Hi all,

Getting ready to open up my 2001 xjr. A few dumb questions.

Just received the secondary tensioner kit from Christopher's and hopefully the tools will be here this weekend.

I have read thru the 68 page write up which covers the primary and secondaries. In that case there was a bunch of stuff done which I am not sure is applicable o just the secondaries.
- Do I really need to remove the hood, jack up the car, take out most of the cooling system? I am guessing not.
- Any unique nuances to the xjr that I should be aware of?
- Should I even bother replacing the chains that came with the kit (my Jag has just 45k miles).
- is water pump usually done with the secondaries or is that a job usually tackled along with the primaries?

I found thread, which starts once the cam covers are off, to be very informative. I am Just wondering what the required steps leading up to that point are.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...nsioners-4747/

Thanks. I'll make sure to take pictures and share my own experience back with the forum.

Mike

 

Good luck!

Not a really overpowering job but it gives you a special badge: 'I replaced my own tensioners'!

Holler if you have questions

 

No, you don't need to remove the hood, etc and you don't need to remove any parts of the cooling system, just move them to the side. The small, black plastic coolant hoses are very fragile and can be easily broken, handle with care.

Did you see the trick about getting the oil dipstick out of the way by cutting the stud?

Go slow and take your time.

Rotate the engine clockwise with a 24 mm socket on the main crank to get the pressure off the valves, do one side and then repeat for the other. (If you are doing the "zip tie" method where you remove the exhaust cam.)

Re-read all the threads about the procedures and take notes before you start.

Make a drawing of the locations of the bolts and studs in the cam covers, then make another for when you have the cover upside down on the bench to install the gasket, you may need another pair of hands to install the small o rings in the center of the cover - the bolts and studs are installed with the gasket and hold the gasket in place on the cover.

I think your chains are OK, unless you want to replace them with the newer, better chains that came in the 4.2.

I would do the water pump while you are in there, if it has not been done already.
Vector

 

Hi Mike
Look at this thread on removing & install the valve cam covers:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...xtracts-66696/

Another forum thread that lists the other important timing chain tensioners forum posts:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ch-info-58793/

Jim Lombardi

 

Have the right side covers off, almost done the left.

There is a coolant type quick connect fitting on the valve cover. How do I remove these? Is a special tool needed?

Thanks,

Mike

 

Unfortunately, the tools did not arrive from Christophers for the weekend. I gusee this gives me more time to read, which I have been doing. I am tempted to try the zip tie method, but sounds like the tools are safer and more accurate, albeit more difficult.

If using the tools, it looks like I need to use the crankshaft positioning setting peg. As I did not put car up on ramps, how much of a pain will this be. Shoud a floor jack give me sufficient height?

 

Good luck, the jobs not too bad of a job. Here is my post when I had the pleasure to do it.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...n-52434/page2/

 

The flex plate alignment tool is inserted at the center bottom of the bell housing. As long as you can jack the car enough to get a hand there you should be good. Having the front end raised will help in having to bend over to work on the tensioners. Please use jack stands!

 

Hi hafavell
I used the weblink in the tensioners, my turn thread and it shows the price for the camshaft lockdown tool is $125. Your posting says "The lock down tool is part number 303-530 $25 at this site".

Please correct your post.

Jim Lombardi

 

As noted, not having the tools in hand has proven to be a benefit in that it has forced me to take my time and read everything. Had I thought ahead, I would have put the car on my lift but did not feel like moving cars around. I always use jack stands!!

Have the valve covers off and just removed the plugs. Will I need to remove supercharger belt in order to turn the crank?

Thanks again.

 

No.
Vector

 

Amphicar770:
All above is correct for secondary's. Just finished mine up today! Only took 10 months to come up to the top of the to do list, oiled up cylinders good, so she fired right up & killed all the mosquitoes, following priming of the lube system with fuel relay out. Purrs like a kitten. You'll have more time tied up in cleaning covers, gasket surfaces etc., than actually wrenching on the chains and tensioners. Unless you're anorexic (sp?), without car being up on ramps it will be a tight fit to place crank locking tool in flywheel/flexplate. At 235, I needed all the room I could get. As a side note, mine had a torx bolt instead of a 10mm bolt holding position sensor in, used a combo wrench on torx bit to remove, no room for ratchet due to steering ram. Ramps also helped with not having to lean over so far to work on engine. blackonyx write up was excellent! Dipstick tab was a pain in the rear, cut the slot with a dremel. Torqueing the cam gear bolt was not possible with torque wrench, no room, this is where the tensioning tool comes in handy to apply opposite force, used elbow calibrated wrench, tight and then some.
Good luck, take your time, wish I had done mine sooner.

 

Victory! The job is complete and xjr is purring like a kitty.

My original tensioners looked just fine, no cracks or abnormal wear. Still, I am glad I can now drive without worry.

With the info and the people on this forum, it really was rather easy. As others have noted, if you can change your spark plugs, you can do the tensioners. It took me about 4-5 hours and most of that was removing and replacing the valve covers.

I'll write more later but a few quick observations.

1. I do not know why anyone would NOT use the tools. They really make the job fast and easy and you do not need to worry about breaking a camshaft which would be catastrophic. I did not put car on ramps first so jacked it onto the ramps to get to the flywheel lock. Had it been on ramps or my lift, it would have been a piece of cake.

2. I did use dremel tool to move dipstick out of the way.

3. Flywheel cover is a Torx 30 bolt. I used a screwdriver type bit and put a gearwrench over that. Made access easy.

4. Don't lean on the Norma connector by radiator or you will have to go to Jag dealer to get replacement connector and hose assembly.

5. The old tensioners have the same side up. New tensioner, right side goes on what appears to be upside down. They only fit one way so you can't do this wrong.

6. I did not drain coolant other than what was lost when I broke aforementioned connector. No need to drain it if doing secondaries.

Thanks again.

Mike