Am I the only one with mysterious numbers painted on their valve cover?

”2355”




Looks like it was from some kind of permanent paint marker.

My best guess is it’s a campaign number from some past recall work?

I do have another number written on masking tape under the hood as well, “3521”, but that’s the code to the original radio which is sitting in storage after the JVC unit went in.

Anyone else run into this?

 

I don't have any numbers on my cam cover, but maybe these folks have a sense of what they mean?



Larry

 

Here in the UK that would be a typical vehicle breaker's parts marking for subsequent model/year identification. US breakers must do something similar?

Graham

 

When I get parts at my yard they write their initials on the bigger parts. Is your motor original to the car? Hopefully if that's it, it's just the cover.

 

I was thinking about that, as parts I've gotten from Pick-n-Pull have been written on with paint markers for warranty and tracking purposes. I've also heard of some car companies leaving marks of completed recalls or service campaigns as well.

Original engine in the car.

My great aunt had the car since '95, and had all the work done at the dealer. I have complete service history from her ownership. The valve cover was removed and replaced, along with the valve cover gaskets when the head gaskets were replaced in 1999 at 38,957 miles. She spent $7,500 on maintenance and repairs over the 18 years and 30k miles she's had the car. That's what makes me doubt a junkyard valve cover would've made it into the car. However, I also doubt a reputable Jaguar dealer would've found it acceptable to leave a permanent, highly visible mark like that.

It's definitely not a big deal, I'm just really curious about the meaning of it.

Nick

 

Nick,

I like Graham's theory. Maybe the cover needed replacement for some unusual reason, and the price for a new cover quoted by the dealership was more than your great aunt could swallow, so she found an alternate source. My biggest question is why the cover would have required replacement. To my knowledge, the XJ40 covers have held up very well, unlike the magnesium covers on the X300 which corrode and erode. Maybe the original cover was damaged by a careless mechanic?

The paint or powdercoat on the cam cover is baked on at the factory, so you can probably remove those numbers with careful application of acetone, lacquer thinner, or Goof Off, but I would test in an inconspicuous spot first, such as the end of the cover nearest the firewall, just to be sure the baked finish won't be easily affected.

Cheers,

Don