As a mate for my Alfa Spider, I've bought a 1998 XK8 in BRG with 63,000 kms from Qld. What a car!
Am now wrestling with the decision to do the tensioners and pump or not just yet and getting NSW rego "blue slip" so I need to find the engine number and havent as yet.
There appears to be some confusion in the forum. Is it on the front, near the thermostat where it's apparently "unreadable", or underneath, above the steering rack??
Cheers, Ian

 

Welcome to the forum Ian,

The XK guys will help you find the number.
I'd advise pulling the cover to see what kind of tensioners you have in there.

 

Thanks Norri. Being new to forums and not too flash on the computer I'm struggling a bit but will continue.
Ian

 

Hi, Ian. Welcome to the forum. Like Norris said, the XK threads are a great source and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in there.

 

Hey there, welcome to the forum, great to have you here with us at JF.
Hope we can help with any issues / questions you may have

+1 for the advice on the tensioners!

Some great guys here, top techs, good info and more than a few laughs here n there, so jump in and enjoy......
manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the site.......enjoy your time here

 

Welcome to the forum.

Hope that you have identified your tensioners by now.

 

Thanks for the encouragement guys.
Finding the engine number was interesting. The Jag mechanic who serviced the car for the previous owner said to look underneath, LHS of block on a fin, above steering rack and to read it in reverse with a mirror.
Not there. The somewhat pedantic blue slip inspector finally found it high on front of engine near the termostat.
It seems the Jag dealers recommend tensioner etc up-grade after 35,000 miles. I wonder if there are any XK8 engines that have actually failed at this mileage or if they're being super careful ? I'm inclined to think that with just 63,000 kms (39,000 miles)travelled on my car in 13 years and an easy life so far, I might take a chance and postpone the tensioner etc up-grades a while longer.
Cheers,Ian

 

Ian, welcome to the Forums. I'm sure the XK guys will be able to help you out. they know a lot about the cars and will be able to give you some good advice. Based on what I am hearing from you, you are not seeing any problems with the motor, so, odds are you will be fine for a little while longer. But, you are also playing with fire here. So, as long as you understand the two sides, you are making an informed decision.