A local dealer used car dealer has a 2000 XK8 for sale with 95,000 miles. It is a convertible, dark blue with blue top. He is asking $2000. It has "an Issue". According to the dealer (who dislikes exotic cars), it has no water and no heat and requires a heater hose running under the plenum. He says cost is $400-500 for the part and that he won't work on it hence the low price. It looks to be in nice shape and I plan to run check it out more completely before purchase. I'm wondering if his diagnosis seems reasonable and if engine damage is possible since it has been run low on water. Would the issues show up with an OBDll scan. I'm mechanically inclined but not so much on the last 25 years Any help or suggestions mucho appreciated.
Chris

 

Welcome to the forums Chris,

Your post was automatically locked for moderation because the phrase "2000 XK8 for sale with 95,000 miles" reads like an advertisement. I've unlocked it.

An overheat is the quickest way to wreck a Jaguar V8 and the dealer almost certainly knows this. Hence the tempting price and "helpful" diagnosis. You could be lucky but the odds are very much against you getting away with a valley hose replacement.

Graham

 

Isn't there a sticker on the back of the head that shows if it overheats? I thought I saw one on my spare engine. If there is then that would be a quick check to see if it possibly had

 

Original Jaguar engines DO NOT have "sticker on the back of the head that shows if it overheats".

I think there might be something like that on a replacement engine? but I can't remember.(possibly a Jaguar REMAN?)

I would not hesitate to buy the car if it was in overall decent shape but then again I have a few spare 4.0 engines and gearboxes and 45 years Jaguar repair experience.
Easier for me to replace or repair major parts than paint and body work or even major interior work.

Don't 'bite-off-more-than-you-can-chew' if you feel uncomfortable doing the work or spending more than a few more thousand to get it the way you want it.

I would buy a decent X100 with a 'blowed-up' engine or gearbox, fix it and sell one of my sedans if a good deal came along. (a man's got to know his limitations)

 

Yeah my spare is a steel lined replacement engine. Part of me has been tempted to swap it in just to see if it feels any different than my stock nikasil one. My engine also has 130k miles on it and my spare came out of a car with 80k on the body! I'd like to see if there's a way to see how many miles were on that car when it got the replacement engine. Shucks, it may have pretty low miles on it. I agree though, for the price, if everything else looks good, and if I could get the wife's approval for a 3rd Jag (doubtful) I'd go for it. It does help to have the spare engine already though

 

Not fitted by Jaguar. The only additional labelling on the V8's was the green EXCHANGE PRODUCT label on "remanufactured" Nikasil engines retrofitted with steel bores.



The Nikasil engines replaced under warranty didn't go back to the Jaguar Engine Plant at Brigend in Wales but were rebuilt by outside contractors.

Graham

 

Sounds like the potential for quite a 'project car'. Unless you are a qualified mechanic, you definitely want to get a q.m. to check it out thoroughly. You might be getting a deal, or not. I'm sure the dealer would not lead you astray(????), but better to be well informed. After all, the used dealers are all up front about any problem.......
If you have a good mechanic available to handle the big problems, and you do your own minor work, this could be a good project, or the beginning of a Loooong nightmare.
This could be a candidate for an LS engine swap. Do you feel lucky?????

 

Thanks for the responses. I don't really feel lucky in the area of used cars and presently have only moderate resources for repair and maintenance. However I am intrigued by the car and the Jaguar community. My background is fairly strong in British cars from the '60s an 70's and I currently have 2 Lotus projects going on. I am going to research the overheating problem with the XK8 and probe the dealer for more info. Would reading of the the OBDll codes be helpful in confirming engine damage due to overheating? Who is recommended for Jaguar parts in the US?

 

Again, proceed with caution and a very heavy dose of skepticism. The number one killer of these Jaguar engines is a moderate cooling system leak (usually a worn-out or burst hose), often undetected by the owner, leading to engine destruction in a very short period of time. If you indeed purchase this car, you may have to eventually purchase a refurbished engine as well....

 

You might also want to check out the following:

• Chain Tensioners - A known engine killer. They were originally made of plastic(?) and crack and fall apart with age after which the cams jump time and turn the engine into a boat anchor.
• Transmission Valve Body - A design flaw in the valve body of the automatic transmission allows a high-pressure situation the wipes out the "A" drum. A retrofit of an updated valve body is recommended.
• If you're located in a warm/hot weather location, the hydraulic hoses for the convertible top often deteriorate and subject you to the dreaded "green shower" of hydraulic fluid. A pressure relief valve for the system can alleviate this somewhat.

Finally, if you're serious about buying any Jaguar, buy an iCarSoft code reader. They make one specifically for Jags and Land Rovers and the information it provides will either have you celebrating your potential purchase, or moving on. BUT, they are wonderful cars and a blast to drive!

 

Those 2 hoses are MUCH cheaper than that (normal shaped rubber hoses, maybe $50), but it is quite a bit of labor to get to them (perfect for a DIY mechanic!). They are typically called valley hoses, there are lots of posts.

 

FWIW my reman has a sticker on the back of each head:



although I'm not sure how accurate they are after a few years. This motor has not suffered an overheat.

 

^^^^^^^^ +1

the overheating issue aside, the big bug-a-boo for the 4.0 engine is the chain tensioner propensity to initiate a catastrophic engine failure. Count on $5,000 to $10,000 to fix that after the fact. A preventative replacement will be much much less expensive, Additionally , on the XK8's, the above mentioned transmission A drum weakness is going to run you another $5,000 more or less to fix. The XK8 transmission issue was an overriding reason why I opted for the XKR, which has a stronger , and less problematic transmission, imho. Supercharger repairs do happen of course, but can be completed @ 1/2 the cost of the repairs aforementioned XK8 A drum replacement.

F you CANNOT verify if these repairs have already been done, don't buy the car without budgeting in another $10,000 for immediate repairs.

When I went shopping for a new daily driver, and ultimately settled on the XKR,, it was not hard to find several cars that had already been repaired (verifiably) in these critical areas. Mine cost me just under $8,000 with 116,000 miles on the clock. Two years and 34,000 miles later, I know I bought a bargain. Not one down day for repairs, just the usual replacement of consumables with minor exceptions.

If you are serious about XK8 /XKR ownership, then were I in your shoes , I'd keep looking. Yes, you'll pay more than $2,000. But you'll be able to get in the car on day 1 and drive. There's a lot to be said for that.

Z.

 

Thank you all for your replies and interest! The knowledge and enthusiasm for Jaguars here is impressive! I would only consider purchase of this particular car if I can be assured there is no engine damage from overheating. Would OBDII codes expose engine damage? The used car dealer has a complete shop. Would he most likely have the OBDII tools or would I have to purchase Jaguar specific? I would consider replacing the tensioners myself if necessary. Can they be checked visually plastic vs. metal without major disassembly? Does the trans valve body replacement require removal I assume? From the Carfax it doesn't look like either of these updates has been performed. It never occurred to me to purchase a Jaguar having been exposed to some mechanical and electrical nightmare experiences in the seventies and eighties but is it possible Jaguar overcame their bad reputation for reliability and starting building quality cars? I think possibly so.

 

You need to find out if the engine has nikasil cylinder liners. Engines built up to ser# 000818xxxx (yr/mo/day xxxx) have the nikasil liners, which can be damaged by overheating. The engine # is hard to see, located just to the right of the thermostat tower on the block. Just walk away if it's in that range.
Other than that, there is no way to tell if the heads are warped badly other than teardown. The tensioners can be checked by removing a cam cover, and the transmission valve can be updated by removing the valve body which does not require removal of the transmission.

 

Whether they look OK or not is not the question to be answered.

If they are the plastic type then they are a ticking time bomb and should be replaced before driving the car another inch. According to the previous owner of my car, the tensioners looked fine and he didn’t think he had reason to be concerned. Then at approximately 115,000 miles they let go and the engine was then requiring a major influx of cash and downtime.

Just saying......

& a Happy New Year to all !

Z

 

I can not locate engine number. Am I looking in the right place. Is it between intake manifold and head? Thanks

Below arrow?

 

Other side of the thermostat tower.
It can be very difficult to make out. Remove the engine cover - it may give you a bit more peering room.

See this post from GGG/motorcarman:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2/#post1948910

@RJ - would a compression test give any clues to the engine state?

 

I was going to suggest a compression test, or better a leak down, but if it has a blown head gasket that would be misleading.. So I think the only way to check the condition of the cylinder liners is to remove the heads.

It appears the valve seats are still in place or t would make a lot of noise and run rough, so it may not have suffered severe overheating, but I would not want to take a chance.

 

Thanks, RJ.
My thinking was that a satisfactory result consistent across all cylinders would be a good sign - maybe that is not necessarily true.