Has anyone found a better-made and longer-lasting VVT O-ring seal compared to the OEM ones? I have tried OEM and Motorcars Ltd. Both of these sources last me only two to three years before they dry out from baking in the engine bay, develop surface cracks, and start seeping oil as well as air. The next pair I install will be at least the fourth set on my wife's 2006 XK8 and I surely would like to find a source that sells a more pliable and durable version....

 

try EuroSpare or URO, the latter being available from Rockauto. they seem to be quality material. two or three years use is not bad considering the heat and oil exposure. a Ford tech told me that they must replace them on the Mustang every three years.

 

I was never happy with the quality of one of URO's upper radiator replacement hoses for my now-sold 2005 S-Type 3.0. Perhaps these VVT O-ring seals are actually all made by the same manufacturer, just branded with different names and packaging. The hard plastic material needs to be replaced by a more pliable rubber-like material. Sure wish I could find a company that could fill this request....

 

Subscribing in case somebody comes up with something. I've thought that the ones from Rockauto (URO I think) don't even seem to fit very snug. I could literally remove them without any tools. Maybe the thing to do is kind of like replacing bearings on an older car part, get the measurements and go through other seal mfg catalogs to find something that fits but maybe was made for another, newer application. Part of the problem with some plastic, rubber and vinyl auto parts is that they made a production run of however many thousands of them at one time and 20 years later, now we're getting parts out of inventory that are already ten or fifteen years old, more and more, plastic parts that were designed to deteriorate in a landfill in 50 or 100 years.

 

How long did those rockauto.com VVT seals last you? At less than six bucks apiece I am tempted to try them, especially if they are essentially the same as all the other seals (including the OEM ones)….

 

these are what I purchased.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VVT-Seal-on-Valve-Camshaft-Cover-for-Jaguar-Pack-of-2-Ships-Fast/161863099710?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid =p2057872.m2749.l2649
they were mostly rubber with some internal shape support. all contacting surfaces were rubber so there was no plastic sliding along the VVT actuator or the rocker cover. they were marked Eurospare which you can get from other sources.

 

I replaced one of these shortly after I got my XK8 due to a minor weeping of oil at about 40K miles. That was about 5 years and 50K miles ago. Still no leaks and one is the still the original seal.

I often wonder if the overly humid, never frozen climate here in Florida helps the rubber/vinyl bits last longer.

 

I replaced both my seals on the 2003 at 135K, but no sign of leaks at that time. I did it in case they were hard, but found them pliable and probably could re-use them if emergency. Purchased from E-Bay vendor, but came in Jag OEM seal bag. Seems QC is all over the spectrum.