They say the only stupid question is the one you didnt ask....so , her goes. I have a 2001 XK8. I have a small oil leak from the right side and appears to be the valve cover. I had a Chevy 350 that leaked forever from the valve covers. Not a lot a few drops here and there. The covers on those were notorious leakers. I dont know a lot about Jags, I am very new to them. So, I cant fix this right away. THe leak is only after being driven and its a quarter size drop on the garage floor, I would say about 3 to 6 drops usually. Can this car be driven that way until I can fix it? ( thats the dumb question ) And , is this normal for this engine?

 

No, it is not normal and yes it can still be driven until you have the time to fix it. Just keep an eye on your oil level.


Stu

 

Well, the counterpoint to this is the catastrophic oil leak on a hot manifold that causes a fire. Wherever the car is parked at that point. You might want to trace the source of the leak and determine if that is a possible scenario. Do you smell burnt oil after parking the car? Is there smoke if you open the hood after a drive? Just wanted to point out oil leaks are not always innocent...

 

There is no smell at all. There do seems to be about 3 drops all in a row, all aligning with the valve cover. I cleaned the engine so that I can better see fresh oil leaks.

 

Unlike the earlier 6 cylinder Jaguars of the 1960's and 70's, the V8 does NOT normally leak any fluids.

That being said, the plastic Camshaft Covers covers are a known issue. Leakage, when it does occur, is usually from the rear corner. The rubber seals should always be replaced whenever the covers are removed and the fixing bolts torqued to the correct setting (9-11 Nm). I've seen many with cracks around the bolt holes resulting from overtightening.

A seal kit contains:

1. outer seal
2. spark plug aperture seals
3. variable camshaft timing oil control solenoid aperture seal




RTV sealant should be applied to two places on the joint between the timing cover and the cylinder head as shown circled above. It is NOT necessary to apply sealant to the entire perimeter of the seal and finding this has been done is usually evidence that someone has previously attempted to fix a leak.

Graham

 

GGG's post is most helpful, I had the same issue, rear drivers side corner leaked. I replaced all gaskets and made sure to tighten in correct order and presto no leak.Its not not hard to remove the covers,just watch getting around the dipstick.
Good luck

 

When replacing a leaking valve cover gasket,(or any other oil retaining gasket) it is imperative to de-oil the mating surfaces. I recommend laquer thinner or acetone on a clean rag wipedown on both the head and valve cover prior to fitting it back together. After that, don't touch the surfaces. If this is not totally oil free, it can prompt a new leak in the future. Its kind of like touching an old canvas tent during a rain, it will eventually leak there.