I have been on this forum in the past however I was recently not recognized so I simply re-applied. I have a 1998 Jaguar Xk8 coupe that I purchased new. It has 63,000 km or 40,000 miles. On start up I'm hearing like a timing chain rattle and it seems to run fat (black smoke). I called a Jaguar dealer in the Detroit area and was quoted $1400.00 - $1500.00 to replace the secondary tensioners. My question is while at the dealer is there anything I should do beyond that. The car runs perfectly has no engine light issues and is still as sexy looking when I purchased it. I run synthetic oil and perform service more than required.
Thanking you in advance
George

 

I would change the waterpump, thermostat, and thermostat housing.

Just my 2c..

 

Has the throttle body been replaced?

It is a common fault on your year XK.

A bad one will make it stall at highway speeds.
Vector

 

That seems like a lot of money for just secondary tensioners. The job would take about 3 to 4 hrs tops, and the cost of tensioners plus new gaskets about $200 all up. That works out at over $250 per hour labour and a big mark up on parts.

 

Do not even start the car again...tow it in for the repair to avoid damage.

The black smoke may be unrelated to the tensioners and a different problem.

 

Just been through DIY secondary tensioner replacement on my XJ8 and believe this is generally similar in principle .

If your secondary tensioner has self destructed it could also have slipped a tooth on the exhaust cam and if it slips a second will almost certainly result in destroying your valves and pistons needing a top end rebuild or replacement engine.
The highest risk time will be starting the engine so please get it towed in to the dealer.

Your model falls right in the era of plastic bodied tensioners that fail and these should be replaced with latest third generation metal bodied ones.

Judging by the price, your Jag dealer is following full recommended practice of removing front end chain casing which involves quite a few hours work with a couple of tricky areas (I found the cam shaft pulley bolt and pulley removal the trickiest, but made much easier with the right tools).

In that case the main work is done so it would be wise to also replace the primary tensioners and guides which although not as critical as the secondary tensioners will almost certainly have cracked to some degree, and the primary/secondary chain sets, at least one of which is likely to have suffered damage from hitting the casing (your clattering noise).

On the same basis it is not a heavy extra expense to replace your water pump, thermostat, and thermostat housing as the bulk of the work is already done.

If a tensioner has broken up you may have bits in the strainer and oil pickup pipe.
This has resulted in 'Great Badness' (as one Moderator warned me) for some members and, although it's a pain, he suggests pulling off the oil sump pan to check/clean.

If you are interested in a DIY job there is much info and support available on this forum which guided me through the process most successfully. You can check out my current thread for more info.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-94165/page2/

There is also a link in this to an excellent guide with pictures at each stage.

I did the whole job for a few hundred pounds (plus a friend supplying an extra pair of hands) against a few thousand through a Jag dealer.
Good Luck.

 

I will ask to do the water pump and related items as well as the primary tensioners as well.
If anyone in the Detroit area can recommend a shop Iwould also be very much interested. Just as a side note the same repair (secondary tensioners) at the local Canadian Jaguar dealership was going to be $3600.00. I feel like I'm stealing doing the job in Detroit.
Thank you all once again. I love my cat
George

 

I think it would be difficult to judge what is included in this job by the "price." The range the OP quoted is what others have paid the dealer to do the secondary tensioners only, not the primaries.

Also, at your mileage it is generally not recommended to replace the primary tensioners and guides. Most find they are OK until well past 100K. That job would probably take you to the $3600 figure quoted by your Canadian dealer.

OP, could you clarify exactly what the dealer in Detroit said he would do for $1500?

And also, as other have said, do not start the car, do not start the car, do not start the car, have it towed to the dealer!
Vector

 

You should definitely check what the dealers are quoting for before committing to anything, including a tow truck to Detroit.

It never occurred to me that a Jag dealer would quote for a secondary tensioner replacement using the zip tie method, which only requires removal of cam cover cases, cam caps and manoeuvring the camshaft to slacken chain enough to enable removal and replacement of tensioners.

The only other way of doing this is full front end chain cover removal which I believe is what an authorised Jag dealer would offer, and it would then be financially sensible to do everything else as a precaution.

I would still be concerned over the condition of the secondary chain which has been rattling against the chain case.

When I tried the zip tie method I thought mine was fine and it was only after replacing the secondary tensioners and tensioning it all up again that I could see there were stretched links which would have resulted in breakage and bad damage, most likely sooner rather than later.

If all looks fine then the zip tie method seems to work well, but if they find other damage or anything else needing replacement it is likely to cost you a lot more to have full front end stripped.

Do your homework and check exactly what they are quoting to do, and if appropriate get an alternative price for stripping front end if they find it necessary. At least you will then know where you stand.
John