Have 02 xk8 that got a warning light for low coolant. filled up reservoir. light off for about a week. came back on when driving to Tamp from Clearwater. Going across causeway about 70 and the Oil Pressure went to zero. By time a could get it shut down it was knocking. Took to dealer and they said need engine.

I am looking for options. Is it worth pulling engine and checking crank and rods and bearing for replace? Aluminum engine and not sure the other issues that come up. Any advice/suggestions would be nice. This is my daily driver, only about 6 miles a day to work, and want to get it back on the road.

 

It would be worth it to tear it apart, if you do it yourself. Doubt a shop would be worth your while though, I would look for a low mileage XJ/XK engine and have it rebuilt if it is over 100k miles.

How high was the temp?
Oil pressure going to zero is a sure sign you over heated and something in the engine let go , seal, oil pump, etc...

 

Just replace it with a used engine. You have no way of knowing what temp. it went to, but if the oil pressure failed and it's knocking, it doesn't matter. A used engine with a one year warranty should cost $2500+/-, and hopefully you can find a good independent to swap. Members in your area should be able to help locate a shop.

 

Forgot to add, I have a friend that is a mechanic at Collier in Orlando. Sorry, I do not remember his last name, but everybody calls him english Andy. He is a mechanic there and should be able to at least point you towards a good shop in Clearwater and maybe help you find an engine.

 

There may be a chance the your current engine is fine. You can always send out an oil sample ($20-$30 dollars). Based on the metal content of oil sample, the lab analysis can do a pretty good job of telling you if anything is worn.
As for the engine knock, is that truly permanent, or due to lack of oil pressure? My experience is dealers don't really troubleshoot individual issues, but just component replace based on Jaguar flow charts. Just look at all the folks who replaced perfectly good transmissions at the dealer based on a CEL, only to have the same issue with a new or rebuilt tranny.
I'm just saying the the current engine needs to be ruled out first, before considering rebuilding / replacing options. I had something similar with an XKR engine (when the oil pressure light came on, the dipstick had shown empty). After an oil change and lab analysis (which ruled out damage to pistons, crank, or cams) it has gone another 20K miles as strong as ever, and still runs great. Fix the oil pressure issue and give it a chance first.

 

in an over temp event lots of things can happen, I vote for an engine swap.

Cylinder head - the valve seats drop out and pin the valve(s) open - usually all she wrote on the head(s) - top end knock?

Bottom end - (oil leak?) a bottom end knock is a spun main/con rod bearing - usually heavy work on the crank and plenty of time putting the engine back together...

These engines go from being fine to funked fast.

See if you can upload a video of the 'knock' - that would help.

 

the only issue i have with buying a motor for $2500 and putting it in is how do I know that engine doesn't have an issue. Do I purchase a used motor and then have a mechanic tear it down before they put it in.

I have a mechanic that is going to pull the current engine and pull the pan and see how bad it looks. They have to pull the engine either way so that won't be a waste of money. If it looks bad I guess i purchase an engine. At that point what do I need to do to make sure the engine I puchase is OK.

thank you all for your help. Trying to get my baby back on the road so I can put the top down and cruise the beach here in florida. Best time of year.

 

W, I think you made a sensible choice having the mechanic at least give the engine a cursory inspection. Just use your head when it comes time to make the big decision. A used engine will typically have a guarantee (even if most are replacement only with no labor), where rebuilding yours could be thousands more. Figuring labor rates at $100 or more per hour, start adding the hours and you will soon have your $2500 spent even before you buy a single part.

 

BTW, the temp never left the middle of the gauge durning all of this. i know this really doesn't mean anything or at least not all the time. I did replace the thermostat about 6 months ago or more. At that time the it got hot and limped it into dealer. Not sure all this matters now. gonna pull the engine and have a look. will update with what we find and see if anyone has suggestions at that point.

Thanks again for all the input.

 

got mechanic at $65/hour. Keep fingers crossed that it isn't totally messed up. Tell me how many hours you think it would take to rebuild a motor. I am not asking for exact numbers but give me a range so I can start doing the math. For my money I would feel better with a motor I know was rebuilt and gone over with a fine tooth comb for $3500 then some $2500 engine I am not sure about. or whatever the numbers might be. Not sure that is best view to take as I have never been in this situation.

 

As suggested above.. send the oil for analysis. Spend a couple bucks now or thousands later. ..

On my Jeep it was knocking like mad!!! Jeep dealer said replacement engine. I took it to indy and it was on a $100 part, a crankshaft pulley or similar part was bad. Also had similar situation with my Audi A6. .
get a second opinion!!!

 

Thanks to members on this forum I was able to rebuild one of my own engines with info supplied - but and it's a big but, I did it myself.

The price of gaskets, bearings and the removal of the crank for machining along with checking the cylinder heads for flatness and valve clearances, fixing things you come across will eat into your budget at 65 p.h.

Jaguar factory guide time on an engine removal/install is 9.5 hours, assuming all tools are to hand along with added parts required.

You start to see why a good replacement engine is the only route. I can totally understand keeping the original unit with the car is important, but unless you can do it, it will cost over double the price of an straight swap. Unless your guy finds a simple fix like filling it back up with oil, but it's a long shot with it making noises...

Start asking around the forum for an engine, 4.0 of the same year XK or XJ. Gearboxes fail, cars get rear ended, so there should be a good one available. Lots of things can be reused off the original, all ancillaries, induction/throttle etc. The XJ308 model has exactly the same engine so will be a likely donor, and can be picked up cheaper than if you ask for XK engines...

I see it's an 02' so the engine needs to be of this specification, an AJ27 4.0.

Keep us updated on what your guy finds.

 

+1 to assessing the damage before jumping to either used replacement or rebuild.

Pulling the pan alone isn't going to tell the full story. The heads need also need to be removed.

Rebuild is the preferable option but very expensive if you're not doing the work yourself.

Good luck.

Graham

 

You might try to negotiate so that you can do the tear-down and get your guy to take it from there. It's a big job and sometimes they like company, sometimes not, but you can just ask. I would evaluate the engine before deciding.

rick XK8

 

If oil pressure went to 0, then an oil analysis might not give you an idea of the damage, since a cylinder seizing will sometimes trap the metal shavings above the piston. Only way to tell is pull the crank and pistons to check the bottom end and pull the heads to look to see if the heads warped and valves/seats are good and a slightly bent valves will be found by pulling the valves and using a micrometer to measure the tolerances.

Get a used engine and have it rebuilt, rebuilding should not cost more than $1500-2000 and will give you piece of mind.

 

If you are interested, I have an ls1 from a gto that would fit in your xk8, and I also have the kit from Andrew at jaguar specialties, I was going to install it on my xkr, but then got a good deal on a wrecked xkr 100, so am going to put the xkr 100 engine into mine and sell the ls1.

Almost everything you need I have already. Text me if you are interested. Ben (321) 402 6269.

 

i'm having a 440 cid engine rebuilt for my 1962 chrysler 300 convertable.it will cost between 8 to 10 grand,and these old style engines were a lot more simplistic.if you replace your engine,save the old one for the original numbers.believe it or not someone might want to restore your car someday,and an original engine block can make it worth more.however you will have to wait quite a few years...steve.