Yep, that makes sense.
Borescope inspection is definitely the way to go.

 

Gees, this is heavy going.

Could you put the whole picture in Chronological order from the beginning.

I am imaging something like this.

1. Car taken in for CW front Y pipe renewal for Leakage of the forward CW pipes?
2. Dealer replaces said CW pipes, and water pump.
3. Also changes the ECU software ? nice but why??.
4. Owner gets car returned and drives crap.
5. Car returned to dealer for investigation.

Some questions.

• How long was the car at the dealer changing out the CW pipes and the water pump? (Busy dealer and milk it, a bit so about 2 weeks+.)
• What codes were found before and after the CW Y pipe change out?

Possible, Plausible Explanation.

I would suggest, with the engine being open and the fuel system being depressurised for extended time? (2 weeks plus). Outside cold and/or dampish air with the supercharger off, HP fuel pipe removed etc.

The No.5 Cylinder injector, and may be more, have gone bad, sticking. LH bank mid. etc. may be more in the beginning due to moisture etc.
Dealer finds in runs badly, and changes the ECU program to smooth it out, hide it etc.
Good enough to get it out the shop, without engine light while it continues to drive badly, and pumps fuel into Cylinder No.5 melting the piston top.
Returned to dealer, and new engine required.

So, all engine codes, and boroscope of the No.5 piston crown please.
Miles driven since Y pipe replacement.

Depending on the feed back, you may have to have an independent engineers write a report on the car condition and finds and suggest the dealer replace the engine. This could be tricky without all the evidence being available.

Yes a V5 would drive differently.

 

You are very correct. There was no design input other than back of napkin. The only thing Ford contributed to this engine design was quality management systems in the plant, which JLR sorely needed in the early 2000s.

There is a real mystery as to when OP's cylinder was damaged, agree boroscope inspection by independent 3rd party to verify possible cause would be interesting. Based on what you've suggested, it seems like you have a compelling reason to escalate to this dealer's General Manager and if able to document, possibly JLR NA. I do not know how amenable the parties will be, but with enough evidence and well propositioned history, I think you have a case.

 

When the car logs and stores codes, aren't they time and date stamped? Not sure how long that data is kept, but prob good to download anything you can as that might indicate when codes were first logged. Even without the CEL illuminated it could be logging codes.

 

Just logged in today after a long, long time. This failure is exactly the same as I had at 38,000 miles. Someone else on this forum experienced the exact same thing. Inserting a bore scope in the plug hole of the 0psi compression cylinder will probably reveal a hole in the top of the piston with none of the usual evidence that might indicate detonation. Some of the early F-Type AJ126 engines were well equipped with flawed pistons. Jag is well aware of this issue. The dealer may not be. In my case, even though the car was 6 months out of warranty, they chose to do a free engine replacement. Get the bore scope work done.

 

We've missed you - welcome back!

 

appreciate the welcome. Have been obsessing over my FJ40 restomod project. Front and rear air lockers going in this week.

 

I definitely suggest going with Keith at Tapa Jaguar to anyone interested in refurbishing their Jaguar/Land Rover/Range Rover motor. I have a 2015 Jaguar F-Type S convertible with 53,000 miles. While driving, my check engine light came on and I had an instant rough idle. I immediately shut off the car and had it towed to my dealership. After inspection, my dealership informed me that I needed a new motor. They told me that one of my cylinders would no longer hold compression. I said “Well, can't you just put a new piston and piston ring in? They said no, the motor has to be replaced. I was totally devastated by this news. I didn't know what my options were. I got on the Jaguar forums to inquire as to what would be my next step. I was advised to spend the money to find out the cause of the issue. I felt like this was a total waste of money. It didn't matter to me what the cause was, I needed a fix. I asked my dealership how much is a new replacement motor from Jaguar. They said it was over $26,000! and they couldn't find one in a nationwide search anyway. I reached out to Jaguar North America and they said there was nothing they could do because it was outside of the 50,000 miles/4-year warranty. So, my next option was a used motor from a salvage yard. But then I thought, if I spend the $9,000 for a salvage motor, I could still have a failed piston in that motor because this seems to be a problem in Jaguar engines. I began to do research and I learned about Tapa Jaguar. One of my concerns was that he is located in California and I'm in Michigan. I couldn't go to his shop and check it out. I read all the reviews and they were all excellent. I reached out to Keith and spoke to him directly. Very nice guy I might add. I explained to him my situation with my failed piston. Keith explained to me the problems that Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover engines have had. He went on to explain the steps that they take to address those issues with their complete rebuild. I shipped my motor to Keith, and I waited a few days and I text him and asked if he could take a couple pictures of the teardown. He said sorry, your motor has been torn down, rebuilt and it is being shipped back to you. I was completely blown away at how fast the turnaround was. He also included videos showing compression on all cylinders.

The engine was received at my dealership and they charged me $14000 to install it. I received a call that my vehicle was ready! Excited, I arrived at my dealership early to take delivery of my vehicle. I drove the car exactly 26 miles! From my dealership to my job. As soon as I arrived at work, the check engine light came on and I had a rough idle. I had the vehicle towed back to the dealership. After inspection they informed me that I have three cylinders with no compression. At this point, they began pointing the finger at Keith and Tapa Jaguar saying that they did a faulty engine rebuild. I reached out to Keith and he reminded me of the video showing the engine had compression on all cylinders and that my dealership installed faulty fuel injectors causing the damage to the engine. To be sure of this, Keith had an independent inspector, inspect the engine. It was determined that the damage to the engine was caused from faulty fuel injectors that my dealership installed. What they did was instead of installing new injectors, they installed my old injectors which added too much fuel to the cylinders causing a term called cylinder wash. My dealership was at fault and refused to accept any responsibility at this point. While talking with Keith he volunteered to replace my engine, which he didn't have to do. Tapa Jaguar was not at fault for the damage to my engine. My dealership was and this was proven by the independent inspector. Keith wrote them a very nice email on my behalf seeking a satisfactory resolution. In the email he stated that Tapa Jaguar & Land Rover Engines was willing to provide a replacement engine to address the issue at hand. Additionally, suggesting that the necessary injectors come from Tapa Jaguar directly. By doing so, they could ensure the use of genuine components and maintain the highest quality standards. He went on to ask that they consider offering a free reinstallation of the engine, which they refused and charged me an additional $7000 to reinstall the motor.

I have received my vehicle for the second time and I have driven approximately 6000 miles on my second remanufactured engine from Tapa Jaguar. This engine is amazing! It pulls all the way to redline in every gear! I am forever grateful for Keith and Tapa Jaguar. These guys have given me my life back. Keith is the real deal.

 

I also used Tapa when my 2015 F-Type R original engine overheated at 60k miles and failed the compression test after that.
I had my car shipped to Tapa and had them also do the engine swap. Highly recommend having them do the swap as well, even with the additional shipping costs for the car. I’m in Northern California and they’re in Southern California, so shipping was like $600 one way, so not too bad. When it was done, I flew down there and drove it back after Tapa had finished the swap. If I had to do it again, I would have planned a weekend trip to Southern California to take some spirited drives in the area. That way if anything had gone wrong, I could just take it back to Tapa. I had no issues though on the trip back. Smooth journey the whole way back.
Now I have about 6,000 miles on the reman engine from Tapa, and so far am extremely pleased with how it drives. Keith the owner is a really personable guy too!

 

That 26k JLR originally quoted for a new engine…Was that installed? If so, sounds like it would have been the same as what you paid in the end, or close to it.

What a mess you had on your hands there, my god. It’s pretty crazy they charged you another 7k to reinstall after you basically proved they screwed up. Nuts.

Glad you’re back on the road and the whole experience didn’t kill your love for the car. A brutal experience like that probably would have for some.

Cheers

 

I don’t know your exact situation, but I have been there. My 2014 s v8 had a similiar issue. If the piston is damaged, they can easily see that with a scope. Any competent shop shouldn’t be guessing and should exam the car thoroughly. Here is a pic of my damaged piston from 2020.

Original motor, hole in piston, unknown foreign object