Valley pipes under supercharger SV8

[Orkney]

Hi folks,
I'm about to tackle the (in)famous valley coolant pipes on my 2000 SV8 - not leaking as yet but no evidence of them having been done. Anyone have a list of gaskets, seals, clips and the like which must or ought to be changed while I'm in there. I did the upgraded outlet elbow seals last year and can't see the need for replacing those again, or the lipped seal on the charger top, all of which were lightly lubed with silicon grease during assembly. Drive belt will be changed.
I don't want to strip it all out, only to face out of stock or NLA parts.

Ian

[J44EAG]

Hi Ian.

As you say, the large gaskets can usually see further service. These are thin sheet steel shim encapsulated with silicon rubber. They are pretty resilient. An anaerobic (sets by exclusion of air) sealant such as Permatex or as typically used by Jaguar, Locktite SI 5980 (Halfords stock) is worth using on cowhorn pressure manifold top and distribution outlets and elbow to charger seal, which is again a rubber/steel composite.

The 308 will in part have different gaskets to the X350, so I`d suggest looking at an appropriate parts list and go from there. Typically you will need a new throttle body to elbow gasket. This is a crush type so will need replacement. The same goes for EGR valve and pipe gaskets.

The same valley pipe appears applicable to 308/350 models whether 4.0 litre or 4.2. That valley pipe is 2W93-9F814-BC.

An uprated coupling for the snout drive and also new oil is available from Lawson at Powerhouse Automotive. You might fit a 6% pulley which Lawson also can provide. No machining of the snout is required with the 6% unit. That will give more low down torque. I have the 10% unit fitted to the XJR. Paul has had a 6% unit fitted to his recently acquired Range Rover 4.2SC. Well worth doing.

Clean out the MAP sensor and charger elbow whilst it is off the car. They will be full of crankcase breather gunk.Also clean up the throttle body and if you have time and basic tools, remove the lip on the elbow below the throttle body. Removal back to gasket dimensions will help the engine breath more easily.

The charger has to be removed to get to the front end of the valley pipe. I know of no one who has changed this pipe without getting the charger off.

Hope that helps.

Mike

[Orkney]

Many thanks Mike for the swift and comprehensive reply. Glad you pointed out the TB to elbow joint, I haven't been in there before so did not know about the one use crush in that place. I'll obviously change the oil and updated coupling but not too concerned about me needing more horses - I realise it's a passion of yours and I have, in the past spent many a happy hour with all manner of milling and grinding equipment, trying to release extra horses from carbed Minis but they only had a slack handful from the factory!!

I'll get this stuff ordered ready for a happy weekend when it's lashing down with horizontal rain.

Ian

[J44EAG]

The OE coupling has a reputation for breaking with higher mileage. The internal spring can break. The more solid Lawson or ebay sourced items are stronger but can cause gear rattle at idle. For a domestic use car, then I`d perhaps just replace it with a new OE item.

Getting the TB/elbow is the hardest part of the job. Note the plate below the elbow which has two horizontal 13mm bolts holding the bracket to the elbow. One comes out easily enough, but the other is often obscured by the EGR valve. The plate is a real cuss. Some have dispensed with the thing on reassembly. It is rather unnecessary and highly obstructive. Once the elbow is off the charger, then the third bolt which secures the charger to the engine valley can be removed. At that point, the charger comes off in seconds.

Oil changing is easiest with the charger on the bench. Undo the fill slug and up-end the charger into a bucket. Re-filling and replacement of the filler slug is much easier with the charger off the car.

Give me a shout if you get stuck with any part of the work.

Mike

[Orkney]

Thanks again Mike, really useful info from someone I know from the Mag has 'been there, done that' with skinned knuckles to prove it. I love those repair manuals which state 'remove the bolts from..... and reassembly is in the reverse order of removal - they don't say you have to be a malformed dwarf with three bent fingers and a broken thumb to achieve success. (No offence intended to anyone who might possess those occasionally useful attributes)

Yes, I think the OEM coupling should suffice, I don't want to compromise the Gentleman's Carriage 'waftiness' of this superb car.
As an ex aircraft man myself, I'm not averse to making/modifying tools for a specific job, even if only for single use.
BTW the pipe part number you gave seems to be for non S/C cars - do you know if they are the same anyway?

Regards,
Ian

[J44EAG]

That part number came from the valley hose which was removed from my 350R. It sits on my desk as a mandatory maintenance monument! I`m afraid I cannot confirm whether that part is fitted to 4 litre and 4.2 naturally aspirated models. I need to have a deco at an example to ratify that.

The small end of the pipe appears to join to the rear of the OS cylinder head with the fat end being joined to the valley area behind and below the thermostat block of the engine valley. That is the end which is impossible to get at without the charger being removed. Its buried below the charger drive snout component.

See the posts myself and iRS on the matter of charger removal on the X350R. Externally, there is little to distinguish between the chargers on the 308 and 350 models. The changes in internal porting detail and a few extra bolts on the snout to charger case is the only thing that externally differentiates the core 308 4th Gen M112 and the later 350 5th Gen M112 charger cases.

I`ve a double prolapsed lower lumbar and resulting serious sciatic nerve entrapment on my right side. Apparently, its the next best thing to having a broken back. This severely limits my ability to climb on top of the engine to get at the rear end components. The job beat me as I think many know and I had to send my part dismantled car off to my local Jag Indy to get the charger removed. They stuck their youthful lad on the job and he had the charger off an hour after the car arrived with them! Its a young man`s job is this one! Other than tortuous removal, the work is all just plain nuts and bolts. I think it might help to have girlie sized hands and four universal joints in your back! A forward opening bonnet might also make the job easier.

Mike