Happy XJ-S Conv owner in Arlington, VA
#1
05-21-2015, 02:09 PM
Happy XJ-S Conv owner in Arlington, VA
Hello,
My name is Phil. I live in Arlington, VA, and have been the happy
owner of my 1993 XJ-S convertible since about 2004.
I've always LOVED jaguars. When I was in College ('86-'91), I passed by an XJ-S coupe almost every day going to and from classes, and I truly LUSTED after that car. I always assumed that you had to be rich to own a Jag, and I had heard that maintenance was a killer.
Fast forward about 13 years after College, and I discovered that I could actually OWN a clean, low mileage (67K miles) convertible without breaking the bank. I was thrilled! (and I HAD to buy it!).
My wife and I love the Cat. We even pay to rent a garage spot year 'round just so that I can put it away for the winter months and rainy part of the Spring to keep our Cat covered and indoors during the worst weather months.
I have the AJ6 4.0L engine with a ZF automatic transmission (uncommon combo, I believe). The ZF is essentially the same model that was used by BMW in its 850 coupes -- so it's a very strong, heavy-duty tranny. Overall the main powertrain should be very strong, and hold up as long as I choose to keep the car... which will probably be another 20+ years I have any say in it!
I'll confess that I was afraid of the cost, maintenance and repairs of the V12.
I appreciate the allure of a V12, but I was intimidated by my (perceived?) reality of what owning a V12 could mean. So I was happy when I learned that torky straight 6 4.0L was available. (I didn't follow Jags that carefully over the years... I never thought I'd own one unless / until I had acquired significant wealth, so the 'old news' about the AJ6 was actually new news to me right before I learned I could afford a Jag and decided to buy one! Also, by the time I bought my Jag used, there was a 10+ year track record with this engine, so I was able to feel comfortable that the AJ6 and ZF tranny were a solid combo for a the drive train... which only left he electrical and other accessories to be the main concern and most likely areas for problems).
The drive train (engine and tranny) have both been good to me, and I believe that they will be solid for many years to come (I only have about 97K miles now... not bad for a 22 year old car!).
Other gremlins seem to show up almost every year. It's always something different, but somehow, I always seem to spend about $2K to $3K per year in maintenance / repairs on the Jag... but it brings so much joy to me and my wife that I bite the bullet and pay to have the work done.
I've done lots of hands-on maintenance, and some repairs and mods too, but because of work demands and a lack of my own garage or private space to do major repairs, I have to pay a mechanic to do the larger jobs and the more time consuming jobs for me -- (in-board rear brake replacement, new fuel pump... including dropping the gas tank, replace worn out convertible top, troubleshooting and fixing some starting and rough-idle problems that I didn't understand and didn't have the time to fix, etc).
Overall, the jag is very clean, and I try to keep it that way. On a pre-inspection purchase, I was told that the whole car had been repainted in the past, but the paint job was good. Also, the tech doing the inspection / appraisal felt (in his humble opinion) that the factory paint was poor on some cars in my model year range, so he stated that new paint jobs were not uncommon --(his words, not mine).
It's time to replace the top again. I ordered a new german-cloth top and new liner on-line along with the three cables that the top uses. I might do the job myself, or I might take it to a local convertible specialist to get a quote on having them install it for me.
My AC went out about 4 yrs ago. It turned out to be a leak in the evaporator (arrg!!!). I bought all of the parts needed to repair / upgrade the system, including a new aftermarket parallel flow condenser, new filter /dryer , new hoses, new aftermarket (4 seasons) evaporator and more. I even bought an A/C vacuum pump and set of A/C manifold gauges so that I could try to avoid having to pay the big bucks to have the new evaporator installed.
I've tried several aftermarket "stop leak" solutions. I think one of the more expensive ones *might* have actually worked in fixing the leak in the evaporator, but (unfortunately), I was overzealous in trying several aftermarket stop-leak products and "seal conditioners" one after another, and at least one of them has clogged the expansion valve in the system... and more than once at that!
I converted the system to use R134a refrigerant... after doing LOTS of reading and research on the subject and the varied opinions on the topic re: flush, don't flush, replace hoses, don't replace, replace O-rings, don't replace, what type of oil to use (Ester oil vs PEG and oil incompatibility issues), etc.
Before the conversion, I even studied for and passed the exam to get an EPA approved license to be able to legally buy R12 refrigerant! (The EPA license is a US regulator thing). But in the end, I think the conversion to R134a was the right call.
I've replaced the expansion valve two times (about to go to my third one) and replaced the accumulator filter / dryer a few times too (also have a new one for my upcoming and last DIY fix attempt).
At this point I've tried to build a custom-made harness to allow me to "blow out" the system carefully using compressed air, then I can pull a vacuum and then CAREFULLY run and monitor the system in a controlled environment to let the R134a and oil circulate for a while (hopefully) without clogging or building up excess pressure and blowing a hose. If it works, when I'm done, I'll recover the refrigerant, take out my harness, replace the expansion valce and accumulator / dryer one last time, then pull a vacuum and refill.
If this last attempt fails, I'll bite the big-labor-bill bullet and pay a shop to drop the engine and tranny (as I understand it) to pull the bad evaporator and put in the new evaporator that I bought. While they have it apart, they can flush and clean everything too, so I should be good to go once everything is cleaned, reassembled and recharged.
Well, that's enough of an intro to me and my Jag. This forum has been a huge resource to me for many years. Many threads have given me a great education about Jags overall, and especially my Jag.
I'm happy to finally join the forum officially, and stop lurking in the shadows.
Hello to all!
My name is Phil. I live in Arlington, VA, and have been the happy
owner of my 1993 XJ-S convertible since about 2004.
I've always LOVED jaguars. When I was in College ('86-'91), I passed by an XJ-S coupe almost every day going to and from classes, and I truly LUSTED after that car. I always assumed that you had to be rich to own a Jag, and I had heard that maintenance was a killer.
Fast forward about 13 years after College, and I discovered that I could actually OWN a clean, low mileage (67K miles) convertible without breaking the bank. I was thrilled! (and I HAD to buy it!).
My wife and I love the Cat. We even pay to rent a garage spot year 'round just so that I can put it away for the winter months and rainy part of the Spring to keep our Cat covered and indoors during the worst weather months.
I have the AJ6 4.0L engine with a ZF automatic transmission (uncommon combo, I believe). The ZF is essentially the same model that was used by BMW in its 850 coupes -- so it's a very strong, heavy-duty tranny. Overall the main powertrain should be very strong, and hold up as long as I choose to keep the car... which will probably be another 20+ years I have any say in it!
I'll confess that I was afraid of the cost, maintenance and repairs of the V12.
I appreciate the allure of a V12, but I was intimidated by my (perceived?) reality of what owning a V12 could mean. So I was happy when I learned that torky straight 6 4.0L was available. (I didn't follow Jags that carefully over the years... I never thought I'd own one unless / until I had acquired significant wealth, so the 'old news' about the AJ6 was actually new news to me right before I learned I could afford a Jag and decided to buy one! Also, by the time I bought my Jag used, there was a 10+ year track record with this engine, so I was able to feel comfortable that the AJ6 and ZF tranny were a solid combo for a the drive train... which only left he electrical and other accessories to be the main concern and most likely areas for problems).
The drive train (engine and tranny) have both been good to me, and I believe that they will be solid for many years to come (I only have about 97K miles now... not bad for a 22 year old car!).
Other gremlins seem to show up almost every year. It's always something different, but somehow, I always seem to spend about $2K to $3K per year in maintenance / repairs on the Jag... but it brings so much joy to me and my wife that I bite the bullet and pay to have the work done.
I've done lots of hands-on maintenance, and some repairs and mods too, but because of work demands and a lack of my own garage or private space to do major repairs, I have to pay a mechanic to do the larger jobs and the more time consuming jobs for me -- (in-board rear brake replacement, new fuel pump... including dropping the gas tank, replace worn out convertible top, troubleshooting and fixing some starting and rough-idle problems that I didn't understand and didn't have the time to fix, etc).
Overall, the jag is very clean, and I try to keep it that way. On a pre-inspection purchase, I was told that the whole car had been repainted in the past, but the paint job was good. Also, the tech doing the inspection / appraisal felt (in his humble opinion) that the factory paint was poor on some cars in my model year range, so he stated that new paint jobs were not uncommon --(his words, not mine).
It's time to replace the top again. I ordered a new german-cloth top and new liner on-line along with the three cables that the top uses. I might do the job myself, or I might take it to a local convertible specialist to get a quote on having them install it for me.
My AC went out about 4 yrs ago. It turned out to be a leak in the evaporator (arrg!!!). I bought all of the parts needed to repair / upgrade the system, including a new aftermarket parallel flow condenser, new filter /dryer , new hoses, new aftermarket (4 seasons) evaporator and more. I even bought an A/C vacuum pump and set of A/C manifold gauges so that I could try to avoid having to pay the big bucks to have the new evaporator installed.
I've tried several aftermarket "stop leak" solutions. I think one of the more expensive ones *might* have actually worked in fixing the leak in the evaporator, but (unfortunately), I was overzealous in trying several aftermarket stop-leak products and "seal conditioners" one after another, and at least one of them has clogged the expansion valve in the system... and more than once at that!
I converted the system to use R134a refrigerant... after doing LOTS of reading and research on the subject and the varied opinions on the topic re: flush, don't flush, replace hoses, don't replace, replace O-rings, don't replace, what type of oil to use (Ester oil vs PEG and oil incompatibility issues), etc.
Before the conversion, I even studied for and passed the exam to get an EPA approved license to be able to legally buy R12 refrigerant! (The EPA license is a US regulator thing). But in the end, I think the conversion to R134a was the right call.
I've replaced the expansion valve two times (about to go to my third one) and replaced the accumulator filter / dryer a few times too (also have a new one for my upcoming and last DIY fix attempt).
At this point I've tried to build a custom-made harness to allow me to "blow out" the system carefully using compressed air, then I can pull a vacuum and then CAREFULLY run and monitor the system in a controlled environment to let the R134a and oil circulate for a while (hopefully) without clogging or building up excess pressure and blowing a hose. If it works, when I'm done, I'll recover the refrigerant, take out my harness, replace the expansion valce and accumulator / dryer one last time, then pull a vacuum and refill.
If this last attempt fails, I'll bite the big-labor-bill bullet and pay a shop to drop the engine and tranny (as I understand it) to pull the bad evaporator and put in the new evaporator that I bought. While they have it apart, they can flush and clean everything too, so I should be good to go once everything is cleaned, reassembled and recharged.
Well, that's enough of an intro to me and my Jag. This forum has been a huge resource to me for many years. Many threads have given me a great education about Jags overall, and especially my Jag.
I'm happy to finally join the forum officially, and stop lurking in the shadows.
Hello to all!
The following users liked this post:
GGG (05-22-2015)
#2
05-21-2015, 02:17 PM
Veteran Member
Welcome Phil. Always great to see an Arlington neighbor on the forum!
I hope you can join us on June 7th: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/u...2015-a-142022/
-Steve
I hope you can join us on June 7th: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/u...2015-a-142022/
-Steve
#3
05-21-2015, 03:48 PM
Join Date: Jan 2014
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#4
05-21-2015, 05:00 PM
Thanks for the warm welcome.
Steve,
I looked at your profile and your write up on the navigation / glass gauges mod you did. In a word, that is AWESOME! I'll come to the June 7th event if I can. I'm scheduled to be out of town then, but that may change. I'd love to see your car and the others on display.
Clarke,
Thanks for the welcome, Mate!
I'm a bit of a tinkerer myself.
I find working with my hands relaxing and a very good way to relieve stress.
Steve,
I looked at your profile and your write up on the navigation / glass gauges mod you did. In a word, that is AWESOME! I'll come to the June 7th event if I can. I'm scheduled to be out of town then, but that may change. I'd love to see your car and the others on display.
Clarke,
Thanks for the welcome, Mate!
I'm a bit of a tinkerer myself.
I find working with my hands relaxing and a very good way to relieve stress.
#5
05-21-2015, 05:56 PM
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#6
05-22-2015, 02:25 AM
Welcome to the forum Phil,
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums. Now that's what I call an Intro. Great reading.
I can see you've already found your way to the XJS tech forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is always a good place to start for info on regular issues.
You can also visit the USA Mid Atlantic Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/usa-mid-atlantic-md-va-dc-de-wv-65/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
Good to have you with us at Jaguar forums. Now that's what I call an Intro. Great reading.
I can see you've already found your way to the XJS tech forum so there's no need for a link to it from me. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is always a good place to start for info on regular issues.
You can also visit the USA Mid Atlantic Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/usa-mid-atlantic-md-va-dc-de-wv-65/ to find other members in your region.
Enjoy the forums.
Graham
#7
05-22-2015, 04:33 AM
Trending Topics
#8
05-22-2015, 06:03 AM
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: PHX some of the time
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Welcome to Jaguar Forums Phil,
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
#9
05-22-2015, 07:35 AM
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#11
05-24-2015, 07:12 AM
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Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums
Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Using JF "How To"
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<
I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.
Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Using JF "How To"
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<
I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.
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phil_xjs_conv (09-12-2017)
#12
05-26-2015, 06:42 PM
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