Hi,

Although I am a newbie, it's not my first Jag. My question is:

Since the AJ engine family includes Lincoln LS and Ford Thunderbird 3.9's, does that also mean that the chains, gears and serviceable parts (tensioners, gaskets, O-rings and guides) are interchangeable? Also, would the thermostat housing and thermostat be the same? It would really help if this were possible. I have priced the cost of parts as a Jag XK8, which it is, and the difference is substantial.

Thanks

 

The plastic thermostat housing is a common failure. Aftermarket version in aluminium is available. Great improvement and costs less:



I've seen different quality on the aluminium ones. Some have a roughcast finish and others are smooth. You'll need a modified wrench to remove and replace the tower. Check this thread for details:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ermostat+tower

I'm in the wrong country to take advantage of Lincoln LS interchangeable parts and can't help with that question.

Graham

 

Many of the '00 Lincoln LS/Ford Thunderbird 3.9L V8's parts are exactly the same. They come in a Ford box and say Jaguar on the end tab. Aftermarket suppliers also get in the act; the FelPro gasket set for the LS/Tb is substantially less than the Ford parts which are substantially less than the Jaguar parts.

Here is a link to a post with the Ford tensioner part numbers:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...34/#post330655

Other common maintenance things like coil packs may or may not work due to the changes made by Jaguar through the years.

If you uncover any specific part that do or do not match please post them and we will create a FAQ sticky post for everyone's use. Since the Jaguar engine does not get rebuilt very often many of the internal parts are not documented as to their compatibility.

There is also a thread here on using the LS/Tb engine for a swap into a Jaguar. Somethings, like the oil pan if I remember correctly, need to be changed but for the most part it is a pretty clean swap.

. . . and welcome to the forum!

 

For parts you can't find, or if you don't mind used parts:

Jaguar parts from the original Jaguar Heaven! Jaguar parts for classic to current models

I had a vacuum diaphragm fail underneath my supercharger and there was no comparable replacement available... my indy checked Ford and Jaguar dealer parts, out of production and unavailable... Jaguar Heaven had it for relatively cheap.

 

Graham,

I did order and just received the aluminum housing and new tstat. The housing is complete with all gaskets, seals and Tstat cover; from URO Parts #AJ82217Kit. The finish is not rough, rather satin, and the interior passages are smooth. I checked the threads on the top inlet with the aluminum cap and it seems to screw on without issue; I didn't srew it tight because of the seal inside the cap (I didn't want to crush or tear it before I had a chance to use it) and saw a label on the housing stating it was "leak tested", we'll see. I also got a new Tstat from MotoRad #11626002672. I had a choice when ordering and thought this unit to be the premium quality. Will let you know how the swap goes. I don't have a wrench yet, but I'm hoping my indy does have something, he's been around a long time.

Thanks
Bill

 

Thanks for the "Welcome",

I have been successful in finding a myriad of European and American crossover parts for Maseratis from the 80's, and that was no easy task, so I am determined to slay the high prices we Jag owners are subject to. If I had more time, my bucket list includes creating a crossover catalog for as many "serviceable" wear items, I can find. But alas, the research time for a project of that magnitude is not cost effective to me; so for now I am depending on our legions of experienced owners to help. Rest assured I am keeping this info in a very safe place and compiling everything. Maybe, someday, when I prove myself to Admin, I will grow up to be a "something other than junior" member that can share this by "sticky" or something...

I am reading some interesting stuff, like using a Subaru TB/MAF instead of the Jag for $3500US. Just don't know which application yet, but I will find it. I've disliked a lot of comments, over my short life here, but two seem to really get my blood boiling: "What? You can't do that! It'll never work!" and "That's Impossible!". I believe that all automakers source most of their hard parts so that interchangeability is always an option, they just don't want us to know those things. Just as some of the Maserati interior switches/actuators are Benz/BMW/Fiat and even some Chrysler. Some Jag parts are also of similar vain. I will share what I can as I go along.

Thanks
Bill

 

I've replaced my fuel pressure regulator with a Lincoln part.

My 'refurbished' MAF from NAPA says Toyota on it.

 

Since I am having kidney issues, currently, I had to take the car tomy trusted indy. The guy is pretty old school and on top of things, but he's NOT a Jag specialist. He does work on all kinds of "gotta be clever" English and Germans, so I figured he would know what I meant by; "Whatever you do, DO NOT break the "perfect" seal on my intake, find a workaround!" So, I call to check on the job and he says, in his best Argentinian accent; "Am I gonna make-a U happy when I tell-a U I fix-a U car for $150? Of course I had visualized the "bent wrench" in his toolbox/bag of tricks, so I wasn't ready for that.

Anyways, I picked up the car and it ran fine for the mile between the shop and the interior shop where it's getting the typical bolster replacement on the drivers's seat and new headliner. I hope it "stays" sealed. Not sure if it's to his credit, yet, or not; he did tell me that they only had to "ROCK" the intake back and didn't "have to" remove it completely! My concern being that he not only broke the manifold seal, but that he "rocked" the entire assembly, potentially loosening all kinds of stuff and scraping O-rings while doing so...

The Jury is out, for now, but I get the car back from the interior guys Thursday, so I will be able to take a decent drive to shake it sort it out. Now the only thing I have to worry about is the R&R of the driver's seat and my instructions on how to be gentle with the lower seat sensor and disconnection of the battery prior to the seat unplugging and removal. Whew! This shopping of my gal is unnerving! I know, I know... Welcome to Jag ownership! The problem is that there are NO competent Jag techs in this region. I need to do chains and I'm stumped. There is no Jag dealer for a couple hundred miles, so I guess the only way to do it may come down to me and my Godson, and he's nervous. Fortunately, I've been snagging every link I can find to educate us on the job. We will not be foiled! I'm glad I'm here, with "intelligent" owners who are so willing to share experience.

Will keep you posted as the saga unfolds.

BTW, the housing set I used is great. A satin finish outside and polished inside w/good fit.

Thanks
Bill

 

Bill,

Sorry to hear about the health issues - you could probably do without the unique approach of your Argentinian indie adding to your concerns!

Good news on the t/stat housing.

Graham

 

No worries, I'm tactical! Saw the new headliner at the interior shop, it looks perfect! I had to go a slight shade darker than stock or wait until the color came in, NOT! I did call my guy to remind him of the delicacies of the Jag lower seat sensor and he told me he wouldn't need to pull seat. When I saw the headliner he had already stripped the top of the seat and the cover was on the bench. We checked out his material and he realized my seats were so dirty they looked a shade darker! A few swipes with his magic elixer and the color had lightened significantly. So he's going to do "his thing" to both fronts and the steering wheel. Next stop, getting my chrome wheel to replace the spare on the right front. I got a single wheel from M&M Salvage for $104.00 shipped to my doorstep, including the cap!

My chain woes were uplifted when a mechanic at a shop I know showed me another XK8, with the valve covers removed, so I could see the chains and tensioners. He also told me that I could just do the tensioner replacement and that the chains could be clipped rather than replaced. My instinct is I could try to replace them by fishing with the new chains connected, rather than "clipping" them. He said he had done several that way with 100% success, I know his rep is good. But he can't do it because that shop won't work on my car, the owner called it a POS and I dropped him in the dumpster outside the shop. Well, the dumpster was next to the ramp we were on and I helped him trip, a little...Oops! My bad! That's OK, they've had my '06 Passat 3.6 for almost 6 weeks with 19 codes (that way when I got it)and it turns out a bad ECU. I've got 2K in fixing the codes "his way" (the shop owner) and now it all comes down to him flashing a new remanned box and he can't keep up his subscription VagCom for the data connection to do it! I guess I just couldn't hold myself back...

 

The saga continues... Got my lady over to the interior guy, left him with enough instructions to fly a 747, unfortunately, he didn't listen!

When I got to the car, it was beautiful; his stitching was right on and the leather matched on all fronts (color, texture and grain). I felt blessed that something went as planned, until I started the car and went for reverse. I was locked out. A quick study of the fuse maps lead to the driver's facsia panel and fuse #7 for the interior lights and trans lockout solenoid, among other things. I get the fuse out and see that it was dust. I figure all his work removing and installing headliner was a potential cause and I replaced the fuse with one of my spares (15a). Wham! I got major sparks and maybe even a slight bite. That means dead short to me. He pulls the headliner console down and nothing out of the ordinary. I was late and he called an auto electrician after my mild rant about "You should have listened when I told you to disconnect the battery..." So, my guess is all the poking and prodding with the headliner may have grounded a wire to the roof(?) and they will find it quickly.

When he looks at me like it's just a breakdown of the car, I reminded him that I drove it to him and in order for me to do that, I had to be able to get it out of park. I was consulting with my ride on personal logistics for a few minutes and when I got back to the car I caught him trying to physically "force the shifter out of park. My response was; "I guess you really want to buy my Jag, because if keep that up it's going to break inside the trans and you will own it for a princely sum!" He thought twice about his methods after that pep talk.

I'm batting a thousand so far...

I just hope that they don't fry the lockout solenoid or the relay in the next 24 hours. On a good note, the airbag lite goes out just like it should...

Meanwhile, my Jag is occupying his business frontage and he can't get any other business into the shop until he fixes it...

Lord help me! I'll keep you posted.

 

Back again... I get the car out of the interior shop, fixed. Turns out he grounded the drivers vanity wire when he re-installed the vanity...whew! So on to the tire shop. When I bought the car, it had the spare and full sized P-Zero mounted on the right front, no doubt a product of a "slight miscalculation" when NOT avoiding whatever was hit that bent the original chrome rim and taking the tire with it. In order to save money, I opted to try to find a USED P-zero match. I did, but it was worn more than the tire on the car, so I opted to have them dismount the good matching Pirelli and transfer it to the replacement chrome wheel I bought, then mount the used tire on the painted spare to complete the set. The tires on the car were worn dead even and I wanted to keep it that way. About ten minutes into the job I am called to the car and the guy says; "My machine bit your tire when I was dismounting it, that's never happened before..." So I'm thinking, no problem, just get another P-Zero, new. The guy says, "I'm not going to buy a new tire, that one was used." I say, then get another "matching" tire of the same tread depth, he says; "I'll go look in the warehouse, but I don't think I have one." He comes back with a "NEW" Bridgestone Turanza EL 400 that's the same size. I jump up and down demanding he replace the P-Zero and it's $300 wholesale! That was my only option. Had the put the Turanza on the right rear so my "steers" are matched. Looks like I am going to have to find the tire by acquiring a spare from a parts car. At least he gave me the Turanza, which I will swap to the spare wheel and put the Pirelli spare on the chrome.

On a good note, I drove the car about 40 miles over a high altitude pass, complete with twisties while climbing. I reset the trip and fuel minder before leaving. When I arrived, the system report AVG. MPG as 22.6! Now it's on to taking care of the usual interior pics (cup holder/ashtray/inst. bulbs...etc.) I'll keep you posted.

Bill

“Only the true desire for change can support the change itself”
(Bill-ism #33)

 

I'm really looking forward to the release of this saga on DVD.

Sounds as if you're winning.

Graham

 

very entertaining, don't forget tomorrow's episode!

 

I had driven the car from Reno to an outpost in the desert called "Stagecoach" (No, really, I'm not kidding...Google it!) where my godson has a huge hideout, with a great garage and lots of tools n' stuff.

Of course, the trip couldn't end normally. My mistress told me, with a drip near the rear of right wheel well, that the "next thing" has just occurred! The dreaded "Octopus" has struck...! I'm not worried because, thanks to this forum and people freely sharing their "recon" misadventures, there is at least one thread that pretty much outlines tips and tricks to doing this as painlessly as possible. My plan was to deal with all the little stuff in the interior, since Brian (said Godson) is not only an adept and resourceful mechanic, but he's a model builder with a great dremel for fabrication. So the cupholder, loose ashtray, buzz/rattle on main gauge faceplate, replace all cluster bulbs (might aswell since the faceplate and cluster will be in hand.), and refasten the 3rd eye. Will also clean the speed sensors and possibly R&R the front seal, as it's weeping pretty good. I'm trying to find someone to do chains, but in all half million people, I still haven't found a competent Jag tech...period! The Ford dealer won't touch it, likely because they know all the "other" shops where the "maybe" competent techs are. Those shops only speak one language when you say Jag; "kaching, kaching!" My best estimate is $1800, that's US. I'll do it myself before I take a chance on another "idiot" touching my car!

Anyways, stay tuned for the next episode of "Days of My Mistress"! I could be dangerous, I have a good budget and really believe the "old lady" still has some bite to her. The odd part to all this is that, aside from the used tire, these shops I've been going to are normally competent...

I'll keep you all posted. Thanks guys.

Bill

"When Satan sends you cockroaches, have Faith, God will send you a Wolf spider."
(Bill-ism #14) - True story

 

I used a crows foot and did not need to bend a wrench.

 

A much more elegant solution.

In my case, it was a fifty mile round trip to the nearest supplier and brute force won over engineering.

Graham

 

Bill,

You thought you'd only changed a vehicle and found you've changed a lifestyle. What else could give you this amount of entertainment for as few $$?

Graham

 

Life is full of adventure just waiting to catch you off guard! So, Brian has now removed the console lid and we got some brass round stock and stick for life epoxy and he's "getting after it" with his handy-dandy high speed dremel. I know when this cupholder is fixed, it will be for GOOD! Pulled the right fender-liner to expose the "leak" which seams to be coming from a vertical vial next to what appears to be an overflow tank with a hose that leads down through bottom of the fender to the ground. Anybody have an idea of what the vial is for? I have had some filming on the inside of the windshield and kinda wonder if there's some "misting" around the vent inlet causing that (ppppllllease! Don't be the heater core!) Also, after sitting on stands for several days, Brian started the engine in order to trace the leak. When he did, there rose a "clatter" which I have not yet heard myself. He also stated that the engine was "hunting" for rpm when he tried to hold a high idle (2,000 rpm). I'm really hoping that it's not a VVT unit. He said it sounds like it coming from the front of the engine, but can't tell which bank and as he steps back towards the firewall it seems to sound like it's back there... I'm heading out there with a stethoscope with hopes of finding out it's something so minor, I'll feel really dumb for fretting. Can anybody direct me to a thread or tell me what the symptoms and sound of a badd VVT unit might be?

I'm starting up Cars and Coffee here in Reno in June, I can't be seen driving around in my Mazda 626! I am going to be in my "Mistress" on Launch day, (I have also listened to "The Secret") and she'll be dressed up for the dance...

"There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence to find out for themselves."
— Will Rogers

 

Bill,

Is this the area of the leak?



Thought this was the coolant overflow tank but I might be

That's a good description he's given you on the noise - can't tell which bank and could be coming from the front or maybe the rear! Stethoscope for the car and cattle prod for Brian?

Graham