I was checking the condition of my wife's 2006 XK8's engine air filter this afternoon. When I removed the black plastic air duct hose between the air filter housing and the throttle body in order to be able to remove the top of the air filter housing, I noticed that the top of the accordian pleats in that air duct hose had worn completely through the plastic. When I flex the pleats by pulling them apart, I can see right through the holes in the top of the pleats into the air duct hose's interior. I'm absolutely stunned that the vehicle has not thrown itself into limp mode by now....

My local Jaguar dealership parts department does not have one in stock, so it will be Tuesday or Wednesday before they will have one for me. Even with my "valued customer" discount, this lousy plastic air duct hose will cost me $117 plus tax. Insane....

I assume these air duct hoses are a dealership-only part. Anyone know for sure?

There is a black plastic electrical connector into this air duct hose on the US drivers side just above where the air duct hose clamps to the throttle body. I have twisted it and tugged on it very carefully, but I have not been able to get it to release. How do I release this connector without breaking it?

 

There's a round 'collar' on the end of this connector with 5 ridges either side. Squeeze the collar inwards at these ridges and pull to withdraw the connector.

Graham

 

I assume you are talking about the connector for the MAF? That thing is a real bear to remove. There is a tab on it that you need to push and then just pull the hell out of it until it releases. Once you get it undone you can maybe coat the plastic with silicone grease or something to make it easier the next time.

Doug

 

Thanks, Graham. As always, your instructions were spot-on. I had the connector off in less than three seconds after reading your post....

Thus far I've been unable to find a new aftermarket air duct hose. I do not look forward to paying $117 for one at my Jaguar dealership. If anyone has any other sources for much better prices, please chime in here....

 

There's a thread on this topic:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-repair-23576/

In the thread links, Gus shows his repair procedure.

Graham

 

Looks like you were talking about the OTHER connector and not the one at the MAF. You will find that there are several similar connectors like the one you were asking about where you need to squeeze a ring to release the fitting. Still the toughest one for me was the MAF.

Doug

 

dealer only, i'm afraid...but don't worry, it'll last alot longer than the first one...the new plastic parts always do. Did you check out JPAM? I think its $98 online, though JPAM doesn't show it in their catalog, the outfit in Columbus does.

 

Would love a couple photographs of this procedure.
Have a feeling I should do the very same thing
and am flying blind so to speak. TIA.

 

Doug,

Our car is an XK8, so there is only one electrical connector fitted into that plastic air duct tube. Looking at the diagrams sent to me via e-mail by my local Jaguar dealership parts guy yesterday afternoon while we were on the phone discussing the problem, I see that your XKR has additional connectors on its plastic air duct tube. Lucky you....

I believe that a fair price for this new plastic air duct tube would be twenty bucks, tops. Anything over that is highway robbery. So I'll be getting robbed when I pick up my new tube later this week....

My wife does not want to park her XK8 until the new tube arrives. So I removed the old one last night, wrapped at least six layers of duct tape around the accordian pleats, and re-installed it. She's out and about in the car this morning even after being warned about potential limp-mode failure....

 

lol, well its not like you'll have to keep the duct-taped part after you replace it, so function over aesthetics is more important to her, it appears. I did try to spray the accordian section with a can of that flexible rubberized undercoating, it worked but i was worried about pieces falling off it if into the tube (from the high temperatures) and being sucked into the TB. I just replaced it eventually. If it could be 'sealed' first from the outside, then coated with the undercoating-in-a-can, it may fix it AND not look too bad either.

 

Do you think some gigantic shrink tubing would work?

3" Diameter FP-301 Heat Shrink Tubing - Black : HST3BK

 

Are you talking about the Mass Air Meter Hose? partsgeek has them for $70 with free shipping.

1999-2002 Jaguar XK8 Air Mass Meter Hose - Air Intake - Genuine 99-02 XK8 Air Mass Meter Hose - 641-01014006 - PartsGeek

I replaced mine in January. Had the same problem, I could see right through to the ground.

 

There's a difference between the 4.0 litre and the 4.2 litre Air Intake Trunking. Not the least of which is the one for the later vehicle is around twice the cost.

Graham

 

While gigantic heat shrink tubing is a great concept, the problem with this application would be that heat-shrink tubing is never completely air-tight. So as that stuff ages and begins to break down due to the engine heat cycles over time, the gaps in the worn-out plastic accordian pleats will begin sucking too much engine compartment air again. Sooner or later, the various sensors are not going to like that and will throw the car into limp mode....

The best solution is either a metal air intake tube, a rubber air intake tube, or at least a better-quality plastic one. If these things were made of the same plastics that are under the hood of my 1999 Dodge Ram truck, they would last for decades and cost a quarter of what we have to pay a Jaguar dealership parts department for them....

My duct tape repair job is holding up thus far. I just need it to last until the new tube gets here later this week....

 

Jon, snap out of it, this is 2012. Its not the 80's! Gas is now $4/gal, we're on mars. And have a african american for president.
Seriously though ive fixed these with electrical tape after cleaning well and theyre still fine yrs later. I know because i still see them in here. Remember your jaguar was $40-50k when new, its wasnt a $15k buick, part prices are accordingly

 

Sorry Brutal, but I reserve the right to disagree with you here. These plastic intake tubes are flimsy, cheap, and made from inferior plastic. Just because they are installed in an XK8 does not justify charging $117 for them when they fail....

 

Im not argueing the point of how much it cost to make, but the cost of the car and parts that are for it. I bought a nice Buick Lesabre for one of my kids and doing a few repairs like window motor, electric door mirror, ac compressor etc...
window motor $35
door mirror assembly, powr,/heated $33
ac compessor remanned $100
headlight assembly, cheap plastic yes, but new $65
any of the parts for a jaguar are in the hundreds
How many would give the Jaguar brand the prestige and mystic it has if it costs say
$20k new like a Hyundai, or the Buick
cheaper cars mean cheaper parts weather it costs $20 to make or not.
When I used to buy Chevy parts for my 427 in the El Camino they went into the "CORVETTE" book since thats what the engine came out of the factory in and of course the parts were alot more$$$ even though many were no differant than what came in a 454 truck, or chevelle etc....

 

I hear you loud and clear and I understand your point about high-dollar cars bring high-dollar prices for parts. That's a given. But when a car company charges that much for parts, it should ensure that the parts are made of superior materials....

We all know that is NOT the case for so many of the plastic parts contained in these Jaguars. My local Jaguar dealership parts guy (who has been extremely helpful these past few months) actually apologized to me for the XK8's air duct tube being so expensive when he knows how fragile it is. He also apologized for the S-Type's plastic coolant overflow tank's poor quality. I very much appreciate his honesty. That's why I always consult with him even if I elect not to buy from him. He knows I want quality parts, and he understands that I will go aftermarket if a better part exists, especially at a better price. That's a no-brainer and he completely agrees with that approach....

You may remember that I hammered my local Jaguar dealership to their general manager's face about three years ago because I discovered they were charging 50% to 100% more for parts and service than the two other Jaguar dealerships in North Carolina did. I told him that this was unfair and predatory, and I also told him that I would take my business to the Jaguar dealership in Greensboro even though it is located an hour's drive away from me. I also told him that if he would get his prices in line with the other North Carolina dealerships, I would consider returning as a customer. I was apparently just one of many customers who adopted this approach. While it took another two years for this general manager to realize his pricing policies were chasing customers away, he now matches the prices of the other North Carolina dealerships (at least for those of us who complained and took our business elsewhere). I hope he is not continuing to gouge customers who have remained unaware of this situation. I know of at least four former Jaguar owners who got rid of their cars rather than pay the prices for parts and service that were being charged locally....

 

Update:

The new plastic air intake tube is now installed. Easy job requiring nothing but a 7mm socket....

I've cut the failed accordian pleats out of the old tube and will be looking for an appropriate section of silicone or plastic tubing at Lowe's or Pep Boys when I get the chance. Exactly 3.5 inches of new tube must be exposed between the two existing pieces in order for the improvised-and-improved version to fit into place. If I find something appropriate, I'll glue it between the two existing pieces, seal up the joints with something like RTV, and put clamps on either end. If I'm successful in creating a fix that stays airtight, I'll post it here....

 

Hi Graham...

From my neck of the woods...😀 almost

My humble take on the situation was that in the late 90's Jaguar was skint and Ford the parent company was not in a great state financially either. I honestly think Geoff Lawson saved the company with the XK8 design which Aston nicked. It had the gorgeous body as a nod to the e-type and the great AJ 4.0 V8.

My series 1 XKR 1999 Coupe survived with the Nikasil engine. Why anyone would put cheap sulphur filled supermarket garbage in a 60k car is beyond me.

I think the cost cutting Ford accountants of the time ruined the car. No corner uncut...

The interior brittle plastics broke if you just touched them..

I have spent many a time on the Web trying to find the smallest of interior parts and fixings...

However with the advent of 3D printing and modern harder plastic resins that may be the savior of our 90s Jags interiors !

Smitty 👍