JAGUAR XK120 OIL LEAK

Comment by Jason Len on February 3, 2010 at 11:38am

Hi Martin,
There are three solutions to your problem, none of which you are going to like......
First you are correct there is no traditional rear main oil seal on an XK120 motor. There is a slinger plate and a reverse thread machined into the crank. If the crank wears or is incorrectly machined the threads get damaged, or if the seal plate wears OR the main bearings get line bored this disturbs the correct clearance between the crank threads and the slinger plate. This will cause the motor to leak more than normal. (they all leak some).
The second option is the install a crank and rear seal plate from a late 3.8 motor. They will bolt in and come machined to accept a Jaguar rope seal.
The third option to install a rear main seal kit that you can purchase from XKs Unlimited. This is the best option in that it will be completely oil tight when installed correctly.
The down side to all three solutions is that it requires removing the crankshaft which means removing the engine and disassembling it.... Probably not what you wanted to hear since you just got the car running..
Regards,
Jason
XKs Unlimited
www.xks.com

Comment by Martin Frost on February 4, 2010 at 12:39am

Thanks Jason, don't mind me whilst I shout #@!#%^&* *^$%#$$^ &&^$%## $%^&&% a couple of times over !!!!

It's the response I've got around too myself, just needed someone to confirm it.... That said, HOW THE HELL DID A 1952 FHC, AND I QUOTE FROM WIKIPEDIA....

1952 100.31 mph (161.43 km/h) for 7 days and 7 nights: XK120 fixed-head coupé driven by Johnson, Moss, Hadley and Jack Fairman. William Lyons, mindful of the considerable kudos and advertising mileage that had already accrued from Johnson's exploits, commandeered a brand new XK120 FHC for him: bronze-colored, and fitted with wire wheels, it was Jaguar chief engineer Walter Hassan's car, the second right-hand drive coupé made.


DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING AN OIL TANKER FOLLOW IT AROUND THE BLOODY COURSE !!!!! MY ENGINE IS NEW !!, WELL BUILT, HAVING ENJOYED (AT SOME EXPENSE) THE BENEFIT OF SOME VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EXPERIENCED MINDS... OH WHAT THE HELL, WE'LL JUST PULL THE MOTOR OUT AGAIN !!! I'M DONE, RANT OVER... THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT....

Comment by Rafe Saber on February 4, 2010 at 7:49am

Martin
I have the answer to your question "HOW THE HELL DID A 1952 FHC DO THAT WITHOUT HAVING AN OIL TANKER FOLLOW IT AROUND THE BLOODY COURSE !!!!!" Very simple, it was a dry run. :-)

Now you have me shaking in my boots and I too might also be shouting #@!#%^&* *^$%#$$^ &&^$%## $%^&&% a couple of times over !!!! I bought my XK 120 FHC in Summer 2009. It hadn't been run in over 30 years. Got it running perfectly, did a complete brake job but I have yet to test it on the road. Hope to do so this summer.

I am aware of another member suffering from the same symptoms as yours. Except his was not a new rebuilt engine. But out of the blue it started spewing oil like crazy whereas it never did before. My guess is that all of them had that defect which becomes more and more pronounced after 50,000 miles.

For future reference. The Jaguar Social Network has a Technical Forum for questions such as yours that is divided into several categories:

1. Site discussions
2. XK Forum
3. E-Types Forum
4. Saloon Forum
5. Jaguar Parts Wanted
6. Jaguar Parts For Sale
7. Jaguar Cars for Sale

Questions placed in the Blog tend to be buried quickly and lose their visibility as content is added and updated.

Comment by Paul O. Harder on March 26, 2010 at 4:34pm

Jag joke: If your Jaguar is not leaking oil, it is out of oil. There is a pushbutton switch on the dash for switching the petrol gauge to the sump level. When it shows 3/4 full, just add another 4 quarts. You don't even have to use the dipstick.

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