Hello all,
I havent a clue where to start so here goes.
I havent got a Jag however im looking to buy a one. So I thought where better than to get information from yourselves first.
Im after a 2.2 diesel 6 speed manual x type. Year age around 2002 2003.
Are they rubbish?
Id appreciate it if anyone can give me a few things to look out for. Or even comments from your experiance.
Thank you all in advance regards Derek

 

Derek, if you can find one, get it. I don't think you will be sad in getting it. Most of the problems that X-Types have, you will not have with that car since it is 2wd as I recall (the gas X-Types here in the US are all all-wheel drive and the transfer cases are on the weak side).

The big thing that I would tell you to look for is to look at how the rear wheels sit. What specifically you want to look for is the top of the tire leaning in towards the center of the car or the rear tires pointing towards the center of the front bumper. Both of these indications lead you to worn out suspension components.

Much beyond that, the rest of the car is fairly bullet proof if you get the diesel. Go with petrol and you are opening up a different can of worms. If you do go that route, let me know and there is a whole list of things to keep an eye out for. While the motor is not trash, it does have its quirks. The fixes are normally pretty easy, but some of the "common" problems can be rather expensive to fix, hence why you may find them on the lots since others don't want to spend that kind of money.

Other than the suspension things, make sure the clutch is good. You do those 2 things and you should have a nice car for a long, long time.

 

Chris "Thermo" Coleman and K'Re Ann
Thank you for your quick responce to my question. It was greatfully received.
As you can tell I always do my homework before buying cars I dont know.
Your reply was very helpfull. I will do both of those things you said.
Im sure you will here from me again real soon when I get my next car. It could be a couple of weeks as they sure seem hard to find in the uk.
Regards Derek

 

I would be interested in knowing what the quirks are with the gas engine version of the XType 03 model year. I read the post on rust, suspension, but as I wrote I would like to the the other quirks.

 

Adam, for the gas engines, you have a few things that tend to fail on this engine. They are:

1) the IMT o-rings tend to dry out, leading to a vacuum leak, tossing a P0171/P0174 code (lean fuel mixure)
2) the line running from the intake manifold to the brake booster will crack, leading to a vacuum leak, tossing a P0171/P0174 code (lean fuel mixure)
3) the line between the valve cover and the air box can develop a crack on the underside of the tube, leading to an air leak. This part has been redesigned and the new piece is ribbed where the old piece is a smooth tube.
4) "Cruise Not Available" warning on the dash, leading to loss of power (ie, engine failsafe mode-running on minimum cylinders). This is caused by pieces wearing out in the throttlebody, leading to the computer not being able to control the throttlebody adequately. Unfortunately, this requires a new throttlebody. There are people that will rebuild it for about $400, but a new one is around $1200-1600 plus any labor. I am looking for parts, but have not been lucky so far in locating them.

Those are the big ones that a lot of people tend to suffer from. Sure there are other occasional problems, but that will be true of any vehicle and to discuss all of those would take months to write them all up.

 

Thanks so much for the information. I am going to print out your reply and keep it in my Jaguar file.

 

Hey Thermo,

I have the gas version of the 2003 X-type and the engine has been running like a champ so far....However I now have two leaks. The first is an oil pan gasket and the other is coming from the thermostat support gasket by the radiator. I have been getting some pretty expensive quotes to replace the oil pan gasket. Question is what do you think is a reasonable price estimate to replace the oil pan gasket and do you also think it is about that time that I let the car go since I am now getting all these leaks? Or do you think i still got more years on this car?

 

Your last sentence about longevity has me thinking also, I bought a 2003 back in June of this year. It had only 23049 miles on the odo and looked as it just came out of the showroom. All the service records were with the car and such things as the ECU was replaced, The radiator sensor switch replaced and the MAS replaced, All these repairs were done in 2005 when the car was 2 years old and under warranty. Between 05 and 10 not much was done to the car except several sets of tires, a new battery 2 sets of brakes and regular oil changes and fluid checks, the transfer case fluid was also changed during this period.

When I joined this forum and started reading the post I started to get a little worried about the durability of these cars, bushing problems, rust problems, leaks. I am retired and I had planned this car to be the last one I'd have to buy. Now I am not so sure this will happen. I had my mechanic change the oil yesterday and check the front end as I have a clunk sound when I driver over a raised bump. He said the sway bars bushings seem to be worn out. He is going to check this week and see how much it will cost to replace them and how to remove the swaybar.

IMHO it looks to me that Jaguar tried to build a entry level luxury car on the cheap and they seemed to have succeeded.

 

aibeekay, as for the oil pan gasket, unfortuantely, a quote in the $600 range is not too far out of the question. It is a lot of work because of having to drop a lot of the underside of the car to get at the bolts. I wish the answer was better, but that is the short of the story. There is an option of drilling a hole in the transfer case bracket to access the one hard to get to bolt, but I personally am not a fan of that method. It will save you about $400 in the total job though.

As for the thermostat housing leak, get a new thermostat (like $40) and change it out yourself. It is really easy to do. The hardest part of the job is dropping the plastic tray under the radiator. But, that is 30 minutes of time, a T25 torx bit, and a 10mm wrench. Getting the thermostat out is nothing more than 3 bolts (8mm as I recall, will also need a 12" extension) and a clamp. Just make sure to drain the coolant out of the engine before removing the thermostat else you will have a big mess on your hands.

As for letting the car go, unless you are hitting 300K miles (500K KM), the car has a lot of life left in it as I see it. Sure these problems are a nuisance, but in the big scheme of things, they will cost you much less to deal with than the cost of a new car.

If you are not too far from Maryland, I would tell you to come over and I would atleast deal with the thermostat problem for you. 90 minutes and we can have you out the door. As for the oil leak issue, if it is just a minor leak (ie, loosing less than 1 quart over 1,000 miles), I would say just to live with it. The cost of getting it fixed is not worth it in my book.

 

Thermo, thanks for your response. The oil pan sure is some hard work to get to. Couple of mechanics gave me quotes around the $500 range. It is not leaking anywhere close to 1 quart but the stains that it leaves on the driveway is just starting to be a nuisance and I am starting to get worried it would get worse if not taken care of now. My fears are as a result of a current car (SAAB 9-5) that i have right now that is leaking oil everywhere even after the oil pan gasket was replaced. I was able to find a mechanic who would replace the gasket (X-type) for about $300 - $400.

As for the thermostat support gasket. I wouldnt mind doing that by myself except for the part where i have to drain the coolant from the engine. Another thing is I cant replace the gasket without replacing the thermostat support because it comes in all one unit - the gasket, the thermostat itself (all in the hose assembly unit). The dealership is selling that unit for about $ 149. I wish i was still in the Maryland/DC area. I am now in texas. I just drove down couple of weeks ago. The leak didn't stop me. The Jag was smooth and gave no problems except for my serpentine belt that broke.

 

aibeekay, I just bought a housing. I seem to recall paying around $60 for it. Check out Nalley Jag here on the site and see what they can do for you. Then also check out http://www.jaguarparts.com (who I bought mine through).

As for dealing with the coolant, it isn't that big of an issue. Just need a pan capable of handling 8 quarts (most oil pans). As for refilling the system, piece of cake. Put in the antifreeze/water mix into the overflow bottle and run the engine for a few minutes (just like any other vehicle).

When it comes to the oil leak issue, most have found that the leak starts and doesn't get any worse. So, other than the mark on the driveway, you shouldn't have any future problems. But, it is something to keep an eye on.

 

Thanks thermo, I would check up on getting the thermostat housing from the places you recommended. Quick question though since i would be changing it out myself, where do you recommend i drain the coolant from? from the overflow tank or somewhere else convenient? And as far as changing the thermostat housing, does that mean i can do all that from the underside of the car without having to go from the top which of course means taking the air filter and all that out? thanks

 

What long term effect would drilling a hole on the transfer case bracket have on the transfer case or on the car's performance? Would it hurt the car or something like that?

 

Thanks thermo, I would check up on getting the thermostat housing from the places you recommended. Quick question though since i would be changing it out myself, where do you recommend i drain the coolant from? from the overflow tank or somewhere else convenient? And as far as changing the thermostat housing, does that mean i can do all that from the underside of the car without having to go from the top which of course means taking the air filter and all that out?

What long term effect would drilling a hole on the transfer case bracket have on the transfer case or on the car's performance? Would it hurt the car or something like that?

 

aibeekay, as for a place to drain the coolant from, if you look on the under side of the car near where the radiator stops on the passenger side, there is an access port. If you stick your hand up in there, you will feel a small valve (has a single blade sticking out-points at the engine). If you open this valve up, coolant will come out. Now, with this being said, I would advise removing the bottom cover plate that connects the bottom part of the bumper to the support structure as this is a nice flat surface that the coolant is going to fall on to and it will run all over the place and probably leak in more places that you can catch. Through this valve, you will drain out 90% of what is in the coolant system. There will be a little bit left in the hose going to the thermostat. So, when you pull the hose off the thermostat, expect a little bit more coolant to come out (about another cup or so).

As for accessing the thermostat, when I changed mine, I did it all from the underside. All the bolts and clamps are designed to be accessed from the bottom. I would venture to guess you could do things from the top, but I would think it would be much more difficult. Once you get under there, you will see that this really is a pretty easy job other than having limited space. But, I got my gorilla hands up and in there with not too many problems. Having a few socket extensions on hand makes things a little easier too.

As for drilling a hole in the transfer case bracket and its long term effects, I am simply speaking on theoretical terms here as I have not done this myself. But, we all know the transfer cases are weak to begin with. Now you are talking about removing metal from a support bracket, concentrating the stress on less material. I will admit that where they are drilling the hole is not where the transfer case tends to break and a few members hear have had it done with none reporting a problem (that I know of). So, it is a gamble as I see it. I just tend to fall a bit on the conservative side.

 

I'm a lost here, why would anyone want to drill a hole in the transfer case bracket??

 

Adam, when needing to repair a leaking oil pan gasket, one of the bolts for the oil pan is tucked up behind the support bracket for the transfer case. The only way I have heard you can get this bolt out is to: 1) drop the transfer case (lots of hours and tons of interference to get moved out of the way, therefore drives the cost of the repair sky high) or 2) you drill a hole in the bracket just big enough to slide the bolt through.

 

Thermo,
I finally went with drilling the transfer case bracket and the tech was able to drop the oil pan and change the gasket; all for $300. Now no more leak. I would just hope that the bracket is able to handle the stress from the the transfer case.

I would change the thermostat housing as soon as I can lay my hands on the part. I am looking to buy it and change it out. The leak is not so bad but i am afraid it might get worse. But it appears that it is coming from the gasket where the hose assembly meets the front end of the engine. So it is looking more like I need a gasket than a thermostat. Or does the thermostat housing come with the gasket that fits the description of my leak? Thanks Thermo

 

aibeekay, the thermostat is not located in the usual spot of other vehicles. If it is coming from the front of the engine where the hose attaches to the engine, then all you need is a $3 gasket. Loosen up the bolts on the joint in question, scrape off the old gasket, put on the new gasket (make sure to add some "Formagasket" to help make sure it don't leak) and then tighten it back down. No need for a new thermostat. The thermostat is located inline with the lower hose.

 

Thermo, i took a look again today to confirm and yes the leak is coming from the gasket where the assembly attaches to the engine and all I would need now is a gasket. So i will go ahead and order that from jaguarparts.com and get it replaced....