Also (and I wrote this somewhere and now can't find it) I spoke with Chris about the crankshaft bolt and he suggested that the threads may be full of locktite and I should try removing it. I poured some acetone on an old tooth brush and worked it into the threads a few times. Then I threaded the bolt all the way in with minor help from a wrench. Basically that problem is solved. Now just waiting for the damper to come back from the rebuilder.
Mark

 

Oh, good catch with the locktite!

Do you plan to use locktite when you reinstall?

 

Yes I do.

 

Can anyone tell me how they did the two step torque on the VVT oil control unit bolt?
I don't want to destroy another tool after all the work to make it fit.
Is the tool used on both steps, or just the first?

 

Hi All,
Rather than start new thread I thought I would add my questions to this one. 1998 XK8, 92,000 miles and I am in the beginning phase of this project. Thanks to the forum and the links to Christophers Foreign car parts I have the kits and tools to attempt this. Today I took off the valve covers water pump,Damper, and timing chain cover. Damper was tough but worked out with the tool from Christophers. In looking at my tensioners I see 1 cracked plus a crack in the guide, so glad I am doing this now. I have 1 question and one part where I am not clear on as of yet (after much youtube watching). Doc's say to NOT re-use the Crank Shaft bolt. Where can I find a replacement? Have not been able to find one yet. For the procedure the area where I am still a little fuzzy is with the VVT. It looks like they just need unbolted and replaced the same way, but I read there is a pin and a hole to keep them aligned properly but I am not 100% clear on this. Will be starting the VVT, timing gear removal in the next 2 days.
Thanks,
Jon

 

Sorry, forgot one more thing. When I took off the valve covers there was a metal plate that came off upon removal. It was "loose" in the cover on both sides. I can see where it goes, but is it held in place when it gets re-assembled? Or do you use sealant to hold it in place.

 

Jon,

Another X100 epic front end rebuild only DIY possible with the knowledge of this forum. I’ve got another approx 20,000 miles before I’ll need to do mine.... and strangely I’m looking forward to it.

For your cam cover question, the plate you refer to may be the oil seperator baffle as part of the PCV system. See pic below.


Should have wire wool behind it and mine was held by clips. It keeps the camshaft aerosolized oil sludge from reaching TB and/or air intake. Main reason,IMHO, that we don’t need catch cans. I do note some models have air/oil seperators too.

 

Have you seen this recent thread by Greg. Great info source and tackles your VVT question... using coat hangers!

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ioners-214569/

 

Jon,
First, I reused my crank shaft bolt. Added a little locktite to it and just cranked it on. May not be optimal, but without naming names, I had others of the opinion that it was not totally essential to replace. Take it for what it's worth, and if you the least bit concerned or doubtful, its best to replace it. You don't want to second guess yourself with this every time you drive the car.

My '98 XK8 did not have those valve cover plates. Not sure if it is a model year change or not, but there it is.

As for the VVT units, I think the hole and pin you are referring to is for the Flywheel, not the VVT units. Nothing there to pin. Just align the cams and flywheel properly and use the tools as described by Christopher and this forum.

Sounds like you have a good start on it. Good luck,
Mark

 

Can anyone comment on the motivation against reusing bolts like the crank shaft bolt?

It's a torque to yield bolt, I believe, so is the worry just about it not holding firm on reinstallation, or is it worry that the bolt might sheer off if retorqued?

Locktite would help the first but not the second.

@Nemesis435, do you see much oil in the air intake? Those valve cover plates sound pretty important without a catchcan throughout the series.

 

Thanks DavidYau, Yes it is the baffles. I don't see any clips to hold it in, seems some previous mechanic seems to have applied a hardening sealant and stuck them in. Sealant let go so now they are free and will not stay put. I have started scraping/chiseling off the hardened sealant to have them better fit then if nothing else use a better sealant to keep them in place.

 

Torque-to-yield bolts are designed to stretch on first use and "clamp" parts together under tension with a bit more force than normal bolts designed for reuse. Think of it as a "spring" keeping a crap-ton of force on the damper. The second use stretches them beyond the designed tensile limit, and they can break off in the hole. Ask me how I know (VW Jetta project many years ago, PITA to fix). Also think of what happens to a spring once you stretch it out of shape - doesn't work too well any more. You can get new ones for the Jag from Terry's Jaguar Parts or SNG Barratt for about $15.

 

Volkris,
No oil in the intake. Pretty clean all the time.

Also to the bolt, I only had a 250 ft/lb torque wrench to work with and cranked it to click, and then pulled a little more. I figure I'm above the 268 lower limit, but nowhere near the 385 upper limit of the spec. As such, in less risk of breaking the bolt, but still satisfactory pressure for it to stay put.
Mark

 

Re: New Crankshaft Damper bolt: My local Jaguar dealer stocks them. In fact, it's just about the only older Jaguar part they stock...I imagine other dealers stock them as well because they probably fit 20 years worth of engines. By the way, when I went to the parts counter, they told me the bolt was 30 or 40 bucks. I asked if that is the best they could do and the nice young woman at the counter sold it to me for 12 bucks. Could be my natural charm and burnished (aged) good looks, but I suspect it's just because I asked.

Also, even though the bolts already have a coating of Loctite or similar, use more. When I did my tensioner replacement (top and bottom), my original damper had fallen off (saving me the trouble of removing it !) A couple years later, my replacement damper loosened (though thankfully, it didn't fall off, which broke the first one). This time I used Loctite (Permatex actually). Could be I'm not torquing tight enough (the first damper loosening was on another mechanic, real or amateur like myself, I don't know). Or it could be the dampers, both original and junkyard replacement were/are damaged. I suspect the split ring may be damaged or defective. Either way, it is a trouble point and there is a TSB on the subject calling for the use of additional Loctite and providing torque specs.

 

Thanks to all for the responses on reuse and yes a compression bold under that much torque should be a throw away. I checked with my local (Delaware) dealer and they did not have this bolt in stock. They were able to give me the part number which is AJ89909 so I thought I would share. I was able to find this on Terry's Jaguar Parts, for $12 +plus shipping. So its now on the way. Looks like it has the Loctite on it already