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Please forgive my ignorance in using this forum, direct me if I need to be posting this query elsewhere.
Dear Jaguar fans, at the age of 70, I have purchased a gorgeous Cabernet red 1997xk8 convertible, 56k miles, plenty of service records. Had a pre- purchase tech check it out, bought CarFax, etc. Was my birthday/divorce gift to myself. Was planning to have serviced, discovered oil leak under front end, but oil dipstick showed clean and full. Took it to local garage with good reviews(not a Jag place), as I am new to Northern Calif, Near Sacramento.
After they had my car for 6 hours, I got nervous and called. Boy oh boy! They had a huge long list of see-pages, leaks, gaskets, rear differential, valve cover, front wheel bearings, ....DIDNT have any kind of estimate, as they were “tracking down parts”, and will call me before noon tomorrow.
The service manager actually asked me if I loved the car and wanted to be able to drive it for FIVE MORE YEARS! What!!???
I may be ignorant about the mechanics of a Jaguar, but I think I’m being insulted.
It seems that cleaning the breather valve is a common solution to “leaks”. Just doing a little research. Did ask that the estimates be prioritized.
By the way, the oil leak? Overfilled. I’m a 70-year old woman and guessed that.
Looking for opinion and advice dear people.
Met Cindy last night to look at her car. Very good looking XK8 and look like it wss well maintained.
Looked at her service records and the timing chains and tensioners were updated. The thermostat tower was updated to aluminium. There was some work done one the rear suspension and the power steering. Along with periodic oil changes.
Did a visual inspection of the car. The upper shock mount looked good with no deterioration. All of the lines and hoses look good with no leaking or seepage on the top end of the engine. There is a oil leak that I couldn't see where it was coming from. The shop that gave her the estimate on repairs said it was the timing cover and the oil pan gaskets. There was some old oil and dirt on the bottom ledge of the timing cover. It didn't look wet so I think the leak is from below that point. Checked the oil on the dipstick and the engine oil levelwas between a 1/4 to a 1/2 quart overfilled. I don't think it would cause the leak but suggested she get the oil changed and refilled to the proper level. I don't have time this weekend but suggested she come by my shop in the next few weeks and I can put it up on my lift and then see where the leak is comming from.
Looked inside of the car and there was no evidence of hydraulic fluid in the overhead console. I let her know about the green shower. Interior looked in excellent shspe, a lot better than any of my cars.
My overall opinion was the car was well maintained by the previous owner and was in good shape. Told her the car is 24 years old and maintenance items will pop up from time to time. Told her to driver her car and enjoy it. I'm sure she will and was very excited about her car and I gave her a little piece of mind about the car.
And to top it off she is a very nice person and will mske a great addition as a member to our forum.
I then lost $20 at the casino but had a nice dinner with my wife and daughter. The previous owner did a little customizing as you can see.
Welcome to the forum. For several years now the consensus has been to find an independent shop that is knowledgeable and has the necessary testing equipment and mechanics to service these "old" cars at a reasonable price. Most dealers will not even touch them, and those that do are probably looking for early retirement or have children of college age.
The first step will be to remove your car from the current sharks and provide a more detailed location so that our west coast members can suggest another option. Understand that most of us are mechanically inclined and able to take on most of the service and repairs, which can be expensive. But there are shops that will give honest estimates and want to maintain a good reputation.
I was so happy to get your response! I am pretty nervous about having a reliable car, as I do a lot of driving..Wishing i were 20 years younger, able to even get under the car..LOL. I envy you.
i live in Roseville , just east of Sacramento. Having just moved here, I have no experience with local shops.
I would be happy to have recommendations for local shops that won’t take one look at me and see dollar signs. The shop that has the car now, will not be getting my business. I’ll listen, take the estimates, wave goodbye.
Thanks again for your advice!
I live in Sacramento. I have some experience with these cars. I have 8 or 9 of them. I will send you a private message with my contact info. If you would like me to take a look at it get in touch with me and I can meet you somewhere to look at your car.
While I'm out that way I can take my wife to Thunder Valley, a local Indian casino.
Hello -
and thank you!! I’ve got a couple messages into two shops locally, but neither one would be able to even look at my car until Friday, if then. Original shop was using “scare tactics”, which aggravated me no end. I’m old, not stupid.
i would be grateful if you could swing over to Roseville and have a look at the car. My nephew would be happy to come with me, as he worked at his dad’s garage as a teen.
I’m not sure how to get personal messages...?
(tech challenged).
thanks again!
Cindy
I can't send you my info through a private message since you are new to the site. I ask a moderator if he could give you my info. It is late now so we will get you my info hopefully tomorrow.
It's a bit of a drive for you, but I highly recommend The Jag Man in San Rafael, he does the work on my XK8 Coupe. Honest & hard-working, not too expensive. 415-456-1767. Derrick is his name.
Met Cindy last night to look at her car. Very good looking XK8 and look like it wss well maintained.
Looked at her service records and the timing chains and tensioners were updated. The thermostat tower was updated to aluminium. There was some work done one the rear suspension and the power steering. Along with periodic oil changes.
Did a visual inspection of the car. The upper shock mount looked good with no deterioration. All of the lines and hoses look good with no leaking or seepage on the top end of the engine. There is a oil leak that I couldn't see where it was coming from. The shop that gave her the estimate on repairs said it was the timing cover and the oil pan gaskets. There was some old oil and dirt on the bottom ledge of the timing cover. It didn't look wet so I think the leak is from below that point. Checked the oil on the dipstick and the engine oil levelwas between a 1/4 to a 1/2 quart overfilled. I don't think it would cause the leak but suggested she get the oil changed and refilled to the proper level. I don't have time this weekend but suggested she come by my shop in the next few weeks and I can put it up on my lift and then see where the leak is comming from.
Looked inside of the car and there was no evidence of hydraulic fluid in the overhead console. I let her know about the green shower. Interior looked in excellent shspe, a lot better than any of my cars.
My overall opinion was the car was well maintained by the previous owner and was in good shape. Told her the car is 24 years old and maintenance items will pop up from time to time. Told her to driver her car and enjoy it. I'm sure she will and was very excited about her car and I gave her a little piece of mind about the car.
And to top it off she is a very nice person and will mske a great addition as a member to our forum.
I then lost $20 at the casino but had a nice dinner with my wife and daughter. The previous owner did a little customizing as you can see.
Bob was invaluable , reassured me about my car. It was gratifying not to be treated like a moron..lol!
I learned so much in the short time he was taking time to check the Jag., I know that I’ll learn a lot from Bob and all of you!
okay... now a question: oil recommendations?
I see a lot about Mobil 1 advanced synthetic, 5w-30,5w-40. Additives? It’s going to be hot here in Placer County through September...
Thanks again, you are my new Best Friends😊
I think the 5W-30 should be fine. It's unlikely that you will have to be concerned with the hydraulic lines to the top failing as that problem started in '98 with a new supplier, but it's still possible that the seals in the top latch and the ram cylinders will fail. Not a common occurrence.
I expect Bob has suggested a transmission fluid change and upgrade of the pressure valve at some future date.
Thanks RJ237!
Up until recently, I had someone else assuming responsibility for car issues. I want to learn as much as I can, so that even if I can’t do the work, I can make informed decisions.
I was leaning toward the 5w-30, and every tidbit I get from everyone, will be duly noted and written down.
Thank you again..
I expect Bob has suggested a transmission fluid change and upgrade of the pressure valve at some future date.
Yes I did RJ. I agree with the 5w-30, that is what I use. I gave her heads up on other things that might pop up like the ABS module fault, usally the solder points, and warned about the delicacy of the plastic parts on these older cars. Her biggest issue is the oil leak and will see what that is in a week or two.
FYI. On my 2000 xk8 my green drip was caused by the hydraulic latch seals leaking. I have a 97 and a 99 xk8 donor car here and thought I would take one of their latches to replace my leaking one. On both cars I could see the seepage of hydraulic fluid around the ram and the lines on both cars looked good. I ended up sending the latch to Top Hydraulics to be rebuilt. I am going to try to source the orings and seals for the latch to repair my other 2 latches. The repair doesn't look to difficult.
Amazing Bob, really...
I live in a neighborhood where folks don't have a lot of money. When they tell me what these garages are charging them, telling them and doing to them - more than once I have been tempted to go to the garage and let them know that I know they are liars. I help where I can. And often need to reassure...
I've also done a fair bit of using social media to inform (moderate) numbers of people in the community... Warn and shame about X, Y, Z garage and what they did to this or that vulnerable person... Here, they are taking real advantage of folks who can't afford it,,, with impunity.... Anywho
What ya did makes me proud, Man 😊
Been running Castrol GTX 5W-30 conventional oil with 6,000 mile oil & filter change intervals in my wife's 2006 XK8 Victory Edition convertible since we purchased it in early February 2012 at 36,000 miles. Now at 122,400 miles with zero engine issues during our ownership. As others have said, consider an ATF drain-and-fill if there are no records of any. We have done three separate ATF drain-and-fills since July 2013. Each drain-and-fill replaces right at half the fluid in the system. Shift quality has remained excellent....
I believe, but am not sure, that Jaguar came out with a service bulletin recommending 10w-40 instead of 5w-30, at least that is what my Jaguar expert has told me.
JayJagJay...oh you are so right about shops/garages.... the garage I took my new/old Jag missed me by a mile. I am not one to say “oh thank you for saving me!” DIDNT get to 70 by being gullible or senile. I may be a white haired grandma, but if you try to use scare tactics on me, buddy, you better be wearing a cup. I had already scheduled 2nd and 3rd appointments elsewhere before picking up the car. Original shop guy was so rude that he barely spoke to me while processing my $80 fee. Yup, he was losing at least $3k(unbelievably, shop manager was suggesting “unfound” issues could cost another $1-2k when she was giving me estimates over the phone ).But, Bob was heads above those shark infested waters.
Shops/repair guys who try to take advantage are pretty low, but karma is a b**ch.
Happy to be part of this community.
Taking car in for new oil this morning. Will put flat cardboard under front end to see what plays out. Fingers crossed. But Bob’s offer to put it on the rack will help identify any further issues to be addressed.
Last edited by Rosevillesister; 07-17-2021 at 12:43 PM.
Reason: Oops, punctuation
Welcome to the forum Cindy. That's a really nice example of an XK8, they are beautiful cars and easy to fall in love with. It appears that your car has been well maintained, that's really important as deferred maintainable causes lots of problems with these cars. Finding a good mechanic is the challenge, you may have to travel a bit. I had a similar experience as yours. I had a shop that specializes in Jags take a look at my car because I really didn't want to do the suspension work myself. I asked for an estimate for the suspension rebuild. They recommended a thorough "inspection" before they would do anything, it would cost me 130.00. I left the car overnight. They generated several pages of needed work, mostly replacing various gaskets and seals to the tune of 10,000 dollars! They didn't even address the suspension which groaned and clunked and had shredded rubber protruding from the lower pivots! Needless to say I never returned to that shop.
You don't need to become a mechanic yourself, you just need to become "sensitive" to your car's needs. Always keep an eye on fluid levels, battery condition, keep an eye on the instruments, note the running temperature of the engine. Keep track of any new "funny" noises. Note the feel of the steering, tracking and suspension. I don't want you to become an automotive hypochondriac, but your attention can catch small problems from becoming bigger ones. Any older car, but especially a Jaguar can't be thought of, or treated like an appliance. I've tried to instill this attitude in my Daughter but I'm just accused of "man-splaining" and am generally ignored. I'm just trying to help her to be prepared to be on her own.
Enjoy your beautiful car and drive it as much as you can, they love the exercise.
Last edited by Rivguy; 07-17-2021 at 01:06 PM.
Reason: typo
Cindy (quote) “....you’d better be wearing a cup!” LOL!
Welcome to the Forum Cindy.
Rivguy is so right when he says that you just need to be sensitive to the car’s needs.
I bought my ‘97 XK8 as a project car, to have a bit of fun in the garage while the family was away. I live in the blistering heat of the Middle East and as usual families disappear during the Super HOT summers. This forum has helped me numerous times, even in the middle of DIY jobs when I got stuck. The crowd here will always offer great knowledge and experience.
FWIW I run 10W40 oil in my Aj27 engine, due to the heat and desert climate here. Runs just fine. It’s in the service book too with recommended oil weights. Just get a reputable brand for peace of mind. I do the oil service myself and it’s do-able. Every penny saved - as I’m a DIY cheap skate!
70 years old - doesn’t mean you can’t crawl under the car. Just getting back up may be another issue! Hehe!
Enjoy the ride and the car ownership experience
Last edited by DavidYau; 07-17-2021 at 11:21 PM.
Reason: Typos
LOL about age and getting under the car. What about just getting in and out of the car being a challenge? BobRoy has the right idea having a lift. Am dusting off tools to do simple DIY. Expansion tank, coil and plugs so far. Also iPhone/software "gauges"
Welcome to the forum. Nice car! You're lucky the tensioners were changed. Sounds like someone took car of the car which is key to owning a reliable early Jag. Glad BobRoy got a chance to take a look at your car. As you can tell, he's an expert. Maybe I missed it but did anyone mentioning upgrading the idiot light factory "temp. gauge"? It's worthless. Either do the Real Gauge conversion or the cell phone/software thing for short term fix. Can learn what temp range (digitally) the engine usually runs in and see possible problems. Also digital battery voltage. Like Rivguy said, get to know the car so you're aware of small changes before they become big problems.
Sacramento indy shops are Stewarts Automotive (fancy expensive cars + Jaguars). Shop Mgr is pleasant, they've been very helpful but $$$. Haven't used Brit Car Services but unimpressed when I visited. J&G in San Rafael is good. Jag only. Bacchus (in Walnut Creek) is also Jag only. Knows the cars well. Also $$$. This forum is great. There are simple ways to fixing problem that shops charge a fortune to do. Also much easier to talk to shop if you hire someone. For example, ABS module problems may requiring just soldering connects. Any shop sends them out for rebuilds costing hundreds of dollars. Get more mileage out of the ZF5 by changing the fluid at 50-60k. I'll let others comment but doing the Transgo seems like a good idea.
07-14-2021, 06:48 PM
1997 xk8 4.0 , leaks and seepage?
