I'm just thinking out loud here, but if anyone has advice (or even scolding) please chime in. .

I had motor mount problems and I let the car sit too long and it the motor has seized.
I could NOT spin the crankshaft even using a 4ft pipe on the breaker bar.
I have the head off, and I am working on getting the engine and trans out now.
The radiator support may be getting in my way (radiator is out and condenser can be swung to the side).
So -- I was going to look into dropping the cross-member. I cannot see where it connects to the unibody frame near the control arms.
I think the connection may be in the thing called a "vee mount" but even the detailed suspension diagrams leave me scratching my chin -- I still don't see where they are.
I also found while searching this X300 section that the XJ40 forum sections may have some more cross-member advice.
When I considered cutting the radiator support welds, I am not so sure that would save any trouble because the rad-support connects to other pieces in a complex way.
I just need to get access to the piston rods / crank -- so I am even considering coming in from the bottom, too.

I know I am facing a brick-wall / elephant in the room in terms of parts access -- bearings, etc. But I want to just get it out and apart and let's see what we need.

I need a new steering rack so I can remove that for more room

Also - ball joints, etc.

I really want to get this back on the road, but I guess you all know that.

 

I cannot really help as I had a garage do all my work, but I think these are the vee mounts you are talking about.

Also this video may be a start for getting your engine turning again, but it is only the first in a series so hasn’t started talking about parts for the rebuilding, but it will come….

 

You are quite a bit past where this advice would be most helpful/efficient....and I haven't applied it myself, but:

Many moons ago when I was but a child, I bought a 1946 Jeep CJ-2A. There was an outfit in an industrial district of Lexington, KY called "Spare Parts & Equipment" that trafficked mainly in heavy "old" (this was in the mid-1970's era - so old as of back then) trucks, and mainly military surplus and 6X6's. It was also, although expensive, the absolute most reliable place to find parts for a 30+ yr old ******. Mitchell Barnes and his dad founded the business and operated it at the time. He once told me that they'd bought many, many military surplus vehicles starting out and it was not uncommon to have one with an engine locked up due to non-use as you describe by the time they got 'round to needing to do something with it. He said a snootful of Rifle Bore Cleaner in each cylinder and a week or two of it sitting in there would normally set them free! If a non-diesel, they added through the spark plug holes, and if diesel, I believe they went in through the glow-plugs.

https://www.manta.com/c/mmq70kl/spar...s-equipment-co

 

Hi Lee,

If you can support the engine from above with an engine support bar (Harbor Freight sells an affordable one), the entire front suspension and subframe/crossmember can be disconnected, lowered and removed for virtually unrestricted access to the engine crankcase. Some guys have even devised improvised support bars using things like aluminum ladders laid across blocks of wood, but I value my life too much to risk something like that.

The XJ40 front suspension is virtually identical to that of the X300 (and X308), and I believe you will find good instructions for dropping the subframe in the Haynes manual for the XJ40. You can download a mostly-complete UK edition here:

Haynes Jaguar XJ40 Repair Manual

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks - the pictures helped and I have the vee mounts disconnected so far. Now I will hang the calipers up in the wheel well, and disconnect the steering rack.
I'm not sure if need to loosen the large rear bolts on the subframe yet.
I would like to at least get a view of the condition of the (rear) bushings.

 

Well thanks everyone, I got the oil pan out and now I’m looking at removing the oil pick up.
As the pan came off I noticed there was no gasket and they just used a silicone sealer. Hmmm then I noticed what looked like worms clogging the pickup. Oh wow I think the silicone squeezed out and made a thin strip on the inside edge that fell off over the years.

is this normal? I know many differentials are just sealed with RTV sealant.
I also don’t see the gasket for sale anywhere so maybe that’s normal.

Would it be bad to get some neoprene rubber and trace out a gasket?

Also let me know if I should start new threads on the engine bottom end issues.

 

By cross member are you referring to the front suspension assembly in the pic , the engine mount / vee mounts are the green disk

Someone recently found an upper engine brace from Harbor Freight

Someone leveraged or somehow broke a tooth off the front crankshaft missing tooth ring gear totally confusing the timing pickup / crankshaft position sensor

The radiator will pull out from the top without hood removal . the radiator lower crossmember / pan can be removed easily

The left and right Vee Mount part #s are different from reading others

The steering rack leak may be from the common old hose clamp material leak under the PS Resevuer , fluid goes everywhere settling to the bottom " rack leak " , cut an inch off the hoses

The outer most gland nut seals on the rack can in theory be replaced

See 2nd file below

ZF 7852 is the number for a servo / speed dampining rack , hard to see around there







x300 zf with servo (1).pdf

Search Genuine Engine Parts For Jaguar Xj 1995 - 1997 (from 720125 To 812255) (x300) Classic | Jaguar Land Rover Classic Parts

 

Thanks Parker. Yes the front suspension is what I meant.

i have the suspension lowered and the engine is being held up by a hoist that allows me to raise it up so I could get the oil pan out.

I rebuilt the steering rack about 8 to 10 years ago and I’m not sure I want to do all that again. I do have better documentation now, though so I could go either way.

i will look in that pdf you sent because need to check that oil pickup and the tubes that go into the pump to see how it comes off.

I’m accustomed to chevy oil pumps so this is a horse of a different color for me.

 

Is the seal kit part # AS11968 correct for the record for others if you recall

 

Now I see -- even on XJ40's the stuff is referred to as Hylomar -- must be greek for worm-making-material.
Be careful out there.

 

Updated link to steering rack diagram above:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...0-zf-servo.pdf