Hi Jaguar gang!
I hope the moderators don't get mad at me for the new - XK8 thread.
When I decided after six years of owning my XK8 to give it a little more love and care, the car's traps and buggers unexpectedly jumped out at me.
Thanks to this forum and above all to the willing people, I came across a time bomb in the form of mandatory tensioners just in time! I will gradually introduce you to interesting facts that I would never have expected before.

 

Then the detective search began? What kind of engine is in the car? Engine type is always required when ordering spare parts. Is it 26 or 27? Or even a 4.2 engine when the block is marked 2003?
(This was highly unlikely).
Thanks to gradually finding pieces of information, I started to get more and more oriented...but nothing was certain! So I came to the decision to remove the valve cover and see...
So it looks like a AJ27 because there are four leads to the inductor.

 

As for the engine type, I believe it is an AJ27 engine in a new 2003 block, so no Nicasil...(?) I'm a bit disappointed with today's find though. Tensioners are second generation and Sachs timing chains, no Morse! I have already ordered a complete timing chain replacement kit including the thermostat tower. If I find that the chains, guides and primary tensioners are ok, I will only replace the secondary tensioners.
I will find out if the tensioners are cracked when I remove them. I'm really curious about it. So far I don't see any damage without disassembly. The engine has been running beautifully, I have never had a problem with it in six years. The ABS/traction warning lights and the occasional engine - fuel vent light never stopped me. Oh yes! I once had an automatic transmission oil pipe/hose burst just as I was pulling into the garage! That car probably likes me! The car never left me on the road. I'm stopping work today until the replacement parts arrive.
I don't really understand why the old engine is grafted into the new block. Clever garage tinkerer, or is it the work of a Jaguar dealer? I'll probably never know. I bought the car from a friend who in turn bought it from a US car importer.

 

Secondary tensioners replaced. From the inspection camera, the rest of the wiring looks ok, so I'll put the other parts in storage forever. Until the courier delivers the gasket kit and thermostat tower, I'll jump into the faults I know about for now. Coolant leakage from the Norma connector, air conditioning gas leaks, inspection of roof control hydraulic hoses, etc.


Starline 200 USD







13-15 Nm.

Right side

1999 XK8, Tensioner 2001, Engine Block 2003. Really funny!

Left side..

The gasket let oil into the spark plug area.

Tensioner in near mint condition. They would certainly last for some time. A small crack at the root may be the result of the production technology. It would increase in time...

 

Hi.
And I have another little personal experience.
This time with radio! In all the years I've owned the XK8, I've never dared to disconnect the battery. When replacing it, I always used a third car battery, which I connected to the car via auxiliary cables, so that I would not lose voltage and not have to enter the radio code, which neither the US dealer nor the Czech importer provided.
​​​​​​After reading the posts on this topic here on the forum (Thank you!) I decided to fact check and see what country my radio was set to.
By pressing the tape EJECT and AM/FM buttons at the same time, I easily got into the SETUP function. The function on the option button #1 actually brings up the option to set the country.
However, in my case, the radio only offered me three options. USA with RBDS, USA without RBDS and Australia.
​​​​​​I originally wanted to keep the US option set with RBDS because "maybe/probably ?" the radio won't require the code - (which I've read is not 100% certain).
But in the end I chose Australia.
And why?
For a long time I used the radio only as a CD and cassette player, because the stations that the radio found in the Czech Republic play shitty music. So I started going through the frequencies step by step to find my favorite rock station 100.2 FM. Much to my surprise, it didn't work! The radio jumped from 100.1 straight to 100.3!
It is possible to tune to 100.2 only when using the prefix for Australia!
I gradually found most of my favorite rock stations when setting up Aust, so maybe I'll start using the FM radio again.
In the event that I need to disconnect the battery, I prefer to skip to the US settings first.
Maybe it will work in my case and I won't have to enter the code.
Cyril

 

If it's a USA radio I don't think it requires a code. Others know more, but I know mine (2000 XK8) does not. I've had the battery disconnected numerous times.

100.2 isn't a valid US frequency, that's probably why the radio skipped over it. Here all FM stations end in an odd numbered decimal.

 

Hi. From what I read on the forum, it is not 100% confirmed that all American XK8 radios do not require a code. My understanding is that the code is required according to the country setting in the setup. If it is "USA", then the radio does not require a code. Radios are the same in all markets. If the code is "yes or no", it follows from the country settings in Setup. The same applies to the frequency tuning step. I didn't know about odd and even frequencies.
Thanks for the info!

 

Hi guys.
Have any of you dealt with replacing the chip / transponder in the ignition key?
Tried searching the forum but nothing! All threads lead only to the remote control - FOB. Maybe I'm making a mistake in my English.
I bought my XK8, 1999 with two ignition keys. (And 1x Fob) Both keys mechanically ok in all car locks. Only one will start the engine. Sure, one key is not programmed! This is a brand new, never used Jaguar logo key. So I went to a local locksmith who programs car keys. According to my functional key, he read and programmed a separate chip and handed it to me in a plastic bag to put it in the key myself, because he didn't want to damage it when opening it! Am I wrong in thinking that the locksmith should program the chip that is already in the key? I tried to attach the new chip to the key in the switch, but the car did not start. So I have doubts about the locksmith's professionalism. How do I know there is a transponder/chip in my key please? What do you think about it?
Thanks for the advice.

 

There are two ways to get a new chip to work - one is to add a new chip to the car using Jaguar software, the other is to clone an existing chip using a cloning tool. It sounds like your locksmith took that second route. Dig the unprogrammed chip out of your key (under the plug in your second picture) and then try and start the car with the new chip.

By the way you can find lots of threads on this by searching for MEGAMOS on the forum.