This is probably in the "I think I know the answer but will ask anyway" category, but I think I found the cause of my lean running codes. The fitting to which the Breather Tube (large one on the right side of the engine) fits to the cam cover has a piece broken off.



I haven't been able to find a separate part number or mention of just the fitting, either from the engine parts listing in the stickies or in any other on-line listings. Must I replace the whole cam cover to repair this break, or has someone come up with any alternatives?

I will attempt a JB Weld repair, but have already spotted a replacement cam cover on eBay...

Thanks in advance,
Steve

 

Of course the correct way to fix that is to replace the entire valve cover . . . but you could probably use about an inch of clear plastic tubing found in a hardware store to seal the air leak. Painted black it wouldn't be noticeable.

The only way I can imagine that getting broken is someone using a pair of slip joint pliers to squeeze the retainer and squeezed it too much.

 

Serious question here. If he were to upgrade to an aluminium intake. Could he put a filter on the breather fitting and eliminate the breather from the intake pipe without resulting in any codes?

 

test point - lol, yes it was probably me who broke it in the first place, however it was also in the care of a mechanic not too long ago... Whatever the cause, I thank you for the suggestion, I may combine that with my JB Weld repair (curing now).

Steve

 

I assume you have found the missing bit though? Its not floating around inside is it?

 

1.First he has a xk8, make sure unclog that hole and the line using a small tool, its usually blocked by carbon deposits.YOU NEED TO GO TO THIS LINK FIRST
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-filter-9655/


2. The fitting is o-ringed from the inside, so, no its not leaking there.

3.To diagnose your lean or rich codes, first check your fuel pressure.
If its fine,
Your lean/rich codes with an xk8 is more than likely a bad leaking air intake tube(small cracks), bad maf sensor and tuneup, as well as fuel and air filter.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the orifice that gets plugged with carbon is in the left cam cover. I also have/had a similar problem with that fitting, broken using the slip-joint pliers method of removing the hose (don't ask). In my case, the groove at the lower end of the fitting seemed to be intact (no codes), so I'm hoping I'm okay.

I tried in vain to come up with a fix that would guarantee a good seal, but the external groove design makes that difficult. I'm wondering if one were to epoxy a short, very thin-walled metal cylinder over the broken fitting, it could be converted to using a standard hose and clamp. You would probably need to use a plastic elbow on that end to prevent the hose from collapsing, and would hopefully be able to get a good hose/clamp seal on the other end. Not pretty, but it might work, and a lot cheaper (and a lot less work) than replacing the cam cover.

 

Appreciate all the comments. I did find the missing bit, it was still captured in the breather tube fitting when I removed it. Here it is glued back onto the cam cover.


The o-ring in the fitting sits up high, so it seals right at the lip of the mate on the cam cover. It can be seen in this picture just above the squeezable rim of the Norma lock, I believe it really did cause a leak in the system as the o-ring would span the widest part of the break seen in the first picture.

I'll scrounge around my garage bits today to see if I have some tubing that might serve as max224 suggests, also have a run at the hardware store. I'll let you all know what I come up with. While it's fun to McGyver a replacement, in the long run it'll be best to just replace the cam cover.

On the quest to battle the lean codes, I've already addressed the part-load breather and found a minimal amount of crud there. The perforated accordion intake tube was replaced some months ago, and I've sprayed maf cleaner onto the obvious vacuum hoses and connections looking for leaks with my code reader. How I overlooked the breather tube I don't know, so will repeat that exercise after I get this repaired. I've also ordered a can of BG44K after reading so many good comments on it. The air filter, too, is an easy fix and won't hurt.

Thanks,
Steve

 

the pic made it look small lol, but good job,that can create a lean code lol

 

as for the o-ring sealing that breather pipe - don't count on it. Mine leaked from that seal quite badly during a smoke test.
I bought a new breather tube and it still leaked. I added my own larger o-ring and it sealed much better.

 

Well, so far, so good with the glued breather fitting. After about 100 miles of mixed trips it's still holding. I didn't find any piece of tubing that would fit outside the breather fitting, and still allow the hose to seal on the inside. I did put a little white grease around the o-ring to help it slip into place and seal (a trick from my Corvair engine assembly days). Haven't performed a smoke test to confirm, but I believe it has sealed adequately.

In other news, I also replaced the plugs and installed a new air filter.

The result? The "pending"P0171 cleared by itself, the car passed the California emissions test, and best of all I hear a new, more authoritative note in the exhaust. I won't say performance has improved, and it's too early to look at the gas mileage, but I would insist I hear a deeper growl in the beast especially when digging deep while holding a higher gear.

Plugs used: NGK5464 (aka BKR5EIX-11) from Napa auto parts. Replaced what I think are the originals, at 62000 miles. This picture might make the original look a little worse than it really is, the shadow from the flash makes the electrode point look like it's split. But the brown fuzziness is real.


More to come - I received my order of BG44K in the mail today. Goes into the tank tomorrow, we'll see if I will have any good inputs for the Wow BG 44K thread.

Steve