I am looking at picking up a potential 1997 XJR that has 116k on it and a cracked piston in cylinder 4. What should I worry about if I pick this up? What gotchas need to be considered when replacing a piston? What would cause a piston to crack?

1997 Jaguar XJR white exterior w/off white interior, ext/int great condition, 4th cylinder piston cracked, done with car, has custom 18" wheels w/255/55/18 tires, can make great car for someone either replacing engine or convert to Chevy V8, already has Chevrolet transmission due to supercharged engine (Jag used GM trans in supercharged models) Can make great parts car, although the car is worth getting running due to great condition and looks. I'm done with car and have no time to mess with it.

What is the cost of a piston and rings? Should I do all rings in all cylinders? What would

 

A 1997 XJR in the USA would be the XJR/6-- the six cylinder model--so the "x300" section is where this post belongs.

That said....

My worry would be the abilty to actually BUY a new piston and rings. Almost certainly not available from Jaguar.

A good used engine might be an alternative.

Cheers
DD

 

As Doug said,....used engine IS the only alternative. Not a big deal to do the swap (if you DIY). Shop? About 2K for the engine, and 1K for the labor (here in SoCal, done by local, non dealer, mechanic). The price of the car would have to be no more than $1500.- (negotiable), for me to even consider. Nice, running one can be had here for 3-4K.

Chevy conversion is not for ME (to each his own). "*******izing" these wonderfull cars is a sin in my book!