Engine Oil And Filter Routine Service
Doug Dwyer
The engine in your Jaguar-- six or twelve cylinder-- is recognized
world-wide as a pargon of durabilty. With proper routine servicing these
engines are known to last 150,000 or more miles without overhaul....or
significantly less if neglected. Regular oil and filter changes are one
of the best ways to ensure long engine life.
It is almost universally accepted that the engine oil and oil filter
should be changed every 3,000 miles (4800 km). In the 80's Jaguar
followed suit with many manufacturers and recommended a 7,500 mile
interval under certain conditions but it is doubtful that you'll ever
find a Jag owner waiting that long....and neither should you.
Castrol seems to be the motor-oil-of-choice of many Jaguar owners but,
in fact, any name brand, premium grade oil is fine. Nobody puts cheap
oil in a Jaguar. According to the Jaguar service manual, anything from
5/30 weight to 20/50 weight is acceptable depending, of course, on
temperature and driving conditions. The majority of Jag owners,
especially with higher-mileage motors, use 20/50 for all conditions
except winter driving with temperatures near the freezing point when a
switch to 10/40 is made. There is ample discussion of motor oils in the
archives if you are interested.
Some owners prefer the use of synthetic oil. The relative pros and cons
have been discussed at agonizing length over the years. Search the
archives for details, but, in a nutshell, synthetic oil seems to work
well except for a greater tendency for it to leak past gaskets and
seals.
The oil filter should be replaced with each oil change. Although
pre-1975 (?) Jags used a cannister type filter, most Series II cars and
all Series III cars use a conventional spin-on filter. Many owners
question where to buy filters and what brand to use. The factory type
Jaguar oil filter (EBC9658--for all "spin-on" applications) would
certainly be a good choice and can be purchased very reasonably from
most Jag suppliers. You may want to keep several on hand.
The Bosch 72147 is also popular with many Jag owners. I have heard, but
not confirmed, that the Bosch filter and the factory Jaguar filter are
identical except for labeling. More commonplace alternatives would be
the AC Delco PF964, the Fram PH2995, the Purolater L30381, or the Lee
LF2818HP. Once again, the archives runneth-over with discussion of this
topic.
Different sources cite slightly different sump capacities. The Series
III XJ6 owners manual calls out 7.75 US quarts, the service manual says
17.5 US pints. My own experience is that 8 US quarts (7.5 L) is just
fine. Similar discrepancies appear for the 12 cylinder models, with 11.5
US quarts (10.8 L) being typical. No matter....after changing the oil
and running the engine for a while, you'll always double check the
dipstick anyway, right ?
While changing your oil take advantage of the opportunity to top-off all
fluids and give the car a good visual inspection. See other "routine
service" pages for specific items. Soon enough you'll establish a
methodical "oil change drill".