Hi gents,


I'm travelling a fair old distance next week to check out a 2000 plate Jaguar XKR... never had one before, but I've known a friends that have an X100 and I've always been envious! I've done some homework, and I know roughly what to look out for, although any pointers people could offer here would be much appreciated.


My main concern is that it was registered in May 2000, roughly the sort of time when Jag pulled it's Nicasil lined engines in favour of Steel lined ones. The owner is adamant its Steel, but how can I check to be certain?


Thanks in advance,


Dan

 

Welcome to the forum Dan,

The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

As for Nikasil - if it hasn't failed by now, it's very unlikely to give any problems. The sulphur content in UK petrol which caused premature cylinder bore wear was removed many years ago.

I hope the XKR checks out OK.

Graham

 

second the thought on the Nikasil motors. If they have some miles on them and are still running, most likely there will be no issue.
You are in the years that the timing chain tensioner prob should be replaced if you don't know if they have.
Check the battery, make sure it is newer, older ones while will start the car and it runs, can be weak and cause stupid electrical issues with various components on the car making you think the car is a messed up.
Front end suspension stuff, bushings and the like tend to crap out early on these cars, have the front end looked at, can cost much if you have to replace and can't do that work yourself, I am in the middle of that very stuff right now.
It serve you well if you can do much of repair stuff yourself. If you can't turn a wrench, it can get costly to replace stuff.
If you are not buying the car for the super charger I would consider the normal XK8. These cars are already rare and parts I think are becoming more hard to find. That SC is even more rare on these cars and in 5 years what will be able to be had for that???

 

Dan.
I agree with all the above about Nikasil - if it is OK now, it will not likely be a problem in the future.
Having said that .....................
The service booklet will give the engine number. Mine is (was) :
CE9705210400
which means it was built at 4am on 21st May 1997.
It lasted until 04/01/2002 when it was replaced - presumably because of Nikasil or maybe tensioners. There's a record in the service booklet that it was replaced, and a little sticker on the engine saying "Genuine Jaguar Replacement".
First steel engine is
0008181043 - or - made at 1043 on 18th August 2000 so yours, if original, is probably Nikasil.
Tricky one .......... all advice (and many here are *extremely* experienced and knowledgeable) says "Don't worry" but it's one of those things that will keep you awake at night every time there's a minor problem - and there WILL be many of those !!

 

While I am pleased that I have a nikasil engine, it should be understood that the lining is more easily damaged by overheating than steel. I have the Realgauge conversion for both water and oil, but one of the many phone apps will read water temp to provide protection.

 

I have an Android phone with the Torque app. I customized the realtime gauge display so that its digital and is enlarged to fill up the phone screen and set an alarm at 210 degrees that starts the screen flashing. I leave the phone plugged in while driving, and set it on the center console leaning against the radio. The digital display is large enough to be easily read from the driver's seat.


Not as good as RealGauge, but cheap and easy.

 

I would stay clear of an xk8 of that vintage given all the gearbox problems they suffered. The XKR is faster and has the far superior Mercedes gearbox, no VVT to go wrong and an extremely reliable supercharger.

Just have a look in the FAQ and you will see the Mercedes gearbox isn't even mentioned, lots of info on how to fix the ZF gearbox though.

 

+1

 

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated.
The XKR was up for just over 5k GBP - despite booking in a viewing with the seller for Thursday next week (and booking a day off work!), it's been sold today sadly.. sigh.


I'm back to square one. Not too fussy if it's not Supercharged, although I'm guessing from the above I should avoid an older XK8 4.0 with a 5 speed box, based on the above?


Would be great to hear your thoughts on these 2 ads below...


Jaguar XK8 4.2 2dr


Jaguar XK8 4.2 2dr

 

You pays your money .........................................

The black one (private sale) looks as if it has been well maintained and looked after by somebody who cared. But .. private sale and not much "come back" if it blows up ten miles down the road.
The blue one will have the benefit of a dealer warranty / Sale of Goods Act "guarantee" but doesn't look as good.
SatNav in blue one is a liability rather than an asset - obsolete, can't be updated, and looks a bit "naff" by modern standards. The "three dial" set-up is much nicer, even though the clock is the only one which is likely to be accurate.
You could probably get the black one for less than the blue one but - with all UK cars, CHECK FOR RUST. If you are remotely practical, and don't mind grazed knuckles, most problems can be sorted with help from the huge wealth of expertise on this forum. Earlier cars are, arguably, less reliable, but they are £2k cheaper - you can buy a lot of replacement kit for that sort of cash !
Also - check every bit of electrical equipment - seats, steering wheel, windows, mirrors, AC, aerial, heated stuff like seats and mirrors, headrests that go up and down (or not !) - press every button and turn every knob.
If it feels right, it probably is right.

 

I chose the XKR over the XK8 for the looks and the power - the way the car pushes you back in the seat when you accelerate and the ease with which you can overtake make it worth the money for me. If you really don't mind having less power then yes, the 4.2 is a good choice as by all accounts Jaguar had sorted most of the problems out by then.

If it were me though, I would still be looking at an older XKR and spend some of the savings on the timing chains, or save up a bit more and get the supercharged 4.2 - you know it makes sense.

 

So... I went to see the Black XK8 4.2, and its a lovely car. Great history, recently had a full service - including plugs, front bushes and wishbones. Steering is light and precise, gear change is smooth (kicks down a gear when you put your foot down), no rattling or funny noises from the engine bay. More than enough power for me No signs of rust, and took it for a long test run - stop start, and with a chance to try the taps fully open.





I put a deposit down that day - but sadly the seller (being very honest), came back to me and informed me that the coolant/temperature warning light came on the day after. He promptly refunded me my money.


The car has since been under investigation/diagnosis since Friday afternoon with a credible Jaguar Specialist garage - pressure testing 3 times has shown no leaks, they've put a camera in the V of the engine - no signs here. Chemical checks on the exhaust show no unusual levels of coolant being burnt off either.


I'm really not sure what to do with the car - shall I go ahead and purchase it? Could purely be just usage of coolant over time (after all, its a big engine), or something potentially more sinister. But the garage seem to report no leaks at this stage. What should I do?

 

You will get better advice than mine from the real experts here, but first thing I would do is to find out which light is on.
A low coolant warning is not the same as a temperature warning - but - the temperature gauge on the XK8 is as much use as a sponge leg.

Low coolant could be a fairly cheap hose replacement. Overheating could be a new engine (think mortgage and then double it !)

It's a lovely looking car - I wouldn't give up on it without further investigation.
Cheers,
David.

 

If the temp. warning was for overheating and there is no indication of leakage, it could be the thermostat sticking closed or the water pump vanes failing. Both are not uncommon, and if it was shut down immediately not likely to cause serious damage.
But overheating is not well tolerated and cause for concern.That being said, I would not walk away, but ask that they replace the pump and the thermostat, then try another test drive.

 

Evening all - quick update here, and a request for some more advice.


Coolant problem was - it was a low coolant warning, not a temperature warning. It's been driven for 2 weeks (since being discharged with a clean bill of health from the local jaguar specialist garage) in stop start and motorway driving, and the coolant level hasn't budged. The seller suspects the garage didn't top up it fully on the last recent service... and I'm inclined to believe him. Pressure tested 3/4 times, all OK - no leaks under the car etc.


However - had another thorough look at the car today, and theres RUST.
I checked the reinforcing plates underneath the car, directly below both footwells - passenger plate is corroded, but OK. Drivers side plate rotting away, which prompted the seller and myself to have a look under the carpet. This is what we found:





Drivers footwell reinforcing plate





Drivers footwell, under carpet - moisture, and rust


How much would this cost to fix?!
I'm inclined to still go ahead and purchase if the fix isn't too dear - It's just north of 7k GBP, which is roughly where similar 4.2 XK8's are on UK Autotrader.
I've got a feeling the seller isn't going to budge on the price much, despite the rust. OK, it may not be an urgent fix - but still something I have to budget for in future.

 

Repair panels are readily available in the UK - here :

Jaguar XK8 XKR Body Repair Panels Floor Pans | Jaguar XK8 and XKR Parts and Accessories

although if you search around a bit, you can find the same at better prices. PM me if you want more info. Allow £100.00 or so for welding plus your own, or paid for labour, to remove seats, carpet etc. Fairly common problem due to a stupid design fault with the original (XJS based I believe) floor pan.



Here's my floor :

 

agreed.