My Advice/Buyer's Guide for the XJ8/XJR8 1997-2003
Discussion
What a great sight. A few weeks ago before I bought my first Jaguar I knew nothing of the pitfalls and it is only thanks to sights like this I discovered the dangers of buying an XJ8 1997 - 2000 model in paricular the problems with timing chains and guides. I spent hours researching and looking at cars on the net and finally found a top example of a 2000 model Sovereign. the ownerwas not aware of the timing chain problem, but when he checked he discovered it was cracked and about to break and agreed to fix it and also replace the water pump. As soon as I toook delivery I had all the fluids replaced, the transmission serviced and replaced the oil and air filter. I paid $21,500 for the car, which by British standards is very expensive, but what a dream machine. It's only a 3.2 litre but for cruising the long stretches of highway in country Victoria in Australia it's heaven on wheels. The duco, I think it's called Jaguar green and buff interior are in mint condition. I also have a Mazda RX8, which too is a lot of fun to drive, totally dofferent to the Jag of course.
Before purchasing my XJ8 I always considered a Jaguar didn't look like a Jaguar unless it had a leaper on the bonnet, but having lived with the car now for a few weeks I feel like it would be sacrilege to put one on. I have competely changed my opinion and feel it would spoil the beautiful line of the car and that if Jaguar didn't fit one at the time of manufacture then I shouldn't. I am a bit of a purist. Any thoughts from members ?
Colinbentley said:
Before purchasing my XJ8 I always considered a Jaguar didn't look like a Jaguar unless it had a leaper on the bonnet, but having lived with the car now for a few weeks I feel like it would be sacrilege to put one on. I have competely changed my opinion and feel it would spoil the beautiful line of the car and that if Jaguar didn't fit one at the time of manufacture then I shouldn't. I am a bit of a purist. Any thoughts from members ?
My XJ has a leaper on it and I hate it. Once I've got it driving well I'm going to look into having it removed, or at least replacing it with a chrome plinth (the leaper without the actual Jaguar on it) Some vandal has also put a S2/XJS wing mirror on it too, which also looks horrible. It also has, what seems to be, US spec side repeaters. It all needs to go.Firstly what a useful post this one is. I get irritated by so much folklore with the XJ8 and its good to see the facts and figures behind so many of the stories.
One area I do wonder about is the received wisdom of additional oil changes over and above the 10K specified. I operate and maintain large industrial diesel engines and with these oil changes are very different to cars. For example, with older railway power units, the oil was kept the same between overhauls, but the filters were changed very frequently. These engines used a lot of oil so the oil was constantly being topped up with fresh.
However more recently the system is to have oil samples analysed and only changed when it chemically degrades or metallic residue is found.
However my point is that running any engine, the condition of the oil is the issue, and that depends on many factors including engine cycles. My 3.2 XJ8 does 2K per month mainly on motorways and I run on LPG. Therefore the oil comes out pretty much the same colour as it goes in. I am thus quite comfortable in extending the oil change to 15K at times. However if I was doing only a few hundred miles per month I would change the oil more regularly. On another forum there is a poster who changed his oil every 3000 miles over 91000 and yet still his chain tensioners were decaying when stripped down. The 10K service figure is a compromise worked out by Jaguar, but I can't see the harm in applying good engineering reasoning to it.
For the record, my 3.2 has 135000 and is going strong. It is used for three hour journeys 3 days per week and averages 25mpg on petrol and 19 on LPG. Its on 2nd generation tensioners and I don't see the need to change them yet.
Its also worth saying that I find the 3.2 very satisfying and well set up as an engine. Yes the XJR is earth shattering, but you can get a real buzz out of revving the 3.2 all the way up to the red without doing 140mph. I drive mine pretty hard using the J gate and it seems to respond well to it. When I drove the XJR I had to ease off before I could use all that power, especially on the motorways.
Horses for courses and all that............
One area I do wonder about is the received wisdom of additional oil changes over and above the 10K specified. I operate and maintain large industrial diesel engines and with these oil changes are very different to cars. For example, with older railway power units, the oil was kept the same between overhauls, but the filters were changed very frequently. These engines used a lot of oil so the oil was constantly being topped up with fresh.
However more recently the system is to have oil samples analysed and only changed when it chemically degrades or metallic residue is found.
However my point is that running any engine, the condition of the oil is the issue, and that depends on many factors including engine cycles. My 3.2 XJ8 does 2K per month mainly on motorways and I run on LPG. Therefore the oil comes out pretty much the same colour as it goes in. I am thus quite comfortable in extending the oil change to 15K at times. However if I was doing only a few hundred miles per month I would change the oil more regularly. On another forum there is a poster who changed his oil every 3000 miles over 91000 and yet still his chain tensioners were decaying when stripped down. The 10K service figure is a compromise worked out by Jaguar, but I can't see the harm in applying good engineering reasoning to it.
For the record, my 3.2 has 135000 and is going strong. It is used for three hour journeys 3 days per week and averages 25mpg on petrol and 19 on LPG. Its on 2nd generation tensioners and I don't see the need to change them yet.
Its also worth saying that I find the 3.2 very satisfying and well set up as an engine. Yes the XJR is earth shattering, but you can get a real buzz out of revving the 3.2 all the way up to the red without doing 140mph. I drive mine pretty hard using the J gate and it seems to respond well to it. When I drove the XJR I had to ease off before I could use all that power, especially on the motorways.
Horses for courses and all that............
Fregbert you are soooooo right, I came very close to buying an XJR but the seler stuffed me around so much I got fed up and ended up buying a 3.2 XJ8. A beautiful car with more than enough power and I have made similar comments to friends about the XJR.....great power but where the hell can you use it without the risk of losing your lisence ? Colinbentley.
I'd also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to BroadBean747 - and subsequent posters to this excellent thread.
I'd more or less decided on a low-cost pre-1999 XJ8 before I read it..... now I find myself owning a very VERY nice 2001 XJR
I've only had her a couple of days, so the first jobs on the list will be a full fluids service, and check over by my local friendly mechanic. But for now, I'm just enjoying the magnificent performance and supremely luxurious motoring.
I'd more or less decided on a low-cost pre-1999 XJ8 before I read it..... now I find myself owning a very VERY nice 2001 XJR
I've only had her a couple of days, so the first jobs on the list will be a full fluids service, and check over by my local friendly mechanic. But for now, I'm just enjoying the magnificent performance and supremely luxurious motoring.
This may be a really old thread but it should never be considered as a dead thread....it contains probably the best collection of information and links to other sources regards critical engine issues with the X308
A must read for any X308 buyer
as an addendum on tensioners....My son owns an audi S4 with the 4.2 V8 engine....his valve gear drive looks like this
here is a vid of the work required
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW14Y4sGls
god help my son if his tensioners ever let go.....coz that's a front of car off and engine out minimum £4000 pro fix right there!
So after you have had a look at this you will have the confidence to do the X308 primary and secondary chains and tensioners with a couple of cable ties and a spoon.... snap-on spoon or jaguar spoon tool part number .....
OK its not the easiest of jobs and will preferably need some special tools which can be hired or even made yourself.....but on an X308 engine its a weekend job for a handy car DIY'er with the engine still in the car
A must read for any X308 buyer
as an addendum on tensioners....My son owns an audi S4 with the 4.2 V8 engine....his valve gear drive looks like this
here is a vid of the work required
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiW14Y4sGls
god help my son if his tensioners ever let go.....coz that's a front of car off and engine out minimum £4000 pro fix right there!
So after you have had a look at this you will have the confidence to do the X308 primary and secondary chains and tensioners with a couple of cable ties and a spoon.... snap-on spoon or jaguar spoon tool part number .....
OK its not the easiest of jobs and will preferably need some special tools which can be hired or even made yourself.....but on an X308 engine its a weekend job for a handy car DIY'er with the engine still in the car
Edited by xxxscimitarxxx on Monday 26th January 11:28
Hi guys, great thread and thank you Broadbean for taking the time to share your knowledge!
This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
I'd say yes you could be. Buy a sub optimal XJ8 and you could easily spend far more fixing it than you would have done by buying a really good one in the first place. And at the end of the day no matter what you spent on repairs you'd still have a ropey old XJ.
X308 Buyers Guide
OVERVIEW
To avoid XJ model confusion the 1997-2002 V8 engined XJ is referred to by its factory designation as the X308. The V8 engine in the 308 is available in a 3.2, 4.0 with VVT and a supercharged 4.0 and all versions are 5 speed auto only. £3000 should buy you a good example of a base 3.2, but the best low mileage cars or high spec ones are priced at up to double that. Engines were revised in late 1999 model year from AJ26 version to AJ27. A car fitted with the revised engine version can be identified by a VIN number ending in five, not six digits. AJ26 cars had weak water pumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, throttle bodies and a Nicasil coating applied directly on the aluminum block bore walls rather than using conventional liners pressed into the block.
ENGINE NICASIL
Some Nicasil coatings suffered from erosion due to a combination of high Sulphur content fuel and repeated short trips. Sulphur maximum allowable limits in petrol were lowered considerably in Jan 2000 so any pre 2000 Nicasil coated V8 engine that's still OK now should be fine forever. Several Nicasil lined engines were changed under warranty so you may find a pre 2000 car with a later steel lined engine fitted - identify this by the presence of a green tag on the head buried at the back of the RH bank and the engine change should also be recorded in the history. Symptoms of bore erosion and loss of compression are poor cold starting, a lumpy idle and heavy oil deposits in the breather system and air intake. Crankcase pressure will be high too – a quick check for this is to slightly lift the oil filler cap at hot idle. There should be little or no internal pressure or fumes escaping. Jaguar dealers can perform a blow by check to determine engine condition. A good condition engine will show less than 25 l/m, anything over 40 l/m will make a good Top Gear coffee table.
ENGINE COOLING
Impellors on AJ26 water pumps can disintegrate giving a loss of efficiency leading to overheating and potential head gasket failure. An early pump can be changed to the later version with a metal, not plastic impellor. The temperature gauge is software driven and is not always an accurate refection of actual coolant temperature.
For an indication of water pump efficiency, remove the coolant header tank cap when the engine is STONE COLD, start up and gently increase engine speed. If the water pump is healthy you should see a steady stream of coolant into the tank from the thin return pipe that runs back from the front of the engine.
You may be able to identify the later type of pump by the presence of a black plastic, not metal gasket, but the only certain way is to remove the pump and have a look. Spring type coolant hose clips can loose tension and allow pipes to blow off and some plastic parts on the hoses, unions and thermostat housing are delicate. It’s worth replacing all the sprung coolant clips with proper Jubilee ones. Check all over for evidence of coolant leaks, particularly around the thermostat/filler cap tower and coolant (valley) pipes underneath the inlet manifold. Occasional auxiliary heater pump failures can lead to no heat output in the cabin at low engine RPM. Cycle the whole climate and a/c system through all vent operations and temperature range. Two types of coolant available for the XJ - don’t mix the later orange long life one with the earlier type.
ENGINE THROTTLE BODIES
AJ26 throttle bodies ought to have been changed to the later design under a factory safety recall. Some of the early bodies suffered from failing actuating motors causing to the engine to cut out completely on the overrun. The later design should have been factory fitted to all cars from VIN 043775 onwards.
SECONDARY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS AND CHAINS
The only post AJ26 revision engine issue is the secondary timing chain tensioners. These were revised to a mk 2 version around the same time as the rest of the 1999 engine revisions but the mk 2 type still had a plastic body which can crack or break up leading to slipped or broken chains. Mk 1 tensioners are actuated by engine oil pressure and failure can often be identified by a sharp rattling noise similar to a bicycle chain dragging on the chain guard on a cold start. The mk2 type is permanently tensioned by an integral spring instead which means it’ll usually fail silently.
A permanent solution is to retro-fit the later mk3 version tensioner made with a metal, not plastic body from the later 4.2 incarnation of the V8 engine and the only way to be sure of which tensioners are fitted to an 308 is to either have a receipt with tensioner part numbers C2A1511 and C2A1512 which are the metal bodied type and the required 4 new bolts to fit them on it relating to that particular car or remove the RH cam cover - the LH is a PITA to get off - and have a look. A reddish/orange (mk1) or cream (mk2) plastic tensioner body is bad news, a grey aluminum metal one (mk3) is good.
The cam phasing on the V8 means the timing gear works hard and timing chains can stretch at high mileages or on neglected cars. If this is identified then a full chain and tensioner replacement is required costing up to £1000. If the chains/sprockets and guides are OK then it’s a wise precaution to fit the mk3 secondary tensioners which is a fairly easy DIY job. Tensioners cost around £75 a set plus a couple of quid for new bolts. Cam setting tools for this job and all other special tools needed for any work on a 308 can all be hired from the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club. Secondary tensioners can also be changed without any tools by removing the exhaust cam whilst preserving the timing with a tie wrap holding the chain on the ex cam sprocket and easing the tensioners out of location.
Exhaust cam chains slipping one tooth – usually on a cold start - will give a very rough running engine, more than one tooth slipped means exhaust valves will meet pistons.
A good general rule of thumb for engine condition is internal cleanliness. Bright shiny metal inside the oil filler cap and dipstick along with clean oil and no evidence of leaks is a good sign, as is clear coolant that does not smell or taste bitter or acrid.
GEARBOX/ DRIVELINE
All X308s have a “sealed for life” gearbox – ZF unit in the n/a cars and a Mercedes one in the supercharged cars. Loads have failed now - just look on ebay in the non runners or spares and repairs section. Any car that hesitates or engages Drive with a jerk or thump as the engine speed rises has a potential gearbox failure looming. Gear changes should be seamless and quiet and you should be able to play tunes with the throttle, Sport switch and J gate selector. Any car stuck in 4th or 5th is FUBAR’d.
A very faint gear whine may be heard in intermediate gears. Any gearbox issues or concerns are potentially fatal. An oil and filter change may be all that’s needed to cure a gearbox malfunction but that’s never guaranteed.
Ideally the gearbox oil and filter should be changed at 50k then at 25k intervals; it's not a simple drain and refill on the ZF box as the final fill has to be done quickly with the engine running and within a narrow temperature range. There is no conventional dipstick for checking oil level.
The ZF 5 speed box on the n/a cars requires Esso/Mobil longlife LT 71141 fluid also known as Lifeguard Fluid 5 and not conventional Dexron 3. The Mercedes gearbox in the supercharged version is also sealed for life but the same change requirement apply although you can use Dexron 3 in this box and once you have fitted a temporary dipstick it’s a much less complex job to do. Some transmission specialists offer a flush and change service done via the rather fragile oil cooler pipes in the radiator which also gets the oil otherwise retained in the torque converter out.
The same applies to the rear axle. Oil should be changed but there’s no drain plug. Old oil has to be vacuum extracted out of the filler plug. Refill with a API GL5 75 or 85/90 oil. Noisy diffs can be quieted down quite a bit with EP140 or 250 oil.
BODY, PAINT AND CORROSION
Substantially better than earlier cars. Look for corrosion round the rear wheel arches, round the front and rear screens especially underneath the screen rubbers in the bottom corners, bottom of the front wings, sill closing panels and most importantly behind the front shocks on both sides. There's a reinforcing plate where the engine sub frame V mount is bolted to the body rail and some cars have corroded badly here. Corrosion around the same area may also be visible in the engine compartment on the top of the body rail around the heads of the bolts that retain the top of the V mounts. It's an MOT fail and a big welding job. Another area to check is the joint between the rear of the front inner wings and the bulkhead. Body and paintwork is otherwise pretty good however some darker coloured cars suffer from peeling lacquer. Bumper corners are susceptible to damage and bumper mounting brackets can corrode.
Lacquer on the XJ8 is soft and easy to scratch with careless washing Providing you can’t actually feel scratches with a thumbnail and the paint colour underneath is OK it’s possible to restore the bodywork to a very good finish with a through clay, polish and wax. Stripe down body flanks if car has one is hand painted and not always completely straight.
INTERIOR
Always leather with different levels of trim and seat design. Wood trim clips on and is easy to change to different type. Driver’s seat back and steering wheels tend to suffer from wear. Head linings can sag. LWB version has more room in back.
SUSPENSION, TYRES AND BRAKES
X308s are hard on suspension and brakes, listen and feel very carefully for any clonking or knocking over bumps and make sure the car comes to a straight judder-free stop under both light and hard braking. A sharp rattle heard and felt through the steering over bumps combined with a little free play in the steering wheel may be a worn crush joint on the lower steering column.
A clattery rattle from the rear is likely to be failed shocks or shock bushes. X308s with weak rear A frame bushes or rear hub pivots will tend to self steer and wander about under hard acceleration.
Feel round the tyres for uneven wear patterns; any suspension wear or bush failure giving incorrect geometry will cause tyres to feather badly and heavy wear in the inside edges is a symptom of excess negative camber from wishbone bush or ball joint failure. Slight and even feathering is normal on the front tyres.
All Jaguar XJs are very sensitive to wheel and tyre imbalances or damage, typically you'll feel a steering wobble between 50-70MPH and possibly vibration through the seat if there are any tyre problems or buckled wheels. A Hunter Roadforce wheel balance is usually the solution. Incorrect tyre pressures, worn out or cheap budget tyres will severely affect handling and ride. Most X308s exhibit a faint exhaust harmonic around 50 and another one at 65MPH. You might possibly experience a hint of driveline vibration through the body too. Don't expect too much in the way of the legendary Jaguar ride quality either - it's pretty good on touring (black shocks) suspension and 16" wheels but sport suspension cars (green shocks) are stiffer and have a thicker front anti roll bar and one on the rear too which when combined with larger diameter wheels and lower profile tyres gives a hard crashy ride on poor roads. CATS suspension may be fitted as an option to any X308. CATS has electronically controlled valves in the shocks to vary the damping rates depending on driving style. Identify CATS by the presence of a plastic cover over the top of the front shock absorber with a lead going into it.
ELECTRICIAL/ OBD2 DIAGNOSTICS
Electrical systems are generally pretty robust. As with any old car you might have the odd problem so check absolutely everything works. Even the earliest X308 is OBD2 compliant and a £20 code reader plugged into the socket in the driver’s footwell will help diagnosis a lot. Electric aerials are vunerable, there are occasional O2 sensor, airflow meter and brake light switch failures.
XJ’s need a strong battery to avoid random error messages appearing on start up. If you get one – usually TRAC FAIL – the battery is on its way out or needs several days on a trickle charge to bring it back up to full capacity.
BUYING AND LIVING WITH AN XJ
Generally the 1997-2002 XJ8 is a strong car and capable of big mileages if maintained well and not abused or neglected. It's mostly easy enough to DIY and parts are reasonable and in good supply from several independents and the Jaguar Classic Parts scheme. Expect around 26/8 MPG on the motorway, 20/4 round town and mid teens or less if you nail it everywhere. Tyres are around £100/120 a corner in 16" diameter size. The 3.2 is quick enough (0-60 is 8s) the 4.0 is much rarer and does the same in 7.0.
Shortening intervals between servicing and using a genuine fully synthetic oil is worthwhile. It’ll help protect the timing chains and give improved fuel economy. A through rust proofing and full fluid change is a benefit too if you want to preserve the car. Official servicing is annual or 10000 miles. 70k service is the expensive one on n/a cars.
One last thing. A software fault means you should never start an XJ8 from cold and then switch off again straightaway and before allowing the temp gauge to move off the cold section of the scale. Chances are it’ll flood when you next start and wash all the oil of the bores and it’s a right PITA to get it running again.
X308 Buyers Guide
OVERVIEW
To avoid XJ model confusion the 1997-2002 V8 engined XJ is referred to by its factory designation as the X308. The V8 engine in the 308 is available in a 3.2, 4.0 with VVT and a supercharged 4.0 and all versions are 5 speed auto only. £3000 should buy you a good example of a base 3.2, but the best low mileage cars or high spec ones are priced at up to double that. Engines were revised in late 1999 model year from AJ26 version to AJ27. A car fitted with the revised engine version can be identified by a VIN number ending in five, not six digits. AJ26 cars had weak water pumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, throttle bodies and a Nicasil coating applied directly on the aluminum block bore walls rather than using conventional liners pressed into the block.
ENGINE NICASIL
Some Nicasil coatings suffered from erosion due to a combination of high Sulphur content fuel and repeated short trips. Sulphur maximum allowable limits in petrol were lowered considerably in Jan 2000 so any pre 2000 Nicasil coated V8 engine that's still OK now should be fine forever. Several Nicasil lined engines were changed under warranty so you may find a pre 2000 car with a later steel lined engine fitted - identify this by the presence of a green tag on the head buried at the back of the RH bank and the engine change should also be recorded in the history. Symptoms of bore erosion and loss of compression are poor cold starting, a lumpy idle and heavy oil deposits in the breather system and air intake. Crankcase pressure will be high too – a quick check for this is to slightly lift the oil filler cap at hot idle. There should be little or no internal pressure or fumes escaping. Jaguar dealers can perform a blow by check to determine engine condition. A good condition engine will show less than 25 l/m, anything over 40 l/m will make a good Top Gear coffee table.
ENGINE COOLING
Impellors on AJ26 water pumps can disintegrate giving a loss of efficiency leading to overheating and potential head gasket failure. An early pump can be changed to the later version with a metal, not plastic impellor. The temperature gauge is software driven and is not always an accurate refection of actual coolant temperature.
For an indication of water pump efficiency, remove the coolant header tank cap when the engine is STONE COLD, start up and gently increase engine speed. If the water pump is healthy you should see a steady stream of coolant into the tank from the thin return pipe that runs back from the front of the engine.
You may be able to identify the later type of pump by the presence of a black plastic, not metal gasket, but the only certain way is to remove the pump and have a look. Spring type coolant hose clips can loose tension and allow pipes to blow off and some plastic parts on the hoses, unions and thermostat housing are delicate. It’s worth replacing all the sprung coolant clips with proper Jubilee ones. Check all over for evidence of coolant leaks, particularly around the thermostat/filler cap tower and coolant (valley) pipes underneath the inlet manifold. Occasional auxiliary heater pump failures can lead to no heat output in the cabin at low engine RPM. Cycle the whole climate and a/c system through all vent operations and temperature range. Two types of coolant available for the XJ - don’t mix the later orange long life one with the earlier type.
ENGINE THROTTLE BODIES
AJ26 throttle bodies ought to have been changed to the later design under a factory safety recall. Some of the early bodies suffered from failing actuating motors causing to the engine to cut out completely on the overrun. The later design should have been factory fitted to all cars from VIN 043775 onwards.
SECONDARY TIMING CHAIN TENSIONERS AND CHAINS
The only post AJ26 revision engine issue is the secondary timing chain tensioners. These were revised to a mk 2 version around the same time as the rest of the 1999 engine revisions but the mk 2 type still had a plastic body which can crack or break up leading to slipped or broken chains. Mk 1 tensioners are actuated by engine oil pressure and failure can often be identified by a sharp rattling noise similar to a bicycle chain dragging on the chain guard on a cold start. The mk2 type is permanently tensioned by an integral spring instead which means it’ll usually fail silently.
A permanent solution is to retro-fit the later mk3 version tensioner made with a metal, not plastic body from the later 4.2 incarnation of the V8 engine and the only way to be sure of which tensioners are fitted to an 308 is to either have a receipt with tensioner part numbers C2A1511 and C2A1512 which are the metal bodied type and the required 4 new bolts to fit them on it relating to that particular car or remove the RH cam cover - the LH is a PITA to get off - and have a look. A reddish/orange (mk1) or cream (mk2) plastic tensioner body is bad news, a grey aluminum metal one (mk3) is good.
The cam phasing on the V8 means the timing gear works hard and timing chains can stretch at high mileages or on neglected cars. If this is identified then a full chain and tensioner replacement is required costing up to £1000. If the chains/sprockets and guides are OK then it’s a wise precaution to fit the mk3 secondary tensioners which is a fairly easy DIY job. Tensioners cost around £75 a set plus a couple of quid for new bolts. Cam setting tools for this job and all other special tools needed for any work on a 308 can all be hired from the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club. Secondary tensioners can also be changed without any tools by removing the exhaust cam whilst preserving the timing with a tie wrap holding the chain on the ex cam sprocket and easing the tensioners out of location.
Exhaust cam chains slipping one tooth – usually on a cold start - will give a very rough running engine, more than one tooth slipped means exhaust valves will meet pistons.
A good general rule of thumb for engine condition is internal cleanliness. Bright shiny metal inside the oil filler cap and dipstick along with clean oil and no evidence of leaks is a good sign, as is clear coolant that does not smell or taste bitter or acrid.
GEARBOX/ DRIVELINE
All X308s have a “sealed for life” gearbox – ZF unit in the n/a cars and a Mercedes one in the supercharged cars. Loads have failed now - just look on ebay in the non runners or spares and repairs section. Any car that hesitates or engages Drive with a jerk or thump as the engine speed rises has a potential gearbox failure looming. Gear changes should be seamless and quiet and you should be able to play tunes with the throttle, Sport switch and J gate selector. Any car stuck in 4th or 5th is FUBAR’d.
A very faint gear whine may be heard in intermediate gears. Any gearbox issues or concerns are potentially fatal. An oil and filter change may be all that’s needed to cure a gearbox malfunction but that’s never guaranteed.
Ideally the gearbox oil and filter should be changed at 50k then at 25k intervals; it's not a simple drain and refill on the ZF box as the final fill has to be done quickly with the engine running and within a narrow temperature range. There is no conventional dipstick for checking oil level.
The ZF 5 speed box on the n/a cars requires Esso/Mobil longlife LT 71141 fluid also known as Lifeguard Fluid 5 and not conventional Dexron 3. The Mercedes gearbox in the supercharged version is also sealed for life but the same change requirement apply although you can use Dexron 3 in this box and once you have fitted a temporary dipstick it’s a much less complex job to do. Some transmission specialists offer a flush and change service done via the rather fragile oil cooler pipes in the radiator which also gets the oil otherwise retained in the torque converter out.
The same applies to the rear axle. Oil should be changed but there’s no drain plug. Old oil has to be vacuum extracted out of the filler plug. Refill with a API GL5 75 or 85/90 oil. Noisy diffs can be quieted down quite a bit with EP140 or 250 oil.
BODY, PAINT AND CORROSION
Substantially better than earlier cars. Look for corrosion round the rear wheel arches, round the front and rear screens especially underneath the screen rubbers in the bottom corners, bottom of the front wings, sill closing panels and most importantly behind the front shocks on both sides. There's a reinforcing plate where the engine sub frame V mount is bolted to the body rail and some cars have corroded badly here. Corrosion around the same area may also be visible in the engine compartment on the top of the body rail around the heads of the bolts that retain the top of the V mounts. It's an MOT fail and a big welding job. Another area to check is the joint between the rear of the front inner wings and the bulkhead. Body and paintwork is otherwise pretty good however some darker coloured cars suffer from peeling lacquer. Bumper corners are susceptible to damage and bumper mounting brackets can corrode.
Lacquer on the XJ8 is soft and easy to scratch with careless washing Providing you can’t actually feel scratches with a thumbnail and the paint colour underneath is OK it’s possible to restore the bodywork to a very good finish with a through clay, polish and wax. Stripe down body flanks if car has one is hand painted and not always completely straight.
INTERIOR
Always leather with different levels of trim and seat design. Wood trim clips on and is easy to change to different type. Driver’s seat back and steering wheels tend to suffer from wear. Head linings can sag. LWB version has more room in back.
SUSPENSION, TYRES AND BRAKES
X308s are hard on suspension and brakes, listen and feel very carefully for any clonking or knocking over bumps and make sure the car comes to a straight judder-free stop under both light and hard braking. A sharp rattle heard and felt through the steering over bumps combined with a little free play in the steering wheel may be a worn crush joint on the lower steering column.
A clattery rattle from the rear is likely to be failed shocks or shock bushes. X308s with weak rear A frame bushes or rear hub pivots will tend to self steer and wander about under hard acceleration.
Feel round the tyres for uneven wear patterns; any suspension wear or bush failure giving incorrect geometry will cause tyres to feather badly and heavy wear in the inside edges is a symptom of excess negative camber from wishbone bush or ball joint failure. Slight and even feathering is normal on the front tyres.
All Jaguar XJs are very sensitive to wheel and tyre imbalances or damage, typically you'll feel a steering wobble between 50-70MPH and possibly vibration through the seat if there are any tyre problems or buckled wheels. A Hunter Roadforce wheel balance is usually the solution. Incorrect tyre pressures, worn out or cheap budget tyres will severely affect handling and ride. Most X308s exhibit a faint exhaust harmonic around 50 and another one at 65MPH. You might possibly experience a hint of driveline vibration through the body too. Don't expect too much in the way of the legendary Jaguar ride quality either - it's pretty good on touring (black shocks) suspension and 16" wheels but sport suspension cars (green shocks) are stiffer and have a thicker front anti roll bar and one on the rear too which when combined with larger diameter wheels and lower profile tyres gives a hard crashy ride on poor roads. CATS suspension may be fitted as an option to any X308. CATS has electronically controlled valves in the shocks to vary the damping rates depending on driving style. Identify CATS by the presence of a plastic cover over the top of the front shock absorber with a lead going into it.
ELECTRICIAL/ OBD2 DIAGNOSTICS
Electrical systems are generally pretty robust. As with any old car you might have the odd problem so check absolutely everything works. Even the earliest X308 is OBD2 compliant and a £20 code reader plugged into the socket in the driver’s footwell will help diagnosis a lot. Electric aerials are vunerable, there are occasional O2 sensor, airflow meter and brake light switch failures.
XJ’s need a strong battery to avoid random error messages appearing on start up. If you get one – usually TRAC FAIL – the battery is on its way out or needs several days on a trickle charge to bring it back up to full capacity.
BUYING AND LIVING WITH AN XJ
Generally the 1997-2002 XJ8 is a strong car and capable of big mileages if maintained well and not abused or neglected. It's mostly easy enough to DIY and parts are reasonable and in good supply from several independents and the Jaguar Classic Parts scheme. Expect around 26/8 MPG on the motorway, 20/4 round town and mid teens or less if you nail it everywhere. Tyres are around £100/120 a corner in 16" diameter size. The 3.2 is quick enough (0-60 is 8s) the 4.0 is much rarer and does the same in 7.0.
Shortening intervals between servicing and using a genuine fully synthetic oil is worthwhile. It’ll help protect the timing chains and give improved fuel economy. A through rust proofing and full fluid change is a benefit too if you want to preserve the car. Official servicing is annual or 10000 miles. 70k service is the expensive one on n/a cars.
One last thing. A software fault means you should never start an XJ8 from cold and then switch off again straightaway and before allowing the temp gauge to move off the cold section of the scale. Chances are it’ll flood when you next start and wash all the oil of the bores and it’s a right PITA to get it running again.
vinnie83 said:
Hi guys, great thread and thank you Broadbean for taking the time to share your knowledge!
This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
Hope Steve is not saying you should stick to German ! At £2k and under any car you buy can be a gamble and be it Jag or German there are potential big bills out there.This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
Use the advise with care, assume that any major issues will mean goodbye to the car. Ignore Nikasil and tensioners, Nikasil is a non issue , tensioners rarely cause engine failure and you can always swap the secondaries if concerned. Gearboxes can be an issue check if the oil has been changed, the faults are known and can be fixed. Exchange boxes arn't that expensive.
Get a good one (they can be had for shed money) and you can have many years of comfy running for peanuts. Much better than any German offering and more reliable IMO.
P700DEE said:
vinnie83 said:
Hi guys, great thread and thank you Broadbean for taking the time to share your knowledge!
This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
Hope Steve is not saying you should stick to German ! At £2k and under any car you buy can be a gamble and be it Jag or German there are potential big bills out there.This seems to be the place for XJ advice - so tell me, am I mad for looking at a sub £2000 V8 XJ?
It seems I can get into a 2000ish era car with 80-120k miles for this price, but am I buying a dog? It doesn't need to be immaculate - it's going to be the train station car.
Am I entering dangerous waters here? Should I stick to German for my budget?
Use the advise with care, assume that any major issues will mean goodbye to the car. Ignore Nikasil and tensioners, Nikasil is a non issue , tensioners rarely cause engine failure and you can always swap the secondaries if concerned. Gearboxes can be an issue check if the oil has been changed, the faults are known and can be fixed. Exchange boxes arn't that expensive.
Get a good one (they can be had for shed money) and you can have many years of comfy running for peanuts. Much better than any German offering and more reliable IMO.
Although mind you, I'd not say no to a clean, bigger engined pre Bangle 3 or 5 series BMW at the right money. Point really is any old car needs to be bought with eyes open.I`m a complete newbie I havent had a car for years and currently only have a LDV Pilot (which I like) But I wanted a car too and as I`m 52 I can have what I want (within reason)
So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
freqeist1 said:
I`m a complete newbie I havent had a car for years and currently only have a LDV Pilot (which I like) But I wanted a car too and as I`m 52 I can have what I want (within reason)
So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
Ffft. I've done so much worse than that. Make sure it steers/stops, pull the headlining and enjoy!So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
Edited by varsas on Friday 9th September 13:05
freqeist1 said:
I`m a complete newbie I havent had a car for years and currently only have a LDV Pilot (which I like) But I wanted a car too and as I`m 52 I can have what I want (within reason)
So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
Not at all. So I bid and won an XJ8 on ebay I will put the link on here and be honest, I think Im stupid
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122104354033?_trksid=p20...
You'll get around £200 to £250 as a scrapper for it so keep that in mind for when you eventually call the breakers and in the meantime you've got the pleasure of an XJ8 in your life for little more than the cost of a half decent telly or laptop.
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