Aloha from the island of Oahu, Hawaii....

I have a 2000 xk8 with a little over 40,000 miles on it. While driving it gave a sudden shriek for a few seconds and a warning for a low coolant. Didn't stop right away until a half a mile later when the engine died. Towed it to the dealer. Their diagnosis states that there's a multiple misfire codes on all cylinders and also engine is unable to idle, engine knocks and runs very ruff. They checked fuel pressure and is in specs. 50lbs. Engine is getting spark/ignition. They removed ignition coils, removed valve covers on both sides and removed spark plugs. They checked timing chains and tensioners. Chains are still in specs. Performed compression test and found that 3 cylinders have no compression. They also found that the cylinder head intake and exhaust valve seats have failed and a dropped in cylinder causing knocking noise, ruff running and compression loss. Unable to tell if engine side is damage until cylinder heads are remove. Dealer recommends a New engine which is outrageously high.... far more than the car itself! Is the car fixable? Can anybody recommends a reputable company i can buy a used or rebuilt engine? Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Divina

 

Is the block cracked, if it is you will need a new engine. At the very least it will need new heads and bottom end (crank, rods, pistons) and if the cylinder walls are scored, it would need to have the cylinders re-sleeved, if it can be done, an new block if not.

I would see about getting a used engine and putting it in, instead of rebuilding, unless you can find a GOOD shop to rebuild that engine and know what they are doing.

The Ford Continental 3.9 engine is the same engine, so you should be able to get one of those pretty cheap.

BTW: did they say what caused the problem, sounds like the timing chain jumped or a massive coolant leak from a blown head gasket.

 

Egads I just noticed I said Ford Continental, instead of Lincoln. Last time I made a mistake like that, I was accused of lying.

 

It's not a Continental engine anyway, it was used by Ford and Lincoln in the T-bird and Lincoln LS.

Dbarr, I'm wondering how much you understood of what they told you vs. why they didn't give you more than a 'drive-by' description of what happened and what is required to repair the engine. If they spent any time at all investigating your problem they should have given you a detailed estimate for both rebuilding and replacing the engine. I'd also ask them for a written explanation of what damage(s) the engine has suffered - keeping in mind that there could be other unknown issues revealed upon disassembly. You could then show the estimate to a couple other shops and ask for comparison prices, realizing that until the other shops have had a chance to perform their own diagnosis the estimate is non-binding.

 

Investigating the precise extent of the damage may cost additional $$ but is the only way to make an informed decision on rebuild versus replacement.

Head(s) and Block condition will be the deciders. If either cannot be refurbished, then a replacement engine is likely to make the only economic sense.

The only thing you can rule out is a 'new' engine which, as you may already have learned from the dealer, will vastly exceed the cost of another equivalent or later vehicle.

If you do have to go down the route of sourcing a used or rebuilt engine, it's critical to ensure it's suitable for your 2000MY. Just any Jaguar V8 is not going to be a straight swap.

Graham

 

after the timing chain tensioner disintegrated and the secondary timing chain broke in my 1999 XK8, I assessed damages and decided it would be cheaper to replace the engine. I have fond in junkyard 2001 engine (with updated tensioners and primary chains, but with higher mileage - 128k. The salvage yard guaranteed it for 3 months, so I bought it after I inspected it. I took off a valve cover and had seen very clean top. The engine cost me $1500. I had a shop to install it, but I connected wiring, because they did not want to touch it. I paid the garage $690. Engine runs great, does not use oil, averages 25 mpg on highway.

 

thanks ALL.....the knowledge you have shared is much appreciated.

 

Forget trying to use the Lincoln 3.9 in a Jag- there is something different about the nodes on the crank and/or cams that doesn't allow it to run with the Jag engine controller.

A fellow I talked to once tried that swap into an XJ8 and although everything bolted on, he could never get it to run. 2 different shops also played with it- no dice...... That was an expensive mistake....