Thanks Graham, I didn't see your link before I posted.

 

Norri,
in the last minute of that auction, as the seconds counted down to zero and my bid stayed in place, i got that impending sense of doom you get when you know you've made a major **** - **, and you can't back out of it.
So i bought a return train ticket when i went to see it, thinking "if get so much as a whiff of a problem with this car i'm coming home on the train with my money".
And then what. The guy texts me as i get on the train from London to Doncaster, saying he's stuck on a motorway in Wales and he's gonna be late to Doncaster.
When he picks me up to go see the car he says he's a fleet manager for a tyre company and he has to be in Newcastle asap. The car's in the garage cos he asked his dad to check it, who told him the handbrake doesn't work, and from the time we get to the garage all he seems to want to do is get going. He's owned 3 XK8's before he says but has a company car ( the Lexus he picked me up in) and hasn't had the need or time to drive the XK8 or sort it.
If i'd have known what kind of battery was supposed to be in an XK8 i'd have known straight off the guy was holding out on me, cos he'd have known it had the wrong battery in it and should have declared it in the auction or told me, but i didn't, and he was in the boot before i was because i was round the front looking and listening to the engine.
I got a quick glimpse of the battery as he replaced the cover and it looked a bit dwarfed by the space it was in, but i didn't know any better at the time anyway.
The bodywork looked good, the engine sounded healthy and he was obviously wanting to go, so i took the risk and gave him my money.
Yes i do think i got played, but only in so far as he probably knew that some of the issues i've found (which he said didn't exist before they jumped it at the garage) were most likely due to the battery, but the car was basically sound.
So he just wanted shot of it, knew it was going to take a few bob and some patience to sort out, and he wasn't prepared to spend the time or money to do it.
With the tax 3 months out of date i can't imagine he'd have driven it recently with a taxed company car to use, so it's probably just been sitting in his driveway, and he wanted it gone.
I could be wrong, but he asked the mechanic how much a new fanbelt was as soon as we heard it squeeling, the mechanic said about £30, so he offered me £40 off.
I asked him for the code for the radio by text 10 mins after he left and he text back saying he didn't know it but would put £20 in my paypal account to decode it, which he's done. He emailed me on ebay today saying he's found the spare set of keys for it, which he'll send me.
Once he had my money he didn't have to do those last 2 things, but he has, without me even asking.
I have impressed upon him my appreciation if he could forward me the details of the previous owner, so i may be able to chase some history.
Whether he does or not is another matter.
As i said earlier, i think only time will tell whether my instincts were good or bad.
All i can do is hope for the best lol.

I didn't see ANY batteries with a vent pipe, so you did better than me GGG. I will ring a Jaguar dealer, and get an OBD reader.
Sorry to waffle on guys, but now you know the whole truth lol

 

Well it doesn't sound like he was a real swindler as you say he just wanted rid.
That extra set of keys is worth quite a bit to you if you had had to buy and programme a new set.
Your best plan now is to wait until you get a good battery in then take it from there.

 

Hi Roadhogg Welcome to the world of Jaguar. I am glad to see all the wonderful help you are receiving from all the guys with more experience than me.

Just want to wish you all the best in getting the XK sorted I am sure the new battery will make a good contribution in killing many of the faults.

Cheers Al

 

Welcome to the forum. Keep at it, bit by bit.

I had many problems with my 2000 XK8 but over the period of a year by using this forum A LOT I as able to diagnose everything, repair it all ended up with a pretty reliable daily driver. One with a lot of style, too!

 

+1

He's given you a fair amount towards a new serpentine belt and getting the radio code. A set of keys would have cost you around £120 assuming you sourced the fob on eBay. Your outline of the condition makes the car about the right price.

The initial faults may seem drastic but probably result mainly from of a combination of it standing for at least three months since the tax expired and having an inadequate battery.

Any MoT left on it and did you get the V5?

It's time to sit down and assess exactly what you've bought and what needs doing - not to start throwing money at it.

Graham

 

Graham's advice is totally valid - You've some detective work to do...depending on who you talk to at a Jaguar main agent, they can be super helpful or not. They have the ability to access the service records from their network. If you get a decent service manager he can give you a print out of original spec' - service interval work and miles logged with those intervals. To fill the history in is important to me, but not to some.

The way to do this is request a service book, last time I did this it was around £35, and the guy stamped it up and signed it off up to the point it left their care (onto another dealer and network, you can then forward the book, and build up the picture, bit time consuming) But, you have to know which dealer it was originally supplied from - if you have no record of this, a local Jaguar main agent can give you this info - a good time to ask is when purchasing the right battery. Have the last 6 digits of the VIN handy.

Another thing to do is check the mot history back to 2005 (when online records began) on the directgov motoring website.

I've got to ask what your intentions are with the car, and how good you are with spanners?! You might know that your vintage has known issues that are a priority and if not done need addressing - for example the upper timing chain tensioners.

The initial learning curve is steep with this complex machine, but worthwhile, we've all been there on this forum. Any question isn't dumb, it's probably been asked before.

You'll get there in the end, and hopefully enjoy a car that is unsurpassed in value and style.

Have you the link to the eBay auction?

 

Looks like this one to me...
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

 

Did you notice in the 'you might also like' section below that listing the price of Jaguars over here?

Graham

 

Thank you for the welcome Spurlee and Alag, and everyone else as well.
I've been a bit pre-occupied i guess with the issues with the car ( and the worry lol) so if i've failed to acknowledge anyones greeting specifically, please forgive me.
You're spot on with that EBay link MR C.J., that's the one.
It had a new MOT on 27th January so 11 months left.
I can't just throw money at it, but i figured that if i tried to resell it i'd make a loss anyway, given her current state, so i'll see where £500 gets me and re-assess from there.
I washed her yesterday and noticed some overspray just in front of the drivers door, but i just got home in fading light and noticed more just behind the drivers door, plus the rear lower panel ( again drivers side) behind the rear wheel arch, from just below the top of the arch right down to the sill, has also been sprayed.
It didn't show up in full daylight , so much for the "stunning bodywork" description.
I'm not happy now lol.

 

As for my competence with a spanner Sean B, i wouldn't classify it as great.
10 years ago i actually managed to get the head off a fuel injected 2litre Granada, and put it back together, did the timing etc, get it running nice and without the need for a visit to a mechanic for anything.
But that was a long time ago and a comparatively simple engine.
If i had to do the timing chains and tensioners on an XK8, it would probably be off the road for a fortnight while i did it very slowly and carefully in my spare time.
And thats if i could do it at all without any complexities that may stop me in my tracks.
Quite honestly i wouldn't know if i could do it until i tried.
Luckily i still have my V6 Mondeo as a daily driver at the moment, so for the XK8 to be off the road that long is not a problem.
It's a damned nuisance having no heat, dashboard lights or sounds already though. Because naturally i want to drive it.

 

That wouldn't be something like a 70 aH battery in the Mondeo by any chance? If so, considerably larger capacity than the one you've described in the XK8.

A disconnect from the Mondeo and temporary connection to the XK8 could be quite informative.

Graham

 

You'll be fine. If it makes you feel any better... I had been shopping for an XK for months. Started out looking for 1998 to 2000 models to keep cost down. Pretty much could NOT find any for less than $11,000 US. Any that came across were pretty much sold by the time they got listed. Just work through your issues and you should be able to get it back in shape and have a solid fun car!! These guys on this site are extremely helpful. They have worked me through SEVERAL issues already, and my car is cleaning up nicely. MC

 

Thank you for the encouragement Italianguy63, i feel like i'm starting need it with this car as time goes by.
Another thing i forgot when i bought this car was to ask for the locking wheel nut key especially since the lockers look quite good quality compared to lockers i've had on my cars ( and therefore difficult to get off).
I emailed the guy a few days ago about the key after being unable to find it, and got his reply yesterday. He doesn't know where it is, he forgot to ask, he says. The guy's a fleet manager for a tyre company for gods sake.
That also tells me the recently fitted tyres weren't fitted under his ownership, and i'll wager the previous owner details that come back on the logbook will probably be those of the person HE bought it off.
I can't get much less help from them than i'm getting from the seller, so i figure the only thing to do is wait for the logbook and write to them, before i resort to getting the wheel nuts broken off.

Not sure about the 70AH GGG, the Mondeo battery is wrapped in a sleeve that covers the writing on the side, but it does have 540 Amp start charge.
I'm going to wait till i've got the right battery though.
I phoned Sidcup Jaguar yesterday, but the extension i was put through to didn't answer and by the time they rung me back i'd had to go out.
I'll just get the right battery and then try, cars not going anywhere for probably at least a week.
Only good news is that the key fob case and fob batteries arrived yesterday, i switched the buttons in to my original jag remote and programmed it so the remote is now fully functional.

BTW is there a way of telling if the camchains and tensioners have been done?
My neighbour says there is, via the bolt next to the dipstick.

 

If the tensioners haven't been replaced, you could grenade your engine. Therefore, you want to be ABSOLUTELY sure about whether they've been replaced or not. Checking the dipstick bolt to see if it's been altered certainly does NOT qualify as an absolutely sure result. In fact, when I changed my own tensioners, I didn't need to move or alter the dipstick bolt at all.

Therefore, the only way to know for sure whether your tensioners are updated is to pull off the valve covers and have a look. Pull BOTH sides...many cars, including mine, had one second generation tensioner which was OK but not great, and one first generation tensioner, which was very close to coming completely apart with catastrophic results.

Order new valve cover gaskets before you do the job, and replace the old ones while you have the covers off.

 

The locking wheelnut key should be stored in the polystyrene tool tray under the spare wheel as is the black plastic tubular tool for removing the blanking cover on them.

Wheelnut 2-digit code is stamped on the key but not the nut as far as I can see.

Follow the tip in Sean B's earlier reply about getting the spec sheet for your car from the dealer. The key code is on this. Most Jaguar breakers have a draw full of them and you can pick up one quite cheaply once you know the number.

Graham

 

Just signed on today, (purchases a 97 XK Coupe).

I see different specs on line for the battery...I will test old and change out if needed.

What is the battery category for US consumption? Is 49H8 correct?

Thanks in advance

 

Welcome - hope you're enjoying your XK8 Coupe.

I see your question has been unanswered for several hours. It might get overlooked in this thread on Roadhogg's problems. The 49H8 ref you've quoted sounds familiar from a recent post on the forum but it's a US reference not used elsewhere. In Europe we have VARTA LRA1250AA batteries fitted which are 90Ah and 680 amps.

Best option for a quick response is to start a new thread about '49H8 Battery' which will certainly get you the right answer from US members and is also likely to turn up suggestions for the best supplier.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham,

I posted the question here as the discussion relative to his electrical issues pointed out he had the wrong battery...and that got me thinking ahead.

We call that hijacking the thread...which is considered rude.

You're right, I probably should have started a new thread.

Moderator, as punishment, please lock me out until 5:00p.m Eastern US time, (so I may concentrate on work instead of these forums).

p.s.....the car is sitting at Sellers garage until the snow abates tomorrow so I have yet to enjoy the first true ride.

 

I'll tell my neighbour that the bolt beside the dipstick is no guarantee of new camchains The Coupe, probably won't make his day either lol.
If i understand correctly first generation is weak plastic, second gen is tougher plastic, third gen is aluminium, and less likely than previous generations to give any warning at all.
Is that about right?

I found the plastic cap remover in the toolkit GGG, but not the key itself.
I looked everywhere i could think of, cubby hole under the dash, glovebox, battery space, spare wheel space,down sides of seats, on the floor including the back, no sign of it.
Good tip about the car breakers too, perhaps even without a spec sheet, if i can't find a helpful main dealer on the spec sheet search, proof of ownership may be enough for a breakers to let my try a few keys.

I can't help wondering how someone who's supposedly owned a few XK8's before, manages to buy one with no wheel nut keys, no keycode for the radio and no service history. Auction perhaps?