I have an '89 XJ40 that had 100,600 miles. The other day I noticed
a significantly rough idle when started and when stopped at a
light. I took it into an indpendent mechanic that specializes in
Jags and he said we have a ‘‘blown head gasket between 2 cylinders’’.
His estimate is $4000 to fix that and do a valve job. I called
around and got another estimate for $2000 for the same stuff so I’m
not sure what to believe. My husband seems to think that head
gasket and valve work should be pretty straight forward and can be
done by any reputable mechanic.
So my questions are 1.) Do I have to fix a blown head gasket right
away since it isn’t burning coolant. (we are having a baby in
October so we are trying to watch our costs) 2.) Worse case
scenario and we go with the cheaper repair work. What could happen
if he doesn’t do everything the jag repair guy would do (like
repalce the 14 something-or-other bolts) that is recommended by
jaguar.–
betty mooney
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In reply to a message from betty mooney sent Fri 15 Jul 2005:
Hi does it idle always rough? and is it using water? when a head
gskt is bad it will use coolant and white smoke come out of the
tail pipes, and could idle rough. when you have a burned valve it
will always run rough and you should have a compression test,
usualy cost about $80. and if you have eather one of those, you
should have it done, but 4 k is too much, about 1600 hundred for
the gasket job, and about 3 k for the valve job. thats around here
MD and its best to go with the jag man. usa.–
The original message included these comments:
I have an '89 XJ40 that had 100,600 miles. The other day I noticed
a significantly rough idle when started and when stopped at a
light. I took it into an indpendent mechanic that specializes in
Jags and he said we have a ‘‘blown head gasket between 2 cylinders’’.
His estimate is $4000 to fix that and do a valve job. I called
around and got another estimate for $2000 for the same stuff so I’m
not sure what to believe. My husband seems to think that head
gasket and valve work should be pretty straight forward and can be
done by any reputable mechanic.
Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !
If you truly have a leak between cylinders you can do further damage by
driving it.
You will have combustion gasses able to travel between cylinders. This can
eat a path in the head and block. To fix that would require welding and
planing. It could also eat away the gasket until you truly do have a leak to
the coolant and run the risk of overheating.
If you get parts online the parts should cost less than about $300 even
if you replace the head bolts. Many have success by reusing them and even
Jaguar suggests they can be reused twice.
To me it seems more likely you have a burnt valve. However whichever the
cause the repair cost are about the same.
The cheapest way to do this is to do most of the work yourself.----- Original Message -----
From: “betty mooney” moonjunk@sbcglobal.net
To: xj40@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 6:03 PM
Subject: [xj40] Why the repair cost difference and do I really need it.
Hello,
I have an '89 XJ40 that had 100,600 miles. The other day I noticed
a significantly rough idle when started and when stopped at a
light. I took it into an indpendent mechanic that specializes in
Jags and he said we have a ‘‘blown head gasket between 2 cylinders’’.
His estimate is $4000 to fix that and do a valve job. I called
around and got another estimate for $2000 for the same stuff so I’m
not sure what to believe. My husband seems to think that head
gasket and valve work should be pretty straight forward and can be
done by any reputable mechanic.
So my questions are 1.) Do I have to fix a blown head gasket right
away since it isn’t burning coolant. (we are having a baby in
October so we are trying to watch our costs) 2.) Worse case
scenario and we go with the cheaper repair work. What could happen
if he doesn’t do everything the jag repair guy would do (like
repalce the 14 something-or-other bolts) that is recommended by
jaguar.
Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting
services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On
Line Books and more !
Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !
In reply to a message from betty mooney sent Fri 15 Jul 2005:
Did either of your guys do a compression test to diagnose a blown
h/g?
When you say ‘‘rough’’ idle, is she hunting between 2 idle speeds,
kind of like you’re revving her gently? If so, it could be
something as straightforward as the throttle body needing a clean.
This was one of the first things my tuning guy did when mine was
idling erractically. Fixing that will fall some way short of 2-
4K… :)–
The original message included these comments:
I have an '89 XJ40 that had 100,600 miles. The other day I noticed
a significantly rough idle when started and when stopped at a
light. I took it into an indpendent mechanic that specializes in
Jags and he said we have a ‘‘blown head gasket between 2 cylinders’’.
Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !
In reply to a message from JagFab sent Fri 15 Jul 2005:
Well - if it is a blown head gasket - you must replace it before
you damage the engine. A compression test will basically tell
you. It is very straight forward to replace. A certified Jag
mechanic isn’t necessary for that job (especially since many of us
non-mechanics have done it). Same for the valve job. Unless you
plan to do it yourself, I wouldn’t have a problem going with the
cheapest labor.–
wcmaness
Arlington/Texas, United States
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In reply to a message from betty mooney sent Fri 15 Jul 2005:
Provided you do not have a severely damaged head, a first class
job, inluding having the valves done at a machine shop, head
skimmed if necessary, valve seals, etc. should be about $1500.
To change the head gasket only, it should be about 8-10 hours.
If the head is damaged, and needs to be replaced with a recon unit,
then you could add another $800 or so. This is why it is
important that you do not continue to drive it with a bad gasket.
Additional damage can be the result.
For what it is worth, around 106K miles is about typical for an AJ6
headgasket to go.–
The original message included these comments:
I have an '89 XJ40 that had 100,600 miles. The other day I noticed
a significantly rough idle when started and when stopped at a
light. I took it into an indpendent mechanic that specializes in
Jags and he said we have a ‘‘blown head gasket between 2 cylinders’’.
Visit the Jag Lovers homepage at http://www.jag-lovers.org for exciting services and resources including Photo Albums, Event Diary / Calendar, On Line Books and more !