Hi Guys,

Not that anyone needs another timing chain thread, but I am attempting to do this as cheaply as possible, without any Jaguar specific tools, outside in the cold. I will need as much help as I can get so wish me luck.

 

As you can see this car needs a new oil pump too and all new guides, maybe a power steering pump, and a new A/C compressor, alternator, and radiator. Yes there are many things on the list, but I miss driving the car because it's still the nicest car I have ever driven besides my Silver Spur.

 

I can't see that it needs a new oil pump.
The timing cover is still attached. Why a new pump??
There are 2 different oil pumps depending on the engine number.

Good Luck.

bob

 

Have some new pictures for you guys. Been making some progress but I have a few questions... maybe someone can help me but keep in mind i'm trying to avoid using all the custom tools the experts use... I want to show it is possible to do this job without buying custom tools. I think in my situation I only need to do the lower guides so that could be a huge factor.

 

 

 

One of the tricks I used was to jam a screwdriver into the holes on the CAM gear to lock the harmonic balancer. It worked well to get the 24MM bolt out. Actually it isn't as tight as you think, and the balancer falls off pretty easily. The best part is that I didn't have the right size bolts on the balancer threads but the air plenum bolts are the right size so I used those. They worked great.

 

I am going to do the oil pump while I'm down here anyway

 

I think this car needs a valve job too but i'm not sure. I'm going to try the chain first and see how it works out.

 

Someone in the future may love this thread. (Hoping it's not me...)

 

Good luck with it . I admire your attitude.

 

Please keep posting pictures if you can.
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I read this today just before going out in the cold to remove the front bumper from my Jaguar.

Checking the temperature in Dallas, I found it was 63 deg F (17 deg C). I had to defrost my XK before starting work - it was 32 deg F (0 deg C) here this morning. We're lucky to hit Dallas temperatures in the middle of Summer!

Good luck with the overhaul.

Graham

 

Kudos to you for doing this on your own! I saw that bucket of bolts in one picture. I find that it is a good idea to keep the specific bolts from each assembly separate in baggies or in a sheet of punched cardboard. Sometimes the bolts are the same except for a little difference in length and you end up with the shorter ones that won't work at the end. I done that a few times! Good luck, take a breath, and a break, when needed.

 

Hi Guyz,

Just wanted to check in and say thank you for the advice and interest in my thread. This car has been a real heart breaker for me ever since the beginning and nothing has ever worked correctly in this car. Now that I have gotten to this point, I guess it's all or nothing.

I do have some major questions and I can't seem to find out the answers. One thing that startled me, when I removed both lower tensioners and both big chains was upon removal of the tension the big cam (intake cam I guess) moved ever so slightly. I mean maybe 1/4 inch or less but it startled me because I wasn't expecting it to move.

Question 1: Because the big cam moved a little, is the timing off now? I zip tied the small cams and chains together but I am wondering about this.

Question 2: My understanding is that there are no timing marks to line up on this car... correct or not? I'm just doing the lower tensioners so my understanding is that as long as I keep the small cams intact, I should be fine with any timing issues. Is this true?

Question 3: I am almost 100% sure I could find TDC and go about setting the timing that way if I had to but I would appreciate someone to chime in here. Am I missing anything?

 

I've been working mostly at night, and it got down to 40 today!

 

You could try searching the x308 XJ8 forum and see what others have done and posted.

 

The other threads don't have answers to my questions so i'm hoping someone with more knowledge than me will chime in

 

You must have got that 'Global Warming' they used to bang on about. We just got 'Climate Change' - colder and wetter.

The X308 and XK8 V8's are basically the same. There are more threads on timing chains/tensioners in XK8 forum than in X308 forum so you will find further information there.

Graham

 

I uploaded my copy of the Jaguar V8/V6 engine course 168 on this site and on Gus's site.
Replacing timing components without locking the crank/cams in place is quite a gamble.
Good luck with your endeavor.

bob