98 XKR oil consumption

[david723]

Just had trip to Le Mans, done 1130 miles and used 900mls of oil, after some thrifty driving.
Any observations on this amount of oil used,
Car has done only 52,000 miles

[Nik]

Hi David ,
Sounds a bit excessive a few questions for you............
1. Do you use the car for long runs regularly ? or more very short journeys
2. Has your car still got it's original Nikasil engine?
3. what grade of oil do you use ?
4. I presume there are no obvious leaks? ( the sump pan on some early XK's appear to be prone to corrosion )

Best Wishes ,

Nik

[david723]

Hi Nik,
Thanks for reply.

Very few long runs, stands idle for long periods.
Origional engine EC9810042024, Nikasil or not?
Same oil as when purchased May 08, appart from top up with SYNER-G 5w-40
No Leaks

Car runs very well, no evidence of smoke ect.

[GrandTourer]

David,
from your information it appears your engine was built in October 1998, ie early in the MY1998 time period, which would be a Nikasil engine. It depends where you got the engine no from. If you took it from some early documentation rather than the actual engine plate, it might have been replaced (usually by Jaguar under warranty) with an exchange engine having steel lined bores. In this instance, your engine would have a different number plate (often green) with a different sort of number.
By the way, the VIN no range for the 98MY XK8/R is: 024687 - 031302.

If it is a Nikasil engine, that does not mean you will have problems now because of Nikasil. What you may want to have carried out by a main dealer is a blow-by test (about £40-£60) to check the bore-wear condition. Some independants also have the special Jaguar blow-by kit.
By the low mileage for this year car (52K miles in over 10years) would indicate lots of short journeys, which is not always the best thing for these engines as they need to be brought up to full temperature.

I have checked up on the engine oil spec of the MY98 XKR (that's when it was first launched) and it is: API SJ and ACEA A3 (cap: 6 ltr.)

Hope this is of some help. Maybe, some XKR owners can enlighten further.

[GrandTourer]

David,
from your information it appears your engine was built in October 1998, ie early in the MY1998 time period, which would be a Nikasil engine. It depends where you got the engine no from. If you took it from some early documentation rather than the actual engine plate, it might have been replaced (usually by Jaguar under warranty) with an exchange engine having steel lined bores. In this instance, your engine would have a different number plate (often green) with a different sort of number.
By the way, the VIN no range for the 98MY XK8/R is: 024687 - 031302.

If it is a Nikasil engine, that does not mean you will have problems now because of Nikasil. What you may want to have carried out by a main dealer is a blow-by test (about £40-£60) to check the bore-wear condition. Some independants also have the special Jaguar blow-by kit.
The mileage your car has done in over 10 years is very low, indicating lots of short journeys or the car standing unused for a lot of time, which is not what these engines need. They need to be brought up to full temperature regularly to maintain there effectiveness.

I have checked up on the engine oil spec of the MY98 XKR (that's when it was first launched) and it is: API SJ and ACEA A3 (cap: 6 ltr.)

Hope this is of some help. Maybe, some XKR owners can enlighten further.

[david723]

Thanks Karl

Will find engine number at weekend and let you know

regards

David