Hi all


well finally made the decision to stick with the jag and get everything fixed...the list had got quite long!...but I love driving the motor and couldn't bear to part with it so took the plunge and did the following:


Front lower shock bushes (both sides)
Front anti-roll bar bushes and droplinks
Spark plugs
cam cover seals
rear drop links
cleaned up brake lines
swapped out coolant for new
swapped out rear diff oil for new
swapped out engine oil of 0W30 synthetic
oil filter
air filter
fuel filter


The above work was carried out by my local (wait for it) BMW specialist!!...He's an old friend of the family, who my sister once dated years ago and is a dam brilliant mechanic. For those of you in the UK, last year at Oulton Park race track they had an E-type race day and the winners mechanic was this guy, so that pretty much sums up how good he is!


Anyway, he did all the above for £400, which I thought was pretty reasonable and it took him 2 days. The parts set me back around £150 (I purchase my oil directly from the manufacturer for only £8!!...shows the mark up in the shops!!)


Also went and fitted new 18 inch wheels and tyres (the old bbs rims were looking very tired and were far too expensive to refurbish or replace, plus 3 were buckled, so waste of time. So I spent 18 months looking for the right wheel for the right price...drove my mrs mad, but finally made my mind up and happy with my choice...


so love driving her again....no knocks or rattles....the wheels need to be rebalanced as not quite right (try a different tyre shop) but the tyres grip great and were a good price at £55 each.


quick photo below and I uploaded some more to my profile, pretty standard really, but I like it that way!

 

Well good work but I don't see anything about the timing chain tensioners?

You do know they must be repleced or your engine will eat itself?
Maybe they already have?
.
.
.

 

I hear about the tensioners all the time and to be honest I decided not to bother. The thing is the motor cost me 1k and runs great, apart from a single oil drip from the cam cover still, onto the exhaust, which is just irritating and I'm sick of the smoking...means a new cam cover I think..stupid bloody plastic covers...

Anyway, my way of looking at it is if I decide to do the chain and tensioners it will cost me 1k, then they say to replace the water pump, more expense....then the gearboxes don't last forever, so that's another 1k...never ends...my view is if the chains go, they go, take the gamble...because sods law dictates that if I spend 1k on the tensioners the gearbox will break the day after....haha

 

I don't think it's the plastic covers. It's the gaskets. At 10-14 yrs they've been baked a lot...

 

As a former Jaguar S-type owner, I wish I had done the same thing. I am driving a Subaru Legacy and while it is an extremely reliable automobile, I am thoroughly bored to death driving the thing. As prices for S-types are looking pretty favoriable, I may jump back in and get another. I have never driven a more satisfying car with a more supple ride and a competent engine. I do NOT miss the problems that I was experiencing with the car, but if I keep 2 cars, I believe most all can be managed myself. These cars can be at times terrible to work on, but if you have time and do not press them into daily service, they can be a joy to own.