Need some advice here. Pretty sure I sent a piston/connecting rod through the engine block last night. Has anyone ever replaced an engine in an XJR here and do you think that's a worthy route to take? car has about 113k miles on it now and it seems like I could get an engine for around $1500 used. Are there any writeups on the forums on pulling the engine? I do a fair amount of wrenching but usually have a good guide to what I'm doing. I don't really have the means to pull the engine at my current residence so I may need to take it somewhere hospitable. Here's what happened:

It was super rainy here in NH and I was driving around 9pm when going around a turn in the road. Halfway around the turn the road was flooded on my entire side of the road, so I hit a puddle that was about a foot deep going 45mph

I managed to keep the car on the road but it pulled hard to the right through the water and then I straightened her out and the car stalled. [Engine Stalled] displayed on the tach display.

I tried to start it and get moving again, but engine did not want to start and I heard some funky noises.

The tow truck came and pulled her onto the bed. When we got to my house to drop the car off the truck, we noticed it was leaking oil, the tow truck guy said it wasn't doing that when it was up there before. (???) We then found a couple big chunks of metal and what looks like a piece of a connecting rod.

Pics to follow later today. I'm going to try to find a hole underneath

 

Yikes, sorry to hear that. Is it possible that you could make an insurance claim for the damage to the engine? In answer to your question, to repair the car, that would be the best approach, yes.

 

Need some pics of the pieces too. I don't think hitting eater like that would make you throw a rod. The water hitting the front of the car could have dislodged the radiator, broken an oil cooler line, or sometbing else. Pop open the hood and look at rhe front of the engine.

 

​​​​​​​no on the insurance as this is an engine failure not an vehicle collison. I may have to find her a new heart

 

​​​​​​​hi bob, I thought that too but then I saw where the air intake is on these cars. It faces forward under the car, so it is very low. This was likely very infiltrated and submerged which is probably why the car "stalled"

 

Sucking in water through the intake (takes less than you think) can hydrolock a cylinder and cause connecting rod damage.

Also, that picture is of the alternator cooling duct. The air intake is bigger and terminates inside the fender (behind the splash guard).

 

Here's the carnage. Cats don't like water. the intake is also a very risky design for water

 

Yup, thats definitely a piece of the connecting rod there. The rest of the bits are from the pan. Thats a shame man. I know not terrible local to you, but theres a member in NY with an XJR engine for sale. Maybe try him.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/p...r-x100-177765/

 

That is the cooling duct for the alternator not the air intake

 

Yup. On US cars, the intake is just behind the right side headlights.

-Mike

 

Ouch, very sorry to see that. Wonder how hitting a puddle of water could cause this then, or just an unhappy coincidence?

.

 

I don't know what caused it but something, most likely a rod, came throug the rear of the structural sump at rear of engine. Check the air box to see if there's water there. That's along way for the water to go. Through the air box, to the throttle body, and then into intake. But anything is possible. Maybe the sudden cold water on a hot engine. Whatever caused it it looks like another engine will be needed. Also check Harvest14, his car got recently totaled.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock

It only takes ~50ml (1.5 fl oz) of incompressible water inside the combustion chamber to break things.

 

The engine failure is a direct result of flooding, not of wear and tear. Your car was damaged in an accident.

See under "flooding" : https://www.allstate.com/tools-and-r...er-damage.aspx

Unfortunately, when you consider that water is incompressible, and the engine will try to compress it by 10:1 or so, it only takes a small amount of water to destroy the engine - 1/10 of the cylinder volume.

 

Yes, and if the OP really wants the adjuster to pay attention,
the phrase "proximate cause" should be enough to get them
to realise he is serious.

 

Comprehensive covers you for flood damage ... also ....if you hit a deer/ fire etc. Always take a picture if you go through water and the car dies.

You can often purchase comprehensive w/o collision .. not always.

When my house fire occurred a couple years ago -- taking three cars. It was the comprehensive that paid for the cars. Your homeowners will not pay for your car in the garage.

Both of my XJR's are insured for 18.5k Agreed Value

 

it was about a foot deep and I was going 45mph

 

thanks for clarifying

yes there was definitely some water in the air box. Thanks for the reference, I will see what harvest14 has

dang!

good info

thanks guys, unfortunately i do not have full coverage on the XJR, just my other vehicle. At my deductible, it wont be a terrible difference if I can find a decently priced used engine. Just sucks I will have to put it in lol

 

Sorry to hear that.

This is also often a problem that people run into when they build custom cold air intakes that snake down below the bumper, not realizing they can syphon up water and ruin things.

I guess in your case the water just flew up high enough to splash into the stock intake.

.

 

any idea if the trans will be ok to reuse? is there a possibility some of that some of that metal ended up in the trans?