Discussion
hi
anyone here running a 1998-2002 jaguar xk 4.0
looking at a few of these as my commute has gone from 175 miles a day to 20 so thinking fuel not an issue so why not
anyway what are the main horror stories with these, are they lined cylinders?
servicing, anyone know a good jag man around southampton
cheers
steve
anyone here running a 1998-2002 jaguar xk 4.0
looking at a few of these as my commute has gone from 175 miles a day to 20 so thinking fuel not an issue so why not
anyway what are the main horror stories with these, are they lined cylinders?
servicing, anyone know a good jag man around southampton
cheers
steve
tattymarbots said:
hi
anyone here running a 1998-2002 jaguar xk 4.0
looking at a few of these as my commute has gone from 175 miles a day to 20 so thinking fuel not an issue so why not
anyway what are the main horror stories with these, are they lined cylinders?
servicing, anyone know a good jag man around southampton
cheers
steve
Hi.anyone here running a 1998-2002 jaguar xk 4.0
looking at a few of these as my commute has gone from 175 miles a day to 20 so thinking fuel not an issue so why not
anyway what are the main horror stories with these, are they lined cylinders?
servicing, anyone know a good jag man around southampton
cheers
steve
These threads crop up often, so a search might help out. Although they tend to go two ways...
1. Most people will say HUGE costs, expensive and unreliable. These are the people that have never owned or driven a Jag.
Sadly many reviews and places like Parkers always say, big costs. Yet none of them, not once ever cite a single item or problem. Logic would then suggest it's all tosh for the most part, and just media pandering to common misconception.
2. You then get a few who do own such cars and will usually give quite an enlightened view on Jag ownership.
____________
With regard to the engine, yes the 4.0 has Nikasil bores, in the late 1990's low quality fuel caused an issue with eroded bores. However, despite common myth, Jaguar were not the only car manufacturer who suffered. Both BMW and Porsche also had issues and other car makers too.
My view on this is, chances are, any that were going to fail have done so already. Those that didn't are likely fine and the low quality fuel issue is no longer an issue.
Worst case, you can buy a used Jag engine for £700 should you need too.
The biggest issue is the tensioners failing. Personally I'd want to do some research into this and see if anything has been done on the car you are looking at buying.
Gearboxses can also fail, they are claimed sealed for life, which in reality means sealed for 80-100k then need opening up and servicing before they fail.
Apart from that, listen out for any clonks or knocks, at this age they are prime to need some of the suspension refreshing and check everything electrical works.
But don't forget, for many years Jaguar has out ranked BMW, Merc and Audi in customer satisfaction and reliability surveys.
Also shop about for parts, things like brake discs and pads can be bought for similar money as they can be for a Ford Focus.
Non CATS suspension is cheap too should it need replacing. And things like tyres, well many modern cars run similar sized rubber these days, so they are no more expensive than many other cars in regards to tyres.
Hi,
I'm on my fourth Jag - had three S-Type 3.0v6 and now a 2004 XK8 with the 4.2L V8.
Never had any real problems in 6 years of ownership with the S-Types, bar a replacement fuel pump on the last one. That was about it.
I did a lot of research before buying the XK8 and there appear to be very few faults with this motor. The one thing I did find was that the convertibles are prone to a leak from the hood hydraulics in the header rail. Two weeks into ownership this did happen, got it fixed and hopefully it won't happen again. You could always avoid this buy buying the coupe version.
The other one is fogging headlamps - an easy fix.
With the 4.0L cars - check the tensioners have been done and watch out for the water pump falling apart. There should be loads around where both the tensioners and pumps have been sorted out.
From what I have seen there are tons of parts around from specialists at resonable prices.
I'm on my fourth Jag - had three S-Type 3.0v6 and now a 2004 XK8 with the 4.2L V8.
Never had any real problems in 6 years of ownership with the S-Types, bar a replacement fuel pump on the last one. That was about it.
I did a lot of research before buying the XK8 and there appear to be very few faults with this motor. The one thing I did find was that the convertibles are prone to a leak from the hood hydraulics in the header rail. Two weeks into ownership this did happen, got it fixed and hopefully it won't happen again. You could always avoid this buy buying the coupe version.
The other one is fogging headlamps - an easy fix.
With the 4.0L cars - check the tensioners have been done and watch out for the water pump falling apart. There should be loads around where both the tensioners and pumps have been sorted out.
From what I have seen there are tons of parts around from specialists at resonable prices.
Edited by jdw100 on Tuesday 18th October 11:52
Only pre 2000 engines have Nicasil coated bores. Mid 2000 cars have revised engines fitted with steel - actually cast iron - liners, more durable waterpumps and a better quality throttle body. They also have the mk2 generation secondary timing chain tensioners - which are actually worse than the originals as these fail/disintigrate in complete silence rather than warning you by rattling on start up like the mk 1 types did.
Tensioner failure will almost certainly result in exhaust cam timing slipping which is a very bad thing for valves and pistons. Early waterpump failure - the impellor vanes fall off - will result in overheating which is also a very bad thing. Check for overheating at low revs and make sure there's strong coolant return flow to the header tank. Obviously with the engine cold - your admission to the local burns unit won't linger on my consience if you're stupid enough to remove the cap on a hot engine
Low engine oil levels are bad news too. Bearings will starve on hard cornering.
Nicasil linings eroded and caused loss of compression due to a combination of high (up to 150ppm) Sulphur fuel and repeated short journies allowing a build up of acid in the oil which etched away the coating. Engines that failed were mostly replaced under warranty. On early cars look for a green tag at the back of the block indicating replacement. Many early cars will also have the stronger throttle body as this recall was live until a couple of years ago as it was a serious (engine vacuum overcoming butterfly motor strength resulting in complete power loss at high engine speeds and closed throttle) saftey issue.
Secondary timing chain tensioners remained a serious V8 weak spot until the introduction of a metal bodied mk3 version fitted to the 4.2 in 2003. These can and should be retro fitted to all earlier V8 engines.
Gearboxes are "sealed for life". Both the ZF 5 speed on the naturally aspirated cars (which is filled with Esso/Mobil LT long life oil), and the Mercedes 5 speed on the supercharged cars (filled with bog standard Dexron 3) ought to have a change of oil and filter every 40/50k or so. Diff oil should be changed too. Walk away from any car that hesitates or takes up drive with a jerk or thump or whines loudly in certain gears or has less then seamless changes regardless of throttle opening.
Check for uneven wear on front tyres - excessive feathering or wear on the inside edges indicates excess negative camber. Almost certainly due to wishbone bush failure. Hard driven examples will have shredded pads, discs, tyres and bushes. You should be able to perfrom a highish speed full stop without any judder or wandering.
Service parts are reasonable enough although some pattern ones - especially discs I've found - are questionable quality. Lots being broken now so trim, panels, swiches and so on commonly available on Fleabay. Tyres are expensive, especially on larger diameter wheels. Hoods need actuating mechanism fluid change
Expect up to 28MPG with care - anybody who claims to regurlarly achieve 30+ is talking out their arse.
Generally the late 90's to mid 20's Jaguars are pretty good, but as with any ageing car it's essential to buy the very best example you can find.
Oh, forgot to mention -like the earlier XJS from which the XK floorpan is derived - they can corrode badly. Get any potential purchase independently checked, especially by the seat runners and footwells and transmission tunnel. Repairs can be expensive due to complexity and time taken to strip out the interior
Tensioner failure will almost certainly result in exhaust cam timing slipping which is a very bad thing for valves and pistons. Early waterpump failure - the impellor vanes fall off - will result in overheating which is also a very bad thing. Check for overheating at low revs and make sure there's strong coolant return flow to the header tank. Obviously with the engine cold - your admission to the local burns unit won't linger on my consience if you're stupid enough to remove the cap on a hot engine
Low engine oil levels are bad news too. Bearings will starve on hard cornering.
Nicasil linings eroded and caused loss of compression due to a combination of high (up to 150ppm) Sulphur fuel and repeated short journies allowing a build up of acid in the oil which etched away the coating. Engines that failed were mostly replaced under warranty. On early cars look for a green tag at the back of the block indicating replacement. Many early cars will also have the stronger throttle body as this recall was live until a couple of years ago as it was a serious (engine vacuum overcoming butterfly motor strength resulting in complete power loss at high engine speeds and closed throttle) saftey issue.
Secondary timing chain tensioners remained a serious V8 weak spot until the introduction of a metal bodied mk3 version fitted to the 4.2 in 2003. These can and should be retro fitted to all earlier V8 engines.
Gearboxes are "sealed for life". Both the ZF 5 speed on the naturally aspirated cars (which is filled with Esso/Mobil LT long life oil), and the Mercedes 5 speed on the supercharged cars (filled with bog standard Dexron 3) ought to have a change of oil and filter every 40/50k or so. Diff oil should be changed too. Walk away from any car that hesitates or takes up drive with a jerk or thump or whines loudly in certain gears or has less then seamless changes regardless of throttle opening.
Check for uneven wear on front tyres - excessive feathering or wear on the inside edges indicates excess negative camber. Almost certainly due to wishbone bush failure. Hard driven examples will have shredded pads, discs, tyres and bushes. You should be able to perfrom a highish speed full stop without any judder or wandering.
Service parts are reasonable enough although some pattern ones - especially discs I've found - are questionable quality. Lots being broken now so trim, panels, swiches and so on commonly available on Fleabay. Tyres are expensive, especially on larger diameter wheels. Hoods need actuating mechanism fluid change
Expect up to 28MPG with care - anybody who claims to regurlarly achieve 30+ is talking out their arse.
Generally the late 90's to mid 20's Jaguars are pretty good, but as with any ageing car it's essential to buy the very best example you can find.
Oh, forgot to mention -like the earlier XJS from which the XK floorpan is derived - they can corrode badly. Get any potential purchase independently checked, especially by the seat runners and footwells and transmission tunnel. Repairs can be expensive due to complexity and time taken to strip out the interior
Edited by Jaguar steve on Tuesday 18th October 14:09
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