Car has been idling for a few minutes from a cold start. Sounds seem to be coming from passenger side, fuel rail area, possible under cam covers but unsure. Anything you would check out if car sounded like this, or is it pretty normal?
https://youtube.com/shorts/sujCP-4l8Yw?feature=share

Thank you!
Benjamin

 

Noisy tappets.

Not the end of the world, but quite Un-Jaguar in my opinion.

Assuming??, haha, you are running 20W50 oil in that thing???, and not some "cats pee" thin rubbish.

 

Yes- 20w50. However, the car appears to have been neglected by PO and the old oil was in pretty bad shape. I’ve changed it and it looks pretty good now, but my plan was to drive it a few hundred miles and change
again.

 

Good plan.

Then maybe get the stuff together, get down and dirty, and do a tappet adjustment. A good weekends work there.

Good luck.

 

I have had 3 Jags, and have always found several several tappets out of tolerance when first check after purchase.
Once you have done it it is easy, but time consuming.
I have added worksheet, just add your numbers... I used 0 to 1" micrometer to check installed shims, as some markings were not legible.
Rgds
David

 

Interesting! I'm planning to pull cam covers to install a stake down kit (if it ever ships lol), so perhaps I will look at the tappet clearance at that time.

Thank you!

 

Thanks for the calculation sheet! Do you measure and then purchase individuals after measuring? Or is there a bulk set I can get? Do you know what the diameter of the shims is for the XK engine?

 

I measured, then picked up only what was needed at Moss Motors, only 8 miles from my house when I lived in Santa Barbara. If you are lucky some of the removed shims will be just what you need in another location, so you may only have to order 8 or 9 new ones. One weekend for checking, removing, cleaning, and ordering needed shims, valve stem seals, cam cover brass washers, seals & ect.. The next weekend to put back together and double check your work. Check out forum posts on installing leak free cam covers, between weekends.
Rgds
David

 

Where a shim has got worn by the end of the valve, they can be turned over and reused. I got this advice when I was rebuilding a Mark 2 in the early 80s. Only trouble was it was the late 80s before I finished !!

 

That reminds me of the story about someone with a marble staircase who was told the same thing only to find out a previous owner had beat him to it…