So I drove into work this morning. Started the car up, let her warm for a minute. I had been noticing lately that when I start it in the morning, the low coolant light, and the low oil light remain on for a few minutes. I have checked both, and everything is topped off and where it should be.

Work day ended, I go out to the car, turn the key and hear this HORRID clanking noise coming from the engine.

I do not know what happened, or why it happened, but I am fearing I may have just gained myself a donor car..... Rod knock? Spun a bearing? It never made any unusual noises this morning and I have never heard anything unusual from it since I have owned it. I wanted to just cry.... I still kind of do.

Is this common? I had done an oil change about 1000 miles ago, didn't see any unusual stuff in it. It had oil pressure too so I can't figure out what that horrific noise is.

 

Drain the oil and look for debris

 

The low oil light is for pressure, not quantity. It's possible that the oil pump has thrown its hand in and you've cooked a bearing which will throw a rod and bugger up the crank to add to the misery.
Or it could be something else completely but it doesn't sound cheap.
Deepest sympathies.

 

Even if this becomes a worst case scenario, Jaguar V12s can be found for next to nothing. Throw in a new engine, and keep on rolling. Hope it's not that bad though.

 

In either case though, if the oil pump went wouldn't there be no pressure reading? Mine was reading fine on the dash while it was running... All I know is there was a hell of a hammering noise coming from it. Need to find a bigger oil pan to drain the girl into to look for shiny stuff I guess.

 

+1 Steve M's reply

 

Once my dad had a Valiant and the oil pressure light came on. He ignored it and
'figured' it was an electrical glitch. A week later the engine seized. Oil pump had failed. I think he used the 'electrical glitch' excuse to finally get rid of the old car. It was a great work beater.

 

Love the term 'throw' in a new engine. Sounds so easy.
RagJag

 

And I am not real sure where he is finding all of the XJS engines.... I live in the Detroit area. Chevy Ford and Dodge are what everybody has access to. I found a 95 XJS at one yard near me. The engine and trans were both gone. Next closest one was in Indiana....

 

You did say that the low oil (pressure) light stayed on for a few minutes after starting; this means that for a few minutes there is insufficient pressure to even deactivate the warning light which means that the oil will not be flowing around the system properly. If the pump seals are shot then the oil will probably be partly circulating around the pump itself instead of all of it running through the system, especially as it is cold.
It only takes a matter of seconds to run a bearing dry and make it start to 'pick up' which means it starts to shed bits of itself; this creates a hot spot on the crank which will overheat the bearing to such an extent that it will start to melt and seize onto the crank causing nasty damage.
3 of our company ships damaged 5 crankshafts between them last year due to lubrication failure to the big end bearings and at £1/2 million each to replace the cranks meant that none of us had a Christmas bonus.

 

That has to be a record! 500k each. Damn that is nasty and just for a thrown big end shell and scored crank? pft. Hope your xmas is better this year!

 

Put the word out. These engines aren't plentyful thats for sure though. A long time friend owns a Jag shop in my town. When metal prices kept going up, he said he sent all the V12 stuff to the scrap yard, as nobody ever wanted to pay anything for it.

I too, like that term "throw" a engine in it. On my E type, taking the engine out, hooking everything back up, seemed longer than the rebuild itself. I am about to take on my XJS, and seems a big job no matter how I look at it.

 

Ouch. Yeah I am not going to complain. I have a few ideas. Thing is I don't have access or tools to pull the motor out completely to rebuild, or even inspect. Might pull parts, salvage what I can, and throw them into another one if needed....

 

I know this is sacrilidge in the Jaguar world. But comparing costs, I could throw a 383 crate Chevy motor into the Jag, for the same price of tearing mine out, rebuilding it, and putting it all back together. And I would gain 200+ horse, and about 150 ft lbs of torque.... And if something broke, it wouldn't cost me a small fortune to get fixed.... Again. Living in Detroit, MI....

 

Not a sacrilege to every one, just a vocal few. In addition to the power and fuel economy...properly done with alu heads you'd also loose 500lbs over the front axle which would drastically improve handling and braking performance. If you expect v12 smoothness you need a LT or LS motor. Cam'd 383's are a bit gruff.


This could be an opportunity for a redo. If you are going through the expense of a convert I'd suggest fuel injection, since the plumbing is already there, and a modern 4 speed GM transmission with a shorter rear end ratio. Properly done you can have the modern fuel economy, high reliability and stellar pefromance.

 

Please have the common courtesy to at least remove The V-12 emblems if you do. Sacrilege to some....yes. Sacrilege to me....most defenatly. My $.02 wanted or not.

 

Oh I will take the V-12 Badging off. No worries on that!!

 

I am thinking if I am going to drop a Chevy motor in it, smoothness won't be too big of a concern. And I was thinking at least for right now to keep the T400 trans that is in there which is only a 3 speed. Had considered a 700r4, but with limited access to a proper garage I may have to put the trans swap on the back burner.

 

Ok, I'm going to say this once here then you guys have V8 bliss discussions...by the time you get a 700R4 and an LS1 or LTor whatever in, cooling, running, shifting, exhaust sys etc and well sorted you could have just as easily sourced a V-12, dropped it in and been done way before you cobble in that V8. Cheaper to buy a used T/A or C4/C3 vette and be done with it. The XJS isn't a tire fryer that's it's intent. If you want that then consider the latter as a cheaper less painful alternative. cHEERS! And have fun with it whatever you choose.

 

JTsmks

I understand your point and if these cars ever get collectible, the ones that are not original will have a lesser value to collectors.

However, if converting it to a V8 keeps it from being parted out or being sent to the scraper, that is great. At least it is still on the road.

I'm going through this myself right now, but the issue is a faulty brake system.

Guess what? no one is interested in the car 'as is' even thought it is an excellent car other than the brake issue. Folks want to offer a bit more than scrap metal price. I can part it out very easily for at least twice what I have been offered. But I'll try to sort it out before parting it out.

Sorry but these cars are no where close to being as collectible as the E Type was, for example, 30 years after it came out. And even though no one likes to see them being parted out, there isn't exactly a line of buyers for these cars.

So to the OP, do what you have to in order to keep it running. Hats off to you for being willing to take on the project.

There are still a number of old hot rods running about. If those hadn't been converted to more modern drivetrains years ago, the vast majority would have ended up in the junk yards forever.