RJ37, what does unpluging the MAF plug do and what do you look for? I meant to ask you this previously. I see you are a Georgia guy. War Eagle!

I still haven't made my final decision on the repairs. I was hoping that we'd get a few more post on this subject. So far we've had about 500 views so the subject must be of interest to lots of folks. Everything I have learned about Jags is from this site. Like others have said, it's the best I've experienced on the web. I will be back here to post my final decision and if I repair or not I'll post the decisions. Thanks for viewing. Will P

What is the reason for procrastinating?



The primary and secondary chains, guides and tensioners are not going to fix or replace themselves.


Remove the Bank1 cam cover and see if the flat timing marks on the cams line up correctly.

NBCat, I appreciate your input. I guess my delay is due to my wanting to be absolutely sure before I commit to the repairs. I'd do the plugs, a thermostat and a water pump along with the whole tensioner job. I kind of limited to what I do anymore, health issues mainly. So I'll have to do pay to get it all done and have it towed seven or eight miles and so on. Towing because I'm starting to believe I may be on borrowed time engine wise. The expense and the low value of these models is just mind-numbing to me. When running correctly they are a dream to drive and so pretty. So I'll decide soon and do what is best for my situation. Will P

Will,

The OBD codes you pulled indicate to me your secondary tensioners are playing up, causing those codes to be thrown after running your engine from cold to warm.

If you're not fit enough to take on this job yourself, find a shop you can afford to do it for you ASAP; other jobs such as water pump and thermostat tower; transmission A-Drum are non-fatal and can wait.

What are you waiting for ? ? ?

Well, one thing for sure is that your car is an absolute dream, way better to me than an XKE but we all know how they are valued. I just made a long trip out to an import center that worked on all type of cars and three weeks ago it was full of cars, and now it is for sale, it's padlocked with a lonely looking Porsche sitting under the shed looking mighty dusty. Well, I dodged a bullet on that one, huh? Then I went to another one and it was more of an oil change and detail place. It was filled with Mercedes. I'll look some more.
My quandary is to put the money in and then hope this is not a Money Pit ( I'm not wealthy) or to sell it very cheaply as a nice project car for someone. That would be painful because it is so pretty and fun but I drive so little and I've got a nice 2001 DeVille that is quite a babe herself with a 300 hp engine. I hate to let Jag go! Will P

As others have said ....

I understand your limitations, but maybe you can get someone more technically capable to have a look for a coffee or a beer?
Will save you the transport initially.

All they need to bring is some basic tools, and remove the cover on the effected bank, 2 hours max incl. rotating, checking and reinstall.

It will give you the reassurance on the issue, and a much better base for your further decisions and purchase of parts.

I think I'm now so wary of the tensioner issue I would not want to drive it now, even if the tensioner is not the actual author of the misfiring.
I'm 99% sure they haven't been done and if the jag is mine or not, I do not want to ruin the engine. I'm not willing to gamble on it not happening. Like the Asian philosopher said, once bitten by a snake it makes you afraid of rope. After my trials and struggle with the A drum in the transmission, I have heard the warnings of the consensus here on the pitfalls of this A27. And yes if I could find someone to peak at the culprits that would give me some assurance but now I'm just trying to find someone to work on it and if it would be for a reasonable amount. Thanks, Will P.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...f79537f80e.jpg


My Quandary! Will P (They must have had it repainted at some time.)

Finally, I've come to a decision on my Jag. I took a while since my last post because I didn't want to make a snap decision. Also, I wanted to communicate my reasoning, mainly in appreciation for the knowledge and help I have received here. There may also be other owners or prospective ones who could use a small bit of my perspective.




Even at this point, if I lucked out and found an indie mechanic who would fix my upper and lower tensioners for $1200, I would do it if that would give me years of carefree driving and it would drive as well as it did when I bought it at 77,000 miles. Yes, that would be worth it. But, as you know from my post here, I have a a-drum repaired transmission, a risky water pump, ignition coils that go bad, a potential problematic throttle-body, a bad transmission pressure valve design to be replaced hopefully sooner than later and so on. For many on this site, these are fixes you could do or you have a mechanic you trust and can afford. I just put all new tires and a new battery in and that was $500 that won't be reflected in what I can get for it. I'm going to put it up for sale as a project car for someone so inclined. It is not a perfect car but she is and has been a beauty to me. Someone who can do the tensioners might just wind up with a wonderful bargain. The car should be carried or towed from here me as that is the advice I received here. I have no idea what to ask, I'll start a new post and ask for help as that might not get much viewing in this post. I'll then put it here in our want ads and on the net. Thanks so much for your help. Again, this is the most helpful site I have used on the web. Will P

I wish I had room at my condo: I would fly into Alabama, change the tensioners in your driveway and drive it home. From the wheels, it appears this is a VdP model.

Makes me wonder what you think you can buy, as nice, for $1300 or so (?).

Thanks for all your help and suggestions to me. I would love for you to get this car. I know I can't get a car for that and also that my Jaguar ownership is expensive relative to the time I've owned it and that it was sitting mostly, and I only drove it for only 6,000 miles and this was while I was working. I will definitely research my next vehicle. I have an F-150 and older but very reliable Caddy Deville. In the mid 70;s my buddy bought a very rusty and I do remember seeing the ground through the floor of a Coupe xke made in one of the earliest years. Even with that, I loved the design and the romance they offered. Thus in 2013, I bought my Vanden Plas at what seemed a bargain price with no knowledge of the potential problems. Will P

The solution to my problem was.......




I did sell the Jaguar to a very mechanical guy and nice guy from England. And how it runs today, he said: “like a dream.” The final solution that came to me from the group is not to run it and fix them. Well, as it turns out, my initial guess was one of the closest.

The gentleman I sold the car to wound up with a super bargain. He came from up north to Montgomery and was going to fix the timing chain. To his and my surprise someone had already updated and were all the new ones. Turnout my problem was one cylinder had water in the plug hole from when a plastic coolant hose had broken on a short road trip and the spark plugs were toasted 83,000 mile and never changed. He then drove it a very long way home like a dream. I just wanted to share this with my forum members to make a small contribution to the already wealth of info on the site. And, I continue to appreciate all who posted on my problems as well as the moderators and those who have contributed to the stored information here. Thanks again. Will P and War Eagle
Former owner of a 2000 Jaguar XJ8 vanden plas as shown in pictures above

Yes, I remembered several times I was reminded of water in the coils but with not being able to drive it, and health concerns kept me from pursuing the plugs and water situation but not being about to check the status of the timing chains which I had become extremely aware of, I felt to save the engine and keep the girl alive for someone to fix was my only option. I posted this to show everyone the dangers of not checking it all out. I could have a beautiful green Jag in my driveway right now for a few hundred dollars. This is my contribution. Will P

Two things that come from this: 1. you let us know what the issue really was: keeps the learning process working; 2. A reminder, again, to check all.

A couple of years ago, over on the XK8 forum a gent had the same problem as you. Misfires in each cylinder: everybody (watashi wa, too!) jumped on the tensioners, since it is the classic. His coils were badly corroded from a previous break in a radiator hose . . . cleaned the coils and good to go. But, he too, pulled the right side cam cover to assure himself he had the third generation tensioners. Pays to check.

As these cars begin to age out: the issues are becoming more and more unique and often as not, one offs. TSBs and repair docs have their purpose up to a point and then it becomes just difficult detective work.

Jhartz, thanks so much for the help!! If I had been able to do all the stuff you mentioned, I'd be cruising now. When I look back on this, I will say I learned a valuable but costly lesson, unfortunately. My Green Queen is cruising around the. N.E. in this beautiful soon to be fall weather. The problem I wound up having probably would have been caught by any commercial mechanic and it all would be a small fraction of my loss here. Though I don't know if the water in the plug cylinder would have been caught and not flowed down into the cylinder. and piston. Again, I blame this occurrence on 70 % on my health situation, and 30% on my stubborn nature. Probably all possible things that could have caused this were mentioned in the member's post. I thank you all for that. Will P.