I have had my XK8 year 2005 in the garage covered up for approx 5 years not starter, it’s only got a total of 3500 miles on the clock from new. What is the best approach to getting it back into use, starting it etc.  any input would be appreciated Thanks 

Hi Stephen,

Welcome to Jaguar Owners Club.

i know when i bought a car that had been standing a few years, had to replace all brake pipes.

I did find this article, may be of help about an XK8 that had been standing five years.

Kind Regards,

Julie 

None of these items will prevent the car from starting, but they may contribute to keep the engine running once you start it.
- Take a close look at the serpentine belt for cracks on the outside. (Belts that sit for a long time in one position can harden and crack.)
- Check the oil level in the engine. (If it looks dirty or sludgy, you might drain a quart or 2 of oil and put in some new oil before attempting to start) (Of course plan on changing the oil and filter once it is running.)
- Check all the other fluid levels. Coolant and power steering.
- Other things that you wont be able to see until the engine starts is that the water pump seal may have become dried out and cracked, and may leak after the engine has been started. To a lesser degree, oil seals/gaskets in the engine can dry out and start leaking.

Before electronic ignition/fuel injection, I used to pull off the distributor cap coil wire, so the engine wouldn't try to start, and then crank the engine until I saw oil pressure. These days, that is harder to do, so It might be wise to put a socket wrench on the crank damper nut and manually turn over the engine to be sure it isn't frozen.
- If you are paranoid and want a conservative lowest risk approach, you could pull all the spark plugs, and put a little engine oil into each cylinder, let it sit for an hour or so, then first hand crank the engine with the plugs out to be sure a cylinder isn't frozen due to moisture condensation. (If all is well, the engine should easily turn over with out the plugs in.) If the engine turns freely, then crank it over long enough to generate some oil pressure and push out the oil you put in the cylinders.
If all is well, put the plugs back in and try starting it.

Stephen

Good luck with your XK8. If everything is OK once you have initially started the engine, that`s when you can start on the list of works that you may find want doing.

Hopefully having been garaged and covered up for five years you hopefully will not have bodywork problems to deal with.

Should be a nice car for you eventually. Photos of before and after are always nice to see.

 

Best Wishes and Regards, John