Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts and Accessories » Engines

XK8 Parts Review Full Range of Jaguar XK8 and XKR Engine Parts Now Available

daveroche — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 18:16:56 +0000

XK8 and XKR Parts Review - Engine Parts Now Live on JaguarpartsDB

A lot has been written about the early Jaguar XK8 Engines and the problems with Nikasil bores which affected some cars causing degradation of the bores and then loss of compression. This would eventually result in engine failure.

Consequently, many XK8 / XKR early engines have been replaced. The steel lined bores of the post 2000 model and onward year cars overcame this problem. Several years ago XK8 / XKR engine rebuilding services certainly in the UK were non existent and good used post 2000 engines few and far between. The solution was to obtain a new engine replacement from Jaguar costing anything between £3000 and £5000 plus fitting !!. Now there are various XK8 engineering specialists who can rebuild the engines at much reasonable cost and to a high standard. There are often good used XK8 engines available from accident damaged cars.

There are still a few engine problems that the XK8 / XKR owner needs to sort out. These relate to the replacement of the old plastic type secondary tensioners and chains and possibly the need to also change the primary tensioner and chain. If you have a pre 2001 car and the tensioners have not been changed then we would strongly recommend it as a precautionary measure. Depending on the mileage you may also want to change these on a post 2001 car but if your mileage is relatively low, just replace the top tensioners and chains and leave the bottom primary tensioner and chain. Some owners will just want to have all these components parts changed for complete piece of mind.

The recently launched engine section of JaguarpartsDB.com provides a good source of supply covering all these areas, engine rebuilding services, used engines (subject to availability), timing chain / tensioner kits and all the other engine parts you will need to keep your great Jaguar XK8 / XKR engine purring.

For the Jaguar XK8 and XKR Engine Parts List on JaguarpartsDB, CLICK HERE

XK8 Parts Review: XK8 Misfire

daveroche — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:11:25 +0000

Some weeks back my XK8 experienced uneven running for a short time and then resumed back to normal running. When the misfire occurred, the dashboard displayed – ‘restricted mode’. I have since changed all the spark plugs and initially the car ran well but since then the misfire has returned. With my MK2 and the older Jaguars, it was a question of working backwards from the plug - to the plug cap - to the plug lead and then to the distributor cap (points and rotor arm).

With an XK8 with 8 ignition coils it is not that easy. Therefore, at a loss, I took the car to my local independent Jaguar specialist who then ran their diagnostics on the car and the result was that one of the 8 ignition coils had failed. With my car’s mileage at 90000 miles I decided to replace all 8 of the coils. The ignition coils are readily available (see below) and the job is quite straightforward for the DIY mechanic. My XK8 is now running great. The diagnostic check using the Autologic system really helped save a lot of time, head scratching and potentially costs. These modern Jaguar XK8 / Jaguar XKR cars are generally reliable but with their advanced electronics it makes sense to go to the experts to get the car back running smoothly on all 8 cylinders again.

XK8 / XKR Ignition Coil Replacement Solves XK8 Misfire

XK8 / XKR Parts Part Numbers and Part Availability:

XK8 / XKR Cars Up to Vin 042775

On Plug Ignition Coil – 2 Pin - LCA1510AB
On Plug Ignition Coil – 4 Pin - LNE1510AB

XK8 / XKR Cars from Vin A00083 to A30644

On Plug Ignition Coil – 4 Pin - LNE1510AB

XK8 / XKR Cars from Vin A30645

On Plug Ignition Coil - AJ810445

Latest Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts Availability

No items matching your keywords were found.

XK8 Parts Review, Timing Chain Tensioner Problems

daveroche — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:23:45 +0000

The good news is that XK8 4.2 engines fitted to cars from 2003 onwards are on the whole virtually bullet proof with all the problems associated with the earlier XK8 engines fitted from 1996 to 2002 having being resolved. For earlier XK8 owners like me, there are some serious issues but thankfully all can be resolved.

For cars built before 2003, the main problem areas are Nikasil engines, water pumps and last but not least timing chain tensioners and guides – potentially a costly problem if not checked and if required sorted out. The problem arose prior to 1996 as part of the XK8 parts design process relating to the V8 engines and the objective of reducing weight as much as possible using plastic component parts. This included the timing chain tensioners in particular the secondary chain tensioners.

In the earlier XK8 models, given the stress, heat and wear that this item has to endure sooner or later they can crack and begin to break up allowing chain contact with the metal inner support. This can then potentially lead to the chain slipping by a cog. A grinding nose on start up of a cold engine could be indicative that this has happened in which case the damage will have been done. Worst case scenario (chain slip or snap !) could be severe engine damage and costly engine repairs / engine replacement.

XK8 Upper Tensioner showing cracks and general wear to the plastic parts components.
To add further complications, there are also the lower timing chain tensioners and dampers which are far more inaccessible. These tend to be more reliable as the chain does not ride directly over the lower tensioner. If there is a pronounced rattling noise from the engine then these tensioners need to be replaced as well. Jaguar recognised the above problems and changed the design several times finally using a more conventional steel type of tensioner as fitted to the 4.2 XK8 engine.

High mileage cars may well of had their tensioners replaced but if not then it’s advised to have them checked and if required replaced with the later 4.2 litre type tensioners and guides.

There are two XK8 Parts kit options on the market just now but the key thing is that both should be genuine Jaguar XK8 parts to ensure the highest quality for these critical component parts .

The XK8 Parts kits are:

TOP TENSIONERS / CHAINS SERVICE KIT

Price from £140 to £175 + labour costs

TOP AND BOTTOM TENSIONERS / CHAINS SERVICE KIT

Price from £360 to £395 + labour costs

Additional parts may be required for the job as they can get damaged when removing the cam cover: These are:

Cam cover gasket: Outer Seal, Spark Plug Seals, bolt seals, variable cam sensor sealing ring etc)

It is possible for a reasonably competent amateur to do the job but specialist tools will be required as follows:

Camshaft position setting tool

Sprocket retaining tool

Suitable short Allen key socket

Latest Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts Availability

No items matching your keywords were found.