OK, the head is ready to go back on the 4.2L XK engine (ser3 XJ). Some of the studs came out(5). The problem I have is getting the last of the water out of the bottom of the stud holes. The studs won't screw all the way back in with water at the bottom, A thread tool welded to a rod will screw in because the water can escape up the sides of the threader rather than being pressurised when I try to screw the stud in. I've tried blowing it out with a tyre pump! siphoning doesn't work either. Am I missing something? The head was a mess with a previous owner using up 7 or 8 washers on the studs to hold the head down!!! (The engine is still in the car)

 

Persistance is all you got here.

A compressor supplied airline, which will have much more volume than a pump, will do the task. I got one of those "long nozzle" blow guns (Supercheap or similar), and that is long enough to get down there.

I did the S2 one stud at a time, so blown fluid did not go from hole to hole.

 

You can knock the casting plugs out to gain access to the stud holes. Insert new casting plugs.

I remove ALL the studs when I remove the cylinder heads from these engines to inspect and replace corroded ones.

I have a 7/16-20 tap on a long extension to clean the threads and a Looong nozzle blow gun like Grant.

I guess you could cut a groove along the lower threads to allow coolant to escape the bottom of the blind hole????

bob gauff

 

Its not just water in these tapped holes, you MUST get the crud out which washed in there when the stud came out. The only reliable way, (as you have done so far), is to used a tap on the end of a rod. Note that the best tap is of the "plug" type, used for tapping blind holes to the bottom. I also advise taking out the core plugs to see what is going on.

You are lucky the studs came out in one piece. What did they look like, because those left in will be in the same or worse condition ?

You could also, as a final job, cut a slot in one of the old studs, weld a bar across the top and then screw this in, (fairly gently). This then acts as a plug tap, with the slot taking up the crud. Probably need a few goes to ensure all is clear.

I had my engine out when I took the core plugs out, so it was easy to wield a lump hammer to get the new ones in. The XJ engine compartment is very wide, but I am not sure there is enough "swinging" room especially for those plugs at the rear.

 

Me again.

I just remembered what I did (a long time ago so memory fades).

I rigged up a plastic tube to my vacuum cleaner flexible so I could suck the water and crud out of each hole, before running a tap down it. It workid pretty good too. You need a small notch at the end to allow air flow.

 

Thanks Fraser, funny ! I was just trying to revive an old vacuum cleaner to do exactly that but it was beyond revival. Sooo, I'll just have to wait 'til the better half leaves me home alone! (Shhh! don't tell on me)

 

My first you-tube video-, won't win any prizes but may help someone out

Jag XJ6 How to get water out of stud holes.3gp - YouTube

First I take no responsibility if you blow up your vacuum cleaner This actually worked for me but there are many pit-falls when working on these Jag engines. I was lucky the studs were in good condition (none broke). The last butcher that worked on this engine didn't clean out the bottom of the stud holes & therefore had minimal thread holding the head down & up to a dozen fat washers at the top of the studs, the engine started running rough after I owned it for ~6 months (something to check for when purchasing an old Jaguar). Apart from vacuuming out the holes they also need threading & possibly drilling (by hand), I made the extended tools myself by welding rod/old screwdriver to the threader & drill bit. I was wary of my shoddy welding so I never forced the bits. * you may have to thread the holes 20 or more times each stud to get the last of the gunk out. This is a job of time consuming perserverence :-/

 

It is best to use a thread chaser instead of a tap to clean threaded holes. The chaser does not remove any metal.