Hey guys, so I just got my Xj-S last week and after cleaning out all the trash the previous owner left for me inside of it, I have finally starting working on the "blown head gasket" that he said was wrong with it.

The thing is, from what I see it doesn't look like a head gasket problem to me. The most alarming thing I see is oil completely covering the engine. The kid i bought it from didn't seem to know a thing about cars so I'm really starting to second guess that its a blown head gasket. All of the oil that is still in the car (or should I say, all over it haha) is completely black/brown. No white or discoloration as if coolant was getting in there.

Any ideas on what could be the cause of this massive oil leak? I was starting on taking off the exhaust manifolds, but after thinking about it, I may try putting it back together and replacing the hoses and whatnot...

 

its a 1990 v12 by the way. idk why its not showing in my signature.

 

Have you cleaned it off to examine the engine? If it is all over I would think it would be difficult to see where it might have originated.

 

sounds like a cracked block.

 

I'd clean the engine 1st, then run it and see if I could determine where the oil is coming from. There are a number of places it could be leaking and spraying all over the motor. There is a banjo bolt and oil lines coming off the back of both heads that go to a oil pressure sensor right behind the capstan (throttle mechanism). If they are leaking it will spray oil EVERYWHERE! It could also be valve cover gaskets. The factory gaskets are just paper and tend to leak.

 

Well crap, I'm really hoping its not a cracked block. I've heard these v12's are built like tanks.

I guess first thing tomorrow is to start cleaning it off. From what I can see as is I would almost say it could possibly be both a faulty valve cover gasket and a leak in the oil lines coming off the heads.

thanks guys!

 

valve cover gasket will do it for sure. just get half a dozen cans of brake cleaner and blast the thing clean.
if it was a crack in the block it would be ALL over the engine.

 

lucky me I happen to have a bunch of brake cleaner!

I have a whole set of gaskets that came with the car so I will definitely be replacing them. I think I'm also going to replace a lot of the hoses, and probably see about getting a couple of those bmw ignition harnesses to make a new one to replace the rotting crap I have now.

If only I could buy the time to do this all, sigh.