I recently purchased a 2002 Jaguar XK8 from a relative who has given me a list of all the service and maintenance issues he has had over his 5 years of ownership. At least I dove into this with both eyes open. He must have the patience of a saint. Although the car has 107,500 miles on it, I have to say it looks great. My first repair job was replacing the driver side rear window regulator. I took it to a local garage that has been servicing the car for years and it took them three days. Clearly they had not read your posts on how to remove and replace the regulator. My next job, which I did myself was to repalce the aerial mast with the help of all the detailed instructions in the various postings. It was an act of faith to clamp a vise grip onto the remains of the mast and crimp it and pull hard but it worked just like I saw in the postings.
New front brakes and rotors tomorrow. I will install the pressure relief valve for the hydraulic pump asap as I think I have the original hydraulic hoses although the hydraulic pump has been replaced as has one of the hydraulic lifts. If the hoses are original it must be a record for this age and usage. I expect I am due for a leak but not a green one as the hydraulic fluid looks like a neutral color.
Clearly this will be a project to keep the car running but it is perfect for Southern California, San Diego in particular. We cruised down the Pacific Coast Highway in style (until the rear view mirror fell off!) in the warm sunshine. I think it is going to be worth the effort and no doubt the expense of keeping this car on the road.

 

Welcome to the wonderful madness. Keep in mind the damage to the hydraulic hoses is cumulative. I installed the pressure relief valve, and the old hose gave up anyway. At least I know the new hose is protected. It was VisaDiva's jag convertible, so look up her story about her blown hose trip to the dealer.

 

Sounds like you are well armed and facing everything head on, well done! You show that xk8 who's boss in your garage! We're glad you're finding lots of useful information to help you along with your ownership responsibilities.

 

'Hands on' ownership is the best and also keeps the costs down.

There always seems to be something to do on a Jaguar to keep it perfect but days like your cruise down the Pacific Coast Highway make it worth the time and effort.

You almost know the hydraulic hoses will go so being proactive and changing them in advance at a time that suits you will avoid much mess and inconvenience.

Graham

 

Robt
Welcome to the world of Jaguar, replace your hydraulic hoses when you do your relief valves, there are plenty of information about replacing them. It takes about 6 to 8 hours, not hard, just time consuming. You have to remove most of your interior to route them, but it will be worth it knowing you've address the problem. Good Luck.

 

welcome along. lets see some pics!