I’m working abroad and my cousin has just looked at a car for me, xk8 1998. Amongst a few things he found this pipe compressed. Could you tell me a bit more about it please. Is compressed because of blockage and suction? Underlying problem? Need to replace and cost? Thank you very much. Only just joined today!

 

That is typical of an old and worn-out cooling system hose. They gradually collapse due to age and heat cycles. It needs to be replaced....

 

Thank you very much. That’s put my mind to rest and shouldn’t be too expensive to replace

 

Jim, +1 with Jon, but 1 more thing: with the advice of others here I've found that this is often an indication of the need for a new resivour cap (that's the threaded top to the chocolate brown tank mounted above the rear left side of engine).

John

 

The cooling system reservoir cap is a TWO WAY cap as Johnken stated. The cap allows coolant to flow to the atmospheric catchment tank if a certain pressure is exceeded and then draws coolant back into the reservoir when the system cools.

Your cap (or the coolant line to the catchment tank) is faulty!!!

bob

 

Ok, so a new pipe and cap will be required then. Something to haggle with over the price!
thank you

 

Really, all the coolant lines probably need replacing, as well as the thermostat tower, if plastic. The water pipe that is just under the thermostat also fails with age, and don't forget the chains and tensioners. Now you have a couple of thousand dollars to discuss. And the list is far from complete.

 

A couple thousand? I am currently doing this and it definitely isn't a couple thousand of dollars.

 

mad hatter, how much are you paying? Are you in uk or us?

 

Jimcrock,

If your our friend is purchasing the car on your behalf, I hope you both know what you’re getting into. The XK8 is a luxury GT car but yours is now over 20 years old. What are you looking for? If you’re not into DIY this car may be expensive to maintain if you’re going to pay for garage mechanics. Replacing the collapsed coolant pipe is “easy” DIY if you’re handy with a wrench.

How’s the car’s service history? The members above have touched on some of the known foibles/failings on the car. I’m hoping the Previous owner’s have attended to these. Otherwise you’ll have to do it.

 

Think everything totaled up to about a grand for:
all new cooling system including octopus hose,
timing chains and new tensioners and guides,
thermostat and aluminum housing,
new water pump,
spark plugs,
new transmission pan seal and engine pan seal,
serpentine belt,
all of the specialty crank and camshaft holding tools,
all new gaskets and seals for everything that gets touched in this repair ^

I am in the states.

 

That sounds quite reasonable for all that, I would be paying a garage to do it. I’m currently working for the US army out in Afghanistan so I’m only back 3 times a year for a month. It’s not going to be driven much and then when I finish working here it’ll just be a weekend car. I’ve never had a nice car like this and have always loved the look of these. it’s gonna be my new expensive hobby!

 

Well the parts aren't really expensive, with the exception of the octopus hose.

And If you do your own maintenance, it is quite rewarding and a cheap car to maintain.

If you just pay for someone else to do the work, it can be an expensive car.

 

When negotiating to buy a car I would not estimate costs based on diy.

 

Luckily I don't have to use you to negotiate on my cars

I would negotiate the buyers price based on what a shop would charge to do it, but I would definitely do my own basic maintenance.

 

Jim, just wanted to be sure you know about the timing chain tensioner issue in these cars. As mentioned above, there's a bunch of other things you can get to when you get to them.

ensuring that the original defective tensioners have been replaced is a very important item.

It is an engine killer issue.

Since it is a known issue, the work may have been done, just DON'T assume.

Welcome to the site. Ask all the questions you like. You're gonna fall in love with your new cat!

John

John

 

I have asked the garage selling to check through paperwork to see if this has been carried out. If there is no record is it fair to knock a large chunk off the asking price?

 

Absolutely, if they can't prove to you that the timing chain tensioner work has been carried out then you must have the work done before you use the car. As such it should be reflected in the price of the car.

The XK8 I purchased seemed like it was a good candidate for all of the most common repairs these cars need and I managed to snag the car for ~$2700 if i remember correctly.


The two most common big ticket items on these cars are the transmission A-drum failures and the timing chain tensioners, as far as i know.

If the car you are purchasing does not have paperwork saying that these have been fixed, and you are going to pay for a shop to do it, it is likely cheaper to hunt for another XK8 that is more expensive up front but has the work done already.

 

Jim,

+1 to Madhatter’s advice.

Jim - You’re looking for a beautiful powerful touring car, that will be used infrequently while you’re posted overseas, and, at most, a weekend joy ride. This X100 Jag will do that and also be a head turner and put a smile on your face. Sometimes I sit in my garage just admiring the car! She is a pretty thing.

The good news is that the XK8, and more sporty XKR versions, are very cheap on the market at the moment. It’s a buyers market so you’ll have a selection.

The bad news is that it’s cheap value for a reason. I agree with Madhatter that, for your ambitions, it’s best to find a car with the known faults fixed. For example, if you go for a convertible, have the hydraulic hoses been swapped/upgraded? The better cars may cost more, but you’ll have piece of mind.

A fellow Forum member Dennis07 is selling his after 9 years of ownership. Check out his thread below. Trust is an important commodity in this particular car. Don’t just go with the salesman’s word.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...my-xk8-226165/