I have spent most of this afternoon going through the posts for XK8 and I am now getting concerned about my timing chain tensioners!
I have a 2001 XK8 with 55,000 miles, on a cold start I have no "rattle" from the front end and my local Jaguar mechanic says the engine sounds fine and I do not need to spend $1800 on this job to replace them. Is he right?? Will I hear when these tensioners need replacing? do I wait until 60K miles? do some engines never need the tensioners replacing? What would you suggest bearing in mind $1800 is a lot of money when you are retires and on a fixed pension. Thanks for your help, regards, David

 

I would for peace of mind,when it does happen it can damage the engine and cost alot more than $1800.The secondarys are usually the ones that go out and you should be able to get them changed out for less than $900. part and labor.Have fun in your retirement.

 

I think this is something you can do on your own. I've never done it, but I've read the instructions and seen the photos. It seems pretty straightforward.

 

Can you please tell me where the links are for doing the job yourself. Many thanks, David

 

Since he is "retired and on fixed income", he may be beyond the point of wanting to tackle this on his own (unless he retired young). I know that I wouldn't at this point in my life and I am still a few years from retirement. On the other hand, if I was not working and did not need the car every day in order to get somewhere, I might be tempted to try this as it does seem pretty straightforward.

Doug

 

Doug, the XK8 is my second car and is not used every day or if it rains! I am very active and mechanically minded, would feel confident to do the work with problem instructions. Thanks

 

sorry meant "proper " instructions

 

Try this URL:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ight=tensioner

This is the FAQ thread with the string "tensioner" highlighted.

Try this link to:
http://www.jag-lovers.org/cjw/#0104a

I am not mechanically inclined but the FAQ section and its links has kept me informed and educated about the car.

Good luck!

 

The secondary tensioners are easy. I did mine with a $10 set of ACE Hardware sockets and a few other tools. The instruction links cover everything you need to know. The satisfaction of doing it yourself is more than worth the effort. I attended a Jaguar club function and an acquaintance introduced me as testpoint . . . he did his own tensioners.

 

Bob, thanks very much for your help! Have a great weekend, regards, David

 

David,

Here is another link from another source covering the tensioners.
http://www.jagservice.net/jaguar_v8_...tensioners.htm

I did mine in a half of a day.Have fun!

 

Hey Dave,

I hope I did not offend by presuming that (1)you were an older guy and (2)this would be too hard to tackle.

I guess I was projecting my own shortcomings. I am not all that old yet and would love to do this type of work (like I used to in my younger days). But I have found over the last few years that bending over an engine compartment for even a short time results in my back being out of whack for days afterward.

If you do tackle the project be sure to take a bunch of photos and post your experiences.

Thanks,

Doug

 

Ever heard the old saw "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"?

"Nuff said there.

Rusty

 

Uh... not in this case. The tensioners can fail suddenly without warning. If the tensioner fails the valves will get out of sync with the pistons. The pistons slam into the valves causing them to break off, gouge the cylinder walls, and possibly even puncture the pistons. Then your car will need a whole new engine. Failure to replace the tensioners could end up costing $5000 or more.

 

I'm with you Reverend,in my book it is preventive maintenance.And they will fail,that why they went to a different design.