I guess I'm not sure why you're chasing down so many leads here. You've got water in the cylinders...the heads are coming off. No way around it. Other potential damage can be checked then, too.

I recommend you have an experienced mechanic pull the heads and then you can see where things sit.


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Waiting for manual to tell me how to take off the heads, checking some other stuff in the meantime hoping to get it to run well enough to allow me to move it across the st twice a week to avoid st cleaning.. Would have to tow to a shop and then let it sit there, not sure how well that works?

 

Perhaps you could rent space in a parking lot or indoor garage for the time needed to make the repairs. Would make your life a lot simpler.

 

Waiting fora manual? There is everything you need here on the forum. For free I might add.

Here is instructions for everything except unbolt the exhaust and remove head that I used the first time out: (WITH PICTURES!)

Tmingi chain and tensioner replacement

 

I also agree about renting a space- there has to be someplace that will rent you a parking spot for a month. (Maybe rent a storage unit big enough for 2 months? Keep in mind it is a 3 day job if you work slowly and you have options as to how much work to do... (recondition existing heads vs buy used working and put on)

 

I have a dead engine sitting in my driveway that I just pulled. It suffered an out-of-oil situation so I'm not sure how it is inside but at this point in time, I'd be happy to see it gone from my driveway for free. (If I have to start parting it out, I'll be looking for $). I'm in TN though so that's a ways away.

 

Before I start calling shops or looking for garage/storage spots:

What's the approx cost of all the special tools needed to get to the head gaskets incl prybars? (excluding oil + gasket set which would run ~$350).
I need to find a ballpark cost for DIY before I steam ahead..

Also still want to find a way to make the car run enough to move it across the st - could the following work?
a) Testing all plugs for spark and
b) Thoroughly oiling around the circumference of each cylinder to ensure adequate compression and lubrication (engine had a hard time cranking). Other have had success doing this in a similar scenario.

Richy: Not jumping on an engine just yet and would prob go for a working one but thx.

And thanks a ton for the advice so far! It's a really unfortunate situation, but trying to make the best of it

 

Special tools needed: Timing chain set to set the camshaft timing- you can rent them, I think for under $100 AND a thin walled 13mm impact socket for the head bolts. The rest of the tools you will need are regular stuff- ratchet set, screwdriver, torque wrench, vise grips etc.

Once the heads bolts are out, they can be pried off with a screwdriver or better yet put some rope into a spark plug hole (a BUNCH) and then turn the motor- the pressure of the rope pushing against the head will pop it loose. This same concept can be used to tighten or loosen the crankshaft bolt but the cylinder you put the rope in MUST be on the compression stroke.

 

Richy, your dead engine is an AJ-27, is that correct?


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That sounds right. I couldn't swear to it though.

The only one thing is I had to cut the gray throttle connector off because of the ham-fistedness of the people who extracted the replacement engine.

If it makes a difference, it has a touch over 97k on it.

 

I'd suggest the best tools for that are 3 or 4 buddies and a bit of elbow grease.

 

one thought, the car was in a fender bender about a month ago caused by another party and the cosmetic repairs got covered by their insurance. Could the overheating and possibly engine failure have been caused by damage from that accident? I did not do anything special when the engine suddenly overheated. If so, could I make another claim against the other parties' insurance? Who should I call?

 

Just to share a similar story, my son's Camry would overheat after he was involved in a minor accident to the pass side front (deer). We checked and checked, and finally I noticed a clear plastic tube in the bottom of the recovery tank. Turns out this tube had to insert in the cover of the tank and run down to the bottom. Otherwise there would be no "recovery" back into the system. Our cars are set up differently, but might be worth a look. Maybe something jarred loose.

 

Maybe, at this point it won't even start, so it needs to be opened up at a shop at the very least. I will call for quotes but I'm afraid it could be expensive. I've started another thread about potentially making another insurance claim here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ad-end-104895/

 

You probably signed something with the words "Full and final settlement". But it might be worth a look.