Hello all. I am a hotrod guy that recently acquired a 1998 XK8 convertible. I do not know much about anything, especially modern cars with computers and metric parts. It has only 22k miles on it and from what I can tell, only needs new tires, new battery and to have the old fuel drained out. I will mostly likely sell it but I think I will drive it and enjoy it a bit first. Hope to learn a little bit in the process.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Do yourself a favor and check on the status of the secondary chain tensioners. The original part from Jaguar is made of plastic, you need the third generation all-metal part from the later 4.2L engine. And no, 22k miles on the clock is not below the point where these tensioners fail. Unless you have solid records, only pulling the valve covers will tell you for sure. Seriously, failed tensioners will allow the secondary chains to skip teeth and the pistons will hit the valves. This is a known design flaw in these earlier 4.0L engines.

Also, check if you have an oil cooler. The rubber parts of the hoses can slip off the Aluminum pipe and dump our oil on the ground in 5 sec flat. These are somewhat standard hydraulic hoses, the understanding is that they have a life of 10 years or thereabouts. On top of that, the early car has a worse design than later cars. These typically seep a bit at first.

Last, if the wear on your tires is on the inner edge, it is most likely the upper strut mounts that have collapsed. This is a very common problem. Head on over to jagrepair.com, find the vehicle spec book and measure the ride height. Low ride = negative camber = worn tires.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thank you. That is good info to have. This car was just given to me by my mother-in-law who purchased it new although I doubt she would know if the tensioners had been upgraded or not. Based on the the last registration date, it hasn't run since 2006. My first order of business is to get the old gas out. Yay!

 

Welcome! I agree with everything fmertz said. Let me add 1 more thing. The coolant pump impellers in our cars was made with a plastic that oftentimes disintegrates. Jaguar issued a TSB. It happened to me on my 1998, there's a thread about this right now.

My advice is: spend the $35, take the 30minutes, and just replace it. If you want instructions just ask, super easy job.

One more thing. Go to SNG Barrett website. They offer a free parts catalog for downloading. It comes in handy all the time for reference.

I look forward to working with you.

John

 

Thanks. I will keep you guys posted on my progress.

 

It's likely the fuel pump is dead. There is a schrader valve (tire valve) on the fuel rail that should shoot a good stream with the ignition on.

 

While I wish you the best, if it is been that long, you might want to adjust your expectations. Open the tank (you might have to drop it) and do a visual inspection. You might have a lot of rust from endless cycles of condensation. Fuel pump is probably frozen with that tree sap-like substance that develops as gas ages. I would not expect much of anything exposed to gas that long: fuel pressure regulator and injectors are probably in need of replacement or professional service. I am working on another car that stayed in the garage for several years like that. Everything gas-related was a disaster.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Animationmayhem (cool name)

I was in a similar situation when I got my 99 XK8, as mine was in storage for 2 1/2 years. I got the car as a project to have a bit of fun in the garage when the family was away.

As a amateur DIY car enthusiast (this XK8 was the third car I restored), this car is relatively easy to work on and the AJ-V8 engine is relatively straight forward with good access from top. I got lots of good advice here from the Forum members.

Lots of things are common - and you know the old adage - fuel, air , spark. Put in New gas, Drops of oil/diesel down the spark plugs holes to lube up the piston walls, checking the fuel pump, Thorough check of the fuel lines, including replacing the fuel filter. Service all the injectors as I found 2 of mine had nozzles gummed up. The oil service is 100percent DIY-able and FWIW use a reputable oil filter brand.

The plastic air intake tunnel is prone to cracking esp. at the accordion section, plus changing the air filter is a 5 min job so makes sense. The butterfly valve will need cleaning and check it moves freely. Probably you’ll find slack in the throttle body cable too.

For the spark, new battery, & check spark plugs. Simple... for now.

The coolant hoses will need inspection, and at some point after you got the car running, you’ll need to flush and put in new coolant (Jag specifies the Red type).

Good luck and once the car is running, do let us know what else you find on the test drive. Don’t be surprised if you have Oil leaks, suspension trouble, steering notches etc.

 

Thanks. I kind of figured I would have to drop the tank (although I am still trying to find away around it even though I know better). I guess my next question is what is the best, affordable way to get parts (i.e. fuel pump)? Dropping the tank looks pretty straight forward from what I have seen on here and YouTube.

 

The alternative is to cut an access hole in the sheet metal in the vicinity of the tank top. It has been documented on this forum before, but it is a permanent alteration to the car, and I believe more an option for the coupe rather than for the convertible.

For parts, you cannot go wrong visiting out forum sponsor SNG Barratt. Great navigation, pictures, part#, etc.

For more common parts in a rush, check your local chain store.

The rock place offers good prices generally, but their shipping policies are not without frustration.

 

You are about to embark on a HUGE learning curve, it will be character building!

 

In addition to the pertinent advice already proffered regarding the old gasoline issues, be sure to replace the fuel filter located adjacent to the left rear wheel well.

May the automotive angels be with you. With some help from above all you will need besides fresh gasoline, battery (and fresh oil) are new fuel, air, and oil filters.

would love to see photos of the awakened beauty.

Z


PS I am curious about one thing; since the car came to you via family, you might know and share with us the reason(s) why an 8 year old car was parked and never driven again for the next 15 years.

 

Having just stated out with my 1999 XKR project I just want to thank you all for the advice on things that I need to change, inspect or play with. Cheers

 

Well, that is a long story. The short version is there was a loss in the family. She was left with a big house and a lot of stuff to deal with and unable to maintain multiple vehicles (among other things). This was more of a fun car driven only once in a while and when the battery went dead, it just sat. She can afford to just ignore or replace stuff I suppose.

 

She lives! It's been a busy summer but I managed to remove the tank, get it professionally cleaned, install new fuel filter and new fuel pump. Just put the tank back in on Tuesday. After some coaxing, she fired up. Ran rough for a while but with some fuel additive and some more gas, she smoothed out. Next will be oil change and the like.

 

Well done....

 

Excellent news!

 

Congrats! When you get to drive it you will be happy. TM