BAD NOISE! (Tic/Rattle)

2000 S Type with 140K Miles 4.0

Noticed a bad rattle noise on L-bank (Cylinders 1-4).
Removed valve cover and found a bad secondary Cam tensioner.

CAUTION - If Cam chain broke,I would be looking for a new engine.

Went with a 3rd generation Cam tensioner (metal),because others were designed bad.

$90 + 2hrs of work.

See http://www.jagservice.net/jaguar_v8_secondary_tensioners.htm?

I only replaced the left bank(1-4), because of all the misfiring and water issues on that side might of cause extra wear & tear on the secondary cam chain tensioner.

Hello Danielsatur,

Thanks for your post.:smile:

I bought a 2000 ls at an auction over a year ago and have been chasing this rattle/rough idle problem for over a yr:banghead:.

No sign of COP failure but replaced a few of the coils anyway chasing my misfire codes 030x.

When I inspected the valve cov gaskets, my cam tensioner looked worn out. I replaced the cam tensioner but the new one was made from plastic. I replaced - but the rattle remained. After a ~100 miles the timing chain broke and my valves kissed the pistons. When i took valve covers off, the new cam tensioner was not torqued down all the way. My mistake, either I didn't torque it down or threadlok was required. Thinking this was the cause of the timing chain failure.

I got another used engine from a junkyard and swapped the old engine out. Still a rattle. I thought it was the bad misfire that was causing a "rattle" sound to resonate to the bottom of the engine. Since it wasn't the coils I surmised it was a bad fuel supply causing a lean condition, plugged injectors, vacuum leak, or the ECM. I Replaced the fuel pump, sent the injectors out to be reconditioned and found no leaks but my rattle remains:crying:.

Re-reading these post and saw yours - the rattle and rough idle symptoms make me suspect that my cam tensioners in the swapped engine are questionable (84k on engine).

My question to you is - what part # did you order for your ls from that jaguar place that only cost $90. I have a 2000LS 3.9L v8.

Any help would be appreciated.

Bad catalytic converters can amplify noise.

The 3rd generation cam chain tensioner is made of medal, plastic ones would wear out like a cheap tire , and derail the chain.

I haven't had a bad hydralulic cam follower yet, but if one was togo bad, it could sound like a Timex!

Troubleshoot to the L-Bank or R-Bank only.

Thanks for the fast reply!

I sent an email to the jaguar shop - Continental Imports as they state the parts are for a 4.0L vs our 3.9L in our LS's. Hopefully they are the same.

Again, appreciate your sharing - you da man!

I have a 2000 Jaguar s-type with this same sound rough idle my mechanic has narrowed it down to this very problem my question is what special tools did you have to purchase to do this job?

The trick is to leave the primary cam & crank timming chain alone.
You are going to losen the secondary cam and lift it up ,so the secondary cam chain tensioner can be replaced.

Caution - don't loose the cam to cam timing during this process.

After 3-years / 20k miles the other secondary cam chain tensioner went bad on bank 2.

Best price $70 @ http://www.:partsgeek.com

The only time difference between bank 1 & 2 is the fuel line and dip stick removal!

Torque spec -
Valve cover - 10 Nm = 7.38 foot pounds
Tensioner - 12 Nm = 8.85 foot pounds
Cam - 10 Nm = 7.38 foot pounds