I won't know anything conclusively until I get her home and do a tear-down, but a cursory exam doesn't look good.

We pulled the oil filler cap which is over the exhaust cam, and the oil that was pooled around the camshaft had obvious glitter. We ran a small magnet through the oil puddle and there were pieces of metal that stuck to it. I fear the engine has had a catastrophic failure. Engine removal is almost certainly in the cards. I lack the words to describe my disappointment and frustration.

 

What an absolute shame. Sympathies from France.
Still and all, looking to the future, the decision whether or not to fit a nice, reliable, decent, US-made V8 is made for you, Thomas.
Meanwhile, enjoy the car show!

 

What a journey - I just read through the whole thread, what a -sad- cliffhanger to end on (for now)...

I was about to suggest doing a color change to something like GM's nightshade grey, but it looks like you're going to need to spend money and time on more urgent items.
Good luck, the car is in the right hands

 

After a good night's rest I am definitely out of the feelings stage and am very solutions-oriented about the problem.
Greg, your comment reminded me of a thought I had early in yesterday's drive, comparing the Mark VII to last year's Series 2 XJ6 with a ~300hp V8. The XJ6 would cruise effortlessly while the Mark VII was working at the higher speeds. No doubt aerodynamics plays a large part, but an extra ~100hp didn't hurt.

If possible I'd like to keep something Jaguar under the hood. Something like the 3.6 engine and transmission from a late 1980's XJ would be an improvement, although I'd need to make sure the engine room is long enough.

I still like the idea of a late 1990's XJR engine/transmission but after measuring the engine compartment earlier in the project that's going to be an extremely tight fit. Plus the intake manifold will be about in the same place as the steering shaft.

There are still plenty of 1996-1997 V8's like what I put in my XJ6 but I also feel like that might be too much.

5 years ago I put the 3.4L V6 from a mid 1990's Camaro in my MGB. A V6 in the 3.4L to 3.8L range might fight without having to do any surgery to the firewalls or inner fenders, and have a more appropriate amount of horsepower.

 

That sounds ideal. I would have thought about 250to 300 BHP with loads of low down torque should be about right.

 

I am just SO sorry, Thomas!
What an absolute Bummer!
I will certainly be interested to know just What went wrong.
EDIT:
One plus, if there is one, I was thinking you're still within range of your long distance tow plan, if you have one.
ALL classic car owners I know gladly pay extra for the peace of mind that a Flat-Bed-Ride-Home plan gives.
When Nix was doing shows and stuff I bought the AAA Long Distance plan, good for 300 miles. We never ventured farther than that anyway, and the lack of worry was Priceless.

Again, I'm So sorry.

 

Hi Thomas,
There is a 3.8 MK II or S-type engine that was rebuilt but never ran in OHIO. IIRC it's only $2-3K. I'm sure it will need to be opened up and resealed. It might be another option.

I hope you plan on opening MK VII engine up so we have an ides of what failed.
Cheers,
Bob
P.S. Have a great trip!

 

You could even go to a 4.0L I6 from an X300 / late XJS. It looks remarkably clean.
220-240hp / 280lb.ft, more than adequate for a 50's car !

Who knows, the current engine might be saved. Though with glitter in the oil and a wobbly FW, my optimism isn't overflowing.

 

My stomach hurts seeing this. Thomas, I DO hope you can sort this out and it isn't as bad as it seems. You've been an inspiration!

 

We're about 500 miles into the 1,000 mile return trip home. Tomorrow morning I pick up the u haul trailer and by tomorrow night I'll have it back home.

The Land Rover did win 2nd place in it's class and we also brought home the award for the longest distance driven. Dad made the observation that it in the past I've put in tons of work on my cars and the only award I've won was 3rd place (out of 3 cars) last year with my XJ6. This year we drive up in the Land Rover, wipe the bugs off the front, walk away, and come back to 2nd place in a class of 5 cars. 😂

 

Before leaving Mom and Dad's house this morning, Dad and I pulled all the wood out of the car. Well, all the wood except for the left piece around the steering column. I still need to figure out how to remove that.
But Dad is super excited about his winter project.



After towing the Mark VII home, it's safely back in my garage while my wife surveys the damage.


I should be putting things away from the trip but I did run a compression test. The numbers aren't great but they also aren't catastrophic either.

 

This morning I had to change the oil and rotate the tires on the Land Rover, but by the time lunch had rolled around I was all caught up and able to start working on the Jaguar.

First up was pressuring washing the bottom of the car. This had the secondary effect of draining most of the oil from the heads.


I pulled the gas tanks and completely drained them, then blew compressed air through them for 30 minutes to remove any residual fuel and vapors. I won't have to worry about fuel going bad over the winter.

Next up was pulling the transmission. I was glad to see the fluid still looked brand new - I know there's only 800 miles on the transmission but that tells me I had the TV cable adjusted properly.


I used a bar to support the rear of the engine while I pulled the transmission.


I drained the first gallon of oil from the engine crank case into a paint filter. Earlier this summer I had pulled the oil pan and cleaned it, so the offending bits of metal you see below are new.


Next up is pulling the head, followed by the block/crank case. I'm going to tear it all the way down until I find the culprit.

 

Hi Thomas,
Looking at the compression test my guess would be bent valves, 1 exhaust and 1 intake. Now the metal particles I don't have a clue. At least there aren't any broken cotter pins from the connecting rod bolts in the oil. They can really mess things up.

Crossing my fingers that it's something easy to fix.
Bob

 

Given the quality of your work, Thomas, I will be Extremely interested to learn just what caused this catastrophic failure (like you won't?!). This sort of thing just doesn't happen to your stuff!
At least you have the winter to work on it.
Just a little something to keep you out of your wife's hair and out from under foot.
(';')

 

No smoking guns yet but I am getting closer. I have the head ready to be pulled then after that the block.


I did pick up two more clues tonight. First, once I had removed the head nuts I was easily able to lift the head off the block. I am pretty sure I used a Payen head gasket this summer and I would have thought it would have stuck itself to the head and block.
Second, the right side of the block has white streaks down the side from antifreeze. I'll get a picture tomorrow when the head is off but there was some seepage going on. The coolant level was still within normal levels so it wasn't an aggressive or extended leak.

In the spirit of finding the silver lining in the cloud, tonight I realized it will be super easy to finish wrapping the wire harness without the engine in the car.

 

Thomas,

As a proud member of your fan club, I applaud your determination and resilience in the face of a serious setback. We're all on the edge of our seats awaiting each update.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thorsen,
I applaud your 'let's go' attitude. Not that I wish to upset any sensibilites in the USA; but this reminds me of the old journalists' joke:
"apart from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?" !

 

Today at lunch my neighbor came over to help remove the hood, then this evening I pulled the head and engine.
I promise, the wiring did not look this bad with the engine in the car. I'll address this before a new engine goes in.



I'm starting to form a theory of what happened, but I'll save that to the end.
Here is the right side of the block showing the coolant staining (I use Zerex G-05). I'll note that the coolant level wasn't significantly low - maybe .25" lower than normal.


The head showed no burnt valves or damaged camshafts.


This is definitely a Payen gasket.


I pulled one main bearing and one connecting rod bearing. They both looked like garbage.


The crankshaft journals don't look great.


My theory is that some of the coolant got into the oil via the head gasket. It was probably just enough to cause a lubrication issue for an engine turning 2,700 rpm, which didn't do the bearings or crank shaft any favors. I bet when I finish tearing down the engine I find a spun bearing or two.

 

You would have noticed any pitting or erosion channels on the head or block gasket surfaces. Have you used Payen gaskets in the past, and if so, have they performed well?

 

In the MGB world, Payen gaskets are regarded as the best available. Especially when running a supercharger.

After I rebuilt this head over the summer, I talked to a guy I know who has rebuilt a few Jaguar 6's. I asked him his opinion on Payen vs the standard stamped steel gasket that is available - he was Team Payen all the way.