Purchased the XK8 three years ago with only 14,000 on it. Had it checked out by a Jaguar dealer who only recommended a few minor items. Wish at that time I had read what some of the possible problems might arise. last Spring taking it out of storage it overheated. The cause being that the water pump failed which I now know is a common problem. They replaced the water pump , all of the hoses and changed the oil. Worked fine til August when it overheated again. This time they found the overfill reservoir had cracked. Leaving the garage I got about five miles before before it once again overheated. The final verdict is either the head gasket is gone, the head is warped or the head is cracked. they are recommending putting a rebuilt engine in the Jag. Lowest mileage they can find is 78,000 miles. Considering the low mileage on the original engine does it make any sense to rebuild it or is it going to be better to just replace it?

 

Are you inclined to do any of the work yourself?

 

I am afraid that would be way beyond my capabilities.

 

I would rebuild your original engine, get a pair of recon heads if need be at least you know the history, with a replacement engine you have no idea where it has come from?

Better the devil you know and all that, especially with it's low mileage

 

Head gasket blown or head(s) warped or head(s) cracked are three possible consequences of overheating. It doesn't become a 'final verdict' until the heads are removed for inspection.

This is the third post I've read recently where the dealer has immediately gone from an uninvestigated mechanical issue direct to recommending a replacement engine.

Inevitably you're going to take a $$ hit but there's no need to jump to the biggest one! My first move would be to have the heads removed because it could be just gaskets if you haven't seriously cooked it.

If it is more serious and you need to source used head(s), that's still a lot less cost than a replacement engine.

Graham

 

How long was it stored? Has it had a new thermostat fitted recently?
Did it overheat while standing or on the road?
How have they determined head or gasket failure from overheating?.
I would check the items assiciated with overheating symptoms first. Water pump could have failed again due to bad thermostat or electrical problems with the cooling fans.
If the car has been stored, sometimes problems occur like this when waking it up again. Also sounds like the dealer has again pushed the "new engine" verdict prematurely. As has been said, at worst you could fit
re-con head or heads, or headgaskets if you're lucky. Keep that low mileage engine with the car if at all possible.

 

I agree with all of the above, verify the simple stuff first, thermostat etc, then pull the heads and see exactly whats wrong.

 

This is your chance! Grab an engine from an xkr! haha

 

There are 2 things that will kill a NIKASIL engine.
High sulfur fuel.
Engine Over Temp.

If the pistons expanded and scraped the coating from the cylinder walls you will be wasting time with that block. (unless you press fit steel liners and fit new pistons.)

Pull the heads and look at the heads/cylinders.

bob gauff

 

This is a tough call. The 99 4.0 had the Nikasil coating that can be damaged by overheating. It also had bad water pumps and secondary timing chain tensioners making the engine a bomb if it is not corrected. A rebuilt engine would need to be a later version, after the nikasil was discontinued to be more sure of the results. Installing liners in an aluminum block is a job for brain surgeons for it to be successful. The factory did it but I have heard mixed reviews from others that have tried it.

 

Thanks for all the good advice. Now I feel I need to find a good independent shop in Maine rather then take it back to the Jag dealer.

 

Fixed it for you.

 

I have a rebuilder in oaklahoma, with experience, that rebuilds your motor, as a long block, You will have your local man install it and it will have a warrenty . I will try to find a phone number if your interested . 5014256191,lee , he quoted 1400 and a 2 week turn around.

 

It would be interesting to talk to him. I really would prefer to keep the original engine but with the nikasil coating I wonder if I may be better off putting in a rebuilt engine that does not have the coating.

 

Keep the nikasil, it is far superior to a steel lined engine

 

I have a 2006 XK8 that recently had an overheating problem resulting from a failed monkey hose. Resulted in having to have engine rebuilt. My problem is that the temp gauge never moved and warned of overheating. Can anyone explain wht the temp gauge did not alert to overheating and basically cooked my engine?

 

The temp sensor is above the engine in the connecting pipe. If the system is low on water it will not detect the overheating problem. Good design, huh?
RJ____________
97 XK8 85K mi

 

A Low coolant message on these engines means you need to pull over and investigate immediately. If you have major coolant loss, you will not get an overheating indication.

 

Yes a strong second to pull over and have the car towed in to be looked at when the low coolant light comes on.
As an update to where I am at with my Jag. After doing a lot of research I decided to go with a rebuilt engine. To my surprise the first three rebuilders I called ,that advertised the availability of an engine, actually had none. The answer I got from them was that they had not had one to sell in a number of years since they could not find a core to rebuild. I thought that rather odd but moved to the next name on my list. That being 123engine in California. Their website had a very promising description for a rebuilt engine. Preety much everything internally is replaced and the cylinders are relined. In calling them yes they had an engine and the price was actually less then a used engine. Filled out their online form and they charged my credit card for the engine. Now I have to say I was more then a bit concerned about dealing with them as they had at that time an F rating from the BBB and their were a number of horor stories online relating to actually having an order fulfilled. On the plus side there were all very positive comments on ebay.
Now the fun started. Weeks went by and I did not have my engine. They were very good about returning my calls but the answers I got relating to where my engine was just got stranger and stranger. My favorite was that they discovered that the shipper they used did not have adequate insurance and they had him turn around half way to Maine and were waiting to have another shipping company pick up the engine. In the end a couple of months after paying for the engine it finally arrived . My guess is that they did not have a core when I placed the order and it took them a couple of months to find one to rebuild.
Now you can imagine after the hassles of getting the engine I was rather nervous about the actual engine. Took the jag dealer a good week to get it installed and they were very happy with the engine. I have been very nervous driving the car expecting the worse and about a week ago the low coolant light came on. All I could think about was that the engine had failed. In calling the dealer my description of the gurgling noises the engine was making led them to believe the head gasket had failed. Had the Jag towed and after they checked it out they found it had not overheated like the first time the low coolant light came on .The first time the water pump and thermostat failed which I discovered were common problems. This time a brand new water pump cracked and was leaking. they replaced the pump and with fingers crossed I am driving the car.If I had kept driving the car I would have most likely caused the engine to overheat and fail.
My experiences with123engine are continuing though. Took them awhile to pick up my original engine and they still have not credited my credit card for the core charge I paid for upfront.
As for the Jag every so often warning messages come up for stability control and the ABS system. The Jag dealer tells me to just ignore them as they are false warnings. Absolutely love the car and there is not a day that I do not get comments of what a beautiful car it is. Just wish it was a bit more reliable.

 

My take on this situation presupposes that the damage to your engine is more serious than a blown head gasket is as follows:

1.Given hourly labor rates, the number of hours needed to overhaul a Jag engine and parts cost thru the roof - you will be better served with a salvage engine from a similar car.

2.There are a number of salvage/wrecking yards about. Just take your time. The fun is in the hunt.

3.You must have unimpeachable information on any used engine you buy. That usually involves an engine in a car that is running before you buy it.

Do keep us posted no matter what you do.