Old XJ8, new enthusiastic owner
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 18
Likes: 5
From: Clinton, New Jersey
Old XJ8, new enthusiastic owner
Hello to my fellow enthusiasts. My name is Tom and I am currently living in Clinton, New Jersey.
My experience with cars growing up was very little. When I was 10, my father forgot to remove the gasket when changing my sister’s oil filter on her brand new Toyota Tercel. 200 miles later, minus one engine, I was told you have to always let the mechanic do it.
I rebelled around 25 and have had fun working on my cars,’95 Honda Civic, ‘98 Honda Accord, '97 Saturn SC1, and '01 Toyota RAV4 (valve covers, AC, alternators, spark plugs, brakes, tie rods, wheelbearings, etc). I do not have any fellow shade tree enthusiasts, so mostly self-taught (DIY manuals and Eric the CarGuy on youtube).
This December a good friend of the family, was looking to find a home for her 2000 XJ8 4.0. w/ 165k miles. A simple $300 transaction and I was driving home where the wife was slightly surprised and mildly amused. We live in a townhouse with a one car garage so all the work on the car is done in the general parking area.
She needs some work (not my wife, the car). I found these forums and have enjoyed many hours of reading. My sincere gratitude to everyone that has contributed.
So far I have replaced the antenna, the spark plugs, the secondary tensioners (165k miles and was still the originals), serpentine belt, upgraded idler pulley and tensioner, replaced valve cover gaskets, fixed the cup holder, fixed the cigarette lighter, bought a car cover, polished and protected exterior and interior, purchased new battery, and replaced one of those pesky plastic cooling lines.
Things left to accomplish this summer with the help of these forums.
1. replace fuel filter
2. replace primary timing,
3. replace thermostat & tower
4. upgrade the water pump
5. fix ac
6. repair sagging headliner
7. reinforce doors
8. change gearbox oil/filter and upgrade expansion valve,
9. flush coolant and change to Zerex G05
10 fix rear mirror
11 refurbish both key fobs
enjoy a pint or three while watching past episodes of Top Gear
My experience with cars growing up was very little. When I was 10, my father forgot to remove the gasket when changing my sister’s oil filter on her brand new Toyota Tercel. 200 miles later, minus one engine, I was told you have to always let the mechanic do it.
I rebelled around 25 and have had fun working on my cars,’95 Honda Civic, ‘98 Honda Accord, '97 Saturn SC1, and '01 Toyota RAV4 (valve covers, AC, alternators, spark plugs, brakes, tie rods, wheelbearings, etc). I do not have any fellow shade tree enthusiasts, so mostly self-taught (DIY manuals and Eric the CarGuy on youtube).
This December a good friend of the family, was looking to find a home for her 2000 XJ8 4.0. w/ 165k miles. A simple $300 transaction and I was driving home where the wife was slightly surprised and mildly amused. We live in a townhouse with a one car garage so all the work on the car is done in the general parking area.
She needs some work (not my wife, the car). I found these forums and have enjoyed many hours of reading. My sincere gratitude to everyone that has contributed.
So far I have replaced the antenna, the spark plugs, the secondary tensioners (165k miles and was still the originals), serpentine belt, upgraded idler pulley and tensioner, replaced valve cover gaskets, fixed the cup holder, fixed the cigarette lighter, bought a car cover, polished and protected exterior and interior, purchased new battery, and replaced one of those pesky plastic cooling lines.
Things left to accomplish this summer with the help of these forums.
1. replace fuel filter
2. replace primary timing,
3. replace thermostat & tower
4. upgrade the water pump
5. fix ac
6. repair sagging headliner
7. reinforce doors
8. change gearbox oil/filter and upgrade expansion valve,
9. flush coolant and change to Zerex G05
10 fix rear mirror
11 refurbish both key fobs
enjoy a pint or three while watching past episodes of Top Gear
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 120,439
Likes: 17,009
From: Durham, UK
Welcome to the forum Tom,
An excellent Intro. Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
The 'HOW TO' thread at the top of the X308 forum (XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum) is a good place to start for information on the regular issues on your 'to do' list. The FAQ's in XK8/XKR forum also has useful information on changing tensioners.
Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.
You can also visit the US Northeast Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-northeast-35/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
An excellent Intro. Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums.
The 'HOW TO' thread at the top of the X308 forum (XJ XJ8 / XJR ( X308 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum) is a good place to start for information on the regular issues on your 'to do' list. The FAQ's in XK8/XKR forum also has useful information on changing tensioners.
Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.
You can also visit the US Northeast Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-northeast-35/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Veteran Member
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 26,759
Likes: 10,309
From: Tehama County, California, USA
Hello, Tom,
YouTube can tell you how to fix almost Anything! Between that and Google, Nothing is out of the reach of the common person.
Congratulations on all your successful repairs!
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')
YouTube can tell you how to fix almost Anything! Between that and Google, Nothing is out of the reach of the common person.
Congratulations on all your successful repairs!
Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 121,073
Likes: 6,652
From: PHX some of the time
Welcome to Jaguar Forums Tom,
Good to have you with us.
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.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Good to have you with us.
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.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Joined: Mar 2015
Posts: 45,908
Likes: 4,708
From: Dural, Northwest Sydney. Australia.
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Junior Member
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 18
Likes: 5
From: Clinton, New Jersey
Thank you everyone for the gracious welcome. It is nice to see the community here is so active and vibrant.
I hope I did not overstep my newbie status, but I did try and create two new posts in the X308 forum.
The first was a detailed part list and low cost analysis to perform blackonyx's DIY on the timing system. It detailed how you can get the parts & tools needed, with coolant system upgrade & new spark plugs for under $600. I thought it might be helpful.
The second was a desperate plea for help on addressing the current codes showing on my XJ8.
After hitting the post button, both threads say they would have to be reviewed before being posted. It has been almost a day, is there some way for me to gain information/feedback on anything that was incorrectly done?
I hope I did not overstep my newbie status, but I did try and create two new posts in the X308 forum.
The first was a detailed part list and low cost analysis to perform blackonyx's DIY on the timing system. It detailed how you can get the parts & tools needed, with coolant system upgrade & new spark plugs for under $600. I thought it might be helpful.
The second was a desperate plea for help on addressing the current codes showing on my XJ8.
After hitting the post button, both threads say they would have to be reviewed before being posted. It has been almost a day, is there some way for me to gain information/feedback on anything that was incorrectly done?
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