I was / am trying to get all the correct and accurate information on nikasil use in jaguar engines. Specifically the s type.

This is because my headgasket is being replaced and I've been told if it has nikasil liners the fix won't last. So fingers crossed I have steel.

Anyways Ive spoken to jaguat uk who can't be sure but after 1999 all v8 should be steel. They said its best for me to speak to a dealer.

So I talked to my dealers parts department who made some calls to jaguat technical. They are 99% sure that my 2001 built engine should be steel. But apparently some nikasil engines did sneak through.

Now I also spoke to the head service guy at the same dealer who searched for 4 hours only to come back and say he cannot find any information at all on any s types ever having nikasil liners.

Wtf??

 

Considering your engine build date (almost 1 year after the introduction of the steel liners), there is no reason to believe you have Nikasil liners. Especially if your engine now also has MLS gaskets 0.030" thick, compared to 0.050" (about) composite ones used on the Nikasil engines, so this is what you should be able to see now.

 

You should be able to have a service tech pull one coil and spark plug out and go down in to the cylinder with a camera? There has got to be a way to tell the nikasil liners from the steel. I know that there are special machine shops that are set up that can work on nikasil (normal machine tools can not be used on the nikasil, it takes some special tool) Honda H22 motors have a nikasil liner.

Worst case have them pull only 1 head off to check so its only 1/2 the labor.

 

I'm not sure what the Nikasil liners has to do with head gaskets but I have aluminum loose fit liners with a Nikasil coating on my race car engine and they can be repaired for about $200 -$250 per liner. But you're not going to be doing this yourself. It has to be handled by a competent engine re-builder.

 

Apparently the liners can lift when the head is taken apart. No idea why they cannot be repaired or replaced?

 

darren, would you stop fretting about wether you have nikasil or steel! You have steel, so on with it already!

 

Thanks dude lol.

 

I think there is confusion on what the Nikasil failure was??

The problem was that if the car was operated for only a short time (never getting up to full operating temperature) and used what is considered high Sulfur fuel. The Sulfur will attack and destroy the Nikasil coating. Then the engine starts to lose piston ring seal. Eventually the ring seal declines to the point that the engine will not start because there is no compression. Or becomes very difficult to start at all. This is almost always the first sign of damage. Many old threads on the Jaguar boards about cars not being able to start or cranking for 10 minutes before starting.

Sometimes this can be related to "Bore Wash" sometimes not.

Once running the heat expands everything so if you never shut the engine off you would be fine. With some extra oil consumption

The cylinder liners and head gaskets do not have anything to do with this problem.
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