Recently picked up a great deal on a super clean 98 xj8 with less than 70k miles, and cant tell the level of engine maintenance from the previous owner, so im diving into the usual. chain tensioners (and blades, why not) and water pump replacement, plus new shocks all around. ive always done my own work so im not really worried about these issues, unless there are unusual problems unique to these machines (there always are, arent they?)
i guess my question would be are there better replacement parts than others for the engine parts? i know to stick with the bilstein shocks, but what about the tensioners or water pump? if im doing the tensioners, i might as well knock out anything else in there while it opened up, like the timing chain guides.
any other known issues i might have missed? ive been looking around for a few days, and these seem to be the main impediments to a long life.

thanks for looking!

 

Very low mileage if the shocks in good condition don't change them
as for tensioners you won't believe ebay tensioner is good as the OEM so get the most expensive one

 

The ride is a bit bouncy, the main reason I want to replace the shocks. Still smooth but rebounds a bit more than seems right over road bumps. (I drove a jeep for forever, my taste probably needs to be refined to jag standards!)

Thanks for your input!

 

I found the AC Delco water pump to be best; a friend found his best price and OEM quality tensioners at his local Lincoln dealer. After replacing shocks on two XJ8s, with Bilstein greens, I find they ride rougher than the black standard Bilsteins.

And you might just need upper shock mounts instead of new shocks.

 

The first rule normally is: Don't fix it, if it is not broken.

Apart from that my DIY Guide to swap the timing chain (and tensioners and guides) might help - I was wondering as to why you did not mention the actual timing chains, just the tensioners and the guides.... Note that my guide here is for the X308 1998 WITHOUT VVT - I got away without that special tool to hold the cam-sprocket, I'd say with VVT you definitely need that tool:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...e-swap-266724/

And at 70k miles it's a good idea to change the ATF:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-flush-265900/

 

Thanks for the info on the parts! After looking over the shock mounts, they are in surprisingly decent shape, compared to pics I've seen online. So those will go on the back burner for a while. I didn't know there were different Bilsteins, so thanks for that info as well, will come in handy later.

 

I'm definitely changing the chains out as well, because if you're already there, why not? I was just told so much about the plastic tensioners being the death of an engine if they break up. There are several complete kits with tensioners and chains and guides, and that's what I was originally looking at.
As I get more into the workings of the engine I guess I'll find out if it has VVT or not, not sure where I'll find that yet. I've seen the chats about possibly needing the special sprocket lock tool, so I will be on the lookout if I need that
Thanks for those links, and heads up about the atf, as well, I do love information on the upcoming work!

 

A 98’ VP will have VVT that will be located on the top of the timing cover **not on the valve cover** like the later AJ27 engines. There is a specific O ring where they go through the timing cover that you’ll want to get. The only other examples where an AJ26 doesn’t have VVT is a 3.2 (no US cars had them) and the supercharged 4.0.