Should I worry about Pre 2000 XKR cyliner liners?
Discussion
I am looking at buying a XKR and have seen a 1999 model, I am however concerned by articles such as this.
"Pre-2000 cars have cylinders lined with Nikasil which reacted with some kinds of high-sulphur petrol available at the time, causing many cars to need replacement engines due to excessive cylinder-liner wear, so extreme caution should be taken when considering such cars"
The dealer said that any pre 2000 cars will have either died, been fixed or not been effected by the issue.
Has anyone got any view or experience of this?
"Pre-2000 cars have cylinders lined with Nikasil which reacted with some kinds of high-sulphur petrol available at the time, causing many cars to need replacement engines due to excessive cylinder-liner wear, so extreme caution should be taken when considering such cars"
The dealer said that any pre 2000 cars will have either died, been fixed or not been effected by the issue.
Has anyone got any view or experience of this?
Nicasil bore erosion was caused by a combination of high Sulphur content fuel and repeated short trips where the engine never reached operatating temperature. These circumstances allowed a build up of acidic deposits in the oil which etched away the very thin Nicasil coating. Jaguar changed from Nicasil coatings directly on the block (AJ26 engine) to wet steel liners (AJ27 engine) sometime in the 2000 model year. You can identify an XJ with steel liners from the VIN number so I assume you can with an XK too.
Personally I wouldn't worry about it. The maximum Sulphur content allowed in fuel was significantly reduced in January 2000 down to a level where it will be unlikley to harm any Nicasil lined engine so even if you do have an AJ26 engine it's extremely unlikley to develop a bore erosion problem now.
The main symptoms of Nicasil erosion are uneven idling and reluctance to start especially from cold. There will also be a build up of oil deposits in the air intake trunking and throttle body too caused by excess pressure in the crankcase. A main dealer can do a blow by test to assess how much crank pressure there is, ideally a healthy engine should be below 25l/m, but any reading over 40l/m is a fail. A quick check for the same is to lift the oil filler cap slightly when the engine is hot and idling. There should be a slight vacuum inside the engine and loosing this when the cap is lifted will cause the revs to drop slightly. If there is evidence of pressure or excessive fumes or oil mist then you may have a problem and should get a blow by test done.
Personally I wouldn't worry about it. The maximum Sulphur content allowed in fuel was significantly reduced in January 2000 down to a level where it will be unlikley to harm any Nicasil lined engine so even if you do have an AJ26 engine it's extremely unlikley to develop a bore erosion problem now.
The main symptoms of Nicasil erosion are uneven idling and reluctance to start especially from cold. There will also be a build up of oil deposits in the air intake trunking and throttle body too caused by excess pressure in the crankcase. A main dealer can do a blow by test to assess how much crank pressure there is, ideally a healthy engine should be below 25l/m, but any reading over 40l/m is a fail. A quick check for the same is to lift the oil filler cap slightly when the engine is hot and idling. There should be a slight vacuum inside the engine and loosing this when the cap is lifted will cause the revs to drop slightly. If there is evidence of pressure or excessive fumes or oil mist then you may have a problem and should get a blow by test done.
Excellent info from Jaguar Steve.
- it makes a great bargaining point against the risk-averse generally.
I'm into my fifth year with one of those dreadfully fragile Nikasil BMW v8s. Now standing at 110K its oil consumption has dropped as low as 7500miles per litre...
The Leaper said:
Same thing happened to BMWs and Mercedes too.
And - as Six Fiend is probably well aware - it makes a great bargaining point against the risk-averse generally.I'm into my fifth year with one of those dreadfully fragile Nikasil BMW v8s. Now standing at 110K its oil consumption has dropped as low as 7500miles per litre...
They get better with age and use, no surprise that race engines are often Nikasil lined.Huff said:
And - as Six Fiend is probably well aware - it makes a great bargaining point against the risk-averse generally.
I'm into my fifth year with one of those dreadfully fragile Nikasil BMW v8s. Now standing at 110K its oil consumption has dropped as low as 7500miles per litre...
My 540 had a nice shiny new engine at 38k, hence it was rudely healthy - it makes a great bargaining point against the risk-averse generally.I'm into my fifth year with one of those dreadfully fragile Nikasil BMW v8s. Now standing at 110K its oil consumption has dropped as low as 7500miles per litre...
But yes, always a good bargaining point if you're a tightwad like Huff (he won't even by a car with reverse gear, or a roof...)
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