I have had alot of Series 3's, and i am going through withdrawls.. LOL

I have decided to pull the trigger on an XJR... I am leaning twords a 98-2003, but i am wondering if i wikk be happy with an XJR-6 as opposed to an 8... your thoughts and opinions please...

and how are the trannys in the earlier XJR6's ?

You guys know what i'm looking to learn..thanks Gerry

 

2002-03 are rock solid and better cars both in performance and reliability IMHO

 

Do the 6's have Mikasill cylinders? what are the performance ugrades available for the 6's?

When did Jag go to steel bore cylinders ? thanks Gerry

 

The V8 XJRs are much quicker, of course....about 70 horsepower over the XJR/6. The 0-60 times are about 5.3 seconds for the XJR/8 versus 6.6 for the XJR/6. Quite a difference.

If you're accustomed to a Ser III, though, the XJR/6 will feel like a rocketship....virtually same weight but 150 horsepower increase.

For some the XJR/6 has a carries a bit of Jaguar nostaligia, what with it being a straight-6 and all.

The XJR/6 used the GM 4L80E transmission; the XJR/8 uses a Mercdes transmission. Both good...but you can guess which will be less expensive come overhaul time :-)

The XJR/6 doesn't suffer any historic engine problems. The Jag V8 has had some issues with tensioners, water pumps, thermostats, etc. A good used example may have already had the updated replacements, though.

Some of the XJR/8s had upgraded brakes and "CATS" suspensions....both better than XJR/6 offerings.

The XJR/6 was a bit notorious for tramlining...sometimes severely so. This seems to have been corrected with the XJR/8

Exterior styling is almost identical. Interior styling was updated on the 8-cylinder cars. Whether or not the plethora of curves and swoops of the V8 interiors represents an improvement in looks is a matter of taste, of course.

Drive both and decide. Chances are the XJR/8 power will seal the deal. The XJR/6 was considered a real powerhouse in its day but....well...that was a long time ago. Don't get me wrong, the XJR/6 has a lot of oooomph but it just isn't in the same league as modern (or even modern-ish) performance cars

Cheers
DD

 

Nikasil. No, not on the 6 cylinder cars



Almost none. There just hasn't been enough demand/market for much R&D in performance upgrades for the XJR/6. Onwers are pretty much on their won.

"XJR Engineer" (a member here) sells a timing modification bracket that helps. Some have experimented with low restriction exhaust with some improvement. Somebody used to sell a crank pulley to increase supercharger boost....but I haven't seen any in ages and it wasn't that effective anyway as far as I can tell.

Swapping the XJR 3.27 diff for the XJ6 3.58 unit is worth the effort.....and given the failure rate of differentials and limited slip mechanisms, the opportunity for such a swap may present itself more and more often as XJR/6s age and accumulate miles.


Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug..

You said above, that the 6's would sometimes have tramlining.. what is that ? thanks Gerry...

And were there any inherant 6-cycinder issues as far as long block dependability..weak points etc .

Were the 6's depemdable as far as timing goes...ie. chains and tensioners ?

In other words how bullet proof are they...

I have found a couple 97's reasonably close by ...

Thanks Gerry

 

Tramlining is when the vehicle tends to track along the imperfections in the road such as longitudinal grooves on the freeway or road ruts. I can actually sense that in my 2001 XJR.

I think a big issue when it comes to XJR-6 is FINDING A CLEAN ONE. As mentioned in the above posts the production was rather limited - Jaguar did not do a good job advertising these wonderful cars.

When I began my XJR search, I started to look for the in-line 6 SC cars as these engines were "virtually" bullet proof. That coupled with a very reasonable price of $5k to $6k would make quite a bit of sense. Plus their relative rarity would make them a more desirable model in the future (this last part is strictly my speculation). I came across many of these $5k specials but they were all in various states of degradation.

I would stay away from 1998 to 2000 models because of nikasil lined engines. Some of these will have a factory replaced motor with steel liners as the dealers quietly went about replacing failed nikasil engines under warranty. Those unlucky to suffer a nikasil failure out of warranty were S.O.L. Some of these unlucky owners bought used engines with questionable miles (read more miles/less price) and replaced their failed nikasil motors. The problem was that the replacement engines were also nikasil. Here, a note is required to mention that not all nikasil engines went bad. There's a slew of X308s out there with high miles and nikasil liners under the hood. Regardless, I would stay out of harms away on those.

The 2001s had the nikasil issue resolved but still had the plastic secondary timing tensioners. That's not much of a problem because you can a) DIY for few hundred $$ or b) pay anywhere from $850 to $1500 to get them done, depending on what your nearest Jaguar specialist would charge you. The DIY instructions are abundant in this forum.

2002-2003 are the best ones to get, but also much pricier. I looked at a 2003 black/charcoal with under 60k miles for $12,500 FIRM. Seller would not budge, cash or not. Ended up with a 2001 anthracite/charcoal with 83k miles and full service records from major Jaguar dealer for almost $5k less. That's quite a difference.

Whichever direction you pursue, remember 2 things a) you are in the driver seat as the Jaguar market is a buyer's market and b) spend some $$ on pre-purchase inspection. Good luck and let us know if you will land an XJR-6.

 

Tramlining is a tendency for the tires to follow ruts/lines/irregularities in the road...suddenly darting in one direction or the other




Not really, no. An occassional head gasket failure pops up. As far as reciprocating assembly goes failures are almost unheard of.




Few if any timing chains *failures*. Some reports of timing chain rattle due to failure of the hydraulic plunger. Easy replacement done from the otuside of the engine.

The XJR/6 engines are rugged, reliable, durable and likely to be the very least of your worries. The rest of the car....well....not so much. Especially over 100k miles. Age and mileage eventually takes a toll on suspension, fuel injection, etc.

Here's my list for the last 7 years, from 30k to 135k miles:

-replace steering tilt motor
-replace 2 front wheel bearings
-repair door latch switch, right front
-replace trans mount and spring
-replace power steering return hose
-replace one oxy sensor
-replace intercooler pump
-replace brake light switch
-replace rear wheel bearing, right side, 2x
-replace differential
-replace water pump
-replace air injection pump
-replace idler pulleys
-replace both exhaust manifolds
-replace starter
-replace 4 seat heaters
-replace trans solenoids and speed sensors
-repair broken sub woofer speaker
-replace gas gauge sender
-replace multiple ignition coils
-replace antenna mast
-repair door latch switch, left rear
-replace radio (several times)
-clean throttle body (2x)
-replace radiator upper mounts
-replace crank sensor
-replace cam cover gasket
-replace trunk lid supports
-replace u-joints
-replace center bearing on driveshaft
-replace water pump (again)
- replace alternator
-replace harmonic balancer (re-bonded)
-replace 2 fuel injector

Of course many of these are minor items and others are perfectly reasonable for a 15-17 year old car. Only the differential failure at 75k miles really rankled me.

Cheers
DD

 

I own the V8 version, but as a fan of inline sixes have no qualms about the XJR/6 other than the lack of provision to adjust front camber.

Most people would not even notice, and that omission is balanced by a plethora of grease fittings in the suspension while the later model only has four in the halfshafts.

The XJR/6 interior is more "sensible" to my eye.

Would the difference in power actually make a difference in daily driving? Probably not.

The XJR/6 can go plenty fast enough to kill you. Then again, so can a clapped out 60's VW.

 

Thanks all..

Let me ask this about the 8's...

I have read a pile so far on the tensioners..( the secondarys)...

How abuot the instance of failure on the primary tensioners, and the instance of chain failure itself...

I have been a Car dealer since 1992 and i am all too familiar with timing belt issues with other vehicles....Zero tolerance engines and such...

I know the right thing to do is change the chains, and the tensioners in the 8 ASAP after purchase, but is it really nessecary ?

and i will be driving the car hard as well.... thanks again all

Gerry

 

The tensioners are definitely ZERO tolerance. This is what I got from one of the threads here:

The first steel-lined AJ-V8 came off the production line In the year 2000 on August 18th at 10.43am hence the engine number will read:
00 08 18 1043 or more precisely: 0008181043

If the tensioners fail then you can tow the car directly to the nearest auction. The engine replacement will be worth more than the car. It is imperative that you verify that the tensioners have been changed (either through paperwork or visually) especially since you plan to do spirited driving. Check some of the threads to see how the tensioners look like. I saved my old ones and can send you a pic. My car had 83k miles and fully serviced at Hornburg Jag in LA. Never abused, in near new condition. The first thing I did was to have the secondary tensioners replaced. Guess what?? Hairline cracks in both - that means they were on their way out.

No major issues with primaries. There are plenty of excellent do-it yourself posts with pics.

 

bump for the day crowd

 

Pre 2000 cars could have had a steel liner engine installed under warranty, so keep that in mind.

 

.

Hmmm, i'm trying to take this all in...

First steel lined engine installed in production was in august of 2000..

So 1998 99 00 and 01 cars HAD nikasill....

what was ther warebty from jAG 3/36 ? 6/60 7/70 ?

I would think almost all 98 & 99's wouldnt have qualified...they would have had to fail in the very end of thier warrenty period to end up with the steel sleeve replacement....

that would be great to find a S sleeve 98-2001...

but unfortunately, not all cars come with a full book of records..

 

Has anyone seen or heard of a nikasil engine failing recently? I haven't read about one in years....

 

The common belief here is that a nikasil engine that has survived will continue to thrive.

A rebuilt replacement engine installed by Jaguar can be indentified by means of the rebuild tag. There are descriptions and pictures of the tag posted previously.

 

By far not all 2001 cars had nikasil. The very early production ones may have. If you are looking at the 2001 make sure the production date falls after the nikasil cut off date.

At that time, Jaguar warranty was 4yrs/50,000 miles. Factory CPO (Certified Pre Owned) warranty bumped that to 6yrs/100,000mi.

As mentioned prior you may find the earlier (1998-2000) YM with replaced steel lined engines. If that was done under warranty, Jaguar should have a record of that (speculating here).

Gerry, the above opinions give a high mark to XJR-6. If you ever find a clean one you will have a much rarer cat than the later model XJRs. Plus reliability will not be the issue.

 

Plums, not sure if you are thinking the same but to me a nikasil engine, even a survivor (high miles) is an equivalent to an Improvised Explosive Device - just don't know when its going to blow...

 

Oh, they are out there. Just call Owen at Pasadena Motor Cars. He has an XJR waiting for a transplant.

 

The entire X308 is an IED. So are all cars ... to varying degrees.