Before taking the XK8 out for the first time this year I broke down and pulled a valve cover off to check tensioners.

Good news: the secondaries have been replaced -Yeah!

Bad news: As I am doing the above I am standing in a puddle of coolant from a failed water pump.

 

Mike, sorry to hear about the failed water pump. At least (so I've heard) they're easy enough to replace with the right tools. But on the bright side, that's a clean looking top end on your engine! Nice to find the tensioners already replaced.

What's with that primary chain? Sure looks different from other photos I've seen here, which shows a chain about the same as the secondary - as did my own, when I replaced my tensioners a couple of months ago.

Steve

 

squeeky clean!

 

4.0 engines build from 13th of August 2001 (check your build date of the engine), will have the latest generation tensioners including the morse chain (as primary).

 

Morse chain. Thanks, I didn't know that. Would that indicate the latest tensioners here are original?
Steve

 

They are indeed original.

 

I have tried to find the engine serial number...anybody have a picture of its location?

Thanks in advance.

 

Here it is

 

I thought there were 3 different versions of tensioners?

1.) Original plastic
2.) Modified plastic 2001
3.) Metal 2003

With that I figured I had the gen 2 tensioners which is why I took it apart.

Mike

 

I am fixing to put the 3rd gen tensioners in my 2000 S-Type 4.0. Hope my top-end looks that clean. Nice!

 

How do I work out the build date? Is it written there with the serial number? Sorry I am confused!

 

The build date is the engine number

For instance my engine number is 9805280153

Which means it came off the line at 7 minutes to 2 on the 28th May 1998

Hope this makes sense ,

Nik

 

It certainly does (after a moment or two) 98th year/ 05th month/ 28th day/ at 1.53pm.

Thankyou very much!