I have found a black 2001 XJ8 segan with cream/tan interior. It is a one owner, dealer serviced, 89,000 mile car. I can buy the car for 7500.00 I am in the mind set that a 89,000k mile car that has been dealer serviced and owned by the same owner since new must be a good car??? Can any of you help me, I dont know what to look for and be scared of. Generally speaking are these good cars? What is the story thats bad about the 01? This car is very very clean.

 

Grab it!

The only thing I would make a condition of sale is verification of or reduced price on the update of the cam timing chain tensioners. They can be done by an independent for $800 or $1200 at the dealer. $200 DIY. Full instructions on DIY procedure available here.

These are great cars. I am still looking for a XJR to compliment my XK8.

At the top of the XK8 forum there is a FAQ sticky with a check list of all the common issues. Don't let that scare you but be sure to check out all the things that don't work. Be advised that dealer, or even indy service is going to be more expensive than a Chevy. My suggestion is to go through the Owners Manual and exercise each and everything function that is described. On these cars a faulty climate control system can cost more than a transmission.

. . . and welcome to the forum!

 

Do you know when your car was assembled? Some of the very first ones in the 2001 model year run had the infamous "Nikasil Engine Problem." These Nikasil engines have suffered some catastrophic failures, so it would be good to have one from after switchover to more conservative cast-iron bores.

 

Hi and Welcome to the forum
Here is a PDF showing the history of maintenance and repairs for our 2001 XJ8 (has a put in service date of 8/30/2001):

2001 Jaguar XJ8 sp 5-4-11.pdf

This should give you a good idea of the typical issues and their costs. History starts at Nov 2003 and goes thru May 2011. The only exception to the typical issues was that I decided to have both the secondary and primary Chains, Tensioners and their components replaced (instead of just the secondary ones).

I am happy to report that no other issues during the last 3 months.

This other thread posted recently on the forum has 2 PDF files - XJ8 Driver Handbook, XJ8 Vehicle Care Handbook (look at post# 5):

Jaguar XJ8 INFO

Hope this helps

Jim Lombardi

 

This car was manufactured in 04-01. How do I know for sure if this car has the nikasil engine????

 

Hello
I found this information below about the Nikasil manufactuing cutoff date from a forum thread that Gus (forum member) posted that was linked to an article from Gus's website (this is a partial extract of the article):

Nikasil - Cut-off date/number

The first steel-lined AJ-V8 came off the production line In the year 2000 on August 18th at 10.43am hence the engine number will read: 00 08 18 1043 or more precisely: 0008181043

With this piece of information it is simple to discern between a Nikasil and a steel-lined engine as all the numbers refer to the date of manufacture and any engine built before August 18th 2000 WILL have Nikasil bores!

The only way to tell if you have a Nikasil lined engine is to check the engine number, as stated in my document (see above paragraph).

CHECK THE ENGINE NUMBER - IT IS THE ONLY SURE WAY OF KNOWING.
Engine number on V8 is under the black plastic cover, stamped on the top of the block to the right hand side of the front of the engine, near the lifting bracket

End of article Extract information from Gus Website.

My reply continues here:

I found Engine Number information below in the JTIS shop repair manual for the 2001 XJ8:

Engine number (10 digits) is stamped on a raised pad on the front of the engine block near the thermostat housing. The piston grade reference (8 digits) is also shown.

I also found this PDF file in another thread on the forum (has a diagram that shows the engine number location):

AJV8 4.0L Engine Data Location.pdf

I do not know why this pdf file mentions that the Engine serial number location was moved to the rear of the block, coincident with changing from Nikasil to steel lined.

From all the threads that I have viewed (and also JTIS) say it is stamped on the front of the engine block (on the right side) near the thermostat housing and the lifting bracket. It is always probably hard to read without cleaning it (also might need to shine a bright light on it).


Jim Lombardi

 

If your car was built in April 2001, it was certainly beyond the engine switchover, which happened in late summer 2000. Only a few of the 2001 models had Nikasil engines.

 

Hi
I still think it would be a good idea to check the Engine number to be certain.

Jim Lombardi

 

IMO, the nikasil issue is now moot - if the nikasil linining wasn't damaged by high sulpher fuel before it was legislated away, years ago, it is likely preferable to the newer steel sleeved engines. As long as current compression is good and even across cylinders, I'd RATHER have a nikasil engine.

 

I really appreciate all this information and I'm checking on all these issues as we speak!!!