Just a quick few before I do this for the first time...
Anything I need to know that make an XK different from a Grand Caravan or an Explorer?

I have an oil leak (as yet to be located). Hopefully I will discover it is an oil plug bolt that needs to be replaced, but I DO see oil coming from the circular seals at the sensors (whatever they are) at the front of both rocker-arm covers on top of the engine.

I obviously need a shop manual, as the above paragraph demonstrates. (Cam sensors? Does this thing have overhead cams in the rocker-arm covers?) What is the best manual, and where do I get it?

I am planning on using Castrol Edge High Mileage (140,000 miles) 5W-30 at the recommendation of my buddy who works for Castrol (corporate sales). Any objections? Fram ExtraGuard PH9010, right?

And finally... What are the little red bars on the top and bottom of the fuel gauge?


(This is not a pic of ours, just an example)

Is that the oil life indicator? If so, there is no mention of it in the handbook. If not, where is it? There are youtubes about how to do the service reset. Surely if my 1999 Ford explorer has an oil life gauge, this thing does too, right?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

The red bars on the fuel gauge indicate that you are on reserve.
I use Castrol 5w30 on my 2006 XK as stated in the handbook or Quantum of the same spec.

 

The red bars indicate water temperature .

In regards to the oil spec Woo5ie is 100 percent correct!

 

Surely, they are as Woo5ie states "The red bars on the fuel gauge indicate that you are on reserve."

Also, I believe the leaking seals on the camshaft covers are for the variable cam timing. Take a look at this thread.

 

I was able to track down a CD manual on eBay for just a few bucks. I've used it quite a bit since.

If the cam covers have been removed there may be some dirt under the seals or bolts not torqued properly at reassembly. I'm pretty sure the gaskets are "O ring" type and easily distorted. I'd take it to a reputable shop for them to look at in leu of a manual for information because proper torque is important.

 

There is nothing special to changing the oil on a 2007 XK/XKR. Many Jaguar owners fear the oil change on the 2007-2008-2009 MY's. It is a basic change.

Many pay Jaguar dealers upwards of $150 for a basic oil change.

There is a plastic undertray that gets removed with a few bolts. The oil filter is accessed from under the car and simply screws off like any other normal oil filter. Oil is simply poured into the engine from above. Simply remove the oil pan nut and let it drain as any normal vehicle.

Select your filter at any on-line auto parts store or local parts store, and select your Castrol oil at stores like Walmart, they sell it.

My first oil change at the Jaguar dealer was $135.00 and I quickly found out spending that kind of money was unnecessary. After that change and having to drive 120 miles round trip to the closest Jag dealer, I purchased my own K&N oil filters, Castrol oil at Walmart and paid a local national oil change shop $28.00 to complete the oil changes. The change was completed in 15 to 20 minutes.

Many times Castrol will have oil coupons for discounts. Changing the oil on your 2007 Jag is no different than our Grand Caravan of Explorer.

Owning a Jaguar is a quick learning curve. Enjoy and happy oil changing.

Here's the correct answer for the fuel gauge (red bars). Click the image to enlarge.
..

 

Yeah, I saw that - page 116. But that graphic doesn't refer to the red bars that go from 0 to 1/8th of the fuel gauge. Now I am surmising that those are actually pertaining to the fuel gauge - as in, if your fuel level gets to that area, "you are in the danger zone" of running out of fuel. And that there is no visual gauge pertaining to oil life. You just get a notice that your car needs "service" when it's time for an oil change.

The other question I have is, how many miles does the computer allow for oil life before it tells you it's time for an oil change?

 

I'm not sure my 07 ever told me time fore an oil change. As I recall from past arguments Jaguar claims every 10,000 mile under perfect driving conditions.
I never took oil that far myself I swap every 5K.
With my XKR, I swap oil every 5K and and filters every 2.5K (Thanks to top mounted filters in the 2010 and up models).

 

On occation I'll have a dealership do the change (so I have an excuse to get the wife in to see new models) but found that it is much cheaper to have a local oil shop do it. I have to call in advance so they'll have the filter and full synth oil on hand though. Of course, the dealership washes the car too......but that still makes for an expensive trip. ha ha

Oil change freqency varies by who you talk to. Even during my days as a powertrain engineer I'd get different stories from product and supplier "experts". Of course the oil suppliers indicated it should be chaged much more often than most manuals prescribe. Oil is not just a lubricant, it also has heat disipation and contaminate suspension functions built into it's many properties. It is almost rocket science, but it doesn't just come out of the ground, there is a chemistry involved that makes chosing the right properties very important. Common sense will tell you factors such as climate, dusty conditions, driving style etc. have an effect on engine life, especially oil and coolants.

One can argue that some brands are better than others but I think just sticking to Jaguar's recomended oil spec is best when making a choice.

As fas when to change oil, I'm older so not in the habit of overly pushing the pedal so it is about <10k miles for me.

Thoughts?

 

10K miles under average/normal conditions, or once a year. There's no evidence to suggest that Jag was being adventurous with this interval.

 

I assume you don't have the OM so just to make sure you know there is no , oil pressure , oil temp. , oil service life , water temp . and battery voltage instrumentation in the XK series cars. The fuel gauge is the fuel gauge and tells you level of fuel with the red warning zone which only give you a few gallons of fuel left before you stop. You can buy an OBDII adapter and SW that will show the water temp and other functions but nothing about oil.

 

Assuming "OM" refers to "original manual", why do you assume I don't have one? I just said I saw that graphic on page 116...

Also, I think OBDII stands for on-board diagnostics, but I am not familiar with "SW". What does that stand for? See? I know just enough to be dangerous.

 

SW software

Sometimes people use s/w rather than sw.

 

The only unusual thing about doing an oil change is the Oil Filter location on the 2007 XK.

On the previous XK8 4.2 litre (and other Jaguar models), the filter is on the side of the engine. For the XK it was moved to the front of the engine.

It can be difficult to get sufficient grip on the filter to rotate it and I've never been a believer in slamming a screwdriver through them to give additional leverage.

The filter wrench available from many tool suppliers makes it a lot easier to work in the available space:



It also facilitates applying the correct torque when fitting the new filter - 17Nm / 13lb ft.

The drain plug torque is 25 Nm /18 lb ft. Not quite so critical with the steel oil sump (pan) as it used to be on earlier models with aluminium sumps.

Graham

 

After removing the under tray on a 2007 xk8 is the drain obvious? I have heard a rumor that you will break something in the pan if you remove the drain plug or the wrong plug on the pan . How do you know the correct oil level after you drain / filter change / refill oil ?
Thank You Catricks

 

Drain bolt is diagonal out the corner of the pan but I forget if it was front or back. I think back corner because I needed to move the drain pan to catch the oil filter leakage when I pulled it off. Want to say the bolt was a 14 mm head but it might have been 13 mm.

Per the dipstick, drain the oil, change the filter, add oil. Start car for a minute and shut it off. Then wait a couple minutes and check the level. Then you'll know what the dipstick says when truly full.

 

No, they do not. The red bars indicate that the fuel level is LOW - and running often on low fuel will damage the in-tank fuel pump which is cooled by the fuel around it. This is the most frequent cause of fuel pump failure.

 

The drain plug is perfectly obvious. The issue of the "wrong plug" has nothing at all to do with the XK ( and the XK8 was the previous model; your car is an XK); the "wrong plug" issue relates to the transmission on the X-Type, a totally different car.
How do you check the oil level? You pull the dipstick out and look at the oil level indicated on it. Your car has the excellent 4.2 litre engine. The later 5 litre engine has an electronic oil level check. And I would not use a FRAM filter (ever). Try a Bosch or other brand , or even the OEM Jaguar filter (!).

 

Alright... Alright... WHAT''S wrong with Fram...