honestly if you were to do an engine swap and couldnt afford another v12 id put an aj6 in it before putting in a 350. sure itd be a bit slower but itd handle better and not ruin the heritage.

sorry for your misfortune. If you don't have the money to treat it right and dont want to let it sit until you do i would say sell her off to someone who can.

I know alot of shops stick it to ya but imo thats not a 3000 dollar job.Then again when you are used to camrys and f150s coming in everyday a XJS v12 can be a headache the average mechanic isn't prepared to deal with

 

Considering you only drive it seasonally, I'd put it up for the winter and save to have it repaired. You'll only be kicking yourself later if you sell it.

 

Something to think about. I have to put it away for 5 months of the year.

 

I think you should get a second opinion, just to be on the safe side. The cooling system has a pressure release system, so it shouldn't have blown the cap right off. That would have to be a MASSIVE leak and you'd be seeingwite smoke as the coolant seeps through the leak into the cylinder. Do you see white smoke? Change the oil and see if there's coolant floating on top of the oil in the drain pan when you drain it out.

I'm not saying it's NOT your problem, but it doesn't sound like it fits the typical symptoms, plus it also sounds like your mechanic doesn't know what he's doing and doesn't want to work on your car when he can get three Camrys through in the time he spends on one Jag.

 

I definitely would seek a second opinion. I am not convinced your mechanic is really interested in your car. I have been in this business for almost 30 years. When a mechanic gives you a diagnosis like that without showing you the evidence he has lost interest and wants you to go away. He is hoping he scared you into either not doing it or going some place else. He does not want your work no matter how much he quotes you.

You can do a few things your self. In my previous post I gave you a link to the tool that you need to do it for sure. You can also pull the dipstick out and check to see if there is a mixture of oil and coolant. It will be a brownish mayonnaise like mush. However that is only going to happen if you get coolant into the oil. If the gasket does not fail that way then the oil will be clean. If you remove all the spark plugs you can "read" the plugs and see. You will noticed on is completely different than another. If you have a borescope you would see the the top of the piston is perfectly clean this is the cylinder with head gasket leak. The coolant is effectively steam cleaning the combustion chamber. You might be able to rent a borescope from an auto parts store or Home Depot. Home Depot sells them however the camera head may be too big.

Are you getting white smoke from the tailpipe when driving?

Have you topped off the coolant and bled the cooling system?

Are you positive the cooling system caps are correct for your car?

If you were closer I would offer to come and give my opinion but I am in CT and you are at the far end of NY state.

 

I was thinking the same thing is Gregg. if I lived closer I would come help

 

I just want to say thank you to all of you for your offers of help. You are very kind people. My husband and I truly appreciate all of your kindness.

 

What's an aj6? I've heard of an XJ6, not an aj6.

 

It's the six cylinder engine that was used in the XJS.

 

Oh ok thanks

 

Just to make things fairly easy for you (pretty sure you don't have a boroscope even though you can pick one up at Harbor Freight for cheap).

If your head gasket leak is bad enough to blow of a rad cap, you will EITHER see white smoke from the tailpipe if the gasket failed between the cooling jacket and the cylinder (as your mechanic suggests from his "combustion test"), OR you will have coolant in the oil. It's possible, if you don't have a whole lot of coolant in the oil yet, it may not be visible on the dipstick. However, if you drain it all out it WILL be visible in the pan.

You'll have one or the other - My $.02, I think you just put the cap back on cocked and normal system pressure blew it off.

Just make sure you have a big enough pan if you drain the oil - these engines hold 11 quarts!

 

I need a bucket to drain her oil. She holds 10 1/2 quarts of oil!! That's alot of chicken wings where I come from lol (buffalo wings, you know). I could use a corny joke right about now.

 

Just curious Angie, how does the car run right now? Rough or about the same as before?

 

She doesn't drive, she glides like a hot knife through butter. She's so smooth it's ridiculous. If I didn't have the coolant leak I wouldn't have known to want a recore, and had the rad checked and investigated and found the head gasket problem.

 

And when its running, is there smke or steam coming out tailpipe?

 

Sometimes yes, sometimes no

 

I've been following this thread off and on since it started and I'm amazed at the knowledge base that is at our disposal, it's mind boggling! The willingness to help is also way more than I'd ever expect based on forums that I've been involved in with other makes. I am new to Jags, less than a year, so I am always interested in anything that may (will) come up in the future.

I don't know enough to really help, but, I am wondering if you might have a family friend who is a car nut in general. Someone who you could have read this string, understand the problem and suggestions and give you a hand interpretting and diagnosing. Maybe a neighbor or a son or daughter of a friend. These cars are very complicated, but, there are some basics that hold true for all engines. I've been involved with cars for 40+ years and I spend a lot of time scratching my head and staring at that V12. Please get a second opinion before you commit to anything.

Hang in there and it will work out in the end.

 

Okay, sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is there more than usual? If so, is there color to the smoke? Bluish/gray? Or is it white?

 

Angie, it seems to me that several people are trying their best to help you and potentially save you alot of $$$s.
Maybe you could take the time to give a little more info to help?
If you are not what they mean you can always ask.

 

She blows white smoke smoke off and on but only when the coolant leaks. I don't know what else to say, so anything else ask and I'll tell. She's absolutely georgous, drives really smooth, starts up on the first shot, except when it's like super cold out here ( like 40's or below)...