Hello,
I was concerned about the chain tensioners on a 2001 Vanden Plas that I am negotiating on. I had a mechanic do some research (called local Jag service dept and repair shops) found out what to look for and then he opened her up and took a look at the condition of the Tensioners.

The feedback was that they will not replace the tensioners as they are in great shape. He says the valves, chains and tensioners look great with virtually no visible wear. Car has 73000km on it. Also all of the people reported that there is audible noise when the tensioners start going and that would be your clue to get it taken care of.

They are also throwing in a one year used car warranty with Lubrico for some peace of mind. (i would just need to do oil changes every 5km and report that to lubrico).

What do you guys think about the Tensioner feedback. Can I lay my fears to rest on that?

 

So, if I understand what you've said - the mechanic that did the tensioner inspection on your car was in "learning mode" about the secondary tensioner issues on AJ26/27s??...Hmmm.

 

I would let the tensioners prevent you from buying the car esp. if they appear OK. The issue would be if they were the original (red) plastic bodies tensioners or the replacement metal ones.
If you can find out from the mechanic whether they were the original, then replace them after the purchase. The originals do not wear well. If they are metal bodies you have no worries there.

 

Hey,
They are the original tensioners but they will not replace them because they appear to have no wear and seem sturdy after the inspection of them. This is a inspection certified independent mechanic who has consulted with the local jag service departments to understand what to look for. Summary from him was: Tensioners look fine, unworn and sturdy. Chains look good as well. Indication warning would occur through an engine pinging noise before the tensioners would need to be replace.

I am fine with replacing them down the road should they become a problem or I have some more cash to throw at the car.

I just want to make sure I am not making the most stupid mistake of my life by driving off the lot with the original tensioners. Some risk is okay...but I don't want to be stupid about it. lol...

Thanks for any input...as I am on the fence about this car because of the tensioners.

 

Mine had over 90,000 miles on it before they failed. First trouble I had with the car after 8 years of driving it, so I was totally unaware of the tensioner issue. The chains did not make any noise of notice until I put the new tensioners on, but I think that is unusual. Apparently the original tensioners have a longer stroke, so kept it pretty quiet. The composite slippers broke away and went metal on metal, it skipped a tooth and that was my indicator. (Damn lucky to have skipped only one tooth!) Intermittently, it made plenty of noise with the new secondary tensioners. Sometimes it was silent. It turned out that I had a stretched secondary chain so a complete replacement was done after the secondary tensioners. I would change yours before you repeat my experience. If you are mechanically inclined, the secondary tensioners are pretty straight forward. The original primary tensioners are less likely to fail, however some dealers will only do the complete job to avoid any call back issues. Other than the plastic tensioner situation, the cars are pretty good in my opinion.

 

As long as you understand that tensioner failure was a chronic failure problem until replaced by the metal ones. And that you may or may not get a rattle warning. And that the engine is an interference design, meaning the the valves and pistons have the capability of occupying the same space at the same time.

At 46k miles both of my plastic ones had splits up the sides that could not be seen from any angle until removed.

Cost of the replacement is $200 DIY and that is not difficult, $800 at an independent shop, $1000 - 1200 at a Jaguar dealer.

New engines are about $13,000 at the dealer.

I would make this a negotiating issue but not one that stops the deal if everything else is good.

 

Thanks all for the solid advice. I am moving forward with the sale with plans on getting new tensioners within the next 6 months. Lady luck...please be on my side! ;-) I am going to try and find a way to fang-dangle this into the extended warranty they are giving me - if possible. lol...

 

Yes, absolutely replace them (if they are the reddish plastic version). Even if they look perfect now, the plastic will degrade and at some point they will fail. Determining whether, in your case, that is at 60,000 or at 160,000 will require either a long wait or a palm reader; but statistics imply sooner rather than later. The cost/benefit analysis shows that replacing will ALWAYS cost much less, on average, than letting them fail.

 

First line should read, I would NOT let the tensioners....

But I think people got the drift. The tensioners are the major blot in Jaguar's copybook. Get them sorted and perhaps the waterpump and you have a very reliable, high performance motor; mine is at 135k mi. A great design.

 

Having prudently checked the tensioners at least you now know they are not about to fail as you drive out of the showroom, and wreck your engine, so you can buy with confidence, but knowing you need to set aside some money to have them done soon. It's a bit like I was when buying a 2001 Rover 75 on 43k in 2007. The cam-belts have to be changed at 90k or 6 years, so I just knew I would have to shell out a fairly large sum in a few months (about £500 actually).