In December 2019, I changed the cam cover gasket, the spark plug well O rings, and the isolater washers for the cam cover bolts.
I finished 12/31/19. 124,640 miles. Many of you were a big help to me in that project.
Lately I have had a rough idle in the X300. I decided to swap out a coil pack and see if I could figure out which one was missing.
From the firewall:
Plug well #1 had oil in it (not too much)
Plug #2 was dry (hooray!)
Plug #3 was dry (ditto)
Plug #4 had a lot of oil (boo!)
Plug #5 had a lot of oil (ditto)
Plug #6 was dry (Hooray!)

The car now has about 133,325 miles. I don't drive it very much.
Less than $100 worth of parts and now I have the same problem.
Is this just something I have to deal with?
I've considered just selling it for whatever and getting a used Avalon. Less problems.
What is your experience?
I appreciate the experts that are willing to help me.

 

There's a good chance that the spark plug holes in the cam cover have some corrosion. When I did mine about 20,000 miles ago I noticed there paint was lifting right where the seals go.
I sanded mine down and put some high temp paint on them before installing with the seals. Been dry in there since (2 years)
If you were to go back and do it again, I would suggest replacing the spark plug tube seals again as they may be pitted from the corrosion.
I hope this helps

 

Magnesium has a habit of corrosion and you are not alone.

 

My xjs 4.0 spark wells were corroded too, i sanded it all down and used the black sealer which is very important to seal the imperfections. You may want to look for a good used cover now and then for a good deal.
I used permatex black



cleaned with dremel and tiny wire brush attachment.
permatexed after



I need to seal permatex a crack in my ignition coils now that i recall lol
When you permatex the imperfect to say the least spark seal housing make sure you leave something heavy on top of them i used glass water cups to weigh them down each.

 

The photos didn't show up

 

I've decided to just do the job. I'm going to try to find a cam cover that is in better shape than mine. Any ideas where to look?

 

Did you use an aftermarket gasket or OEM?

 

I ordered it from Welsh.

 

How much was it. After spending a few minutes on their website, they seem to be priced as aftermarket and don't work quite as well, because they don't fit quite as well. They tend to be too long. The OEM gaskets fit snug.

Might be worth going to the dealer and paying for the OEM gasket. It's still available. The spark plug gaskets tend to last just fine, but maybe you just go all OEM?

 

The cam cover gasket was $20.85. Spark plug well seals are $3.25 each.

I just called the Jaguar dealer. Cam cover gasket is $91.00!! Plug seals are $9.50 each!

 

I know, but the gasket will actually fit. The aftermarkets are too long.

I think the aftermarket URO plug seals are fine. I don't know who makes the aftermarket gasket, but its not the right size.

What did you use for the 13 bolt seals? I think the aftermarket ones may be too soft there too.

 

For $60 extra it’s a one time job, for the $20 it’s a lot more often and every time you will be pis*** off!

 

I just called the Jaguar dealer in OKC to order the cam cover gasket. We visited for a while and he said that he would give me the cam cover gasket and the 6 spark plug well gaskets for $115.00 total!!
What a bargain! I will return the parts to Welsh when they arrive tomorrow.
Now I just need to see what my cover condition looks like. It's not bad. I'll try to smooth it out a bit.

 

Excellent result!

 

I recently did a really big repair on my cam cover.
guess we will see how long it lasts.
here is a link to my thread so you can maybe have an idea of what could be involved depending on the condition of yours.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-252889/page2/

 

How's your camcover holding up?

Did you POR15 the inside of the cover too?

 

i did do the inside also.
it is holding up really well so far. No leaking or signs of any damage so far.
It did start to discolour the silver was turning a yellowy tinge, i assume due to heat.
so i gave it a coat of hi-temp alluminium engine enamel.

 

oops probably google. uploaded manually.
This is the kit
Do the prep and permatex right the first time no need for OEM silicone is silicone.