i have recently aquired a 99 xj8 sedan with the 4.0 290hp v8, i believe it has a blown head gasket, i spoke with the local jag dealership but they're not giving up too much info, they want me to brng the car in for a price haha. they tell me on top of the head gasket set i will also need new head bolts at $25 each. are new head bolts really needed? also is there anywhere that i can get the head gasket set without taking out a second morgage on my house? dealship wants 525 for the set, and i have found a set online for 410, is this normal or is there somewhere elso to look?
any help would be greatly appreciated,
thank you

 

There are a number of companies on line that supply parts at substantially less that the dealer parts counter. Nalley Jaguar is a sponsor of this forum and provides a discount and free shipping.

Then there is the dirty little secret that the Jaguar XJ/K AJ27 engine was used in the Ford Thunderbird and Lincoln LS. While I have not heard conformation of the specific use of head gaskets from the Ford/Lincoln many other parts are used. That opens up all the discount Ford on line sources. For instance, the valve cover gaskets are available from FelPro at your local auto parts store for less than $40 compared to over a hundred for Jaguar gaskets.

I am sure that someone will chime in with a specific comment on the use of the Ford head gaskets.

You will get a much higher response rate by posting on the XJ/R forum.

. . . and welcome to the forum!

 

wow, thank you very much