Hello everyone, I bought my first jaguar this week a 1998 xj8 I very excited until I realized it has a blown head gasket. I am going to do the heads and timing chains. I was wondering if there were any special tools that are a must have.I've been a truck mechanic for years but are new to jaguars...thank you

 

Hey Saintpat, so sorry to hear of your issues buddy.

IIRC there are special tools required and there were some that were being lent out from the forum ( can't remember by who and need to check )

Perhaps one of the other regulars will drop by and add the required info for you shortly.

EDIT - https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/general-tech-help-7/timing-tools-4-0-litre-v8-68520/

Good luck

 

You will need the cam timing tools (as Jim mentioned above you can rent or buy) a strap wrench for the harmonic balancer and a universal plus a wobble extension for the exhaust nuts. Also, the removal of the harmonic balancer needs a different size puller than normal, you will see what I mean- I just modified the one I had. If you are methodical and label everything you will do fine- I have done it more than once. Do yourself a favor and change out the motor mounts while the heads are off. Make sure to order the harmonic balance cone washer and bolt ahead of time they are a bit pricey ($75 for both I recall) and not always in stock. Pay attention to which way around the skinny coolant hoses go, and know that they may break when removing. OH- you also need a little tool to remove the fuel lines, they can be had at the local auto parts store and cheaply.

 

Also an M10 Hex socket for the cam sprockets. Use all new seals, cam cover, timing cover etc.
A Torx socket set.
A good quality torque wrench for the head bolts.

Hose clip tool helps, along with a couple of magnetic trays for each side to gather bolts.
Lisle do a cheap fuel clip tool rail in plastic, you might have them working on trucks.

Good luck with it, you're due some

 

I had to do engine out valve replacement on my subaru. A few suggestions that I found helpful:
-put each group of bolts and parts in a sperate plastic bag and label it (i.e. "driver's side valve cover bolts"). This was a huge help during re-asembly
-Take plenty of close-up photos of everything as you do the dis-assembly. These can be a great help on re-assembly for hoses and wiring routing
-protect the condenser core inside the engine with cardboard or plywood to avoid accidental damage. I assume you will be removing the radiator
-PB Blaster is best friend

What are the symptoms of your blown head gasket?