Walked out this morning to head to work, starter the Jag (2003 X-Type 3.0) and to my surprise it sounded as if it was ready to die.

It seems to be coming from inside the engine (i took off oil cap) and cool hear the sound more distinctly.

A couple people at work (yes i drove it like that) suggested it was either the timing chain or a connecting rod.

I checked the oil level and it is not low at all.

Suggestions?

Thanks Jaguarians!

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Connecting rod, from the sound. The post below this one has a much more optimistic possible cause, and I hope it's right!!!

 

Sounds like the timing chain is hitting the housing/guard.If this the case it probably means the tensioner has failed.If it gets to slack it will jump timing and the valves will hit the pistions and destroy the engine or make it a very expensive fix.DO NOT DRIVE IT THIS WAY!!

 

That noise is definitely timed to engine speed, about half speed by the sound of it which puts it in the valve train area, i.e. collapsed lifter?
A slapping timing chain would be more random I would think.

 

Sounds pretty serious, I would definitely not drive it in that case. I know you already did but I would tow that to a shop.

 

I re listened a couple times AND it sounds to me like metal hitting a hollow casting and when the cap is removed it gets more pronounced. Yes valve train,yes, twice the speed of the piston and still I think it's the timing chain hitting the cover/housing, hollow sound,If it were a valve/lifter there would be a miss after a while. If the chain would have slipped already ALL the valves would be hammering on that side and it sounds like a single hit on the same place like SLAPPING as the chain came around a pulley and is slack and is close to a housing or cover. They should be able to pin it down using a stethoscope. If you rev it to high it could jump.off as you back off the RPM as the tensioner can't take up the slack.Be sure to let us know.

 

After studying the manual I see Jaguar use solid lifters with shims, so not a lifter collapse in the normal sense, unless its possible for a shim to jump out. Have to disagree with Billbjork though, as all 4 stroke engines have cams that rotate at 1/2 crank speed so if it is top end valve train noise it can't be 'twice piston speed'. If you listen to the individual clicks in the video right at the end when idle speed has settled down and imagine the crank speed as being 1/2 of that then the engine would stumble and stop, no the crank is going twice the cam speed. Still think it is cam, follower related as a loose chain would vary in sound and intensity when you blip the throttle and the tension varies from accelerating to decelerating.IMHO.

 

I don't think it's chain related, because in the video chain isn't jumping and even if the tensioner fails it has a locking mechanism that doesn't let the chain get loose enough for it to jump.

 

Actually, on re-listen, I think I was wrong on the rod knck, thankfully. There is a youtube video of this engine with rod knock, and while at first it seems similar, it really is a duller sound than the OP's metallic/tappy/clinky sound. I will be interested to see what it ends up being.