Hi all,

I am struggling to get correct gasket kit for my camshaft cover. In first delivery cover gaskets were wrong and now in the second kit they are OK but spark plug seals are different. I would like to know if it is OK to use o-rings instead of "long" seal where are three o-rings connected together?

Currently there is this longer model in use but I got o-rings within second delivery. O-rings fits perfectly but oil flow gets a minor change if I change them. Is it harmful for something what I do not see now? I think that this has nothing to do with breathers since they are not located nearby. Attached pictures may help to get the idea of what I mean. There are o-rings (black) and original seal (light brown) side by side.

 

It would be most helpful to know the engine you are working on. Model, year and engine. I assume from the pictures your XJ8 is a 96,97,98 model 4.0 liter.
You need the 3 ring long set to seal the cam covers. If you leave the center ring out it is possible to get an oil leak around the fastener and then have oil accumulate around the coil plug boots causing a misfire condition. I encountered the O-ring problem when working on my 98 XJ8. I contacted Jagbits where I bought I bought my gasket set and they sent me right away the correct plug seals. The AJ26 engine uses the long 3 ring seal and the later AJ27 is machined differently and uses the 2 O-rings.

 

Good assumption.. it is XJ8 1998 3.2.
There is also a black center ring around the fastener (on place in the first picture) so there should not be any problem with leakages. Just worried if something goes wrong with oil flow.
When ordering the kit I was not able to see engine serial number so first kit which I ordered was for engines up to 981029000. First 6 digit are showing manufacturing date. As said, spark plug seal was correct 3 ring long set but cover gaskets did not fit. Then I ordered a set for engines from 981029001 on. Now cover gaskets are ok but there are 3 individual o-rings. So my engine is some kind of combination.. or is it due to motor size (3.2)? I think it is quite similar with 4.0, just having shorter stroke.

 

It is the same as the 4.0 Liter but the shorter stroke. Attached is a parts blow up show the part numbers for what you need. The change you see is after 290000 engine number. Your supplier is mistaken it not a problem with the engine.
The correct ones are available and they don't always get matched up with the right kits.