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I've written about this on once or twice since I've owned this car without finding and resolving the problem. After driving the car for an hour, shutting it off and letting it sit, for a bit, when I re-start it there's a plume of blue oil smoke for about 10-15 seconds or so after which it stops. I had a chipped exhaust valve which required a complete valve job including new valve guides and seals which I thought might cure the problem, but it persists. High oil consumption also. In researching this on the forum I came across a post by someone with a similar problem which turned out to be oil sludge on the valve cover mesh associated with the crankcase ventilation system. This apparently pressurized the crankcase somewhat forcing oil into the cylinders after the engine was turned off. The solution was to replace the existing mesh in that area with steel wool which apparently solved the problem. I had previously replaced the right-hand cam cover with a used one, but didn't check the mesh and the problem persists. I'm considering replacing both cam covers with new ones, but it's a big $$$ investment with no guarantee it will fix the issue.
Has anyone else encountered this problem and, if so, what was the solution?
Yes, definitely clean it as opposed to buying a new cam-cover! That would be like getting a respray because your car's dirty!
I'm thinking of fitting an oil catch-can between the cam cover and the air intake to avoid oil ending up in the intake. I would assume that one could dispense with the mesh completely in that instance, although the catch can would need more regular maintenance/emptying.
+1 to RJ237 to cleaning the Cam cover PCV mesh. Easy thing to remove and check. Zero dollar cost to check too. Pic below of what’s in the cover and be careful of the internal mesh cover as the fixings are brittle.
Do you have rough idle and or misfires? If not, a blocked PCV may not be the root cause as you only mention your car smokes after a long shut down period of time as the engine cools. Normally there would be other symptoms with a blocked PCV.
Burning oil in your case might be a case of piston troubles..... unfortunately
Thanks to all for the suggestions. RJ237, you may be correct regarding the mesh being in the left-hand valve cover. I thought that because the PVC system is connected to the right-had cover, that was where the mesh is. I had considered buying cam cover new because I'd read a post from someone who had problems with the aged plastic cracking when attempting to clean the mesh. Car runs really well except for the smoke problem. Also, with new guides and seals, that would eliminate leaking down from the cylinder head as a problem I would think. If it's worn rings I will just live with it, oil being much cheaper than a rebuild!
It's unusual to here of a ring issue, especially in a nikasil engine, but even they can have a problem, usually related to overheating, since high sulfur fuels are in the distant past.
I don't have too many maintenance records from the previous owner, but I'm guessing there's a chance that the car may have been overheated at some point which could result in what I'm experiencing now. When I bought the car the engine was badly sludged up and it took several flushes to clean all of the gook out. I know the mechcnic used some chemical cleaners and I've always wondered if that was the cause of my problem. The car is in excellent shape otherwise (always garaged) which is why I had the very expensive valve job done. I plan to keep it and enjoy driving it until something significant breaks (engine, transmission).
My 2005 XKR was the one with the Smoking problem.....as I said, I rebuilt the entire Engine but it still smoked....that is until I replaced the Cam Covers...now it is possible to remove them and clean the Filters or replace the Filters but I wanted new Cam Covers....so that's the way I went.....One way or the other the Filters are plugged and that is what the problem is.....Use your own good judgement but the Filters are the problem....
Thanks for responding! Yours was indeed the post I read and it makes perfect sense. It sounds like it may not be worth trying to clean the filters out and I have no problem buying new ones if that's the problem. Also, I'm familiar with the vent system on the right cam cover; is there a similar system on the left one? I'm sure you know how frustrating this problem is, not to mention how embarrassing when leaving a club event.
I'll get the new valve covers. If they solve the problem, fantastic! If not, at least the engine will look a little better.
max224
After completely rebuilding the Engine @ 57,000 Miles, along with several additional "Power perks", we started it up and it immediately started smoking again! The Engine builder almost cried and I was not very happy either! It was not a nice Day! That's when we started looking at those things we had not replaced....A couple days later the Builder called me down to the Shop and showed me the Cam Cover Vents....They were completely blocked off with Gunk...I told him to get some new Cam Covers and let's solve this problem NOW! It worked! and it is still working today...NO Smoke! I remember starting the Engine and every time the Smoke was just unbelievable! A White/Blue/Green cloud.....very embarrassing!! All that is gone now and about 50,000 miles later I am getting NO Smoke!!!! I change the oil every 6,000 miles and it will be about a quart low by then.....I change the Oil and Filter and make sure they pour in 8 quarts.....They don't want to do that but they have learned over the years so it's not a big deal any more!
To answer your questions: As I recall there are vents in each Cover, so you would need (2) Cam Covers....You are lucky you didn't have to rebuild the Engine as I did!
It was quite a learning experience going into the Engine! The 4.2 is a very good Engine and was designed very well. The Pistons are very nice and built for the Supercharger and the Rings are really thin, very "Race" orientated! I had the Heads Ported and the Piston tops and Heads Ceramic Coated and some more stuff, including milling the Heads to bring the Compression up to 9.5. The Engine runs very smoothly and I am now happy with the Car. I had problems for some time because of the ECU but when I replaced it everything has settled in and is running very nicely. The original Owner was the problem, as he did not change the Oil for over 40,000 miles!
Good luck to you and please let me know if this solves your problem! It certainly did for me...........
Hard to understand why an original owner would spend a small fortune to purchase a new XKR and then not change the engine oil for more than 40,000 miles. Did you know that when you purchased the car?
When I purchased our 2005 S-Type 3.0 in December 2008 at just over 18,000 miles, my research turned up the fact that the car went nearly 11,000 miles between its first and second oil & filter changes (it was an executive three-year lease car in Florida). I used that information as a heavy negotiating factor and managed to purchase the car for about $7,000 less than the local Jaguar dealership was asking (the global economic depression at that time also worked greatly in my favor). Never had any engine issues with that car during our 9.5 years of ownership....
I can only imagine what it must have been like when they started your rebuilt engine only to find that the problem wasn't fixed. I experienced that to a lesser degree after spending almost $ 7,000 on a complete valve job, including a new exhaust valve, guides, seals and other parts, only to see my money going up in smoke! I'm planning to pull the valve covers on Saturday so all will be revealed then. Cleaning the mesh is certainly the more attractive option, but dealing with old and brittle plastic that might break in the process would result in my having to buy them new anyway. I'll document my progress and post some pictures in the hope that someone else can benefit from our mutual experiences.
[QUOTE=Jon89;2306074]Hard to understand why an original owner would spend a small fortune to purchase a new XKR and then not change the engine oil for more than 40,000 miles. Did you know that when you purchased the car?
Big Jon89,
Of course I didn't know! My 2003 XKR Coupe was Totaled by a Little Lady who turned across 3 Lanes of Traffic and I had looked for almost a month for a replacement XKR Coupe and finally found this one in Dallas...I did the deal during Christmas and flew up there the day after Christmas to pick up the Car...The XKR had belonged to an Oil Company in Texarkana and they had traded it for another Car...It showed up at a Used Exotic Car Dealer in Dallas....Hard to believe but it's real simple....I got in the Car and drove to Houston....realized down around College Station that it was smoking pretty bad when I started it up from a break but it was almost dark by then and I wanted to get Home after spending the Day traveling.....The next morning I found that I had been SCREWED....!! My Attorney was not much help, as I had signed the contract....Of course it wasn't smoking when I left the "Exotic Car Dealership" as they brought it up from the back running after I had signed all the papers and was leaving for Houston.....Anyway, after finally finding that the Engine was full of Gunk...I probably could have had it flushed-out but I wanted it to be like new as I planned to drive it for years....So, I spent the money to rebuilt it the way I wanted it...I drove it for about 6 months before I had it rebuilt....and it could put on a BIG SMOKE display for you......It was bad........Today, about 50,000 miles later, it is one Hell of a Car.....Great looking as ever! Really runs good and I love it!
Looking back, I had wanted to rebuild the Engine in my 2003 XKR before it was Totaled anyway, so I really got what I wanted in the long run! As I said above, I had the Heads reworked, along with the Pulleys and added a couple of other things to it.....So! I got what I wanted in the long run! So, Big Jon89, there you go! At least I was able to help this Guy out! What do you think about it now?
2005 Jaguar XKR Coupe - Onyx/Ivory 20" BBS "Montreal" Wheels
I pulled off the right cam cover this afternoon to see if I could find any gunk that may have blocked it up. The inside of the cam cover, the mesh and the engine seemed pretty clean overall (see photos). I'm working on the metal plate over the mesh so I should have some definitive information shortly. One thing I found interesting was the lack of oil residue in the vent from the cam cover and the plastic hose going to the air intake. I would have thought I would find an oil film there.
I finally removed the cover from the filter mesh compartment in the cam cover and that the mesh, while a bit dirty was not sludged up enough to block the opening. I even took the mesh out and held it up to the light to confirm that it's porous. Kind of disappointed because I was hoping that I'd be on my way to rectifying the problem. Not sure if it's worth taking off the other cam cover, but will do it anyway. Oh well, time to clean the mesh and put the cam cover back on. Oily and dirty, but not clogged.
What can I say? Sorry you had to remove your Cam Cover Breathers or good that you cleaned your Cam Cover Breathers? Hopefully, when you complete the job the Smoking will go away! If not, I do know that it worked for me! Hopefully, when you finish the job, the smoking will stop!
Thing is, and I hate to be that guy, it kinda has to be solved. Goodness knows, I am probably one of the worst in this site in my ability to "live" with things being wrong. But this kinda has to be dealt with.
There is a fairly significant amount of oil and a predictable fault that is allowing a fair amount of oil into one? of your cylinders, then into the exhaust and CAT. It has to be coming from somewhere. I'll be thinking on it (for what that's worth, lol) and the next idea (due to what it mustah cost you) I don't just throw out there lightly... Are you confident that the shop that rebuilt those heads really did all of the work that they said they did? Namely, the stem seals on every valve? I don't know how long ago that was but I might not let them off the hook as easily.
What do the plugs look like on that side. Suggest that the next time you start the car and it does that, preferably from cold, shut it off immediately and remove the plugs and see if you can find the one that looks fouled or different from all the others. Even if it's just by a little bit. Take pics and post em up.
How about the throttle body. Is there possibly an errant hose or a hose that is picking up oil from somewhere and delivering it into the air stream somehow? Is the plastic housing of the intake clean? The throat of the throttle body?
I am going to pull the entire intake system off of 2 xk8 motors next week to swap engines in my car and I will SURELY be haunted by your situation and looking for possibilities. It has to be something findable
If you are asking me if the Heads were done correctly and if that was the problem, I can tell you for sure that they were...They were done by probably the best Machine Shop in the Houston area.....Ported, Combustion Chambers Ceramic Coated, Valves set @ 10 & 8. Heads milled to 9.5. Engine was put together with care and all those moving parts are still working beautifully here some 50,000 miles later.....I know it was stopped-up Breather's that caused my problem because after all the work that Joe did on the Engine, it still smoked....Until we changed out the Cam Covers, which removed the stopped-up Breathers from the Engine.......No Smoking has occurred since and I have around 50,000 miles on the re-build....!
The Gentleman has not cleaned the Filters nor has he completed the cleaning of the Filters as I read his email....If it still smokes after he completes the job then I am sorry that was not the problem....All I know is what happened in my case!
Cam Cover Venting Issue?
