XE

The XE is Jaguar’s entry level family saloon but it still shares the advanced aluminium construction of its bigger brother the XF. The XE is also packed with a similar level of technology as its sibling, meaning advanced diagnostics and proprietary tools are required to communicate with the vehicle when fault finding.

Because the XE shares its platform with several other JLR vehicles including the Velar and because we have expanded our business to facilitate repairs on Jaguar models, we are able to provide a specialist level of service on all XE models.

Here we have put together a list of the common faults found on the Jaguar XE with symptoms and the solutions required to resolve them.

Timing chain issues are unfortunately very common on the 2.0 diesel XE. The timing chains stretch over time and if not replaced can cause irreparable engine failure. The root cause of timing chain wear is oil degradation from incomplete DPF regenerations and insufficient oil changes.

Timing chain failure will initially present as a rattling noise on cold start and sometimes a Restricted Performance message on the dash will show as well.

If failing timing chains are left for too long, they can jump time or snap causing the pistons to hit the valves, effectively destroying the engine. The plastic guides that the chains run along can also cause other problems too. As they wear down, plastic particles from the guides can make their way into the engine oil pickup system blocking it, this can lead to spun crankshaft bearings causing a bottom end failure or turbo failures due to insufficient oil supply.

If you have failing timing chains the solution is to replace the chains along with new guides, idlers and tensioners.

To read more about this issue, please take a look at our full article on 2.0 Ingenium timing chains.

Turbochargers on both single and twin turbo diesel models can start to fail quite early on in the car’s lifespan, sometimes initially developing a whistling noise before failing and sometimes just going straight into restricted performance mode.

Despite this engine being used on the rest of the current Jaguar line-up as well, this particular issue seems to be most common on XE and F-Pace Models.

Replacing a failed turbo will require a full clean of the engine, oil supply and exhaust system replacing any other parts found to have failed or that are blocked to ensure the replacement turbo does not fail in the same way shortly after fitting.

For more information on turbo failure, please see this article.

Please also see our Ingenium Turbocharger replacement guide for a complete estimate and a more detailed breakdown of symptoms and diagnostics.

The XE 2.0 diesel uses an electronic solenoid to manage oil flow to the piston cooling jets. These jets apply oil to help keep piston temperatures under control when the engine is under load, reducing stresses and wear on the internals.

Unfortunately, these solenoids are known to fail, usually due to coolant leaking from the thermostat housing onto the solenoid body and electrical connector, shorting it out.

Please use the button below to view piston oil cooling jet solenoid replacement guide for Ingenium Jaguar models.

All XE diesel models are equipped with an SCR system, this is an emissions reduction system that uses Urea (AdBlue) to stop harmful Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions coming out of the exhaust. This system is quite sensitive and can be expensive to repair if it goes wrong. If the system runs out of AdBlue, the car will become immobilised until the system is topped up, but if overfilled, the NOx sensors monitoring emissions levels can sometimes fail.

The SCR system could also start adding too much AdBlue into the system leading to increased consumption if there is a fault such as contamination or a sensor failure. If you have noticed an increase in AdBlue consumption or any other unusual behaviour, it is advised to get vehicle booked in for diagnostics.

Diagnosing SCR System – £74.50 inc. VAT Per Hour

NOx Sensor Replacement – P.O.A

For more information on SCR systems, please take a look at our full article on AdBlue and SCR Technology.

Diesel XE models are equipped with a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter). The DPF is another emissions control system like SCR but this filter catches the soot emitted from the exhaust system rather than NOx and keeps it there until it can be burnt off cleanly during DPF regeneration. Regeneration occurs passively when the vehicle sustains high temperatures on a long run such as on a motorway.

If the vehicle isn’t used for long runs like this once every couple of weeks, the DPF will fill up and an active regeneration will take place, this is where extra fuel is injected into the engine to artificially raise the internal temperatures of the engine and exhaust system. Some owners may not realise this is happening and will switch the vehicle off before a regeneration is complete, meaning the system will still be blocked. This can cause the red DPF warning light to appear on the dash with the message “Exhaust Filter Full Visit Dealer”. This is quite a common problem in urban areas.

We are experienced with DPF problems at K Motors and if diagnostics do not reveal any failed sensors we try to force a regeneration using our Autologic systems before proceeding to a manual DPF clean. Unfortunately though, sometimes an expensive new DPF will be the only option.

DPF Diagnostics – £74.50 inc. VAT Per Hour

Force DPF Regeneration – £110 inc. VAT

Manual DPF Clean & Regeneration – £300 inc. VAT

To read more on DPF systems, please take a look at our article on DPF Maintenance.

For a fitment guide and a DPF Replacement estimate, please head to our DPF Failure page using the button below.

There aren’t too many 3 litre XE’s around but water pumps on 3.0 supercharged models are the same design as on other Jaguars and Land Rovers and are prone to failure, sometimes they last less than 20,000 miles. This is because coolant gets inside the bearing housing corroding the water pump bearing. This stops the impeller shaft from being supported properly causing excessive wear of the mechanical flat face seal of the pump allowing water to escape.

Symptoms of water pump failure will likely be a low coolant level warning message and traces of a coolant leak around the water pump pulley. Luckily the water pump on the V6 engine is easy to access at the front of the engine. We also recommend replacing the small coolant pipe that connects to the pump at the same time as it needs to be removed to replace the pump and has very fragile plastic connections that will likely break upon removal.

The water pump is not the only part of the cooling system that can fail on these engines, many of the hoses and pipes used for coolant delivery are of a plastic design, unfortunately, with age these can crack and fail.

Replacing these coolant hoses one at a time as they fail is not a particularly efficient approach and could result in you being in and out of the garage, and as such we recommend that all plastic coolant hoses are replaced if one has failed.

Customers sometimes complain of a weird howling noise resembling an owl at low engine speeds, if you have noticed this noise and your XE is equipped with the ZF 8 Speed automatic transmission, there is a good chance this howling noise is actually the sound of oil flowing through the automatic transmission oil cooler pipes running by the subframe.

The solution to this issue is to fit revised foam insulation pads inside of the oil cooler bracket.