Jaguar XJ8 3.2 - Possibly bought a turkey...

[Rob34]

Hi All,

I bought a 1999 V reg XJ8 about three weeks ago, but having spent 18 months researching them - what to look out for etc - I seemed to have ended up with a bit of a turkey.

There seems to be a timing chain rattle on start up which I didn't spot on first inspection as the engine was slightly warm to touch. I also saw a note in the service book saying the timing chain and tensioners had been replaced Apr 2005 (with 43K on the clock), and it has only done 37K since then so I didn't suspect there would be a problem.

The service history isn't all that good either - only one service recorded since then at 54K in Nov 2007. Now got 80K on the clock.

The rattle is noticeable on about 8/10 start ups cold or warm. It lasts two seconds then disappears. The last two start ups from cold did not noticeably rattle - the first after standing for nearly five days. Does this sound like a timing chain issue? Or could it be something else?

Your thoughts would be much appreciated

Many thanks,

Rob

[Rob34]

davepoth said:

How old is the oil?

Well when I bought it the oil could have been 4 years 9 months old and used for 26K miles. I had the oil (5-30 Fully Synthetic) and filter changed four days after I bought it. It did not seem to make any difference to the rattle though.

Also there is a faint sound like a free-wheeling bicycle, which seems constant but very faint. Wasn't sure if it is tappets or a saggy timing chain.

I could of course be being completely paranoid...

[Rob34]

XJR500bhp said:

It's not weak pump and oil starvation top end until it's warm?

How do you mean?

[Rob34]

richard300 said:

My old XJ8 (4.0) would make a very similar sound to what you are describing. If i started the car cold it would make the sound, give some gentle revs and as soon as it hit 1800rpm it stopped. My local garage said not to worry. and my car had the chain and metal tensioner upgrade only 10k before.

My rattle is near the front of the engine and I believe second generation tensioners were fitted not metal ones. Is that where your rattle is coming from and did they give you any idea what the rattle is?

[Rob34]

Soovy said:

Sounds like you let your heart rule your head.

It might sound that way but I certainly wasn't smitten with it, just sick of travelling long distances to see Jags which sound perfect, only to discover they're dogs and I've just wasted a load of petrol! That happened for nearly six months! In the end I bought a car which I knew had replacement tensioners and which didn't rattle when I went to view it. It was also only £1350 so I thought it might be worth a gamble. If it needs a full set of tensioners and a new chain that'll be about £1K and it also needs a couple of wheel bearings £600 - £700 for both...

I'll have it inspected and see what happens. Might have to flog it

[Rob34]

[Rob34]

[Rob34]

[Rob34]

Well, that's the beast...

[Rob34]

Thanks - that's a very good point. Yes the tensioners are hydraulic. How old is your Merc and what mileage? Would this rattle happen with these timing chains even if they were new?

[Rob34]

Thanks for all your thoughts on the problem.

I've heard back from an independent Jaguar mechanic and he says the secondary tensioners have cracked and the upper timing chain has stretched. He's going to replace them - does anyone know what the usual cost for this sort of job is?

Strong anti-mascot feelings here! I wouldn't have put one on myself, but now it's on I don't fancy removing it. There seem to be quite a few Jaguars about with those mascots on the bonnet. Do the police generally turn a blind eye to them?