Do those of you who drive your XK8 on extended road trips have a tool kit/spare parts kit that you feel will cover minor needs out on the road? Looking forward to taking some road trips in the spring (or sooner?), and thought maybe I should begin collecting parts or make a list of tools.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Nick

 

Mobile phone and recovery service membership should do it. There's little point in lugging tools and spares around, as there are limits on what can be achieved at the roadside anyway. Plus whatever breaks will be something you didn't pack anyway!

 

I'd say safety first, so get spare clothing in relation to spending a night in the expected weather at the time (i.e. assume the engine will not keep you warm/cold). Plus flashlight, some water and a snack. Maybe some form of a strobe light in the off chance your car leaves the road surface and you need to bring attention to yourself.

For "spares" I would get a tire repair kit to put an emergency plug and some form of tire inflator. Would not hurt to get a screwdriver with a few bits, maybe an adjustable wrench and some duct tape for a air leak. Would love to find a way to run the cooling system with no pressure, but I think just removing the cap does not work for our configuration.

Besides that, a mobile device with proper charger.

 

Sounds good, pretty basic stuff. I was expecting to hear about everything but the kitchen sink!
Thanks

 

The one part I'd take is a coil pack. Easy to change at the roadside, just a couple of sockets and a socket wrench needed. Not much fun running on 7 cylinders!
The 2 other tools I'd take are a code reader and a spanner to disconnect the battery. Never ceases to amaze me how a power off/power on on a car fixes stuff and I used to work in IT.

 

Robin, how would you know which cylinder is missing or not firing? Since our cars (1998) have the 2 wire ignition coil, i suppose i assumed the OBDII will not can not display a misfire or point to a specific cylinder.

(Thinking to self "oh I hope I'm wrong" :-)) last time I had a bad coil, I had to hunt it down one by one (Thanks to Bob Roy for his help on that one!!!)

Please say more Robin.

Thanks!,

John

 

Spare coil and code reader seems like a good idea. Not that hard to change. While 30 miles from home. the #8 coil on mine started to fail intermittently. Fortunately my car decided to wait until 2 blocks from from home before the coil failed completely. Car went into limp mode. Can you still pull codes to see which cylinder is misfiring? Also current AAA car (tows up to 200 miles) and a bottle of good bourbon both useful.

 

Yes, I was thinking about getting a spare ignition coil, since this pops up in a thread now and again. I did get a code reader when I bought this car in June - the question remains: will it tell me which cyclinder is misfiring? Does anyone have experience with this with a MY2001?
Tire plug with tire inflator is a good thought as well. And some kind of miracle repair tape 'as seen on TV' or something.

Thanks for all the input.
Nick

 

Battery powered 1/2” impact wrench with socket for wheel lug nut. The impact wrench makes changing a flat tire a breeze. I also take a tool I made with a female square socket on both ends. One end goes to the factory jack , the other end on my impact wrench. This speeds up the jacking process for the flat tire change by a factor of 10x.

battery powered tire inflator

every coolant hose that can changed without taking the intake / supercharger off.

every oil cooler hose

tools needed to change above hoses

fluids in case of a slow leak, Including water, oil, ATF, and power steering fluid.

one ignition coil and tools needed to replace

Sounds like a lot for a smallish trunk space, but really doesn’t take up more than 20-25% of the space. I put the parts in one box and fluids in another container. After a trip both boxes go back on the shelf awaiting the next adventure.


Nothing I’ve listed takes more than an hour or so to replace. I’d hate to be waiting for a tow truck when I can have the car rolling under its own power without too much effort.

Z

PS I also take a large flattened piece of cardboard. Sure beats crawling under the car laying directly on the ground or road grit.

 

Here's a good road trip travel kit

 

Fix anything that you know needs fixing before you leave. The little problems that you've let slip and have just been putting up with, well they'll bite you in the rear when you're far from home. You can't anticipate everything, but you should never leave on a trip with a car that you know has problems. I sometimes carry a few wrenches, couple of screwdrivers, duct/electrical tape, vise grips and a couple of adjustable wrenches. I carry them in the car as a talisman, hoping to keep in the favor of the road trip gods.

 

To my knowledge, the ECU can tell which cylinder is misfiring by checking the spacing of the teeth on the crank angle sensor signal. If the spacing increases for an arc, it can be traced back to a specific cylinder.

 

I've attached a snip from the 870 training guide that should help to explain how both AJ26 and AJ27 detect issues on a specific cylinder.

The ECM knows where the crank is at any instant, and compares that to the timing of the feedback pulses from the ignition modules.

 

For some rerason my last post did not post. Was something like this:
Have my code reader in the trunk (boot) at all times. I will get an ignition coil or two, and spare plugs. I do keep some distilled water in there for emergencies (could drink it if I had to).

Zray, sounds like you were a good BoyScout - be prepared-for anything!
"every coolant hose that can changed without taking the intake / supercharger off.
every oil cooler hose
tools needed to change above hoses
fluids in case of a slow leak, Including water, oil, ATF, and power steering fluid."

Some motor oil also sounds like a good idea. If there are slow leaks, I can always stop in a parts store and get other fluids.
Will collect the appropriate tools from the garage when packing up for a trip.
AND it's great to know I can have this forum with me! I appreciate all the input and the very quick responses I have gotten with this and other posts. I am not and never have been a professional mechanic, just a basic hobbyist, but I have gotten alot more confidence in my ability to fix problems and in the overall reliabilty of this fairly new to me car - with the help of the great folks on this forum.
Nick

 

was not a Boy Scout because in my town; they wouldn’t let delinquents in. Narrow minded bas*ards.

As mentioned in my post, if I can fix it in an hour or so, I don’t want to be dependent on a wrecker truck that takes more time to get to me, any even when they do, that’s the end of my trip.

Hoses fail, heck, even a new Jaguar brand oil cooler can fail. One of my new Jaguar branded oil cooler hose leaked from the day I put it on. So carrying a few hoses and some fluids seems prudent for me.


Z

 

I was not a Boy Scout either, couldn't get past the Cub Scouts!

 

The odds of you having everything you need in a breakdown situation or to fix mechanical failure on the side of the road has got to be astronomical. Drive the car and enjoy it if you do happen to have a problem call a tow truck and use your Jag prepaid Visa card (cheaper than a warranty) in your wallet. Good luck and make some memories.

Cheers!

 

It's a Jag. Just 'borrow' someone else's until 'your man' brings it back to you fixed. In the event 'their man' has not fixed theirs, try another.

 

I’ll stick to my one-hour repair limit when it come to bringing along tools and parts. The likely breakdowns that can be fixed in an hour or less is not an astronomical number, and usually has to do with a hose that has blown. Unfortunately, not all hoses on the XK’s are roadside accessible, but most are.

in any case, it’s always the best strategy is to recognize what parts are past their prime and replace those items before driving the car. Otherwise one is asking for trouble and usually getting same, sooner or later.


Z

 

Nick, FWIW, while I now tend to agree with the concensus on this thread, here is my "kitchen sink list of in the boot tools" that I have accummulated from 2012-2019:
Road Trip Tool Kit

· soft cloth bags

· metric wrench set,

· 1/4" Drive ratchet metric socket set, extensions and "Torx"set

· adjustable wrench

· duct tape, electrical tape

· tie-wraps,

· some mechanic's wire,

· long nose, channel lock, and vise grip pliers

· ELM 327 / Android Torque Code reader

· Can of sensor cleaner

· Small but complete changeable head screw driver set

· Spare fuse of each size

· Microfibre cloths

· Squirt bottle of quick detailer turtle wax

· windex

· flashlight , headlight

· Plywood jack up pad

· tire plug kit

· portable air compressor /tire gauge /tire depth gauge

· multimeter.

· torque wrench

· Jumper cables

· AA & AAA Batteries

· Previous wiper blades

· Hammer

· Magnetic and pincher flex part retreivers

· Bungees

· Safety Glasses

· (1) Coil Pack

· Work Clothes