David - Really confused as to how to get the old front seal out and the new one in?? Specifically the oil pan. The seal seems to be trapped by a built-in aluminum lip. See pics.

 

This shows the retainer lip better.

 

Bill,
Yes the lip of sump holds it in... cut the old one out, it will be stiff and not flexible enough to move past lip. Cut off top half, then with a chopstick, push the seal down into one side and it will spin out the other.
At this point you can put in the original seal or the newer seal kit. I put the new seal kit in which does not use the oil slinger ring, it has a new spacer with O-ring. if you did not find an oil slinger, then you have the new seal style. Either seal will be fine.
For new seal installation clean and polish shaft, remove any nicks on sump lip. clean every thing well. Lube crank shaft & sump lip with oil; starting at one side pushing the seal inter sealing lip into Crank shaft using a plastic/wood stick on the outer edge of seal so as to slide it over the sump lip. Then work around bottom and up to other side. New seal will be more flexible and you have leverage pushing the seal in toward the center and in, over the lip.

I would replace the hydraulic tensioner

Rgds
David

 

Thank you so much for all this insight! It's been a tremendous help. I have ordered from SNG Barrett the locking tabs for the lower guides, and the hydraulic adjuster. I cannot even imagine how much cost the labor would have been to do this job. Parts alone are up to over $1,000 for all that I'm doing. Of course project creep is adding to that. And... the timing cover didn't come out without incident. Once I started prying on it to gently pries it off, I could see the bottom left corner (from the front) was being very stubborn. Assuming it had a guide stud on it, and that the bottom gasket cement was preventing it from sliding towards me, I put an amount of pressure that starting giving me cracking sounds. Prior to this, I priced out used timing covers and found that they were plentiful and not badly priced. So I decided if it was going to break - so be it. Well you can guess the rest of the story. Not my style to force things, but in this case the "get a bigger hammer" methodology prevailed. David Boger to the rescue again! I'd rather give him the business than EBay when I can.

 

There was a theory going around years ago, to put hardening sealant on one side of gasket and non-hardening on the other to get a clean break.
If space allows, you can tap a single sided straight razor blade into the joint and separated the gasket. I am a big fan of modern non-hardening sealants and always using a new gasket. Giving the next owner (if not my son) a break.
You can see why so many XJ6s were abandoned for a bad head gasket. When shop rates were under $50 per hour it wasn't so bad. The longer the head gasket lasted the more creep in to opportunity repairs, and at the same time labor rates were going up and Specific Jaguar experience was going down.
Wouldn't it have made sense to have a large removable internal circlip holding the front seal instead of a cast/machined lip.....
I am also watching Elinor's 4 suspension bushings replacement project!!!! and wondering what the engineer that came up with one long bolt for two bushings was thinking.
God Bless Jaguar owners with patience
David

 

Doug has a phrase for it. something like "interesting engineering".

Last busts by me:

1. flat head Ford V8. Removed timing gear cover to swap distributor drives. Thin cast iron buisted. Oh well, i had a spare! .

2. Remove water pump to swap distributor on my LT1. big deal snapped drive . WP is cam driven. Lots of disassembly needed to replace the shaft. Fix, Mezierre electric driven water pump. Slick fit just right.

3. The water pumps on flar head ford V8'dsjhave a fastener in the hose spigot, Unknown to most. And many have the head corroded badly and the 9/16" socket just spins uselessly!! Big hammer. destroy the pump til the bolt can be reached with an option. Pipe wrench!!!

 

David - I bow to you that you were able to get the oil seal into the oil pan seal retainer. But... try as I might, and ruining two new oil seals (i still have one new one left) I just cannot get one in without destroying it. The one I tried last night took an oval set to it as I was trying to get it in. Not good. So... I'm not resorting to grinding the outer aluminum retaining lip on the oil pan!! Didn't want to do that but I have no alternative. My thinking is that it will do no harm as I will be able to leave enough lip on the oil pan to help retain the oil seal, and the Timing Chain Cover outer lip will keep it in place. So I really don't see a downside. My dremel tool is getting a real work out. The below picture shows some grinding back; but I have more to go in order to be able to get the new oil seal in without re-shaping it permanently. And have completely sealed off the front of the engine so I don't get any aluminum filings into the engine. That would be bad.


Oval shaped after trying by best

Need to do even more grinding back to open it up

 

Wait, That's not how you do it!!!! Remove Key from key way. Remove spacer that the front crank seal rides on. clean area. Insert seal into groove by lifting after fitting over crankshaft snout. drop into groove and reinstall spacer and key into key way.

Thank you.

Larry Louton

 

SPACER?? I'm not sure what spacer you are referring to - BUT I'M ALL EARS!!

 

WHOA!!! I just saw what your are referring to!! I had no idea that would come off. I assumed it was built onto the crankshaft. Shame on me! Once the key is out, how to I pry that "spacer" off?

 

Larry
Good catch, I removed the old seal and installed the new seal kit per instructions in the kit. There was no spacer for me to remove!!!!.
I suppose it will slide off with a thin screw driver prying behind it.
Rgds
David

 

In the Repair Operation Manual under ENGINE 12.41.05. Step #48 states "Draw distance piece from crankshaft". What Larry calls a spacer the manual calls a distance piece. And the word "draw" sounds easier than it really is. I've tried PB Blaster, then a couple of screw drivers, to no avail. It doesn't appear to be keyed on. So I wonder what's holding it on. Anyone have an idea how to draw it off?

 

Bill,
I looked at several online parts listing, and seems that there is an early spacer used with oil slinger, and later spacer with internal O-ring, where the oil slinger is removed. The spacer with the internal O-ring uses the newer Teflon seal with no oil slinger. Larry has got it, put the crank-seal in, before seating spacer.
Mild heat from propane torch on low flame should be ok. I would take a fine sharpening stone to the key way cuts to remove burs before trying to slipping the spacer past them.
Rgds
David

 

Heat probably would have made it a bit easier as there was considerable varnish crap build up making it difficult to remove. But, it finally came out!!! Mine has the oil slinger and the internal O-ring. I think this now marks the end of the disassembly stage and begins the reassembly stage. Yahoo!!


Halfway out

Out! And pretty crapped up.

 

Whew! I have no gotten the new front oil seal installed. Any advice as to whether I should put some sort of gasket cement around the outside of the oil seal?

Thanks, Bill

 

I think when warm, the seal will fill the cavity and not leak around the edges... If you were in SFO parking nose down on a hill, I might be a little more thoughtful.
Rgds
David

 

Update - I now have the new valves lapped in, springs, etc. all installed, cam shaft tappets/shims all at .013, cams installed with notches up (using camshaft alignment tool), new studs in block with threaded holes all reamed out, new brass core plugs installed and am prepping to install the head. Using dial indicator found TDC on 1 & 6 (and moved the pointer to 0), and am now totally reading and internalizing the crank to timing chain to cam shaft to distributor alignment process before installing the head. Following the Factory Operations Manual and the Haynes Manual brought number 6 up to TDC and noted the distributor rotor at the 7:00 position. While the manual noted it should be more at the 1:00 position. And that the distributor cap (that I marked the wires a long time ago) also had #6 wire at that 7:00 position. I also looked at the cam lobes for #6 and it appears they are in the correct position (with those notches up) for a "Power" stroke. So... I'm thinking some PO at some point installed the distributor 180d off, with the cap 180d to match it - and all is well. (Two wrongs make a right). So I might as well leave well enough alone, as I did NOT remove any of the timing chains from their positions. The picture below was just after I pulled the head weeks ago (which the notches up), and didn't rotate the crankshaft but a few degrees - which is why the #1 & #6 are not at TDC. And note that the rotor is pointing at 7:00. So this is confirming my thoughts. Anyone have any other thoughts?

 

Bill,
On my 3 cylinder head removals on 2 different Jaguars, I wound up with distributor out 180 degrees one time... drove it for 6 month before correcting.
With cylinder head off, just turn crank 360 degrees clock-wise looking aft and you will have #6 at top dead center again on compression stroke. It is a little more complicated if you have the head installed.
Rgds
David

 

BRILLIANT! That rotates the rotor around to the 1:00 position (presumably the correct position). Then I unplug the HT leads on the cap around 3 positions, maintaining the same firing order. And I'm where I should be! I'm such an idiot sometimes!

Many thanks, Bill

 

Bill
Don't be so hard on yourself.... you got it sorted before you finished everything and had "back firing" and a "no start" after many days of painstaking labor... took me a while to sort out what I had missed.... proved my assembly error by moving ignition leads 3 slots on cap... followed by instant start.... very embarrassing at the time, but was quite happy with the interim fix and getting the Jag back on the road.
Rgds
David