I�m totally behind the others recomendation - there is nothing on the list
that a show-stopper and if You�re a normal DIY You can do all of it Yourself
(maybe with the exception of the A/C part, but the other members on the list
probably know how to take care of this although I dont).
If the car is otherwise sound and the body is in good condition these other
minor issues should not discourage you.
The best part of it all is that You will love the car even more after
wrestling with it for a bit.
Chris: on the head gasket issue
I too think it’s a little early to think the worst. Has a coolant
contamination or leakdown or compression test been conducted? Are there
bubbles in the coolant while the engine is running?
Another somewhat basic point which you yourself touched on is the soundness
of the diagnosis, esp if the only evidence is “cloudy oil”. It won’t
necessarily be water.
The older mineral oils often tend to build up a greyish deposit in the sump,
especially when the engine spends most of its time running below optimum
temp and oil change intervals have not been shortned accordingly. So your
“water” may just be dirty oil. Why not have a good look at what’s in the
sump and filter?
Hello Everybody;
Let me refresh everybody’s memory on my 85’ xj6 VDP. I
had 192,000 trouble free miles on this old engine.
Recently it started to develop a slight tremor which
then resulted in a very violent tremor. Upon turning
her on, the engine would go bang, bang bang as if the
Incredible Hulk was trapped inside trying to punch his
way out. The usual tune up [spark plugs, ignition
cables, oxygen sensor, plug up vacuum leaks…etc] did
nothing to help. I took it to my mechanic. After a
couple of days he called me in to see what was wrong.
I was a bit shocked. He had removed the bonnet [and
hung it up on the wall - it looked pretty cool
actually] and pulled the head of the engine. Oh’ man
what a mess. He spent considerable time with me
showing me the internals of the engine and the
problems that are there. My engine vocabulary is
lacking in this area, but he pointed out many things
that were wrong with the engine; worn out
valves/pistons, warped head, gaskets in bad shape,
timing chain with worn out teeth, engine mounts that
are very tired, fuel injectors not up to speed
anymore, rattling water pump… etc! He gave me a
lengthy list of what is needed to set her straight, it
was over 30 items and they looked expensive. Ouch! He
also said that it would be sad to spend all this money
on the top half of the engine just to have a lower
seal go bad. Finally, he also suggested a new engine
from one of our vendors. I do plan on keeping her for
the rest of my natural life, do you recommend a new
engine? If so can you email me offlist as to who you
recommend and who I should avoid. What are the
pitfalls to look out for when putting in a new engine?
Your advice is sorely needed here. I would like to
have her ready for the summer.=====
Regards, Michael
85 xj6 VDP with wires www.nyresume.com/jag.htm
cool web site about my Jag-u-wer
IMHO, at 192K miles, anything less than a full engine replacement is silly.
I’m sure the usual vendors can offer some good prices on a complete
remanufactured motor.
Hello Everybody;
Let me refresh everybody’s memory on my 85’ xj6 VDP. I
had 192,000 trouble free miles on this old engine.
He also said that it would be sad to spend all this money
on the top half of the engine just to have a lower
seal go bad. Finally, he also suggested a new engine
from one of our vendors.
IMHO, at 192K miles, anything less than a full engine replacement is
silly.
I’m sure the usual vendors can offer some good prices on a complete
remanufactured motor.
Doug Dwyer
If I were truly honest with myself, I’d second that emotion. Although I love
my Jag with a passion and I truly enjoyed ripping the engine to bits and
rebuilding it myself, it’s still not anywhere near 100% and I could have
bought a fully reconditioned engine, guaranteed, on an exchange basis, for
about the same amount of cash that I’ve spent so far, and that’s not
including my own many, many, many, many hours of labour, skinned knuckes,
white hair and simply shocking vocabulary…
(Mind you, I’d ONLY admit that to you good men and true… any ‘civilian’
would get a completely different response!)
In reply to a message from michael o’donnell sent Sat 24 May 2003:
Not sure where you are but a company called VSE here in Wales UK
specialise in rebuilding Jag engines it’s all they do. A full
rebuild will cost about 1500 UK pounds + tax & they ship worldwide
all rebuilt engines are test run & you get a report with all
details with the rebuilt unit. They can also build it into a
tweaked & modified engine if you want more power. I had my engine
done a couple of years ago & it came back like a new engine. The
block is chemically cleaned to get rid of the rust & sludge, new
studs fitted. If the block is suspect they fit liners. They have a
very good reputation & are cheaper than almost anyone. I went to
their works & was impressed by the equipment, cleaning tanks &
machines they have totally dedicated to engine refurbishment.
If you are intereted their phone number is (0)1597 840308 /fax
840661. No I have nothing to do with them jusy an impressed
customer.–
Keith Turner
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
I’ll second the VSE recommendation, they did a very job of a crank
regrind, polish, balance and de-sludge that I entrusted to them.
Their top-hat cylinder liners are also the saviour of a block thats
cracked between the bores. If they can ship for a reasonable cost
they’d certainly be worth considering.
Of course as Mark alludes, if you had the ‘bug’ really bad you’d
use the opportunity to get real intimate with your car and rebuild
it yourself
Seriously however the lat thing you should do is get a cheapie
from a no-profile back street operation, but I’m sure you know that
already.
Cheers,–
Rob Hod '73 Daimler Sovereign MOD
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
