2004 XJR (G12607) 85,000 Miles:

Hope the New Year is off to a great start for all of you Jag enthusiasts & that you & your loved ones are well & safe.

Exiting garage in the rain where the drive slants down, noticed a small spot of synthetic oil which would have likely been unnoticed if it weren't for the "starburst effect" in the water.

Removed the bottom cover & it had only a slight amount of oil on it.

When looking around the cam cover, I haven't been able to detect anything; however, I haven't been unable to inspect the bottom of the cover. Any suggestions of what I can drag along it to see if there is any oil. The covers on my car seem to be larger than the ones mentioned on other threads (VIN:G12607). For the life of me, I don't see how to inspect.

From underneath, I see a wet spot on an aluminum fitting bolted to the engine parallel to the oil filter; there appears to be a thick gasket. It does not appear to be connected in any way to the oil filter. Any idea what this might be? Is it known to be a source of leaks?

Since it is leaking so slightly, I am inclined to just button her back up & let it be. Either way, I would very much like to figure out where the leak is & fix it if it is fixable without an inordinate effort.

Suppose it is the Cam Cover. I'm inclined to only replace the gasket on the one that leaks on the right side. Any pros & cons to not replacing the one on the left side too?

Other observations: She is up on lowboy drive-on ramps. Upon first inspection, there was fresh oil on parts of the pan & the area around the aforementioned bolted-on aluminum fixture. After cleaning, there are no drips since she has been on the ramps for a week. after running her at the idle for 20 minutes, the only visible oil is on the aforementioned fixture without any showing around pan, etc. I suspect that, while oil is visible around the fixture, not enough has accumulated to drip elsewhere.

Thank you all very much! Steve

 

It would be helpful to post photos of the area you feel has the oil seepage.

 

Thanks, NB Cat

There is a 1/2" space through which to peep & see this aluminum appendage bolted to the block. I tried to get a photo, taking 6. Not one is helpful.