Hi all,

new XKR owner from Finland here. A pic from my new ride:



Unfortunately I was plagued with terrible luck as the car showed signs of trouble almost immediately after my purchase. A couple hours after I got the car it gave the "engine coolant low" message on the computer. Having inspected the cooling system and found that a little bit of liquid was missing, I filled it up with about 0.5 litres of water. Next morning I saw the previous owner for some still needed paperwork and the same thing happened. Except that this time the engine temperature needle spiked momentarily and coolant leaked from the passenger side fender (from the overflow tank). Took the car immediately to a Jag specialist, they removed the spark plugs and looked inside the engine with a microsocpic camera. Coolant on top of the pistons.

So right away the car needs a new head gasket and a head rebuild...
NOT cheap, but luckily the previous owner was a stand up guy and agreed to pay for half of the repair cost since the problem had already been on the car before - albeit not showing any symptoms yet.

Hopefully I will have happier miles with the car in the future and it's good consolidation to know that after the repair the engine should be as good as new!

Now I just need to try to hold myself together for the week or so that it takes the garage to do the repairs...

 

and of course by good consolidation I meant comforting...

 

Welcome to this friendly Forum, sorry about your bad start.
If the supercharger has to come off (I'm pretty sure it does) replace the knock sensors and the hoses that run under the S/C.
Also you'll need to look at the timing chain tensioners - if you go to your car's section
XK8 / XKR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
and look in the HOW-TO it explains all.

 

Yeah, I talked with the garage and they told me that the tensioners, water pump, thermostat etc. all should be replaced at the same time to prevent future problems. Since they are the most respected Jag specialist garage around here, I told them to do whatever was needed to get the car in tip top shape!

Thanks for the welcome too!

 

You might as well grin and bear it - Finns are renowned for their stoicism !
It will be cheaper than a new engine which is a popular outcome of tensioner failure.

 

Welcome to the forum Wuoma,

Good advice in the above posts from Steve.

A big garage bill as an introduction to Jaguar ownership isn't the best way to start.

The XKR looks a well cared for example and once you've this repair list out of the way, should give you a lengthy period of trouble free motoring.

Enjoy the forum.

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum Wuoma,

Good to have you with us.
Good advice from Steve, especially the tensioners.
Sounds like you were lucky with the last owner.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.