I havent posted much hear since joining but I do pop in and check every so often, just been really busy or I would post more. Here are my 2 questions about a couple cars for sale locally im interested in. The 99 more so because its prettier than my current 99 I am driving, the second because I want a XJR at some point.

First is a 99 XJ8, runs fine, doesnt overheat but upon stopping all the antifreeze backs up through the overflow tank. Got 137K on the car, what would be the worse cause of this ? Female owned and thats all she will tell me.

Second question, 2000 XJR, 118K, broken tensioners.... so the motor doesnt run, I am looking to buy this car as its perfect otherwise and I would replace my 99 with it since its an XJR. I do alot of my own mechanical work so can I fix this myself, MAYBE, or when they break does it ruin the engine, especially a supercharged one as this is.

Thanks again guys....... hope everyone is well and enjoying there kittys.

 

The coolant problem could be as simple as crossed tank hoses. Look for recent archives, with pictures concerning "crossed lines".
As to the broken tensioners- You are looking at a range of just the tensioners (HIGHLY unlikly), to pulling the head to replace bent valves to pulling the engine to fix knackered piston. Or buy a used motor and drop it in.
Good luck, Once you have the XJR, the Xj8 be quite the same.

 

You *may* want to see if the owner will let you pull off the valve covers so you can see if the cams stopped in a perfect spot... The best option would be to remove the exhaust cam(s) on the side(s) that have the broken chain(s), put a little oil in the cylinders and see if you have compression.

Compression=WOOHOOOOO you got a steal!

No Compression= AWW RATS! Head must come off...which requires pulley, timing cover etc etc removal.. "while your at it" do the rails and lower tensioners...

You will LOVE the XJR. I specifically looked for (and found)one with a broken timing chain. Towed it home, replaced the tensioners (which I had bought months prior in advance in anticipation of my future purchase) (and one chain) then voila- runs like a champ. I should note that while looking for the right car I purchased an XJR that "might have overheated" and when I went under to find out why it wouldn't turn over when I got it home it turned out to have a nice hole in the pan and much loose connecting rod parts. Caveat Emptor.

 

Hi John, the one thing that stands out in your post is you do your own work, first off that's a solid basis.

Prices you guys pay for a good (steel liner) engine can be 2-3k - there's an engine and trans on here for sale by a member that's done something like 12k miles for 3k! My suggestion, buy the R, buy the engine and box and drop it in!

Your bargaining power on a car that has a blown engine is strong, not many people have the gumption to tackle it, but your lucky as a few members are doing the engine swaps on here at the moment, with pictures and tips.

Go in low and hard, you never know, you might just have R power shortly!
Good luck.

 

Thanks guys, funny thing is the guy bought the car broken and then found out, as he says, it will cost 3600 to replace the engine but thats with a standard AJ26.... not a 26A or 27 which I believe is a true supercharged engine.

He already gave me his "lowest" price but even given the great condition the car is , the miles on it combined with his price and repair cost would put me right at retail for the car. I dont pay retail for anything and especially not a Jaguar in Arizona, there are too many available and to many that need "something" so they can be bought right.

Thanks for the info and I will let ya know what happens.d