I picked up a 2001 XJ8 about ths time last year. Did plenty of research beforehand and felt very good about the car. Very clean, 125k, no leaks, and clean record - a few minor bugs, but based on what I could find in here nothing abnormal and nothing mechanical. The day after I got the car home the ABS module crapped out (sent it out for repairs). Wife took it on a road trip after Christmas and returned with telltale signs of timing tensioner failure (I replaced all the timing components with upgraded parts). Apparently lost a radiator fan during the trip as well, just didn't catch it until after the timing was redone (replaced the fan). Replaced waterpump and thermostat with timing, and upgraded thermostat housing when cross over disentigrated a month after timing job. I've got a seal on the octupus hose that seems to be going (last I checked the hose was still on B/O everywhere (only have to add about a cup or so of coolant a week to keep my wife from going biserk when the low coolant light comes on). Yesterday I meet the wife in the drive as she returned from the store and watch as she tries unsuccessfully to open the drivers door (looking at JTIS- and based on what she described, the plastic lock on the end of the interior rod has either broken or is weak enough to have popped off the mechanism). The car is super clean and the wife loves it but it's driving me nuts with one little thing after another. I've got a 20 year old Miata that doesn't have the bugs the Jag has. Wondering if I need to start thinking about cutting my losses and move on?

 

Like your signature states: They're no fun if they're not a project!...

In all seriousness, it sucks that you have all these problems at once.

I too bought an 01 XJ8 L in April of 2010 and have had a few suspension problems. I also only have 64k on the odometer.

Have the tensioners ever bee replaced before?

Was the history of the vehicle well documented?

Did you get a PPI done?

Best,

Abe

 

Welcome to owning a 10 year old Jag - cut your losses just as all the good bits are in and done? I'd like to be the next owner. Seriously. To have all that work at a main agents carried out would have your bank account needing CPR.

I'd say your on top of it now, and a gearbox service thrown in as preventative work should see the car sail up to 200k without any issues apart from little things.

The XJ8 has a lot more complicated systems and features than a miata, I bet driving the miata isn't as much fun or kudos the Jag has. Ask your wife what she prefers to drive, even with a few glitches. I'm impressed she keeps an eye on the gauges, mine doesn't.

 

at this point you've already done some of the toughest stuff. These cars are way more complex than miata. I would never give up my XJR, but that's just me.

good luck

 

[quote=McLovinXJ8L;427770]Like your signature states: They're no fun if they're not a project!...

Yeah, I know - The Jag is just getting a bit frustrating. My wife drives the car, mostly local - work and kid, and is beginning to loose both patience and trust in the vehicle. Having to sit in the University parking lot and reach out the window to open the door is just a bit too HOOPTIE for her.

Yes there was a PPI - Like I said, the car was sound and continues to be sound. It's just little minor Nickle and Dime stuff.

The tensioners that failed were all original - I posted detailed shots of the whole process back earlier in the spring. I replaced all components with upgraded parts.

 

Definitely more complex yes, but that's not a problem. My comment regarding the Miata was more to the degree that it's 20 years old, and in most lines not considered as well made as Jaguar (Ford related or not).

I don't really think I'll be getting rid of the Jag any time soon, I'm just frustrated. Having the crossover pipe removed for the timing job gave it time to dryout, which apparently resulted in some kind of decay. It was thoroughly inspected before going back in and was solid, but within two weeks it had literally turned to mush. This resulted in it blowing the top radiator hose completely off while my wife was in a drive up line getting coffee one morning. Since then, I get a phone call everytime it has the slightest hiccup and my wife seems to be quickly losing trust in the car. The look on her face when she tried to open the door and it didn't work was Priceless, but just added to the frustrations right now.

 

Maybe too late now, but greasing the door locks and mechanism really made a difference with mine. Also, make sure your fan fuses are okay. Mine blew after a fender-bender messed up my fans and after the front hoses blew off a few times in traffic and I replaced all the plastic parts I could, THEN, I figured out both fuses were blown. I couldn't find a metal crossover (output) pipe on the front of the engine, but I did replace mine as one end had become slightly flattened. But yeah, it sounds like a buyer would be lucky to get your Jag now. I would also suggest a tranny service to finish it off. But, most important, why would you let your wife drive your Jag ?

 

It's her car to drive, and mine to fix. I drive the trailblazer for work and the Miata for fun.

I'll definitely grease things up when I get the door panel off but I've driven it enough to know that there were no issues with the mechanism before. Wife said that it felt odd when she first tried it and then it just freewheeled so most likely it's just one of those things that happen.

 

Took some time today to do some general maintenance and look things over. I checked the coolant and topped off the top tank with about a cup or so. Got kind of frustrated and crawled underneath to check the octopus hose and it was clean. Before I ran off to find a pressure kit, I checked the front end and spotted a clearly orange bit of fluid on the lower lip just below the lower lip of the timing cover. A little more searching and I found a dry coolant stain that began on the coolant cover just below the water pump pulley. Pulled the pulley and put a socket on the WP bolts and took her for a spin and got her warmed up. Checked again and the original fluid spot was dry, and no indication of any new fluid (keeping my fingers crossed it was just a bit of settling in on the new gasket and I've got the coolant issue addressed). Next I started on the door pull. As soon as I pulled the door pull cup I was pleasantly pleased to see the end of the cable with the cap still attached hanging right next to the pull. A quick check with a pair of needle nose and I confirmed it wasn't broken. No clue how or why it popped loose (took me 20 minutes with a pair of needle nose and a small flat screwdriver to work it back into place on the handle. Tested it about a dozen times with no issues (works smooth as silk and didn't even have to pull the door panel). I guess I'll keep her around for a while and I'm going to hold onto the car too.

 

You might have a water pump that weeps intermittently like mine. Drove me nuts until i figured it out. After pressure testing for days on end I finally spotted a drip after a long drive of 7 hours. I have to add about a cup full of fluid every few months because I don't feel like replacing the pump and fighting (not able to prove a failure) with the parts counter over the warranty.