I am going to look at an S Type tomorrow. It has 6 cylinder/automatic 122,000 miles. Does anyone have any "look for" suggestions on this engine? Mine is an 8 and I have no info on the 6. Thanks for any suggestions.

The price for this car is very attractive.

 

Hello David, and greetings from down under,

I am sure you know (but for the sake of others here also) the 2002 is little changed from the earlier cars in respect to body (interior and exterior), powertrain (including 5spd auto), suspension, brakes etc. Any differences will be minor and tend to be evolutionary, not revolutionary. The major facelift and all its improvements, appeared on the MY2003.

OK, so the major variance from your existing car is the V6 engine - but also the ECU/PCM program settings. Compared to the TC support and some bore wear issues of the early 4.0L V8s (of which I am sure you are aware and have checked to ensure your current car has the necessary replacements) the V6 was, IMHO, relatively trouble free from the outset.

That comment comes with the expected caveats. Remember that these engines, properly maintained (fluids. filters etc etc etc), are long lived . . . but, any engine that is poorly maintained is bound to be unreliable and, frankly, best avoided. Why? No oversized pistons, rings, bearings are available so badly worn bottom ends are most often discarded.

There will be those like [JagV8] who can give you a more detailed V6 overview, but I do think that you may be well served by searching past threads here to look for any fault patterns. I suspect that the major (very common) weakness for all these models is on items like battery maintenance, electricals, suspension bushes, wheel sensors etc (stuff common to your current S-Type) . . . and primarily, the really BIG one . . . owners who do not understand or carry out, preventative maintenance.

I know that doesn't include present company, does it?
Cheers,

Ken

 

As Ken has said.

The 5R55N transmission at that mileage is "on the edge", unless it has 2 fluid changes by now.

The rest of that X200 model are bullet proof.

 

The car price is $1550. I'll pull a carfax on it later today after I look at it. I can check just about everything except the transmission and engine timing, but we'll see how it goes. Thanks for the replies. They help.

 

Most common issues I have come across with the pre-2002 3.0 litre models is the breather elbow under the lower inlet manifold, leaking cam cover gaskets and failure of the upper radiator hose at the bleed screw.

As mentioned above, the Ford Duratec 3.0 is a very well designed engine and can easily exceed two hundred thousand miles if maintained.

 

Thanks for the responses. After looking at the car, it isn't fixable. Mechanically, it wasn't that bad, but the interior was too far gone to waste time with. Too much neglect. Paint was worn and the DSC was faulting. The scrap yard would be its best option.

 

Hello again David,

Isn't it tough to walk away from what (initially) appears a bargain. I had a similar experience recently - late XJR, excellent interior, apparently good mechanicals and all electric/electronic thingies faultless (more later) and, as per owner's description "from 5 metres away, it looks stunning". One small problem . . . sooner or later, one must get closer than 5 metres away . . . and only then, realize that almost every panel (even the roof) had a small ding, scratch, scuff. Independent estimate placed all the panel repairs and complete respray at greater again than the asking price . . . resulting in a final investment greater than a blemish free example . . . and without all the bother.

Bother? Yes,y'see . . . IMHO, if an XJR body is allowed to descend into such an unloved state, what confidence do you have for all those mechanicals and electronics that first appeared OK?

I commend your wise decision to walk away . . . another, more suitable alternative will soon appear . . . perhaps a later "post facelift" model as a complement to your "pre". Believe me, they are sooooo nice!

Cheers,

Ken

 

I think Dave got spoiled with his V8 version of the same generation of ST (a mint example). A "5 meter" example would do well as a daily driver in Atlanta traffic, and parking lots. Bonus is keeping mileage off that pristine example 2000 model.

 

I am working on my other jag today. Changing upper timing tensioners and all new plugs and coils. Whom ever designed this engine bay should be beaten. lol No consideration was given to repairs. One side done, one to go. May have caught a tensioner problem just in time.