Hello everyone.
I have been thinking a longtime to get one of these for my wife, but I do not know anything about them. So couple a days ago I run in to one at the dealership, and bought it! It is a -97 XJR from one lady owner with 43 K miles.
What are the main things I should take care of to have reliable cost effect miles with it? I'm in Grand Rapids, MI... Anybody around who really knows these cars? Thank you already. Sami
PS. She loves the car.

 

Congratulations!

I know it is a little late but why not read through the "I’m buying a used XK8/XKR, what should I look for?" heading on this link:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=29800

Don't be overly concerned about the Nikasil issue. If the car is still running well the problem has probably passed with the dramatic reduction in sulfur in fuels.

One issue that you need to deal with is the cam chain tensioners. The dealer can verify if they were changed at any dealer through on-line Jaguar records. If no records are found you need to pull a valve cover to verify that the metal tensioners were installed. This issue is still killing cars.

 

To back up 'test point' you really MUST get the top tensioners checked out. Replacement is not expensive, (unlike the lower ones). Failure usually wrecks the engine very quickly. Once done the car is good for many thousands of miles; you might even get to the moon and back with them !! As a 1997, the original engine will have had the poor early plastic-bodied tensioners. As for the Nikasil cylinder bore liners, if the car has got this far in years, they are probably OK, so enjoy the car.

 

Thanks a lot guys.
This is a good start to get to know our new car. I found already, that the other front wheel bearing is loose, so I think, I'm going to take it to the dealership to get to see the hole service history on it too. I'll have them check out that chain tensioner too. After these I guess I can relax, and take my time to find cheaper way to do other stuff, like transmission service.
The engine oil seems dirty, even I had the oils changed... Do you recommend any kind engine oil flush or something?
Thanks again,
Sami

 

Personally, if that matters, I do not recommend any of the engine flushes. If the oil is dirty soon after a change, change it again, with the filter, on 1k mile intervals until it looks clean. I would just use low cost dino oil of the proper weight until you just get all the crud out.

 

I don't think everyone is on the same page. If it's a *1997 XJR* then it's a 6 cylinder....no Nikasil issue at all. And very few tensioner issues, usually at over 100k miles.

Cheers
DD

 

With the inline 6 and that low of miles I don't think the car has evern crossed the break in period. That will last you for years. My 95 has 135,000 and runs/drives and performs like it is still new.


Brian

 

NO Nikasil, no timing chain tensioners to worry about. The guys are talking about the 4 liter v8 from 98-03. The 95-97 is a very strong platform. Being a 97 with 43k and I just bought a 96 with with 47k. Service records are hugh. If not and you really want to keep the car, I would change all fluids besides the diff. You don't know how long they have been in the car. Check the belts, they are probably original. Check upper and the LOWER radiator hose. The lower is very exspensive to change! Have all the grease points lubed. Dive the car and check for leaks. Some don't start until you have a couple heat cycles, especailly the rear diff.

 

Thank you for everybody!
Mine is indeed 6 cylinder, so that is very good news!
Should I chance the power steering oils too?
What kind of procedure is the transmission service... at the dealership they told me it is sealed something and unserviceable???
What kind of engine oil you recommend for normal use? I'm not going to drive it in winter time.
And if I do few oil changes in a roll to clean up the engine, can I use cheaper mineral oil, and then go back to synthetic?
Have a great weekend.
Sami

 

my wife has a 2001 bmw 525I and it has an unservisable ZF or so they say...............NOT TRUE if its the same as a bmw. You have to drain the fluid and use a hand pump or pump of some kind to pump the fluid back in.


Brian

 

I believe in changing all fluids, it's up to you. The transmission is an 95-97 XJR is a GM trans. You can either do a simple fluid change by removing the drain plug or go one step further by removing the pan and changing the filter too. The newer cars have sealed transmissions. The standard XJ6 I think is a ZF unit and might be sealed for life. All that means is no dipstick. With the low miles I would only change the fluid. I run 10w30 synthetic and yes you can use mineral oil if you want to flush the engine a few times.

 

Full service, all fluids, check out all round, thats about it.

These cars will not go to the moon and back, its Mars instead !! Best engine Jaguar EVER built bar none. Suspension is pre the Ford updates, so easy to do suspension as all the parts are separate, no silly "complete arm with bushes, Sir" at £400, the front ball joints are really cheap and last a very long time. Rear suspension the same.

Wheel bearings the only possible problem as they are underspecified for the loads the car puts on them, and are almost the same as the 1950s design. Just don't corner too hard and they will last you !!

By the way, the dash clock never works for long; a wipe with a duster can fail them.

 

Thank you guys again.
Couple more issues / questions :
Kind of funny having the car for 1 week, the headliner at the back, behind the sunroof came loose and is sagging. Does not look very good!
Any good ideas to get it fixed?
Also key less remote entry works once in a while (seldom). I did chance the batteries on remote, but that did not make any difference.
Sami

 

The only *real* fix for the headliner is to have it redone entirely. Some have taken it out and re-glued it (or outright replaced it) themselves.

My RKE doesn't have the range that some others do, even with new batteries. Maybe 30 feet if I am approaching on the driver's side and 20 feet from any other angle. Does range seem to make a difference with yours? If so, it might just be nature of the beast. Others will chime in on that.

Sometimes the contacts inside the clicker become dirty, or need to be tweaked a bit to restore contact tension.


Cheers
DD