I wonder if that is the date they switched over to morse chains?

 

Ok, what the heck!!!! There are different chains?

Please elaborate.
Is it just a different manufacturer or are the chains physically different.

 

Physically different:

 

Thanks for the info. The chains that came with my kit are not the morse. I was afraid after your post about the chains that mine might be wrong.

 

Bobroy,

i put the old guides back on and my car sounds just like this one (link below) the day the chain started slapping against the the slipper guide because of the primary timing chain failure i stopped at the red stop light and the oil pressure dropped. then i accelerated and the oil pressure went up. but this sound is identical. there saying crank bearings.

 

Did it make this noise before you change the tensioners? Is there metal in your oil? Was the drop in oil pressure because you were low on oil?

 

To avoid confusion regarding slipper guides:

I just installed new primary and secondary chains and tensioners from www.xkstore.at. The slipping guides look the same as those in the first post and there is not other option than to install them 'the wrong way' around with the longish hole down.
I checked back with the store and the owner confirmed that he always installed the slipper guides this way and had no issues so far.

To put it short, I installed the kit and my engine runs just fine, the cold start rattling has gone completely.

Cheers
Chris

 

Chris, you are right there is no confusion, you have the wrong guides on your car. The guides you have are for a later model engine manufacturered after 8/13/01. I haven't seen this model engine with these guides so I personally don't know how they are installed.

All I know is when I put correct guides on there was less play in the guides. If those are the correct guides why do they still sell the original guides.If you read the manual it states that the slotted opening on the guide goes on the fixed stud. Why would they design the guide that has to be put in upside down? Why didn't they design it the correct way?

You know that you may never have problems with your guide installed this way, and I sincerely hope you don't. My suggestion is for anybody else doing their chains and guides is to install the guides that were designed for your car. If they want to use, what I believe, are the incorrect guides, that is up to them. The ones I have match exactly the ones I took off, except for the cracks in the old ones. I fell better knowing I have the right guides on.

 

Hi Chris

Is your car still running smoothly...I am in the middle of changing timing kit and I also got the longer guides with the holes upside down...I got the parts from SNG Barrat and they keep telling me they always sell those guides for replacement - my XK8 is from 98.

All the best

Frank

 

Hi Frank
So far no problems, drove 12000km so far.

Cheers
Chris

 

Gents,

Just found this (see attachment). Seems in some cases the pulley can slip on the crank even when tightened. It says to apply a thin coat of locktite 270 (green) to the crank prior to installing the damper, then using a torque wrench, tighten INITIALLY to 59ft/lbs, then an additional 80 degrees of turn to get to the estimated final torque of 320nm-400nm (236-295 ft/lbs).

 

How many miles do you have one the bad guides?