It's me again. I need more help guys.

First I'll kinda fill ya in on what I've been doing lately. I removed all the seats to sweep and shampoo the carpet. I cleaned up the seats as best i could but the 2 front seats are badly wore out. They are clean and wore out now! I also put seat covers on the front seats since i couldn't find replacements any where. I took off all 4 door panels and took them apart and cleaned all parts. Installed a couple aftermarket door speakers. I installed a middle console lid/armrest with working cup holder.

So now I decided to do a little work under the hood. I'll admit I've been putting it off cause I've never worked anywhere close to an engine but at the same time I'm excited to learn about how an engine works.

I bought some champion RC9YC plugs and gapped them to .036.

I started pulling the coils out and most of them were covered in oil so i did some research and it all pointed to valve cover gasket and plug seals. Gasket and seals arrived the other day so i removed the valve cover and removed the old gasket. Here's where i run into the problem. For some reason it looks like it's chipping away. I have cleaned it best i could but it keeps chipping away. Is this gonna cause me problems or should i just not worry about it and put the seals and gasket on the cover and move on?

I've attached a few pics so yall kind of get an idea. I appreciate any help. Thanks

 

I could only get one pic to upload but you kind of get the idea and it's like that all around where the gasket lays.

 

Hi salP3082,

I commend you on your willingness to learn how to maintain your Jaguar properly!

I hope you'll forgive me if I sound like a know-it-all because that is not my intention. I was a first-time Jaguar owner once myself, and some very nice veterans were very generous with their knowledge and patient with my lack of knowledge, and I like to try to help others get off to a good start.

First of all, I edited your post to add some line breaks to make it easier to read. A large block of text is hard on the eyes and many folks just won't bother even trying to read it.

Second, when you state, "For some reason it looks like it's chipping away. I have cleaned it best i could but it keeps chipping away," what, exactly, is chipping away? Is it old baked-on oil? Or is it RTV silicone sealant the previous owner may have used? That's a trick some guys use to hold the gaskets in position so they don't fall off when reinstalling the cam cover. Either way, you want to clean as much of the baked oil or old RTV sealant as possible to promote good sealing with the new gaskets. A small flat-bladed screwdriver can be used to gently scrape away as much of the old residue as possible, followed by a rag dampened with a mild solvent like Mineral Spirits or Naptha.

Clean the mating surfaces on the top of the cylinder head with solvent also. Allow to dry before installing the new gaskets and reinstalling the cover. I can't recall the torque specification for the cover screws, but it's relatively low (just a few ft. lbs.) Over-tightening the screws can lead to problems, so just get them snug.

Third, is the Champion RC9YC plug the one specified in your Owner's Manual? You may be fine using them, but just so you know, Jaguar later issued a couple of Technical Service Bulletins that revised the plug specification to the hotter RC12YCC. This was to address rough idle and hesitation issues some owners were experiencing. Here are links to the TSBs. The first one shows the new Jaguar part number, and the second one shows that the new part number plug is actually a Champion RC12YCC. I believe that part has been discontinued and many owners are successfully using RC12YC as a substitute:

http://www.jagrepair.com/images/TSB/...6%20Engine.pdf

http://www.jagrepair.com/images/TSB/...cing%20MAF.pdf

Finally, since Jaguar engines are of an overhead camshaft design, the top covers are called "cam covers" rather than "valve covers" as they are on overhead valve engines. Just a small point and folks will know what you mean if you call it a valve cover, but you'll sound much more knowledgeable if you call it by the name Jaguar uses.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks Don. I appreciate all the help. Sometimes my lack of knowledge keeps me from posting. I appreciate you and everyone bring patient with me.

It looks to me like its paint chipping away. Is it possible that these cam covers were painted? Also when i changed the plugs, i didn't suck up or soak up the oil so it all drained into, well wherever it drains lol. Is this gonna cause problems?

Thanks for the info on the plugs. I'll make sure i get the right ones in.

 

Sorry Don i just read through your post again. Yes it seems as if the cam cover itself is chipping away. It's also chipping away in the plug holes where i let the oil drain. That's why i was worried about it draining down into the engine.

 

The oil drained into the engine, so expect smoke. Look for a used valve cover, almost all crumble eventually, made of magnesium. I bought on on ebay.

The proper plugs are RC12YCC.

 

Please check that you have the correct plugs.
The proper plugs are RC12YCC. not to be confused with RC12YC which is at WalMart's and the like and are commonly used in Lawnmower engines.

 

sal:
The "cam" covers on an X-300, which is the Jaguar designation for your series of XJ6, are made of an alloy that is known to corrode and give the appearance you describe. Some folks have even reported the covers corroding through.

If yours are not too bad, you might want to clean it with a wire brush on the inside and then paint strip and paint the outside, but the safest thing MIGHT BE to leave it alone and begin looking for a better used replacement. A new part apparently is not available, or at least, not economically.

Although the esteemed Mr.Don is exactly right about the correct designation of the cover, and in the long run, he is right that using the proper terms leads to better communication, don't you sweat it too much at this point. Do heed his advice about making your posts readable!

I, too applaud your intrest in learning about cars and I assure you that there are plenty of folks that will offer help here. The X-300 is a great car for a beginner mechanic. It is not too complicated and there is room to work on most things. Doing the work yourself save a bunch of money because the Jag name somehow carries a mystique that allows mechanics to charge higher rates for working on them.

 

Hi
I posted 2 pictures of the cam cover Here
I hope it helps you

 

I thought we had determined that the RC12YCC are no longer available (at least in the USA) and the RC12YC are essentially equivalent.


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-plugs-121820/


I've been using the RC12YC with no issues, and yes you can get them at WalMart for uber-cheap


Maybe one of us should ask Champion what the story is? Is the RC12YCC discontinued, and is the RC12YC equivalent and the replacement? I'll drop them a note.



.

 

Check this TSB on the Spark plugs from Jaguar

Here is the link



http://jagrepair.com/images/TSB/X300...6%20Engine.pdf

This is a link to the actual part. Check it out

ebc8143 - Spark Plug

I hope this helps

 

And just to add there is plenty of debate here on the correct Spark Plugs

Here is the link to the discussion

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-4-0-a-103239/

 

And you might want to check this site out too

Champion RC12YCC - Alternative spark plugs

 

Thanks for that link, BigBossRadio. It appears Motorcars, Ltd. is selling the RC12YC for the X300 as a suitable replacement for RC12YCC.

If you search an X300 at Champion's part finder, they currently recommend their "Copper Plus" plug: 71 ("Type RC12YC")

Not to start yet another spark plug debate, but depending on whether you consult Champion era, Cooper Industries era or Federal-Mogul era crossreferences, it seems that alternate Champion numbers for RC12YCC can be:

14
71
89
OE013
OE121
RC12YC

Their more modern equivalents include:

Platinum: 3071 (RC12PYC)

Double Platinum: 7070 (RC11PYB4)

Iridium: 9201 (RC12WYPB4)


According to this older part number decoding chart, the RC12YCC breaks out this way:

R = Resistor

C = Thread size = 14mm; Reach = 3/4 in.; Hex = 5/8 in.

12 = Heat Range/Application - Automotive, Small Engine & Ordinance (the higher the number the higher the heat range)

Y = Standard Projected Core Nose firing end design

CC = Double Copper (a technology, manufacturing process or marketing term that was discontinued at some point)




According to the first link below, the temperature range of the RC12YC is on the hotter side of medium for an automotive plug, compared to the RC9YC which is on the colder side of medium:

http://www.federalmogulmp.com/en-US/...ge%20Chart.pdf

http://www.perosoft.org/yamaha/Ignit...final%20UK.pdf

And yes, RC12YC shows up both in Champion's automotive catalogs and small engine catalogs, but if you think about it, each cylinder of a 3980cc AJ16 is like the guts of a 663cc small engine.

Cheers,

Don

 

It certainly looks like it......... which means you can get it at any Walmart or Home Depot that sell Lawn Mower parts.......... Very inexpensive......

 

Hey Sal.

I don't pretend to be an expert on Jags. I have been driving them since 1982. Bought a 1995 new and still have it and still drive it daily.

I, too, recommend finding a GOOD used cam cover on Ebay or somewhere.

Last weekend I replaced on my '95 the cam cover gasket along with the plug tube circular seals. I've done this before more than once. It is much easier if one takes the cam cover off, cleans all the mating surfaces, cements the cam cover gasket gasket and plug tube seals with RTV ( I used Ultra Black) and then let it cure overnight. That way when one is trying to position the cover back in place the gaskets will not fall down. Very frustrating. Then place the RTV on the other surface of the gasket and seals when you seat the cover back to place.

If you do this you should take a towel or something and cover the cams, chains, etc. overnight so that foreign whatevers do not fall into the engine.

In placing the cam cover, it should be placed straight down without lateral movement. The wiring harnesses at the rear of the engine are in the way to do that so helpers would be nice or tie them up with nylon ties.

Anyway, that has been the best method so far I've found.

Best of luck.

Bill Livingston
Hot Springs, Ar.

 

Hey fellas, thanks for all the feedback. Well it looks like i stirred the ol spark plug debate up for no reason. I was pretty sure i had bought the correct plus cause i had read the tech bulletin and had did other research so i went through the old emails and found my confirmation order from rock auto and sure enough i ordered champion part number 71. Sorry about the confusion lol.

I am currently searching ebay for any decent replacement cam cover. Nothing has popped up yet. Meanwhile, is there any maintenence or anything i can do to the camshafts while i have the cover off?

Also, i did put towels over the camshafts while they are exposed? Thanks again for the help

 

Try calling Coventry West for a cover. Their ad is on the right of the forum page. Sa long as the mating surfaces are clean , there's nothing to be done on the head.

 

Here is what I did with the cam cover. First I found a pretty good one on ebay. I then sanded the plug bores with a drum sander. One bore had a bad corrosion spot at the bottom that could eventually leak. I cleaned that really well and filled it with JB Weld. Then I sanded the whole outside really well. I then took it to a good custom paint shop and had them paint it with a really good epoxy two part primer and paint with a clear coat. It looks great and is well protected from further corrosion.

 

Towels are fine, the use of the words "valve cover" is fine too, I think most here understand what you mean. Using some other plug manufacture besides Champion is also fine. Somehow my XJ6L manages just fine on NGK plugs. I went to the local pick apart yard and got a good valve cover (there, see I used it too!) for a whopping $5 and even scored 6 spare coils for $6 each. I recommend using black oil/ fuel proof rtv on the well seals to ensure no leakage into the plug wells, just a smear will do. Hopefully we won't have an RTV use "discussion" but somehow I'm sure we will😀