My 2004 88k 1,400 dollar mystery XJ8 is finally back on the road with 1,800 in new parts! Here is the full list of what was done so far:

This list should serve as a reminder to anyone looking for a bargain XJ8 on craigslist. Unless you are prepared to tackle this amount of work... be careful. I haven't even reached the bottom of the pit yet. This was just the amount of work required to get her rolling down the road again! I stepped into this project fully aware of the challenge I wanted a fun project car for the summer. Body looks fantastic, 88k miles, she'll be a great car in the end.

Front End:
- Engine control harness complete rebuild, fully removed, including new connectors / re-pin work for nearly every sensor on it, new retainers, etc.
- Fuel injector ultrasonic cleaning with pulse activation.
- Three new ignition coils.
- Rebuilt vacuum brake booster nylon line with a new Norma connector and Oetiker clamps.
- Rebuilt fuel supply line under-hood with new hose, nylon line and clamps.
- Replaced all of the vacuum / PCV line o-rings.
- Replaced front crash sensor.
- New (used) rack and pinion assembly. Previous owner / mechanic damaged piston seal trying to replace inner tie rod.
- Replaced refrigerant line o-rings / vacuum / recharged. Repaired line retainer bolt threads in the compressor that were stripped by prior owner.
- Replaced power steering o-rings, properly routed hoses, eliminated all leaks.
- Properly routed engine control harness behind accessories.
- Two knock sensors.
- Valley coolant hose.
- Brand new Jaguar OE throttle body / gasket.
- Brand new Jaguar OE transmission cooler lines. Properly routed. 7.5 quarts of Ford Mercon SP fluid.
- Serpentine belt.
- Rebuilt windshield wiper arms, new blades, properly seated and aligned.
- Full tear-down / clean-out of the cowl area, removed a rodent's nest. Inspected ECM main harness connection, greased seal with clear silicone and re-seated connector.
- Brand new Jaguar OE intake duct, snorkel, fiber tube, damper / flex connect to TB, everything except the air box.

Interior:
- Dropped headliner and blew out clogged sunroof drain tubes.
- Fully disassembled center console soaked by sunroof water leak.
- Circuit board level tear-down of the j-gate and parking brake switch assemblies to dry out moisture and clean all contacts.
- Complete replacement of the 22-pin TE Get 064 inline harness connector FP6 RH under seat cushion, sunroof leak soaked pins, corroded beyond repair / cleaning (more info on this work to come.)

Rear End:
- Repaired damaged battery hold-down / box stripped bolt threads in the trunk. Previous owner fouled it up.
- Cleaned up battery ground posts in the trunk.
- Cleanup water / moisture from sunroof leak.

Problems remaining:
- High RPM misfire on Cylinder 3 under load. #3 Spark plug was visibly damaged upon inspection, former owner / mechanic likely dropped it. All eight will be replaced this week. I've also purchased a reman. fuel injector just to rule out fuel issues.
- Incorrect gear ratio / Instrument cluster to transmission CAN fault. Will investigate wire harness and shift cable adjustment.
- RH power adjustable mirror feedback short to ground. Mirror hinge damaged beyond repair, harness is severed. I have a color matched replacement ready to install this week.
- Headliner fabric has collapsed (typical), will remove headliner and replace with new.
- Sunroof glass panel seal is leaking rain water. I revitalized with silicone grease but will fully replace it with Jaguar OE during headliner replacement.
- Brakes (needs everything, rotors, pads, pins, etc)
- Front upper ball joints, rear upper ball joints. I will replace upper control arms on all four corners. Rubber boots are perished, road grime has destroyed the joints.
- Outer tie rods. My used rack and pinion had bad tie rods on it, only driving temporarily because I didn't want to foul up the alignment. Safe enough, but will be replaced with control arms. Full realignment.
- World's worst Chinese tires. Will replace all four (five) rims with 18" vs. my 17" and wrap them in Continental tires.

 

Andrew, you are a brave and daring adventurer. Just the thought of rebuilding a Jaguar engine harness kind of blows my mind. Your post makes me want to get a project XJ8 so I can just rip into it and see what I can fix. My current car is so beautiful and well behaved I'm a little afraid to mess with it -- although all my projects so far have gone very well and been extremely satisfying.

Keep us posted on your progress.

Jeff

 

HaHa, well I wish I could get my hands on a Super V8 that needs work! Very nice car you've got! They're getting rare enough and expensive enough that I've sort of figured I'm going to jump to the new body style and pick up an XJL Supercharged with the 5.0 when I am ready to spend a few bucks. As long as I've got another "cash" car I don't mind spending some time restoring an engine harness.

My wife has a 2013 Navigator (in my name) but she wanted her name on the Jag to which I cheerfully agreed... because now I can tell her I have to go work on HER car... she's caught on though.

 

The "new' XJ body style is mechanically excellent and very fast, but eventually you're going to have to look at it! Ugh.

Jeff

 

pcmos wrote;

My wife has a 2013 Navigator (in my name) but she wanted her name on the Jag to which I cheerfully agreed... because now I can tell her I have to go work on HER car... she's caught on though.[/QUOTE]
You've been busy

Tried putting the first one in her name.

After driving it home, decided it was just too big.

I'll just drive your Honda, more my size.

Her car was a 90 base, from new, civic, that was loosing the rear bumper.

The other from new Honda, is a 96, & still hanging together as of yet

Since then, it seems this 07 Vanden Plas, (even longer) followed me home.

Just can't pass up a deal sometimes, told her cats like companions.

 

Haha, exactly! My wife loves driving the Jag, now she wants a supercharged X351... if only I weren't still making payments on the Navigator. Maybe the '04 will contribute a little to a down payment.

I always wanted an X358 super V8 but honestly they cost more than the X351 now and I don't mind the modern body style. 5.0 Supercharged is calling.

 

Get rid of the Navigator with its payment, find another inexpensive (cheap)Jaguar XJ8.

Just stay away from the super charged end of things, to avoid abuse issues.

People with base type XJ8's tend to hammer the cars a lot less.

They are fast luxury cars, not race cars.

Both mine are white, look almost the same.

I was looking for a good used car, when i discovered the XJ8's.

Together, they cost less than a new Korean import.

 

We'll probably sell the '04 base XJ8 that I'm restoring right now to get into an '08 or '09 Vanden Plas. I also own a paid off 2010 Lincoln Town Car which is my current daily driver and the most reliable car I've ever owned. The 2013 Navigator is a great utility vehicle and reasonably reliable. I actually used it to tow the Jag home from upstate NY. Very handy to have a big truck-based 4WD SUV particularly for winter driving conditions. Overall very happy with both of our Lincolns but the Jag offers a really fun sporty edge and feel that you don't get from large American lux sedans.