The worse has happened. My pristine 1998 Jaguar XK8 needs an engine replacement. I will discuss the details on how this happened later...just not right now.

Questions:
What models/year would be a direct swap?
Would engine from a 2003 XJ8 work?
Recommendation on a remanufactured engine source?

 

Your engine is the 4.0 which was utilized through the 2002 model year here in the U.S. 2003 to 2006 model year cars utilized the 4.2 engine. That would definitely make for a more challenging swap due to the differences in the electronics....

 

Jon, Thank you for your reply.

What has me wondering if the 98 is different is that I see several ads that list 1999-2002...but make no mention of 97-98

Also wondering why the VIN is important.
E.g. "1998 JAGUAR XK8 Engine (4.0L), (VIN 2, 8th digit)"

BTW - Visited Raleigh for the first time a few weeks ago. What a lovely city.

 

Commiserations - sounds like something fairly mechanically traumatic has occurred.
Lots here will have more knowledge than I do, but I think it's always going to be easier to replace like with like. There are significant differences between early (97 - 99 ??) engines and later developments, all of which will have an impact on stuff like ECUs, TCUs, wiring looms, etc etc.

Main (and easy to see) differences are :

Position of variable valve timing solenoids
Vacuum or electronic cruise control (black plastic reservoir on top of the throttle body)
2 pin or 4 pin coil packs.
EGR valve or no EGR valve on throttle body.

 

Check the vendors listed on the 'Marketplace' drop-down menu at the top left of the page to see if any offer replacement engines.

You need to replace with a 4.0 litre unit (AJ26) as a direct swap. If you find a used engine, be sure it has new primary and secondary timing chains, guides and tensioners uprated to the latest design.

 

As NBCat stated, the AJ26 will not require swapping parts to get the engine to work correctly. Any Normally Aspirated 4.0 V8 from a 1997-98 XK8 or 1998 XJ8 engine will bolt right in.

Many posts on people installing different engines and all the problems associated with the different parts.

bob

 

Doesn't S-Type fit also?

 

The AJ28 engine has all the problems of AJ27 fitting into AJ26.
The basic blocks and heads are interchangeable to a certain extent.

bob

 

I did the opposite- swapped an AJ26 short block for a AJ27 car. Can be done, but it is straightforward with an AJ26, you would have to swap parts if you got an AJ27 (99-02)

 

I would recommend a 4.2. I converted mine from a 4.0 a few months back. I have a separate post about it.

My new engine was from an S Type.

The key is to keep the 4.0 electronics.

 

[QUOTE=MFoncerrada8;1800802]The worse has happened. My pristine 1998 Jaguar XK8 needs an engine replacement. I will discuss the details on how this happened later...just not right now.

Given the costs associated with finding a replacement and having it gone through and then installed I have to ask......is your engine beyond being capable of a rebuild.????

Almost anything short of a cracked block could be repaired, replaced, or refurbished and you wouldn't have near the problems you'd encounter with a swap to a larger engine or the potential problems of a used engine you know nothing about?

What exactly went wrong with yours?

 

yea would be interested to what happened? Did the timing chain go on you? That does not always mean a rebuild.

 

I thought I had read about someone using an S Type as donor.

 

The idler pulley failed causing the serpentine belt to snap....and apparently that hit something causing the temperature gage to stop working. Unfortunately I have very bad hearing and heard none of this. The error message was "Electrical System not charging" which I can now see makes sense...but as I was in the middle of nowhere, and thinking if I turn the car off it may not restart due to electrical problem, I decided to keep going to next exit - obviously causing the engine to overheat. Now quite disappointed in myself for not pulling over - until steam poured out. Yes a very rookie mistake and I should have known better which is the reason I couldn't write about it right away.

In any case found a low milage engine from Gary at Jagbits and they are replacing all the tensioners (which I needed done on mine) - also a '98 so it should just drop in. Couldn't find a remanufactured block...