I "inherited" a new project. A 2000 XKR Convertible, V 8, supercharged. The car is not running. As described to me, the vehicle started running rough and the engine died. Upon inspection, vehicle has 92k. There was no oil on the dipstick. Put 4 quarts in it, and its topped off. No signs of anti-freeze in the oil. Anti-freeze has the red stuff. I pulled the plugs, scoped them, a couple of the cylinders are very wet.. Went to do a compression test, and the solenoid/starter is not working, just a click. Will climb under tomorrow to see if solenoid or starter. Cant figure out how you pull the transmission stick, lol. Sure its easy...

I put a breaker bar on the main shaft, and the engine does turn over, all cylinders move, so no broken shaft. Hoping that this is simply an upstairs repair, not very familiar with Jag and their idiosyncrasies. Looking for input incase my diagnostic path is flawed, or I missed something.

Battery has been out for 3 months. Need to reset alarm? Keyless is inoperable.

Thanks for all of the help.

Thanks for your help!

 

Welcome!

Rough running and died might be the cam tensioners. The slippers are plastic and can break down with age. If it comes apart the cam chain can skip and worst case is bent valves.

If you can turn it all the way over easily you might have avoided the worst of it. Search on the DIY sticky for cam tensioners and you will find a few write ups on how to check/change them.

Before trying to spin the motor, I would check the timing, especially given the symptom you were told.

The transmission doesn't have a dipstick, it is "sealed for life". This is BS of course, so if you get the car running a trans fluid change is probably in order. But if you are under there and don't see any leaks, then it's likely safe, at least until you get it back on the road.

There are also threads in the DIY sticky about programming the remotes. Might also be as simple as a dead battery in the fob though.

Good luck, and don't hesitate to check back if you find some more idiosyncrasies.

 

Welcome to the forum!

Couple paths to persue:

The battery and electrical system is critical on this car. Because of the electronics which is very sensitive to voltage below about 10v. That is even during the cranking period.

The car also has a history of high current connections issues from the battery ground cable to the 250a trunk fuse block to the big connections to the under hood fuse panels.

Get all that cleaned up before beginning starter repair but I wouldn't even rotate the engine until you have verified the exhaust cam timing which is even more critical. Without any documentation of replacement physically inspecting the cam alignment because of the tensioners is absolutely required. Many an engine had died because of tensioner failure bending a valve or two. A new word . . . interference. This is an interference engine design meaning that the pistons and valves can attempt to occupy the same space at the same time with permanent damage.

All this is covered ad nauseum in the stickies above.

 

Thanks to you both. Huge help. Out of curiosity, when I did to start the car, I would here a click at the solenoid. Would that be a sign the alarm does not need to be reprogrammed? Reason I ask is that the FOB is dead, will need to replace it. Just don't know if I need refusal shipping or express.

Off to,read the stickies.:-)

 

Ok, not to be totally dumb, but I searched cam tensioners in FAQ and got no results. Tried it several ways, no luck. What am I doing wrong? Sure it's something stupid.

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ts-data-29800/

 

No, it would still spin on the starter if the battery was charged, just not start.

Getting a fully functioning charged battery in her would be a good starting point.

 

Hello and welcome, this info is only from personal experience and is no recommendation. My fob had dead batteries, they were replaced with Maxell ones, I then programmed the fob to the car. See my latest thread as there are many links on how to, my problem is now after a few days the fob is not recognised by the car. So I have to open it by the key, put the key in the ignition while the chimes are sounding, then disable the alarm by putting the key into the 2nd position.
Hope you can resolve your starting problem soon, but rely on the advice to check the tensioners first or you may end up with an expensive engine overhaul. Good luck.
Regards,
ArtyH

 

Do not attempt to start the car until you have checked the tensioners!
Do not attempt to start the car until you have checked the tensioners!
Do not attempt to start the car until you have checked the tensioners!
Do not attempt to start the car until you have checked the tensioners!
Do not attempt to start the car until you have checked the tensioners!

 

Plugs are all out. Doing a compression test. Two cylinders have oil in them. Visual inspection does not show any obvious damage. I can't do a compression test?

One last thing, when I took off the air filter, cold air pipe, the air filter was partially saturated with oil and the throttle body has some oil in there as well.

 

Feel free to do a compression test after you check the tensioners.

Or not- at your own risk.

 

I am only this adamant because I had to do a facepalm when I started an engine thinking it would be fine....it wa$n't.

 

Thanks, I'm cool with the advice. I found the articles on how to replace, but any way to check before I tear down?

 

The part load breather has a screen that can get plugged up, leading to oil being pushed put the full load breather, fouling the air filter, the MAF, etc.

Easy to clean while the cam covers are off to check the tensioners.

 

To check the exhaust cam timing remove the valve covers and look at the cam flats at the front of each cam. The right side flats should be 'almost' parallel pushed out of alignment by valve spring pressure. They will be slightly tilted down between the flats. The left side should end up very nearly parallel.

Rotating an out-of-time engine can bend a valve even if it is done by hand and will certainly bend a valve if started.

It is common for the chain to jump one sprocket tooth and cause a rough idle but jumping two teeth WILL result in a bent valve or more.

 

Ok, let me ask this part again. Can I diagnosis the tensioner without the valve covers off? Have to do a compression test, but I have to out the whoe thing back together to do that?

 

Can you diagnose the tensioners without removing the covers?: No

Do you need the covers on to do a compression test?: No, but there could be some oil spray sp you might want to set them back on at least.

 

What cc said.

Only 15 extra minutes out of your day, well worth it.

 

The oil in two cylinders COULD be from oil that had collected in the spark plug wells, running down into the cylinder as you removed the plugs. Worn o-rings in the valve cover can cause this common issue, and is an easy fix.

Regarding the oil in your airbox, there are several factors that could be at play there...check out this thread for a potential- but not terribly common- fix.

Oil in the Airbox - Might be an easier fix than you think - FAQ


.

 

Ok, got it. Half way torn down.

Based in the description of what happened, I am about 99% sure there is valve damage. When the engine lost power, they continued to turn it over and try and run it. So after I do the chain guides and tensioners, off comes the heads and onto the machine shop.

Lucky me!