Hey all, I am a long time reader of this forum and very grateful for all of y'all writing on here. So, I'm going to try to contribute my own experience for the betterment of the community. I'll be building this post as I have time, this initial posting is barely more than an outline.

• Background: I have a beautiful 2006 XJR that I bought with rebuilt title, got hit in, and is now a totaled parts-car. I rescued a 2005 Super V8 from Detroit to match the interior and engine options of the XJR. The Super V8 has 240K miles (60K are mine), the XJR has 130K (30K are mine). The Super V8 is losing some compression, blows a puff of blue on cold starts, has a leak at the fuel rail/injector under the SC, and now broke the water pump bearing.
• Goal: I am attempting to bring the engine and transmission from the 2006 XJR to the 2005 Super V8. The transmissions are already done as the harnesses and parts are identical.
• The Challenge: The 2006 MY introduced major improvements that affect this job including- VVT, More sensible wiring harness configuration at the ECM, Advanced ABS with built in pump, and possibly some things that I will discover yet.
• Preparation: I have the factory manual that is available on this forum. This is and exceptionally good place to start, but I supplemented with a couple threads here- Jackra pulled a transmission (BUT DO NOT REMOVE THE STARTER! More info below), dsnyder slid off the AC Compressor before removing Engine, and scooterforever used a claw foot to disconnect Power Steering. I got the engine hoist hooks from the Jag club tool rental guys. My trans jack and engine hoist are from Harbor freight (hoist complements of a friend).

I started just as the factory manual suggests with removing the exhaust and transmission. The factory manual is correct in not needing to remove the starter at all. The only challenge is the topmost bolts and breaking loose the dowels inside the bell housing.





I then removed the front bumper, fan shroud, oil cooler, and started lifting the engine. With the engine lifted slightly I could dismount the AC compressor and get to the Power Steering pump to disconnect its lines. Then I pulled the engine.





Now I have the challenge of swapping the ECMs and figuring out the harnesses.

2005 Super V8


2006 XJR

 

converting the car to use the single pump tank and external FPDM is going to be absolute hell

 

@xalty can you expand that thought at all? In the wiring diagrams I see both cars have a fuel pump module that controls the pump(s) with only two wires going to the fuel pump module from the ECM. It seems like the FPM would handle the pump control fine given the same voltage signal from the ECM.
TBH, I didn't catch the fuel pump difference as it wasn't covered in the 2006 technical guide. Thanks for pointing this out.

 

If I remember correctly, the switch from 2 fuel pumps to only one was done sometime around 2004-2005 before the switch to MY2006, and that would be the reason why it is not mentioned in the technical guide for MY2006.

I would check on the two cars what pump configuration they both have, if you are in luck, they already could have the same configuration.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Terrific, ambitious project! You will really be testing the knowledge of the veterans on here! Looking forward to following your progress

 

As some have suggested, the 2006 model year is almost like an X356 model with all the differences. Changing the ECM and harness is a long line of dominoes that I'm trying to work through. I even started looking to trade my 2006 car and engine for a 2004/5 engine. I looked into deleting the VVT as well.
I'm stuck currently.

 

if you are willing to stick it out it’s going to be a much better car. 350 to 356 is night and day difference in driveability. the pre-06 trans tune is absolutely pitiful, and the vvt motor just flat out pulls harder

 

Compliments on your willingness to tackle this swap!

- If your '06 has VVT, believe it is an X356. Check shop manual in stickies for '06 VIN number break if you wish to confirm
- As such, I believe that X356 will require associated ECU, TCU, and power train harness. This could get v messy...
- Core issue is interfacing with X350 chassis harness. Believe you may find that X356 chassis electronics are different as well (eg dash, center stack, fuel pump, EVAP, etc)
- I would absolutely not suggest trying to run the VVT motor with X350 powertrain electronics
- In all cases, you'll want to do your valley hose, etc while the donor motor is out; ditto motor and trans mounts, trans cooler lines..though this will be minor vs above

Best wishes, regardless...

 

isnt it just to delete vvt and stick in the non vvt cams? Used to do that on bmw vanos engine when going turbo