www.jec.org.uk

Hi everybody

The time has come to do my timing chains and tensioners etc, I have replaced the water pump, rear bumper brackets, bought a second hand phone in e bay now working a treat.
I have next week off so I can take my time and do the job properly.

I have ordered all timing chains, tensioners, guides, blades. gaskets etc, I have decided to do the lot, I may even change the sprockets if worn. I will take some pictures of what I find and post them.
This is preventive maintenance, my car has done 90000 now still going like a ''rockett'' but, she never has had any work done to her' well as far as the service record goes. She has had two owners, I checked with the last owner of 4 years and he confirmed this. well better to be sure.
The cost of the parts from local jag agent is just over £500 but Im working on 10% discount, seeing I have bought the last three dicovery's there.
Once the job is done I will sleeeep better at night and play harder by day' I am getting carried away again.

ps, I put some new pictures into the gallery of her.

cheers eveybody

wullie.

Good luck with the work Wullie. Look forward to seeing the pics.

Nice pics Wullie very colour mate

Thanks guy's I'll keep you posted. Similar colour to your's bassman.
cheers
Wullie.

Hi fellow xk8 men

Well' I have stripped the car down to the chains, I am now waiting on the hired tools coming from the club, before removing the chains and tensioners, coming tommorow. The inside of the timing chain cover is spotless and no sign of any wear or cracking like I expected' as uasual her indoors comment was 'well why did you buy all that stuff then ' nag' nag' nag' you know what it's like. This engine has been looked after. I did have a wee smell of oil (slight burning smell sometimes) found the cause! the spark plug seals were shot and leaking into the plug area's this would just have boiled away when the engine was hot and causing a wee fume. This will help other members that may have hot oily smells in there cars, hopefully.
The new tensioners are of the alloy type whilst the original are made of that tuffnell stuff. Not too bad a job to do at all as long as you have the correct tooling and you have an idea what your doing.
I will let you all know how things go and post some pic's. can't wait to see her go, no fear when putting the foot down.
cheers Wullie.

Great stuff, Wullie. I'm awaiting the next episode with eagar anticipation! Mike.

Have you seen this chaps website.

http://www.carxk.co.uk/svc_tensioners.html

Seems to be different opinions around whether to change the lot or just the secondaries as these seem to be the main problem, according to many folk.
Anyway thought this might be of interest.

Have you seen this chaps website.

http://www.carxk.co.uk/svc_tensioners.html

Seems to be different opinions around whether to change the lot or just the secondaries as these seem to be the main problem, according to many folk.
Anyway thought this might be of interest.

Yes he is also a member of another Jaguar XK club which I dare not mention

Hi everybody

tut tut Paul . I had a wee look at that guy's web site John, very nicely laid out, great pictures. Just a couple of wee things I would be concerned about if it was my car, they are; where are the missing bits of the tensioners? just flooting around in the sump? they could cause a blockage??. Also I would never recommend fitting a joining link to a timing chain ( thats for bikes) ( see the picture in that guy's web site ) what if the wee clip comes off???? worth thinking about, this would not help me sleep at night. Maybe thats the way they do the job. I have just replaced all my timing chains and the four tensioners, lucky for me all the old parts were complete but if not I would have removed the sump and found the missing bit's, but maybe am just too fussy . the new chains from Jaguar come as one piece no joining link.
cheers
Wullie

Hello everybody
I have now finished replacing all timing chains tensioners gaskets etc on my XK8. I will post some pictures in the gallery for members to see.
I hired some tools from the club = crankshaft locking tool, camshaft locking tool, chain tensioner tool including postage £37, but a must for the job. I made up a tool to remove the crankshaft dampener etc.
Then armed with printed sheets from my JTIS cd bought from e bay I got started. The job was straight forward but I didn't notice one of the VVT units had moved on rebuild, when I was turning the engine to check evrything was in sink the 'A' bank (drivers side) inlet camshaft was late coming round it was about one and a half teeth out. not sure how the VVT units worked I left the job until the next day to phone the experts. ( no mension of what to do in the cd manual) .
Well that opened my eye's, firstly I phoned our club expert (no names) dont think he wanted to talk to me, when I explained my problem to him he replied 'Av never had that problem it's a straight forward on off job' VVT unit's that is. When I came off the phone I was no further forward. Even the local Jag agent couldnt or maybe wouldnt help?
I then phoned North Wales Jag Centre He couldnt be more helpfull, he said a lot of people get caught out with this, he explained that the VVT units may move when working with them, he told me to make sure the VVT units were fully clockwise when fitting them, bingo she now runs perfect. . 'and thats all I wanted to know clockwise' All in all you could do the job youself with the right tools in less than two days.
Only one of the top tensioners showed signs of a crack the rest of the old parts were in good condition guides, chains, blades etc. (anybody want to buy them second hand HA' HA') .
I would have got away with doing the top tensioners and chains but if the jobs worth doing it's worth doing right.
I also fitted a set off new spark plugs costing £75.
Please look in the gallery for some photo's. .

http://www.jec-xk8-forum.org.uk/xk8bb2/ ... 7-1_tn.jpg

cheers Wullie.

Brilliant Wullie. I'm sure your notes will help others make the decision to replace their own cars' tensioners. It just takes a little courage to dive in and get the job done. Thanks for writing up the story and adding the pics. Mike.

Hi folks
If anybody needs any wee tips on doing the job please feel free to e-mail me or ask through the forum. It's not a bad job to do with the right tools at hand.
I am now away to wash her face and drive her what a pleasure smirking away to myself .

cheers
Wullie.

Well done, Wullie, I can hear the satisfaction coming through your posting and it is this which makes it all worth while.
It is a pity you weren't at the XK8 seminar a few month ago, they had, among others, an open engine there and their expert was going through the issue of setting the VVT, etc. It's well worth for someone like you to try and get to the next one, even if it is a long way to come.
All the best and have a wee dram or two, you deserve it

Problem solved, buy an XK8 and take it to Wullie and he can do the tensioners for £37.00 all you have to do is buy the parts.
Only joking Wullie, I will now go and look at the Gallery for your lovely photos.

Am just about to do mine too. I removed the cover on RH bank to check the current tensioner. It's a replacement engine from 3y ago. The tensioner is 2nd generation. I don't plan to do the primaries as it all looks in very good condition. I've ordered and received the tools from the States because the JEC tools site doesn't list the XK8 tools on its website. So I'm a bit annoyed now to find they do them for hire after all.

Oh well I can always flog them on ebay after I suppose.

Does the 1998 normally aspirated coupe have VVT? I don't think it does.

John