Jaguar AJ-V8 engines
Content
The Jaguar AJ-V8 gasoline V8 engine series was produced from 1996 to 2020 in Bridgend and was installed on almost the entire model range of cars under the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Also, these units were assembled in the USA for a number of Ford models and in Germany for Aston Martin.
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine design
Work on replacing outdated Jaguar AJ16 straight-sixes began in the late 80s. The new line of modular V-shaped engines was supposed to consist of three types of internal combustion engines for 6, 8 and 12 cylinders at once, and even the corresponding AJ26 received an index for itself, since 6 + 8 + 12 = 26. However, in 1990, Ford bought the Jaguar company and the project was cut down only to V8 engines, but the units acquired a modern assembly place in the form of Ford's plant in Bridgend.
In 1996, the first-born of the series 4.0-liter V8 engine with 290 hp debuted on the Jaguar XK model. The unit with the AJ26 index had an aluminum block with a nickel-plated cylinder wall, a pair of 16-valve DOHC cylinder heads, distributed fuel injection with a control unit from Denso, a timing chain drive, and a two-stage phase control system on the intake camshafts. In 1998, the supercharged modification AJ26S appeared, equipped with an Eaton M112 compressor. There is also a 3.2-liter version of the AJ26 without dephasers, often referred to as the AJ32.
In 1998, the engines of this series were seriously upgraded and changed the index to AJ27: a new intake manifold, oil pump, throttle appeared and a number of timing components were updated, and the two-stage phase shifter gave way to a more modern continuously variable system. In 1999, a similar compressor version of the AJ27S internal combustion engine debuted without phase control. Also at the end of that year, the concern finally abandoned Nikasil in favor of cast-iron sleeves. For the Jaguar S-Type model, a separate version of this engine was created with the AJ28 index.
In 2002, the restyled Jaguar XK debuted the second generation of engines in this series, the volume of which increased from 4.0 to 4.2 liters in the older version and from 3.2 to 3.5 liters in the younger one. Engines with the AJ33 and AJ34 indices had slight differences and were installed on different models, but the supercharged modifications of the AJ33S and AJ34S differed more, the AJ33S motor was not equipped with phase shifters and was more often found on Land Rover SUVs under a different index 428PS. In a number of sources, the AJ34 internal combustion engine is called the AJ36 on the S-Type, as well as the AJ40 on the XK coupe in the back of the X150. There was a separate 4.4-liter version of the AJ41 or 448PN for Range Rover SUVs.
And finally, in 2009, the third generation of engines of this series with a volume of 5.0 liters appeared, which was distinguished by direct fuel injection, as well as a phase control system on all shafts. As always, two versions were offered: the naturally aspirated AJ133 and the supercharged AJ133S with a compressor. There was a 3.0-liter V6 modification AJ126S, in which two cylinders were simply soldered.
Separately, it is worth mentioning that AJ-V8 engines were installed on Ford and Aston Martin models. The 3.9-liter AJ30 and AJ35 engines were assembled at a plant in the American city of Lima and installed on Lincoln LS sedans, as well as eleventh-generation Ford Thunderbird convertibles. Engines with the AJ37 index of 4.3 and 4.7 liters were assembled at the concern's plant in Cologne and can be found under the hood of the basic modifications of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage sports coupe.
Jaguar AJ-V8 engine modifications
The first generation included five 4.0-liter engines and a pair of 3.2-liter engines:
| 3.2 naturally aspirated AJ26 (240 hp / 316 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308, XK X100 |
| 4.0 naturally aspirated AJ26 (290 hp / 393 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308, XK X100 |
| 4.0 supercharged AJ26S (370 hp / 525 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308, XK X100 |
| 3.2 naturally aspirated AJ27 (240 hp / 316 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308 |
| 4.0 naturally aspirated AJ27 (290 hp / 393 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308, XK X100 |
| 4.0 supercharged AJ27S (370 hp / 525 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X308, XK X100 |
| 4.0 naturally aspirated AJ28 (276 hp / 378 Nm) |
| Jaguar S-Type X200 |
The second generation already included 10 different power units with volumes from 3.5 to 4.7 liters:
| 3.9 naturally aspirated AJ30 (250 hp / 362 Nm) |
| Lincoln LS, Ford Thunderbird MK11 |
| 3.5 naturally aspirated AJ33 (258 hp / 345 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X350, XK X150 |
| 4.2 naturally aspirated AJ33 (300 hp / 410 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X350, XK X100 |
| 4.2 supercharged AJ33S (395 hp / 540 Nm) |
| Jaguar XK X100, Range Rover L322 |
| 4.2 naturally aspirated AJ34 (305 hp / 420 Nm) |
| Jaguar XK X150, S-Type X200 |
| 4.2 supercharged AJ34S (420 hp / 560 Nm) |
| Jaguar XJ X350, XK X150 |
| 3.9 naturally aspirated AJ35 (280 hp / 388 Nm) |
| Lincoln LS, Ford Thunderbird MK11 |
| 4.3 naturally aspirated AJ37 (380 hp / 409 Nm) |
| Aston Martin Vantage |
| 4.7 naturally aspirated AJ37 (420 hp / 470 Nm) |
| Aston Martin Vantage |
| 4.4 naturally aspirated AJ41 (300 hp / 430 Nm) |
| Land Rover Discovery 3 L319 |
The third generation included only two units, but they had many different modifications:
| 5.0 naturally aspirated AJ133 (385 hp / 515 Nm) |
| Jaguar XF X250, Range Rover L322 |
| 5.0 supercharged AJ133S (575 hp / 700 Nm) |
| Jaguar F-Type X152, Range Rover L405 |
The third generation also includes the V6 unit, which is essentially a trimmed V8 engine:
| 3.0 supercharged AJ126S (400 hp / 460 Nm) |
| Jaguar XF X260, Range Rover L405 |
Disadvantages, problems and breakdowns of the internal combustion engine Jaguar AJ-V8
In the early years of the production of these internal combustion engines, a nickel coating of the cylinder walls was used, which is afraid of fuel with a high sulfur content and from which it quickly collapses. At the end of 1999, cast-iron sleeves appeared and old engines were replaced under warranty.
Another problem with the motors of the first years is the plastic chain guides, which wear out rather quickly. And this is fraught with a meeting of valves with pistons. Also, timing chain stretch is common in third-generation 5.0-liter internal combustion engines.
At first, these motors were equipped with a classic phase control system on the intake shafts, but over time it gave way to VVT phase regulators, whose resource was small. Third-generation units with the Dual-VVT system no longer suffered from a similar problem.
The Roots blower itself is very reliable, but its drive often needs to be replaced. The damper bushing is to blame, which wears out rather quickly and its spring cuts a groove on the compressor shaft and the entire expensive unit is replaced.
This line included almost two dozen units and each had its own weaknesses, however, some problems apply to absolutely all engines of this family: these are often bursting pipes, an ever-flowing heat exchanger and a weak water pump.
The manufacturer indicated an engine resource of 300 km, but they usually go up to 000 km.
The cost of Jaguar AJ-V8 engines on the secondary
| The minimum cost | 45 000 rubles |
| Average price on the secondary | 125 000 rubles |
| Maximum cost | 250 000 rubles |
| Contract engine abroad | 1 200 euro |
| Buy such a new unit | 10 000 euro |
| Condition: | BOO |
| Box & Papers: | complete engine |
| Working volume: | 4.2 liters |
| Power: | 420 hp |
* We do not sell engines, the price is for reference
