attached to the bolt threaded into the
front of the crankshaft. Apply pressure on
the bolt in a clockwise direction only.
Never turn the bolt anti-clockwise.
b) A remote starter switch, which may save
some time, can also be used. Follow the
instructions included with the switch.
Once the piston is close to TDC, use a
socket and ratchet as described in the
previous paragraph.
c) If an assistant is available to turn the
ignition switch to the Start position in
short bursts, you can get the piston close
to TDC without a remote starter switch.
Make sure your assistant is out of the car,
away from the ignition switch, then use a
socket and ratchet as described in
Paragraph a) to complete the procedure.
5Note the position of the terminal for the
number one spark plug lead on the distributor
cap. If the terminal isn’t marked, follow the
plug lead from the number one cylinder spark
plug to the cap.
6Use a felt-tip pen or chalk to make a mark
on the distributor body directly under the
number one terminal (see Chapter 5).
7Detach the cap from the distributor and set
it aside (see Chapter 1 if necessary).
8Turn the crankshaft until the small triangle
cast into the front edge of the crankshaft
sensor ring is aligned with the bottom edge of
the timing pointer located at the front of the
engine(see illustration).
9Look at the distributor rotor - it should be
pointing directly at the mark you made on the
distributor body. If so, you are at TDC for
number 1 cylinder.
10If the rotor is 180° off, the number one
piston is at TDC on the exhaust stroke.
11To get the piston to TDC on the
compression stroke, turn the crankshaft one
complete revolution (360°) clockwise. The
rotor should now be pointing at the mark
on the distributor. When the rotor is pointing
at the number one spark plug lead terminal in
the distributor cap and the ignition timing
marks are aligned, the number one piston is atTDC on the compression stroke. Note:If it’s
impossible to align the ignition timing marks
when the rotor is pointing at the mark on the
distributor body, the timing chain may have
jumped the teeth on the pulleys or may have
been installed incorrectly.
12After the number one piston has been
positioned at TDC on the compression stroke,
TDC for any of the remaining cylinders can be
located by turning the crankshaft and
following the firing order. Mark the remaining
spark plug lead terminal locations on the
distributor body just like you did for the
number one terminal, then number the marks
to correspond with the cylinder numbers. As
you turn the crankshaft, the rotor will also
turn. When it’s pointing directly at one of the
marks on the distributor, the piston for that
particular cylinder is at TDC on the
compression stroke.
4 Valve cover-
removal and refitting
1
Removal
1Disconnect the battery negative cable.
Caution: If the stereo in your vehicle is
equipped with an anti-theft system, makesure you have the correct activation code
before disconnecting the battery.
2Detach the PCV hose from the valve cover
(see illustration).
3Remove the spark plug leads from the
spark plugs, handling them by the boots and
not pulling on the wires.
4Remove the valve cover mounting screws,
then detach the valve cover and gasket from
the cylinder head. If the valve cover is stuck
to the cylinder head, bump the end with a
wood block and a hammer to jar it loose. If
that doesn’t work, try to slip a flexible putty
knife between the cylinder head and valve
cover to break the seal.
Caution: Don’t pry at the valve cover-to-
cylinder head joint or damage to the
sealing surfaces may occur, leading to oil
leaks after the valve cover is reinstalled.
Refitting
5The mating surfaces of the cylinder head
and valve cover must be clean when the valve
cover is installed. If there’s residue or oil on
the mating surfaces when the valve cover is
installed, oil leaks may develop.
6Apply RTV sealant around the two half-
circle rubber plugs at the rear of the cylinder
head (see illustration).
7Using a new gasket and spark plug tube
seals, refit the valve cover (see illustration).
Engine in-car repair procedures 2A•3
2A
4.6 Apply RTV sealant to the half-circle
plugs and insert them into the cylinder
head before refitting the valve cover4.7 Press the valve cover gasket into the
groove around the valve cover and fit a
new set of spark plug tube seals (arrowed)
3261 Jaguar XJ6 3.8 Align the mark on the crankshaft sensor ring (arrowed) with
the bottom edge of the pointer on the front cover
4.2 Disconnect the PCV hose (arrowed) from the valve cover, then
pull the spark plug leads out by their boots, not the leads
