Is this the engine number?
I'm pretty sure I have a 1998 XK8 4.0 with an AJ26 - so I thought the engine number should be by the thermostat housing. But I can't see anything there, and I have looked a lot! Should there be a flattened area with the stamped number? I can't see anything like that...

I found this stamped down by the steering column, poked my phone up to see it clearly - it seems to say:
*SRLNJ*BBBC*
*22211122*VVVVV*

Is that an engine number? I've also read this is the bearings used in the motor?

 

A '98, as I recall should be by the thermostat housing. I had to use a little flex camera attached to my phone to view it.

On my Silverstone, the engine was manufactured 07/15/2000, the stamping was next to the thermostat housing.

On the same model year XK8, it was on the rib below the numbers you listed but that engine was manufactured 12/08/00.

I'm ASSuming sometime between the two they moved the stamping location.

 

I have a 98 and my engine number is down by the thermostat housing. I had to do some cleaning down there before I could read it.

 

See this post from GGG:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...2/#post1948910.

As noted - it's not the easiest thing to see