The Jag I bought from an individual is definitely in need of some basic TLC...and the former owner cannot tell me when the last oil change occurred. The oil does not look bad, but it is a tad low.

The question I have is in regard to oil types. I see different arguments regarding synthetics, but none specifically deal with this engine.

Any thoughts out there from old timers?Professionals?

 

Old? qualified.

Professional? questionable.

The oil change threads are legend. Take a Jaguar into a dealer and you will get straight dino oil for the 10k mile service.

Some use semi synthetic, some use full synthetic. Use what feels good! . . . but change it occasionally.

 

G'day Crazy,
A simple question deserves a simpla answer ;o)

Your car being a '98 model 4.0 litr should be using a good quality semi synth. 5W40....or 10W40.... in hotter weather....this is factory specs....don't p**s about with anything else, epsecially on the 4.0 litre with VVT (Variable Valve Timing), they will suffer oil starvation on cold weather start ups.

When starting these engines from cold DON'T touch the throttle....just start it on the key and let it do it's own thing during warm up which should take all of 20 seconds or so.

It will start with an initial high idle while the 'upstream' heated 02 sensors do their thing and then you will hear the idle drop back in warm up mode and this is where a lot of owners stuff up by not allowing this innitial warm up period to complete it's cycle......DON'T race the engine!!

Oil change periods depend on style of useage.
A lot of short stop start work, change oil evry 5,000 miles....if it's a lot of open road work you can make it 10,000 mile sbut definately no further.
You can change the filter every second oil change on the short ones.

Far too many cars in this class are neglected to the detriment of the following owner who, either dotes on his steed or drives it into the ground.....why do some people bother owning a car like this!

A few simple rules makes all the difference in pleasant ownership of a fine car.

Seeing as you have just taken over, I would be going through a check list:
Oil and flter
Air filter,
Fuel filter
Plugs

Reverse flush and change coolant and thermostat.
Many owners ignore the thermosat until it goes t**s up....remember that the thermostat is a service item and should be changed every three years along with the coolant.
Correct coolant is the green/blue type....use concentrate and mix 50% with ionised or de-minerlised water.
DO NOT mix coolant types!!

Flush and replace brake fluid....using high quality Super DOT4 fluid....nothing else!
Correct bleed sequence for XJ8's is as follows;
Front left, front right, rear left, rear right.
Pressure bleeding is preferable.

Check condition of drive belt and it's tensioners.

Have the A/C evaccuated and re-gassed with R134A.....670 gramms with230 gramms of PAG compressor oil.
Also replace the receiver/dryer unit (they aren't expensive)

Check and replace both the seals for MAF to air trunking and air trunking to throttle body....these shrink with age and can cause rogue air leaks.

Check the condition of the 'Full Load' breather on the right hand (from the drivers seat) cam cover and joins into air trunking....these inevitably crack with heat and age.

The 'Part Load' breather is situated on the left cam cover and should have it's dissconnect tool attached to it.
Remove this and clean the part load breather orrifice with a 2.5mm drill in a holder CAREFULLY!!
Do not make it any larger or you will have problems with retaining a smooth idle transition.
This needs doing every 40,000 miles normally but earlier if car gets trundled around and clags up quicker.

I advocate the use of a high strength injection cleaner in the tank to keep the injector up to scratch because here is another area that is sadly neglected over time.

These few simple tips will be enough to be going on with and your new toy will appreciate it 'o)

Here is a link to my photo site where you will find a few useful tips.

JEREMY J. IN THE WORKSHOP Photo Gallery by Max Heazlewood at pbase.com

Cheers,
Jagman98

 

There is no such thing as "Super DOT4". That is a marketing phrase. DOT4 is a US government standard with numbers that must be met using a rigorously defined test regimen. Nowhere will you find a definition of what "Super" entails.

And synthetic engine oil is *not* specified as a requirement for the X308 in the US market.

The actual specification is API SJ of a suitable weight for prevailing temperatures.

There is fact and opinion. Both have their place, but the two should not be confused.

 

Oi!! sunshine....that may be the case in your market....I was referring to Castrol Supoer DOT4 performanxce brake fluid which is the OEM spec fluid!!!!

Where in my statement did I metion the word 'synthetic'????
This must be why the US market held on to sealed beam headlights for so long while the rest of the world moved on to Halogen lighting and beyond!!!!

Get it right sunshine!!!
Is it any wonder your market has crap oil and crap fuel.....and you think you can control the world.....not in this case!!!

 

Well, that went over the edge quite quickly. I'm not quite sure what we're supposed to do now. Is it suggesting that someone tickle an otter, or is it offer up a bunny with a pancake on it's head?

For CrazyIvan- you've already seen the variety of opinions and how strongly they can be expressed. My 2 cents is to read through the owners manual, choose the correct oil viscosity for your climate and choose whatever brand and type makes YOU happy. There's no real data that proves that one is better than the other- the cars live long and happy lives despite what doomsayers might predict.

 

Ive just bought a similar Jag too a month ago. According to the
previous owner and a man who works at Jag Supply in Lancing, Ill, the
factory brand and type of oil was Castrol gtx. The previous owner strongly
suggested 10W/30 in the 80,000 mile vehicle which I strongly didn't
understand. 10 weight oil at 100F is much much thicker than 5w, in fact
at any temp, so at startup I never understood why a higher viscocity
was needed when I could've used a thin oil that be easier to strain
through the engine. For the 30 weight side of the story, use 30W because
it delivers the proper oil pressure at operating temperature. 40W in
Europe may be recommended for in protection of the engine. But in the USA, fuel economy is everything, and thinner weights are inforced. As far as synthetics go, if your car has over 30,000 miles and has previously used conventional, I recommend convention to avoid the risk of seals failing or worse, a lump of sludge from the sump being cleaned out and sent into a small oil passage. If it has used a synthetic, I HEAVILLY recomend the use of it. Personally I prefer Castrol's synthetic. But I use a conventional in my Jag and Ive always used Castrol in my other cars. I would like to investigate more into the 40W oil if that will bring longer engine life or not. If so I will use 10W/40 since 5W/40 isnt availiable. For now Castrol GTX 5W/30 thrives my engine.

 

Ok lets keep it civil here.

Ivan you will read that the oil of choice on a forum creates a world of "he said she said", we here at jaguarforums do not condone this type of behavior!

Read your manual as Mikey stated and go from there. If you are not satisfied by what your manual suggests, then please do a search here to put your mind at ease.

 

Pretty cool how strongly folks feel about their own choices, isn't it?
I've read the manual, and then talked to both previous owners. As the car has been lubricated now for the last 60K miles with synthetic, I believe I will continue that process. Nice to have the records on paper with the car, or many of them, from the previous owners. I think this is the first time I've ever seen this much documentation. I happened across it when cleaning out the car after asking these questions...
Overall, I'm an oil-change junkie. My other car isn't a car, but a Suburban with the 454cu engine and I'm just turning over 100k of my own miles on it after 5 1/2 years. Having hauled an 8000 pound trailer with it for almost half of those miles, I seriously understand the idea of keeping good lubrication in the engine.

I appreciate the information overall. Thanks.

Next up with the car will be front shocks/struts...those bushings are shot on the top of the inside of the fenders/strut supports. Squeaks all the time!

 

That's a very nice thing to find, not many owners keep much in the way of records. I keep saying I'm going to do that one day, but I also say that I'm going to get around to procrastinating about stuff too. Some day.

 

Motorcraft 10w30, FTW!!!!

 

Rotella T6 5W/40 for me.

 

Rotella t6 5W/40? isnt that a diesal formula? If it isn't, that sounds like an interesting mark to buy into. Only if its convention and a synthetic blend though.

 

10K mile service on conventional? It seems like Jaguar is a little risky. 5K miles is fine but double that.... mmmmh

 

Rotella is an excellent choice for flat-tappet engines of either spark ignition or diesel type, it is approved for both. The latest API standards require greatly reduced levels of ZDDP (zinc) which puts cam lobes and tappets at increased potential for wear. I use Rotella exclusively in all my old toys, two wheeled and four and especially my old Corvette. Here's an interesting article written by Duke Williams, it starts on page 3

http://stlouisncrs.org/news_files/St..._July_2011.pdf

I won't comment further on synthetics but the engines have proven themselves to live long and happy lives without them. The same comment goes for the factory recommended oil change interval.