with a mini driver wrench will do the trick nicely. If you are installing a smart charger of some sort (please do--you will be far less aggravated in the long run), put the positive lead on the battery terminal (that ring connector should fit well on the accessory + battery post) and the negative ground lead on the hidden remote battery ground post that hides just under the left trunk panel (not the ground post on the trunk floor and not anything found in the remote jump recess area).
Follow the negative ground of the battery back to a threaded post on the left side forward under the left panel of the trunk. You don't have to remove the panel just peak under it by releasing some of the clips. Depending upon the ring connector lead supplied with the charger, you may need a larger ring connector to get it over this threaded post. You will need to do a little electrical wire tweaking (not hard) but crimping a new larger ring connector (5/16 stud size) to the negative ground lead. Alternatively you could just cut a notch in the ring connector to permit it to be wide enough to straddle the post. Make sure you keep track of the nut to secure the original negative battery lead that is now combined with the charger lead.
There are multiple posts on charger installations by experienced veteran members with impassioned opinions. Here's mine. Use a smart charger. Make it a permanent connection with ring terminals vs the more fragile alligator clip connections. Utilize some form of quick connect fitting. Either the universal one supplied with most chargers or the proprietary kind you will find with CTEK. Route the connected charger wires from the battery either underneath the front panel then on top of the floor panel or all the way to the back (closest to the bumper) underneath the floor panel and have them exit at the back of the floor panel nearest the bumper. The initial lead wires supplied with most chargers are pretty short so you will need an extender it you plan to route them under the trunk floor panel so as to have the quick connect available just inside the trunk versus deep and forward in the trunk..
The quick connect then lives "right there" just inside the trunk (at the back of the trunk bumper side). It is easily accessible and you will more likely utilize it regularly.
I've attached a link to some of the items that have helped me extend the charger leads and "dress up" and protect the lead wires:



Regards, Phil

 

The best tip I have come across is to use sliders to guide the battery to it’s spot. I used two 2x4’s I had laying around that were short enough to fit in the trunk, made a perfect ramp to slide the battery into place.