Anyone know of a good XJR for sale?
Discussion
It doesn't necessarily need them, it may go for the rest of its life without needing them, but it's well known that the early plastic tensioners can just go one morning when you start it up and lunch the engine. It's around £800-£1000 to fit the later steel tensioners and whilst it's off fit a new water pump too. You also want to check for leaky shocks, seems a few I've looked at have had these. I'd personally look for the Brembo option cars also. So you could buy a car for £3k ish and then budget to get the tensioners sorted and a clean bill of health, that's the way I'd go about it personally.
XJR500bhp said:
It doesn't necessarily need them, it may go for the rest of its life without needing them, but it's well known that the early plastic tensioners can just go one morning when you start it up and lunch the engine. It's around £800-£1000 to fit the later steel tensioners and whilst it's off fit a new water pump too. You also want to check for leaky shocks, seems a few I've looked at have had these. I'd personally look for the Brembo option cars also. So you could buy a car for £3k ish and then budget to get the tensioners sorted and a clean bill of health, that's the way I'd go about it personally.
Thanks for that - really helpful. Just noticed you're in Kent too. Any dealings with SSS at all? They're only about 20 mins from me and thinking of popping in Saturday.X308 Buyers Guide:
I'm on my second XJ8. The first took me from 60k to over 100k and the current one is on 38k. To avoid model confusion the 1997-2002 XJ is referred to by its factory designation as the X308
£3000 should buy you a good example, but the best low mileage cars are priced at more than that. Engines were revised in late 1999 for the 2000 model year to deal with a number of problems and the revised engine versions can be identified by a VIN number ending in five, not six digits.
Pre-engine revision cars had weak water pumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, throttle bodies and a Nicasil coating directly on the aluminum cylinder walls rather than conventional steel liners.
Some Nicasil coatings suffered from erosion due to a combination of high Sulphur content fuel and short trips. Sulphur maximum limits in petrol were lowered considerably in 2000 so any early Nicasil coated V8 engine that's still OK now should be fine. Several engines were changed under warranty so you might find a pre 2000 car with a later steel lined engine fitted - identify this by the presence of a green tag on the head at the back of the RH bank and the engine change should also be recorded in the history.
Water pumps ought to be upgraded for the later version with a metal not plastic impellor.
Plastic impellors can disintegrate leading to overheating and potential head gasket failure. You may be able to identify the later type by the presence of a black plastic, not metal gasket, but the only certain way is to remove the pump and have a look and if you’re doing that stick a new one on anyway. New pump is around £50. Coolant hose clips can loose tension and blow off and some plastic parts on the hoses and unions can be delicate. Check all over for evidence of coolant leaks. Occasional heater pump failures can lead to no heat in the cabin at low engine RPM. Cycle the whole climate and a/c system through all vent operations and temperature range.
Early throttle bodies should have all been changed to the later design under a factory recall. Some of the early bodies suffered from weak actuating motors causing to the engine to cut out on the overrun.
The only post 2000 revision engine issue is the secondary timing chain tensioners. These were revised to mk 2 version at the same time as the rest of the engine revisions but the mk 2 type still had a plastic body which can crack or break up leading to slipped or broken chains. Symptoms of tensioner failure are a sharp rattling noise similar to a bicycle chain dragging on the chain guard on a cold start. The mk 2 design can fail silently so don't assume a quiet engine is OK.
A permanent solution is to retro fit the later mk3 version tensioner with a steel body from the 4.2 incarnation of the V8 engine and the only way to be sure of which tensioner is fitted to an X308 is to remove the RH cam cover - the LH is a PITA to get off - and have a look. A cream or orange tensioner plastic body is bad news, a metal one is good. The timing gear works hard on the V8 engines and timing chains can stretch at high mileages or on neglected cars. If this is identified then a full chain replacement is required costing around £1000. If the chains are fine then it’s a wise precaution to fit the mk3 tensioners which is a fairly easy DIY job. Tensioners cost around £75 a set plus a couple of quid for bolts.
One other concern is the “sealed for life” gearbox. Loads have failed now - just look on ebay in the non runners or spares and repairs section. Ideally the oil and filter should be changed at 50k then 25k intervals; it's not a simple drain and refill as the final fill has to be done with the engine running and within a narrow temperature range. Can be DIY but a bit tricky.
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 stronger Mercedes gearbox in the supercharged version is also sealed for life but the same change applies although you can use conventional Dexron 3 in this box
The same applies to the rear axle. Oil should be changed but there’s no drain plug. Old oil has to be extracted out of the filler plug.
Look for corrosion on the rear wheel arches, round the front and rear screens, bottom of the front wings and most importantly under the front wheelarch behind the front shocks on both sides. There's a reinforcing plate here where the engine sub frame is bolted to the chassis rail and some cars have corroded badly here. It's an MOT fail too and a big welding job. Body and paintwork is otherwise pretty good however some darker coloured cars suffer from peeling lacquer. Interiors are robust too but expect some wear on the drivers seat bolster.
XJ's are hard on suspension and brakes, listen and feel very carefully for any clonking or knocking when you're out and make sure the car comes to a straight judder free stop under braking. Feel all the tyres for uneven wear too, any suspension wear or bush failure will cause tyres to feather oddly. XJs are very sensitive to wheel and tyre imbalances too, 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. Don't expect too much in the way of the legendary Jaguar ride quality either - it's good on touring (black shocks) suspension and 16" wheels but sport suspension (green shocks) combined with larger diameter wheels gives a hard crashy ride on poor roads. CATS suspension may be fitted as an option which has electronically controlled damping rates by valves in the shocks. Identify this by the presence of a lead on the top of the front shock absorbers under the bonnet.
Providing all the suspension components and bushes are sound a Hunter 4 wheel laser alignment will transform the ride and feel of an XJ.
Any car that hesitates or engages drive with a jerk or thump has a potential gearbox failure looming, changes should be seamless and quiet and you should be able to play tunes with the throttle, Sport switch and J gate selector. Any gearbox worries at all then just walk away. A fluid change may be all that's required but its a gamble.
Generally the 1998-2002 XJ8 is a well made sound car and capable of big mileages if maintained well. It's mostly easy enough to DIY too and parts are reasonable and in good supply.
Expect around 26/8 MPG on the motorway, 22/4 round town and mid teens if you nail it everywhere. Tyres are around £100/125 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.
I'm on my second XJ8. The first took me from 60k to over 100k and the current one is on 38k. To avoid model confusion the 1997-2002 XJ is referred to by its factory designation as the X308
£3000 should buy you a good example, but the best low mileage cars are priced at more than that. Engines were revised in late 1999 for the 2000 model year to deal with a number of problems and the revised engine versions can be identified by a VIN number ending in five, not six digits.
Pre-engine revision cars had weak water pumps, secondary timing chain tensioners, throttle bodies and a Nicasil coating directly on the aluminum cylinder walls rather than conventional steel liners.
Some Nicasil coatings suffered from erosion due to a combination of high Sulphur content fuel and short trips. Sulphur maximum limits in petrol were lowered considerably in 2000 so any early Nicasil coated V8 engine that's still OK now should be fine. Several engines were changed under warranty so you might find a pre 2000 car with a later steel lined engine fitted - identify this by the presence of a green tag on the head at the back of the RH bank and the engine change should also be recorded in the history.
Water pumps ought to be upgraded for the later version with a metal not plastic impellor.
Plastic impellors can disintegrate leading to overheating and potential head gasket failure. You may be able to identify the later type by the presence of a black plastic, not metal gasket, but the only certain way is to remove the pump and have a look and if you’re doing that stick a new one on anyway. New pump is around £50. Coolant hose clips can loose tension and blow off and some plastic parts on the hoses and unions can be delicate. Check all over for evidence of coolant leaks. Occasional heater pump failures can lead to no heat in the cabin at low engine RPM. Cycle the whole climate and a/c system through all vent operations and temperature range.
Early throttle bodies should have all been changed to the later design under a factory recall. Some of the early bodies suffered from weak actuating motors causing to the engine to cut out on the overrun.
The only post 2000 revision engine issue is the secondary timing chain tensioners. These were revised to mk 2 version at the same time as the rest of the engine revisions but the mk 2 type still had a plastic body which can crack or break up leading to slipped or broken chains. Symptoms of tensioner failure are a sharp rattling noise similar to a bicycle chain dragging on the chain guard on a cold start. The mk 2 design can fail silently so don't assume a quiet engine is OK.
A permanent solution is to retro fit the later mk3 version tensioner with a steel body from the 4.2 incarnation of the V8 engine and the only way to be sure of which tensioner is fitted to an X308 is to remove the RH cam cover - the LH is a PITA to get off - and have a look. A cream or orange tensioner plastic body is bad news, a metal one is good. The timing gear works hard on the V8 engines and timing chains can stretch at high mileages or on neglected cars. If this is identified then a full chain replacement is required costing around £1000. If the chains are fine then it’s a wise precaution to fit the mk3 tensioners which is a fairly easy DIY job. Tensioners cost around £75 a set plus a couple of quid for bolts.
One other concern is the “sealed for life” gearbox. Loads have failed now - just look on ebay in the non runners or spares and repairs section. Ideally the oil and filter should be changed at 50k then 25k intervals; it's not a simple drain and refill as the final fill has to be done with the engine running and within a narrow temperature range. Can be DIY but a bit tricky.
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 stronger Mercedes gearbox in the supercharged version is also sealed for life but the same change applies although you can use conventional Dexron 3 in this box
The same applies to the rear axle. Oil should be changed but there’s no drain plug. Old oil has to be extracted out of the filler plug.
Look for corrosion on the rear wheel arches, round the front and rear screens, bottom of the front wings and most importantly under the front wheelarch behind the front shocks on both sides. There's a reinforcing plate here where the engine sub frame is bolted to the chassis rail and some cars have corroded badly here. It's an MOT fail too and a big welding job. Body and paintwork is otherwise pretty good however some darker coloured cars suffer from peeling lacquer. Interiors are robust too but expect some wear on the drivers seat bolster.
XJ's are hard on suspension and brakes, listen and feel very carefully for any clonking or knocking when you're out and make sure the car comes to a straight judder free stop under braking. Feel all the tyres for uneven wear too, any suspension wear or bush failure will cause tyres to feather oddly. XJs are very sensitive to wheel and tyre imbalances too, 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. Don't expect too much in the way of the legendary Jaguar ride quality either - it's good on touring (black shocks) suspension and 16" wheels but sport suspension (green shocks) combined with larger diameter wheels gives a hard crashy ride on poor roads. CATS suspension may be fitted as an option which has electronically controlled damping rates by valves in the shocks. Identify this by the presence of a lead on the top of the front shock absorbers under the bonnet.
Providing all the suspension components and bushes are sound a Hunter 4 wheel laser alignment will transform the ride and feel of an XJ.
Any car that hesitates or engages drive with a jerk or thump has a potential gearbox failure looming, changes should be seamless and quiet and you should be able to play tunes with the throttle, Sport switch and J gate selector. Any gearbox worries at all then just walk away. A fluid change may be all that's required but its a gamble.
Generally the 1998-2002 XJ8 is a well made sound car and capable of big mileages if maintained well. It's mostly easy enough to DIY too and parts are reasonable and in good supply.
Expect around 26/8 MPG on the motorway, 22/4 round town and mid teens if you nail it everywhere. Tyres are around £100/125 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.
I had a 2001 ex works XJR from 2003 to 2006. The list of problems I had would have bankrupted me had I not extended the warranty each year. If your buying one now you will need to be very careful, some issues I had:
3 x gearbox replacements
Throttle body
Timing Chain tensioners
cracked rear suspension mounts
Water Pump
rust
there were other things I cant remember them all but the warranty bill over the 3.5 years I had it was about £34k!!!
Thing is I still wished I'd kept it, must be mad!!
3 x gearbox replacements
Throttle body
Timing Chain tensioners
cracked rear suspension mounts
Water Pump
rust
there were other things I cant remember them all but the warranty bill over the 3.5 years I had it was about £34k!!!
Thing is I still wished I'd kept it, must be mad!!
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