Automobile / Jaguar / Xj8

Jaguar Xj8 Car Repair Questions and Answers

Question:    I have recently purchased an 2003 XK8 coupe 29,000 miles, and have noticed that when I break the oil pressure gauge on the dashboard goes right down and a red light appears with the word Low Oil Pressure. After a few seconds, it then resumes to the normal middle position and the light goes off. I have also noticed a very slight noise coming from the engine when I put my foot on the acceleration peddle. It seems like the car is running at slightly higher revs. This error has taken place from cold and warm start. Can anyone tell me if this is something potentially expensive or a common fault on this model / make?

Answer:    Check your oil level-might be low. Have the oil pressure checked-could be a failing oil pump or excessive clearances on bearings or leaking oil galleries.

Answer:    First you should have the cooling system pressure tested to locate the coolant leak, if there is a problem in the heater system you should smell coolant in the cabin, Have the pressure test done to resolve the coolant loss first, and as regards to the Jag coolant if it is a concentrated mixture, your system may be well over the acceptable Ph balance recommended, have it checked and adjusted as required as it may be detrimental to your system.

Question:    2000 Jaguar XJ8 V8 Front Wheel Drive Automatic 75,000 miles a message comes up on my dash that reads failsafe engine mode and the engine to the left is lit up but my car drive fine. why is the message coming up. thanks, mike

Answer:    There are two metal lines running under the car, one has fuel filter in line. you can see it.

Question:    1998 Jaguar XJ8 V8 Two Wheel Drive Automatic 73,000 miles. I recently purchased this 98 Jaguar. At about 50 mph it vibrates. The most logical thing was the tires were not balanced so I took it to the tire shop. All four tires were speed balanced and rotated. I took the car up to 50 mph it still vibrates? What could it be?

Answer:    If the vibration is felt in the steering, have the front suspension & steering inspected, If it is more body only, have the tail shaft inspected & rear suspension mounts inspected.

Question:    I have a 2000 Jaguar XJ8. I took it to get an oil change and the next day, the vehicle started to make a "knocking" noise. I checked the oil level to make sure that everything was being lubricated and the oil level was extremely low. I added approximately 2 quarts (the vehicle takes approx 7), but the problem still persisted. I called the business that performed the oil change and told them that I thought it to be a rod knock. However, when I took it to another mechanic, they told me that the "knocking" was coming from the valve area; not something that could be associated with a faulty oil change. What do you think then? It just seems too extraordinary to be coincidence... Plus, the business that performed the oil change recognized the issue at hand as something that they might have caused. Any insight would be very much appreciated!

Answer:    Hello, the noise your probably hearing is the upper tensioners. the could have gone bad due to lack of engine oil. such as not enough oil. you have to have the valve covers removed and have them inspected.
there is a plastic piece that will fall off. I could cause a timing chain to break if it gets stuck, so I would get it checked as soon as possible. hope this helps

Question:    This morning on my way to work my 1998 jag xj8 with 68,000 miles on it that has been fine all of a sudden starts decelerating all by itself while I am doing 70 mph on the by-pass ,, my accelerator won't co-operate ,, it scared me so I pull over ,, the car is still running ,, but my accelerator is going down to the floor but not doing anything ,, then all of a sudden it kicks in and a couple big puffs of smoke comes out of the tail pipes and it is fine and gets me to work after all,, what happened ,, it scared me.. thanks

Answer:    hello, it sounds like the throttle motor is getting dirty and needs to be cleaned out. necessary to remove snorkel on throttle and clean out the throttle hope this helps

Question:    1998 Jaguar XJ8 V8 Two Wheel Drive Automatic 121,000 miles We just finished installing spark plugs, and ran a diagnostic check, after the car would not start, as It was started and stopped within a few minutes, and would not restart. We had to purge all the gas out of cylinders and the new plugs. Now when I'm driving and engage the cruise control, the control turns off and I get a message, FAILSAFE ENGINE MODE?? Hope you have some ideas.

Answer:    Did you have the codes checked in the computer. the car is probably misfiring while driving. due to the gas in the plugs . it may be necessary to replace a plug again. or you may have a ignition coil going bad.. find out what codes are in the computer.

Question:    1998 Jaguar XJ8 V8 Wheel Drive Type unknown Automatic 118000 miles Where is the thermostat on a 1998 Jaguar XJ8?

Answer:    The thermostat is located under the front plastic by pass tube connected to the cylinder heads. upper hose is connected to the thermostat housing. three screws hold it in. hope this helps

Question:    1998 Jaguar Xj8 having problems going to first gear from stop. Seems to skip to second gear and drives fine after gets going.

Answer:    what you have is a internal failure of the trans, possibly the forward drum is broken. Does it bang when you put it into gear if so that drum is broken.

Question:    1998 Jaguar Xj8 V8 Wheel Drive Type unknown Automatic 60000 miles. I hear noise from my right blower fan and suspect a piece of foreign matter may be stuck in it like foam. Where is it located and how can I get at it.

Answer:    The blower motor is located on the right side under the dashboard. You have to removed the glove box. then you have to remove the whole side of the air box and the blower is on the top side of the air box.

Question:    I have a 2001 Jag Vanden Plas (4.0 v-8 with 85k miles) and recently been having a couple of problems. About every other week the check engine light comes on and remains for 3-4 days, then resets. I notice during this time that there is a pinging in the engine on acceleration. Also, on a couple of occasions, at freeway speed, the car will lose almost all power, but the RPM's remain high. Taking my foot on and off the accelerator eventually "fixes" this problem with a "bang" as the power re-engages. As you would expect, this causes the check engine light to come on. I recently had the timing chain replaced, but no other significant work has been done on the vehicle. Also, a couple of months ago, I got a check engine light and it was determined that the engine was getting too much air in the mix. I discovered that the air intake from the hood was loose and tightened that. Upon doing so, my mileage increased about 1.5 mpg to a blended rate of about 19-19.5 mpg. Because of the increase in mileage, I think the first check engine light is not connected to the current problem.....but I'm no mechanic.

Answer:    There is a few bugs to be ironed out here, but first get the fault codes read as this is the first place to start looking for clues. the pinging could be a faulty knock sensor get the codes first before tinkering with anything.

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