Ok, last Wednesday evening I jumped head first into a project xk8. Well that's when it all began. My dad and I drove 100 miles or so to pick up the car and trailered her home. Got in and unloaded about 2:00am (I had to be to work at 6:00am). I am a supervisor at a chemical plant and have been working 12 hour days, leaving work before sun up... getting home at dusk. Obviously the car does not run due to the whole "trailer" statement... the car has gone through 3 owners in the last 2 months and has a fuel pump problem, bad window switches on the drivers door, a bad seat switch, needs interior attention a top pump, and a removal of a god awe full wide body kit.

So today I messed with it a bit i don't a fuel pressure gauge but will get one this week... although I'll post the video of me pushing the schrader valve in, I think there is no question it's got a bad pump.

It had a slack battery on it so I have charged that..only to find that, that may have done more damage just by reading here... It's also a 98 so that means naskil and the guy i got it from says they had it running a bit by spraying starting fluid in the air intake... i know they messed with the computer and changed it out... and who know what all has been done by the most recent other owners... BTW the odo says 198k

the good news is I could still part it out and get my money back if I needed too... but i think this is something I (with your help) can get back up and running and respectable again.

so am I crazy?

 

No doubt about it. Crazy enough to get it up and running again.

Best of luck.

Graham

 

In case you need one... Jaguar XK8 or XKR Hydraulic top Pump


Best of luck with your project!

 

Your signature line shows you own a 1957 MGA. As a former owner of the model and year, I can say that car already defines you as certifiable.

The Jag should be a fun adventure. Reading between the lines it sounds as if you picked it up cheap enough to make it worthwhile. Hope it is fun for you and good luck.

As always...pictures please! Especially a photo journey of it's progress. We'll be rooting for you and there are plenty of experts here to help when you get stuck.

 

I'll make sure to take lots of pics on the journey...

I've had the MGA for over 25 years, what a great little car.

I appreciate all the help in advance, after poking around it sounds as if I'm not alone in many of the issues I have to deal with.

I will indeed need a new top pump.. but not quite there yet

 

Crazy, yes, but all of us that try and get or keep an older jag running are a bit insane. At least it's warm there. I'm swapping out my tensioners this weekend and it's still -25C here. I hate it when it's so cold the spanners stick to my hands. I would do a compression test to see if the liners are toasted before going too far with the project.

 

+1 on compression test, and get some oil in there to make sure cylinder wash doesn't taint your readings.

It can and WILL be road worthy, provided you are prepared to troubleshoot and ask questions here. (and perhaps spend a little $.) If you tackle things one at a time and are methodical we can help you avoid spending too much $ throwing parts at it.

 

So I had my Father-in-law (he works at a car dealership) run a car fax on my XK8.. seems it has had fewer than 100 miles put on it in the last two years.. I am most certain I need to shoot some oil in the cylinders and check compression before I do anything else... then to the fuel tank/pump...

I did get it moved behind the fence today..that's a start!

 

Congratulations on a sweet find, I'm assuming you got a good deal.

These cars are lots of fun to tinker with, not as complicated as some make it seem.

I can't wait to see how this beauty comes out, my heart breaks a little every time I see a jag being parted out.

 

Try to remember that it's easy to fall in love with these cars, but they don't always love you back. Know when to say "it's not me, it's you...".

 

So i got a chance to mess with the car today... i took out all the spark plugs (after soaking the oily watery good up from around them) and shot so oil directly into the cylinders left the plugs out and turned her over a few times to help coat the walls. then shot a little more oil and a squirt of starting fluid (I know) in the them and put the plugs in... and low and behold.. it cranked not long... but it did run so I learned a couple of things.. It has spark and compression... I have just ordered the in tank fuel pump... cant wait for it to arrive!

 

You DID check the secondary tensioners, right? Priority 1.

Priority 2- compression numbers (please post for our edification)

 

I have not as of yet... it's on the list. However here's my logic... the car has almost 200k miles on it... I kind of feel like it's most likely been done already. That being said I do understand the importance of making SURE it's done.

 

I also have to pick up a compression tested that will reach down through the heads.

 

If it were me, -and it is not- I would pull the valve covers and check cam alignment/tensioner health before doing anything else.

You may find the problem or save yourself a bit of dough if they are shot.

I say this only because I fixed one side of a $700 XJ8 I bought (ran perfect after the first side was fixed by the way) high fives all around, neighbors stunned in awe and disbelief then BAM! the other side broke and I was pulling heads... I threw a few wrenches and nearly cried that day.

 

I'm here to learn from your successes and failures... there is no need to make the same mistakes as others...

 

If you haven't been following along on this forum for a while, be aware that the plastic parts, especially the air and breather pipes, are very fragile in their old age. Be careful not to bend them too far or use alot of force getting the breather tubes out of the cam covers. Check the underside of the air intake hose for cracks in the accordian folds.
Enjoy your project! And I hope you don't mind the occasional unsolicited advice.

 

I'm in Marco Island here with a 1997 xk8 that I let set up for a few years because of an overheating problem. I admire your tenacity and wonder how your project is working out. I have an intermittent starting problem https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...roblem-116060/


I was thinking of changing the fuel pump but not being much of a mechanic I don't know if I am over my head.

 

Good day,


Check out "my project"... I'm here if you need me... PM me if you need some pictures of where something should go or what to look out for... You may have a similar problem that I did when I got my project... I had two valve seats that came out making my V8 into a V6... Check the door jam electrical connection for the power window issue... Mine has a bad ground at that connection from time to time... pull the connector and see what the pins look like... Swap the seat modules to see if the non-op seat does work... Ummmmm, great color!!!


Good luck!!!

Cheers!!

 

my drivers side window wont go down
my drivers seat WAS working on most of the directions but it not anymore???
I know the seat modules were switched already.
i kind of want to make it run before I do to much to it..
I got if for cheap and wanna make sure it is more than a parts car.
but i love it!