1998 Jaguar XJ8 XJ-8 from North America - Comments

It's obivious that there is/was a serious problem with the throttle body are several other defects that were eventually resolved by those that presisted.

Welcome to the way the auto industry treats it's customers. The entry where the individual admitted to not having the vehicle serviced for (4) years deserved what he didn't get from Jaguar/Ford. Did I detect an "attitude?"

I have read numerous reviews written about other Jaguar Vehicles with this engine, and haven't found any reference to the throttle body problem other than with the XJ8.I'm thnking I'll buy the Vandam Plas with a "complete" dealerservice history. The prices are approximately the same, and the 5" of rear space are there along with a much higher degree of luxury.

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts/comments/actions. We are all better for your efforts, even though you may think they were fruitless.

In closing Jag's are different, and to truly enjoy them you must know what the "difference" is. It simply can't be explained.

Jim S. USA

As a true Jaguar lover, I have purchased another XJ. I should have done a bit more research as I have fallen victim to a timing chain tensioner. It seems it is very common now to jump the chain just after the warranty period is up. I love my 99 xj8l, but with a failing motor, it means nothing. I am hoping Jaguar will own up to the problem that they are well aware of. Maybe I'll buy the adapter kit and have a Chevy 350 motor installed. Think the trans can handle the power?

98 XJ8 was running fine, then one day, it decided it just wouldn't wake up for the morning. Had it towed to an independent Jaguar service shop where they ran a compression test and got pretty poor results (none of the cylinders were at the 150lb level and two on the A side were at zero). Placed a call into Jaguar Customer Service who said in order for them to consider any financial assistance it needed to have the diagnostics run at a dealership. Had it towed to the dealership (it hadn't been started up since the compression test at the independent) only for them to tell me the timing chain was broken and they can't do anything without repairing that first for $3,800. Ongoing saga, but I'm not a happy camper!

Steven in LA.

I had the stalling problems too and DID get it fixed at an independent Jaguar servicer after the dealer couldn't fix it while under warranty. When the recall came out Jaguar wouldn't reimburse me because I used an independent to finally get it fixed!?

Yesterday I got a $4400 bill to fix the timing chain tensioner after the plastic tensioner broke into pieces and ruined the timing chain and assembly. The Jaguar dealer gave me a copy of the official technical bulletin stating there is a problem and the new tensioner is now made from metal... but no recall on it.

I've read several other comments on both of these problems with the 98 XJ8 with no help from jaguar. Anyone interested in a class action lawsuit since we are all out of warranty now and have no other recourse? sseibert@strategicassetmgmt.com.

Is it advisable to buy a 1998 or 1999 XJ8 because of defects? Elsewhere I have read that there are problems with early model water pumps. Plastic parts inside break apart, pump fails, and broken parts clog the cooling system. Then, overheating (from that or for other reasons) causes the Nicasil lining of the aluminum cylinder walls to fail resulting in total engine failure within a few thousand miles. A new engine block or re-sleeving the bores of the damaged block is the very expensive fix. Apparently, starting in 2000, engine cylinder walls no longer have vulnerable Nicasil linings, water pumps and timing chain tensioners no longer have plastic parts, and throttle bodies have been upgraded to prevent stalling. Can anyone verify the above? Which problems were fixed in 1999?

Same stalling issue with a 1994 XJ6 - Stalled on a roundabout and was unable to get it going for an hour causing chaos!! Have spent huge sums of money trying to get it fixed with no luck. Cannot sell it because of this issue and am now thinking of scrapping it even though it is a beautiful car and in otherwise perfect condition... I will never again be purchasing a Jaguar.

Well I love my XJ8L, but this week I had it towed. NO COMPRESSION I am told. I was away for 3 months and now it will not start and had to be towed. My mechanic is trying to fix the problem by allowing oil to slowly penetrate the pistons. The compression came up a bit, but not enough... any advice you may have to help save me 1000s of dollars... if you do, pls e mail me at jimwalshmha@yahoo.com... thanks much.

Hello, I am an owner of a 98 XJ8. I have had the same mentioned problems with the engine stalling at speeds over 60 mph, and after numerous repair bills I now have a "transmission failure" notice that started to appear last week. I took the car to a local mechanic (not associated with Jaguar) and he tried everything he could think of, but has told me that he can't figure out the problem. He now says I will have to take the car to a jaguar dealership (the nearest one is over 200 miles away)...anyone else had this problem? please respond I have owned this car for under a year and have already paid over $3000 in repair bills.

Hypnotize06@yahoo.com.

Thanks everyone I was thinking about buying a 1998 Jaguar xj8 Vanden Plas, but after reading most of your comments I will just stick with my Infiniti J30. That comment about people who bought Jaguar's are pompous and they deserve these problems is so wrong and idiotic. I owned a 1995 Hyundai, which gave me similar problems as the xj8 I guess this person would say I deserve it for being too modest and thrifty--people!.

My 1998 4.0 litre XJ8 has covered 170K miles, it probably needs the tensioner changed. I used to have the stalling problem - The dealer cleaned out the throttle body assembly and flashed the ECU software to the latest version, the problem has not occurred since.

If you think Jaguars are bad try modern Mercedes - the most unreliable/overpriced cars you'll ever find.

I also have the same exact issue with my 1998 XJ8 with 65,000 miles. I had scheduled to bring the vehicle in for the the current campaign with regard to the throttle body valve and related software upgrade on Wednesday February 14,ironically Valentines Day. The campaign is supposed to resolve the inadvertent stalling of the engine. This all of a sudden became impossible when on February 5th out of the clear blue the vehicle after haven driven 15 miles to my office with no warning failed to restart. While attempting to start the vehicle within 40 minutes of my arrival at the office, a hideous rattling sound eminated from the engine compartment followed by a failure to start. It was towed immediately and now diagnosed with a damaged o broken tensioner which allowed the engine to jump time and thus self destruct itself. The problem is a repeat occurrence of many other 1998 XJ owners a true nightmare indeed. The fix I believe is a class action law suit against Jaguar of North America. The Tensioner is truly deffective and the manufacturer needs to take full responsibility. Since they have been well aware of the situation and consequently issue a campaign to assist the owners recover from this ordeal. The tensioner has been since deemed defective and thus replaced with a metal tensioner component. I find it absolutely absurd that this failure in engineering has not been acknowledged by Jaguar. Thank you Michael.

I have a 1998 Jaguar Van Den Plas with a 4.0-Liter V8 with 70,000 miles and a timing chain problem. Last week my wife drove it to a meeting, and she said the car exhibited no warning symptoms during that drive. After the meeting the car would not start, so she had the car towed to a local (non-dealer) service shop. (There are no dealers within approximately 50 miles of where we live.)

The service shop has just started the diagnosis, but they report that the engine will not turn over, the timing chain is broken, and they have found valve guide debris in one of the cylinders. The cost of this repair remains to be determined, but I am expecting a cost on the order of a few thousand dollars.

I found a Jaguar Owners’ Club website with a discussion of "Timing chain tensioner problems and Jaguar’s response", and someone had posted a letter from Jaguar USA stating “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention…. Any repairs after expiration of the warranty are the responsibility of the owner.”

I believe the timing chain problem and the Nikasil bores are latent defects that should be recognized by Jaguar. Since they refuse to recognize any responsibility for this design error, I conclude that the suggestion of a class action suit in the 10 Feb 2007 13:42 post above might be the way Jaguar owners should proceed. I would support such an action.

I am looking at a Jag XK8 1998 with 70000 ms on it. the current owner states that it has been maintained by the dealer since new. Any suggestions or caveats before I purchase this car? I love the lines of this car and the price is fantastic

Thanks.

J.

I have a 1998 XJ8 Jaguar with 63k miles. The car has stalled numerous times at highway speeds. I have avoided accidents and have been able to pull over to the shoulder, but I live in fear of a major accident. I have brought the car to the dealer numerous times and they can't seem to find the "problem" and deny that it exists. I have left each time with expensive repair bills. Now my car won't start and the check engine light is on for the first time. I once again expect a multi thousand dollar repair bill and future problems. I am in favor of a class action suit. My car is out of warranty like the others. If anyone has any advice/updates about this situation, please contact me at bidextralhammer@aol.com.

I own a 1998 XJ8 and trying to look for a new engine replacement. After searching the Internet, I found this forum with tons of people having the same problem. My car used to stall on the highway (now its totally dead). It was driving nice one day, park in the garage and the next morning it just decided to quit on me. I couldn't start it up anymore, towed to Jaguar dealer 3 times within 2 years (still under warranty), they changed battery, they clean throttle, whatever they've done, it worked for a few months and all the sudden without any sign, the car decided to quit on me again. The 4th time towed it back to the dealer (out of warranty now), they said " you need a new engine / tensioner broke ". I argued with them, I called Jaguar, what they did was sending me $250.00 coupon and that was it. Dealer quote me a price of $8700.00 to fix it. I was so angry and ready to join if anyone want to file a class action suit against Jaguar. Please contact me at richch321@hotmail.com.