XK8 Parts Review, Noisy Accessory Drivebelt

daveroche — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:42 +0000

XK8 / XKR Drivebelt Configuration

Noisy accessory drivebelts seems to have become a common Jaguar XK8 and V8 trait in recent years. This can be due to the general ageing of the belt but also to the belt having been soaked in coolant. Also check the teeth on the inner side of the belt for general deterioration. In my case, I removed the cap of the header tank too early and the long life coolant sprayed all over the engine compartment and onto the drivebelt. Coolant can also soak the belt if you are changing the water pump and / or the thermostat. The only reliable fix is to replace the belt together with the tensioner and a revised idler pulley. This is recommended to ensure a quiet operation. The work is quite straightforward and can all be done as a job on its own or as part of a water pump / thermostat change or general cooling system overhaul.

When purchasing the accessory belt, we recommend the genuine Jaguar XK8 part. If an aftermarket belt is used, it must be exactly the same length or the wear indicator built into the tensioner will not work properly.

XK8 Parts Review, Early Water Pump Problems

daveroche — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:45:23 +0000

As with all auto engines, severe overheating problems can be very frustrating and nerve racking especially in hot weather and slow moving traffic. If not resolved it can be potentially very expensive !!. It’s critical to ensure your XK8 cooling system is in tip top order for piece of mind. Worse case severe overheating scenarios are; blown head gaskets, damaged cylinder heads and potentially a deterioration in engine lubrication quality. The latter can then affect the longevity of crankshaft bearings and the general life of the XK8 engine.

XK8 Water Pump Parts

As mentioned in other posts, prior to 2003 and the introduction of the 4.2 XK engines, earlier cars suffered from using poor quality parts in the form of lightweight materials. Relating to the water pump, this manifests itself in the disintegration / breaking up of the plastic impellor within the water pump. This then leads to reduced coolant flow, localised heating and the worst case problems mentioned above. Indicative signs of a cooling problem on the XK8 engine are the cooling fans staying on for long periods regardless of temperature and / or one of the top hoses blowing off.

Before going to the effort of removing / replacing the water pump, with a cold engine, take the filler cap off the expansion tank and then ask someone to run the engine for you at 1200 rpm. Should the pump be working correctly, water should be circulating / swirling well in the tank. If there is a problem, then there will be very little swirl and therefore indicative of a problem with the water pump. If you are going to the effort of checking it then it’s worth replacing with the latest XK8 parts including water pump and other cooling system parts.

XK8 and XKR Water Pump Parts Listing

Pre 2003 cars also suffered from breakdown of other plastic cooling system parts. These relate to the thermostat housing rising out of the block and the bridge pipe linking the cylinder heads on naturally aspirated cars (the XKR has an alloy pipe)

The thermostat housings are now available in alloy and we hope that the bridge pipe will follow.

The Jaguar Part number for the water pump is - AJ8008912 and all later water pumps supercede to this part number.

If you are going to the trouble of the above then we recommend you change the thermostat and check / replace all hoses as required.

Latest Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts Availability

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Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts and Accessories » Cooling System

XK8 Parts Review, Noisy Accessory Drivebelt

XK8 Parts Review, Early Water Pump Problems