Yet another XJ . . . what was I thinking?
#1
03-12-2017, 08:41 AM
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Inverell, NSW, Australia
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Yet another XJ . . . what was I thinking?
OK, OK . . . I've gone and done it again. This time, it's one of the very last XJ40s.
Ah, she looks great, eh? - all those flared guards; the 4 equal sized circular headlights in grille side panels rather than bonnet; that crazy huge single wiper; very modern interior for 1994. Given its bargain, giveaway asking price, what could possibly be so wrong with such a fine Jaguar . . .
Well . . . any number of things . . . little things; big things; annoying things. Most, like electric door mirrors that don't adjust (? Fuse #1) or 1x keyfob remote that works occasionally while 2nd keyfob remote never works (both have new batteries, good contacts) . . . But, the body and interior, even the engine bay and boot are in such great nick. OTOH, the paint is not in as fine condition as pics suggest . . .
Nah . . . compounding the modest 3.2L engine output is the fact that at least one cylinder has burnt valve(s) and idles like a diesel elephant with Parkinson's Disease. Having poked a 'scope in each combustion chamber, all pistons looked intact but #3 was either a little pitted or covered in carbon residue scale. This negated a dropped valve seat from an overheating event. Overheating? Yes, well . . . I now gambled on driving it home . . . up and over Australia's Great Dividing Range. After all, the PO had driven it around Coffs Harbour for months while debating if this problem was worth fixing. I found that, as he reported, engine power was severely diminished but the car was quite comfortable at 2500-2700rpm, say 100-120Kph highway speed. But the road home over the Range was a challenge . . . rising from sea level at Coffs to peak at 1600m.
As the road climbed through its succession of sharp bends, the poor Jag laboured through lower and lower gears; temp gauge hovered midway between "normal" and the red zone marked "expensive". Each time it threatened the red zone, or whenever some monster B-double came thundering up behind me at its breakneck speed of 30+Kph . . . I was relegated to chuff and snort into each rest zone and lookout on that challenging climb. Not once, did the engine actually boil . . . and only once, did I let the engine idle and watched in horror as the oil pressure fell to zero.
The last 70Km gentle drop down to 600m at my home in Inverell, helped cool things down. Next day, the engine showed no ill effects. Temp and oil pressure were back to normal and, if anything, engine idle felt less erratic and lumpy.
So, another project awaits . . .
But, that story of restoration and renewal is the stuff for a specific thread in the XJ40 forum.
Cheers for now,
Ken
Ah, she looks great, eh? - all those flared guards; the 4 equal sized circular headlights in grille side panels rather than bonnet; that crazy huge single wiper; very modern interior for 1994. Given its bargain, giveaway asking price, what could possibly be so wrong with such a fine Jaguar . . .
Well . . . any number of things . . . little things; big things; annoying things. Most, like electric door mirrors that don't adjust (? Fuse #1) or 1x keyfob remote that works occasionally while 2nd keyfob remote never works (both have new batteries, good contacts) . . . But, the body and interior, even the engine bay and boot are in such great nick. OTOH, the paint is not in as fine condition as pics suggest . . .
Nah . . . compounding the modest 3.2L engine output is the fact that at least one cylinder has burnt valve(s) and idles like a diesel elephant with Parkinson's Disease. Having poked a 'scope in each combustion chamber, all pistons looked intact but #3 was either a little pitted or covered in carbon residue scale. This negated a dropped valve seat from an overheating event. Overheating? Yes, well . . . I now gambled on driving it home . . . up and over Australia's Great Dividing Range. After all, the PO had driven it around Coffs Harbour for months while debating if this problem was worth fixing. I found that, as he reported, engine power was severely diminished but the car was quite comfortable at 2500-2700rpm, say 100-120Kph highway speed. But the road home over the Range was a challenge . . . rising from sea level at Coffs to peak at 1600m.
As the road climbed through its succession of sharp bends, the poor Jag laboured through lower and lower gears; temp gauge hovered midway between "normal" and the red zone marked "expensive". Each time it threatened the red zone, or whenever some monster B-double came thundering up behind me at its breakneck speed of 30+Kph . . . I was relegated to chuff and snort into each rest zone and lookout on that challenging climb. Not once, did the engine actually boil . . . and only once, did I let the engine idle and watched in horror as the oil pressure fell to zero.
The last 70Km gentle drop down to 600m at my home in Inverell, helped cool things down. Next day, the engine showed no ill effects. Temp and oil pressure were back to normal and, if anything, engine idle felt less erratic and lumpy.
So, another project awaits . . .
But, that story of restoration and renewal is the stuff for a specific thread in the XJ40 forum.
Cheers for now,
Ken
#2
03-12-2017, 11:17 AM
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#3
03-12-2017, 04:45 PM
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Dural, Northwest Sydney. Australia.
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#4
03-13-2017, 04:39 AM
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