I bought a 2003 xjr r1 in December of last year. I paid $850 for the car. My original plan was to put the bbs and brembos on my 2002 xj sport and sell the xjr. Well, the xjr was/is too clean for me to be ok with doing that. I sold my xj sport last week. The xjr is very clean cosmetically. It's a 2 owner car with 170k miles. I have considered trying out other cars. Like a 500 Abarth, NA CL55 AMG, CLK55 AMG and a Civic SI. Those are cool cars, but I just keep coming back to the x308 xjr.

My 03 xjr makes no compression on the furthest back cylinder, passenger side(US). So, should I buy the car a used good running engine? Or buy a running and driving 02/03 xjr instead? Also, I've read of some people saying, "swap a 4.2 from an x350". What would be the benefits of that?
If I do end up fixing my R1, i'd buy it a smaller upper pulley and replace the cooling system and knock sensors. Before installing the engine.

As far as the labor, i'd be doing some of it. Thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.
Brandon

 

I would pull the head, see why there is no compression.

 

+1 ...I'm with RJ, this sounds like a bad valve is all and a somewhat cheap repair compared to an engine swap.
In that case, you could do all the removal/install labor and have a shop redo the valves...minimizing costs. I'd do both sides if that's the issue for balance.
I also recall member XJR-99, I believe using the 4.2L head gaskets which I think he said was .050 thinner and would give you a tad more compression.

 

Full +1 here too, it only takes some hours to get to that valve, might save you some bucks, and surely will give you more confidence in the next step.
It's a SC, no need for higher compression in the engine ...

 

I have driven a x350 VDP Supercharged, and I still remember it too be a beast, feeling way, way more powerful than a x308 SC, or my 4.2 NA Coupe.
Not sure if a 4.2 SC swaps as easy as the 4.2 NA into our cars.

 

You disappointment me Eric, ...I feel the need....the need for speed!!!....lol brother.

 

Thanks for the info guys! If I do pull the heads, I'll end up keeping the car. And yes, I will drive it spirited. Pics of the car that I believe I haven't posted.

Quick question though, if I do an LS swap, I won't have traction control or ABS? Nor will it be easy/reasonable to hook up and communicate with the MB trans?

 

Wow, now I can see why you didn't want to give up on her. Black on black is sexy and you've given her a nice cosmetic gloss shine...good work. The interior looks very good to great also, ...though I was with ya until ya said LS swap.

 

Well, the LS swap is just a thought. Of course I prefer to keep it AJ. Thanks for the compliment!

 

Seeing those pics, that car needs to be saved!

A definite yes on taking that head off and finding out why the lack of compression on that back cylinder.

 

FWIW, when I got my 2000 XJ8 it had no compression on 2 cylinders on the passenger side. Once I got it more apart I found a broken secondary chain. Original plastic tensioner bodies at 101k miles, which immediately explained why the car had been parked for 6-1/2 years. I got lucky -- the cam settled in its happy place leaving valves open but not far enough to make contact. Replaced the tensioners etc, cleaned everything up, did a bunch of "while I'm in there" stuff and my wife has been driving it every day since (back on road Oct 2018 ) to the tune of 13,000 totally trouble-free miles so far.
Hope you have similar luck!
-Steve-

 

Another reason not to use metal (MLS) gaskets is the fact that they require perfectly straight surfaces of the block deck and the heads and rather smooth surface finish, almost like glass. The heads are easy to send for refacing to whatever finish is required but if you don't also have the block decks refaced, use composite gaskets (better genuine Jaguar as they have gone through stricter quality control) which can accommodate small irregularities in the block deck surfaces. If the block decks are not resurfaced, MLS gaskets will leak from the start.

 

It is my understanding that the 2001-2003 XJ come with the MLS metal gaskets from the factory. Is that true?

Also, i've seen people say the composite head gaskets can't take much boost. True?

 

I've taken both cam covers off this car several times. It's a 2003, so it has the updated chain and tensioners. It was all tight. Cam timing is spot on. Thanks for the suggestion though!

 

If the heads need decked, I'd ask how much...a Jag 4.0 head should not be decked because the tolerances are so tight between the valves and pistons. I can only find cylinder head gaskets specified for 1997-2000 X308 XJR.

Here's a thread to review, its a few years old, but its one of XJR-99's bouts with the need for speed. Keep in mind these guys are running some serious boost compared to a standard Eaton M112 ...https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...askets-114539/ ...but it does tell of the head gasket tolerances, fitting and part numbers.

 

I'm worried about the heads needing to be decked. I think this car was overheated. When I bought it, there was no coolant in the tank. But you know, I didn't care for the price. We'll see. Whatever I do, I'll update the thread.

 

When you remove the heads, measure their heights (head deck to the surface where the cam cover gasket seats). Unskimmed heads are 131.0 mm high. If you find that your heads are unskimmed, you can deck them down by about 0.1 mm. If they require more skimming than that to be flattened, look for good used heads (or one used had, if the other is good).

 

Merry Christmas to all.
Will a 4.2 out of a 2003 S Type R be a straight plug and play? Found one, and was wondering.

 

No, far from it.

I'd go for an engine swap because yours has 170K on it. Replacements are cheap and plentiful.

I realise this thread stopped 3 months ago; what did you end up doing?

 

I have been looking for an engine ever since I bought this car. Which was December 2018. I think there were two 02/03 engines since then, to today. Everytime they came up, was short a few bucks. Ended up buying a 2002 xjr 100 with 115k for $5,700. I still have the R1.