Just purchased a 2006 XJR with 120k miles. From the dipstick there is a lot of water in the oil. Everything else is good condition minus a few things like headliner and boot needs to be repainted and of course the engine. Has BBS wheels. I'm willing to part it out is it worth saving? Has anyone replaced the headgasket on one these? Whats the average cost? Not looking to DIY this one.

 

Head gasket replacement can be done with the engine in the car, though many believe it is easier to simply pull the engine and swap it.

I bought my '05 SV8 with a known head gasket issue 14 months ago and took 8 or 9 months to rebuild it. I documented my head gasket replacement here. It's a big and complicated job, but definitely doable with the right tools (I realize you said you don't want to do it yourself). At a shop I would have to believe this is a $5k+ job but in this era of labor shortages, it might be hard to find a shop to do it. The aspects of this job that add complexity include: 1. the supercharger assembly has to be removed first, 2. the power steering pump and A/C compressor need to be removed (and A/C lines drained) prior to removing the front timing cover, 3. the front crank pulley is attached with a ridiculous amount of torque (I needed like 6 feet of breaker bar, though I'm not very strong) and require a specialty tool (available on ebay), 4. you need the Jaguar / Land Rover timing tools to properly install the timing components, 5. your heads may require machining afterwards, and if you do a valve job that adds $.

But it's definitely doable. I'm very happy with the end results.

 

Just for reference, book time for both heads is 22.5 hours. That should be able to give you an idea if you can guess some labor rates in your area. Say 120 an hour plus parts?

Also, as ScooterForever mentioned, it can be done in the car. The book specs doing it without removing the engine.

Stuff to remove (Not in order)
Remove the SC
Remove the front stuff in the way
Remove the front cover
Remove all the timing components
remove the valve cover
remove the cams
Remove the exhaust

The special tool for timing is the camshaft setting tool 303-530
Timing chain tensioning tool 303-532
Crankshaft setting, main tool 303-645

I know you said you were either going to part it out or pay a shop. But just some info in case anyone else stumbles upon this post.

 

Thanks for the replies, If I can source a decent replacement engine for cheap maybe I'll go that route. I currently have a 2003 4.2 XKR 163kmiles that I removed the supercharger to replace a fuel leak which wasn't too bad of a job, didn't have any issues there. But I also attempted to replace the head gasket on my 1991 XJ6 which I fudged up and now the engine doesn't run and is taking up garage space, I have the parts to try again but its is oh so frustrating doing a job a second time! And that job would've been more cost effective just letting a professional shop do it.

How are you enjoying your car now scooterforever? How much did you spend doing the job yourself? 9 months is a long time but atleast you got it done, my XJ6 has been sitting for about a year now. Being in Arizona myself, I recon the paint would get wrecked sitting outside for that long.

Leaning towards parting it out but my kids will need cars in about 6 years lol so decisions decisions. Well actually now that I think about it has a missing title so depending on how to obtain that might be forced to part out actually.

 

It's a blast. The engine power output is very solid and I am very confident in the car. I've partially replaced the front suspension and right now I'm replacing the rear suspension while I swap in a Quaife limited slip differential. With the new suspension bushings and the LSD, the car should be even more fun.

$ wise, I probably spent maybe $400 on specialty tools, though this can be done for cheaper. Ebay sells clones of the crankshaft and timing tools (like $125 each), and you'll need a fuel quick connect release tool ($50?). Before you take the car apart have the AC drained. The head gasket kit (with all the seals not just the main engine gaskets) is like $450 though I sourced a higher quality set of head gaskets separately which was probably another $100. If you are not strong, an engine lift and load level can be very helpful in removing and installing the heads, which with the exhaust manifolds attached are very heavy. I spent $!00+ on a special Jaguar head bolt socket, but in retrospect I think a $15 T60 socket would have worked just as well. You'll also need a 0.001" accuracy machinists straight edge and feeler gauges to test for flatness, but these have come down nicely in cost in the last several years (the old Starrett ones originally were $100s, but now generics are good and inexpensive). You'll need as source of compressed air to blow out the bolt holes (took like 3 passes per hole), and of course new oil, antifreeze, etc.

The single biggest expense of the job was the heads. I had the valves fully serviced, and the machining and valve work came to $2,000.

Time wise, a non-professional probably needs to double the book figure of 22.5 hours. Again mine took more than this b/c I replaced so many things.

If you go the swap route, check out car-part.com, it's a searchable catalog of junk yard parts. A hybrid option you could consider would be removing the engine block with the supercharger attached and doing the gasket replacement outside of the car. This would eliminate the most frustrating aspects of doing the job in the car, namely: 1. AC and power steering removal, and 2. supercharger removal. I didn't tackle the engine removal in part because the workshop manual on engine removal has step one as "remove transmission" and... just me with a car on jack stands, that's hard.

Good luck with it!

 

One thought, have you tested the coolant for exhaust gases? Water in the oil probably does mean a blown head gasket, but once in a blue moon there's another cause (I admit this is unlikely to be the case, but the exhaust gas test kits are cheap).

 

Just bought the car today. The previous owner stated the water pump went out and car overheated and he towed it home. Said his mechanic tested for compression in all the cylinders but I’m hesitant to believe that at face value. I haven’t done any testing but there is white smoke coming from the tail pipes and definitely milky brown goo mix on the dip stick. Engine does starts and idles though!

reading your post, I see dollar signs spinning in my head! Haha I do have a engine hoist to help me and the $1000 you said for tools and parts doesn’t sound too horrible but the $2k to resurface just scares me and honestly I don’t even know how to find a reputable shop to do that kind of work! I am very happy that your are enjoying the car though and I’m sure it’s satisfying to be able to do all that work yourself!

I want to thank artic_man for supplying the part numbers!

 

Congrats on the purchase at any rate! Though the calculus to help you decide to professionally repair vs. DIY may depend on how much you acquired the car for and its mileage. I would try to save it if it's in good shape otherwise and you don't have much of a laundry list after that work. Here's what a XJR with BBS wheels just sold for on carsandbids.com this week for reference/value:

https://carsandbids.com/auctions/KVx...004-jaguar-xjr

 

Keep in mind that the $2,000 was for not only the resurfacing but a complete valve job with new valves and seals. Most of that expense isn't the resurfacing but the valve work. If the cylinders are not warped, you may not need to resurface. And unless you have a valve problem, leave the valves alone. Also, and there is a lot of information on youtube on how to do this next trick: you don't have to use a machine shop for resurfacing a head... 400 grit adhesive-backed sandpaper on a flat surface (e.g., Woodcraft sells 0.001" flat granite blocks for $100 though they weigh like 100 lbs, or even a sheet of glass on plywood) with the head dragged in circle 8's over the sandpaper will do the job. If you have a .005" warp for example you only need to remove a few .001's" of material and it's aluminum so it goes faster than one might think. I've done this approach (I have the said Woodcraft oh-my-that's-heavy granite flat block) with Subaru heads and been pleased with the results.

 

buy the felpro headbolt set it's like 40 bucks and 13mm head

 

As much as I want to fix the car my rough guess-estimate to fix the KNOWN issues is as follows. Car is 2006 XJR with 122k miles on the odometer.

• $500 to repaint the boot/trunk.
• $500 for headliner.
• $5000 to replace engine ($2k for used engine $3k for labor).

So right there is $6,000 just for those issues, then the front suspension needs to be looked at (it sags overnight) and I don't know the condition of the transmission. The final straw is that the car is a missing title and I never dealt with that before so I'm unsure what the cost and difficulty to get a new title would be.

Current values for these cars are all over the place but I think I can find a craigslist example for about $5,000 with non of the above issues. I believe my car is worth saving but unfortunately my pocketbooks are slim. So as of right now, especially because the title thing and not knowing for sure if I could actually title it, I am deciding to part the car out. Hopefully their is enough interest to make some money out of it quickly.

Here are the pictures of the car. Haven't cleaned it all. Cost was $850 and about 4 hours to get it parked in the front of the house and hearing complaints from the wife lol

 

Great price, but the title issue is a problem. In my state it would be unregisterable (as far as I understand it). So... if you are parting it out... I am on the prowl for a few pieces, I'll send you a PM.

 

Exterior looks cleaner than mine.

 

Exterior is pretty clean. I haven't washed it at all and it is dirty but the paint looks like it will clean up well. The boot would need to be repainted though. I think I only saw one small parking lot ding on one of the door panels.

 

Well I guess its true what they say, I forget what the saying is actually, but its goes something like somethings are too good to be true. I thought I got a good deal from a trustworthy person but after the deal when trying to obtain the title, they demanded more money. Going to the MVD tomorrow to see if I can sort this all out. but just a friendly warning to not be so trustworthy like myself or you may get screwed

 

if you get the title sorted, find another engine or go through a good local shop to help you locate one. If title does not work out, then part the car. Those wheel alone should net you the purchase price. Recycle what is left of the car since its aluminum.

 

If you have a friend in the auto repair business, they can do a small repair, put a lien on it, and after a period of time, usually 30 days, they can apply for a mechanics lien title. All this varies state to state, but usually when the title goes missing, it is because there is already a lien from financing. Also, mostly, the original lien holder will surrender their claim, once it sticks its head up. It is seldom worth their time to repossess it.

 

Very nice pick up for $850 despite the head gasket failure. The DMV probably won't be able to do anything for you if you don't have the title. According to the state the person you bought it from still owns it (or whoever's name is on the title). Never buy a car or give someone cash without getting the title at the same time. Might have to part it out lot of good parts on there!

 

Yikes, that sounds pretty messed up, really wishing you all the best with the situation.

- Tom

 

After some more money and footwork, I have the car titled and registered under my name. This was definitely an impulse buy for me and wasn’t thought through. I have contacted two of the British auto shops 20 miles from me and one quoted $6,200 for head gasket and that’s not including tax and any additional head work. The other shop said they aren’t interested in a job that heavy. Maybe I’ll call the dealership or another shop and check prices as well but already it is out of my budget.

contact me with offers on parts y’all need. I’m not a professional scrapper or anything so it might take me some time but I won’t take payment until the part is ready to ship. Might try to document removal process to help forum members with how to’s but don’t quote me on that one

P.S. For anyone buying junk cars, you can get a title only (not for highway use) for only $4. You have to provide a vehicle inspection report to verify the car is in the state you say it’s in which my local police department will provide that service for free!

I didn’t know that at the time so I ended up registering the car and then de-insuring it putting it in non-op status which cost me $100 versus the above $4 option which I could’ve done. Anyways expensive lesson learned, hopefully that knowledge helps someone in the future