Brought it out of hibernation this week and made a few short trips of a couple of miles for fresh fuel, air in tires and a good wash. Today noticed a couple of spots of oil on the garage floor! Has never dripped a single drop of oil before. Had a good look around and saw the rim of the oil pan was oily. Lifted it up and was able to tighten each pan bolt about 1/8 to 1/4 turn. Hope this resolves the issue. If not, gasket next option?

 

If it's no different than my 2005 XK8 the oil pan gasket replacement is real easy.
Jack

 

I’m pretty sure the 4.2’s use an o-ring like the 4.0’s use. Not a gasket per se.

The o-rings used are generally reliable. But once they fail and begin leaking, no amount of tightening will reverse the failure. Gaskets can sometimes respond to tightening, o-rings less so.

Z

 

Not going to help. The seal gets old, hard, and flattens out. You can crank until the bolts snap and it won't help. Replacement is one of the easier jobs on this beast.

 

Is it an O ring or a gasket?

 

I think they technically call it a seal. It's like an o-ring, it fits into a groove in the engine block and the pan bolts over it.

 

Anyone know what the part number is for the seal? Found it NCA1730AD Do you think the aftermarket one is good to get because it's half the price of the OEM one?

 

Seals and bearings might not be the best place to economize.

The aftermarket part only has to fail prematurely once for the bargain to fizzle.

Z

 

Seals and bearings might not be the best place to economize.

The aftermarket part only has to fail prematurely once for the bargain to fizzle.

it’s an o-ring. Jaguar may refer to it as a gasket , but it’s made from o-ring material and has the typical o-ring rounded cross section, not flat like a gasket. Furthermore, o-rings are placed in a machined groove, gaskets are typically positioned between two flat metal surfaces.

Z

 

Jaguar part $89, Uro part $22 + shipping, $20. Is the factory part worth it?

 

usually one can Google the factory part number and find many Jaguar dealerships selling the part at a discount. For example, Google is telling me Harper Jaguar has it for $56, and I’m not really trying that hard to find the lowest pricing.



Does URO have a record of producing quality parts ? For example, are their front shock mounts holding up well ?

URO is my last choice for any type of part. I’ve read too many stories about their shock mounts, coolant hoses, expansion tanks , and etc etc failing in short order.

perhaps they can make o-rings just fine. Buy it and find out.

Z

 

Good point. I think I will buy the Jaguar part as a $40 difference has little impact considering the time and effort involved. The original Jag seal lasted 25 years.

 

I have the best outcome using no gasket sealant. Just clean the surfaces with paint thinner until a white cloth comes away perfectly clean. Then use a torque wrench if you feel it will help you keep the bolts evenly tightened.

Overtightening is to be avoided at all costs

 

The oil filter adapter seal leaks more commonly than the pan seal, mlmics oil pan leak, I replaced two oil pan gaskets before looking harder. Easy. Oops I just realized Im on the XK forum. Did it on my 4.2 VDP not my XK. Probably very similar., disregard if not.

 

After tightening the oil pan bolts, thought problem solved. Today noticed 2 more drips on the garage floor. Visually from above, there is oil on the right hand side of the oil pan above the pan. Is it possible there is a pan seal leak and it is being blown up by air at speed or is there a potential leak above the pan? I cannot find a good diagram of the engine.

 

timing cover every single time

 

If I did this right, you can see where the oil is collecting on top of the oil pan on the right side of the engine. Probable source and how to fix. Someone said timing cover which was done 2 years ago. Any other probabilities. Has not had a leak in 25 years.