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I have a 2000 XK8, lowish mileage at around 64.5k, within the last two years the engine has been replaced and the fuel pump along with some other minor to medium repairs.
ive had this gas smell come into the car when it is really hot or I’ve been driving a while, typically a combo of both.
Two mechanics in my area have been unable to find anything. The first said everything looked great, but the fuel pump O-ring was a little loose so he tightened it. Then nothing else has been found. I have no clue what is wrong. My main mechanic has an xk8 as well, so it’s just very puzzling.
The odor of fuel is very often the EVAP purge valve located behind the left front wheel beneath the fender liner. The valve sticks and fuel vapor escapes and you get a whiff.
but to satisfy my curiosity, why was the engine changed ?
Z
It needed to be replaced due to the nikasil
lining degrading. Whether or not the entire engine failed before it was changed was unclear. (The previous owner had the engine changed)
The odor of fuel is very often the EVAP purge valve located behind the left front wheel beneath the fender liner. The valve sticks and fuel vapor escapes and you get a whiff.
I noticed a strong fuel smell from mine last year. Turned out to be a leaking pulsation damper on the LH fuel rail. Very nasty to fix on an XKR, but not a big deal on the XK8 (though expensive!).
Probably not your issue though since you can easily observe the pulsation dampers on an XK8 while the engine is running, presumably your mechanic knows that.
Those Pulsation Dampers appear to be excess baggage since the large one on the incoming fuel line accomplished the same role. Several of us have welded the hoses shut and no problems. Also; it appears that damper is listed in the X150 parts books for the 4.2L used in those cars.
Those Pulsation Dampers appear to be excess baggage since the large one on the incoming fuel line accomplished the same role. Several of us have welded the hoses shut and no problems. Also; it appears that damper is listed in the X150 parts books for the 4.2L used in those cars.
Yup, thanks to threads on this forum, I choose to have both of mine removed and the apertures seal welded to avoid it ever occurring again. Also had the hoses and knock sensors replaced, and the fuel injectors cleaned while the supercharger was off. So far, it's the only job I've hired a pro mechanic to do after taking possession of the car, hoping it's the last!
It needed to be replaced due to the nikasil
lining degrading. Whether or not the entire engine failed before it was changed was unclear. (The previous owner had the engine changed)
I didn’t know the Nikasil engines were put in the model year 2000 . Learning .
There was a date in August 2000, but I had a 2001 XJ8 (VDP, beautiful car) that had a 4.0 Nikasil block. It was fine. Reved a little higher than the conventional 4.2. Some say it was superior to engines with typical cylinder liners and that the sulfur in some fuels ruined it for everybody.
I think August 2000 was the switch to steel-liners, so all XK8/Rs before that are Nikasil.
It was, but that was engine build date, so some do crop up in later cars.
Supposedly harder than steel, with better friction and oil retention properties.
It wasn't only Jaguar who got bitten by this. Thankfully the high-sulphur fuels were gone some time back, so the consensus is that if a Nikasil engine is running fine, it will continue to do so.
A Nikasil block wouldn't be a deal-breaker for me.
XK8 gas smell but can’t locate issue
