Installed a dual channel dash cam (Thinkware F770) while I have the headliner out to recover.

Ran the hardwire kit under the dash and found the ACC+ with no problems, but can not find a BATT+ under the dash that doesn't either turn on the dash lights when the car is turned on or drop the voltage on the BATT+. I think the ground or ACC+ backfeeds through the camera on the BATT+ wire.

Haven't figured it out yet but wired them both to ACC+ so I can at least have it recording while I drive. Once I have enough time I will probably run a wire to one of the fuse boxes so I can take advantage of the parking mode.

 

Purchased a rear axle pinion seal to rectify an oil leak, and gave it to my local garage to fit. They charged me for four hours work. The wife is happy that the drive will stay clean once I have finished cleaning it.

 

took the car to a paint repair shop,someone,"keyed",my trunk,and broke my rear glass,should be back in a week

 

Did the pressure wash of the whole drive. Looks good. Now to apply sharp sand and a sealer.

 

Detailed my car thoroughly today. Started with a good wash, than claybar. Followed by a compound, then a polish. And finished it off with 2 coats of synthetic wax.

Took a long time, would have taken longer if I had to do it by hand, but it was worth it. The paint shines and looks like a mirror.

 

Any recommendations on products used . Mine is very dull now for I have all the old wax stripped off . Is the use of claybar recommended if you have clearcoat damage . Mine does not have this but others do . Will the claybar " feather in " the lifted edges before you take off too much of the surrounding basecoat ?

Thanks , Parker

 

Today I gave my Daimler 6 a quick wash. A few days ago i wound out the kick-down cable for the auto gearbox for a more livelier down-change on lighter throttle.

The XJR is still off the road but getting repaired - will post when it's finished.
My dilemma is thus: I can repair the car for the money the insurers paid out, if I just respray the damaged front end. But the rear half of the car has ageing paint which isn't all quite matching in certain light conditions. I was always happy to let the XJR paint age with the car, stone chips and all. Now however it needs new front-end paint job, so I have got a price for a total respray. It will cost me NZD$4000 to respray the whole car, which I can do as a pre-tax business expense. I will probably go this route, as I think the car will look fantastic.

 

Yeh, a complete respray will be a good way to mark the rebirth of the XJR.

 

I used the meguiars smooth surface claybar and the ultimate product line (ultimate compound, polish and paste wax) with the dual action rotary attachment. It's marketed as clear coat safe however I am not sure how that transfers to cars that already have clearcoat damage. Personally I wouldn't use the products on areas missing clearcoat, but I'm not a professional and can't really speak on it intelligently. I believe the meguiars products I bought are marketed as "clear coat safe" because from what I read the abrasives in the products aren't as aggressive as the more professional heavy duty products you can get.

I chose to go that route since I have never done any of the mentioned processes before I did them yesterday, as well as I've had my car painted about 1 and a half to 2 years ago so the paint is still in great shape and didn't need any of the more aggressive products. I could have probably skipped the compound, maybe even the polish. I saw the biggest change using the claybar.

I think mine came out great and would recommend the meguiars ultimate line, but there is products out there that will do a better job on cars that may have more dirt trapped in the paint, scratches etc.

 

Thanks , I'll go your light route for my original paint and clearcoat is in excellent shape minus some scratches and dings . On the one deep scratch I will carefully fill with touch up paint and then mask off so when I block sand the access high spot so the surrounding paint / clearcoat will not be damaged . That way a light non aggressive compound might do the trick . I was supprized at how much grime was trapped in the wax as I stripped it off .

 

Continued to remove the grime that gets trapped in the natural leather wrinkles is well as the sown creases and white threads . This with the use of a cheap lanolin cream ( at the beauty supply store ) and a medium 1 x 3 inch brush ( or toothbrush ) . The cream and brush get down into the wrinkles and dissolves the grime after you let it sit for a day , rescrub it , and just wipe it away with a paper towel . Repeat for further results . Supprized at how dirty the cream gets and makes a huge difference in the final clean leather . I have light oatmeal leather so the grime in the sown cotton threads also stick out badly . Very noticeable on the center console . This can be removed by working the cream into the threads with your fingernails ( or tool ) and toothbrush and forcing in to breath in and breath out the trapped grime . This takes more time then the leather but my threads are back white now .

Important Note : The lanolin cream after a month will turn into a dry white chalk . To clear that I will use a more expensive professional leather cleaner and conditioner as a final pass . I would not recommend any cheap edible oils say vegetable / corn oil as a first step cleaner for they will eventually soak in , go rancid , and rot . You will use alot of product so a large bottle would be more economical . Lexol was recommended and is cheap . This is by no means a 1 day job so you might break it down into sections . You can cover the working areas with a trash bag (s) if the car is in service during the soaking periods . I did see somewhere were new X300 fabricated front seat leather is available to cover the original foam ( not a cover for the old leather ) but will have to do with the original for now .

Thanks , Parker

 

I've heard that good old saddle soap is excellent for cleaning the leather/vinyl as well.

Similar instructions are given, lather up with a soft brush, let sit, then wash/wipe clean. Repeat...

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Went for a lovely drive with the local jaguar club.
Apart from a bloody annoying rattle from an exhaust shield the old xj performed very well in the company of the newer models.

 

Well, as is often pointed out, when one rolls up their sleeves and works on things themselves.... you get very familiar with how things are put together, and troubleshooting issues become much less difficult and stressful

....so my cruise control quit yesterday, and if I hadn't just disassembled the entire intake tract recently to clean the intake and TB, I might not have known where to start looking.

However, I distinctly recalled that the vacuum line was a bit stretched and loose where it connected to the cruise control bellows, and indeed the line had slipped off. So a couple minutes, and fixed! Of course I need to get some new vacuum line, and maybe a spring clamp now, but no big deal



Also, fitted an AEM "Dry Flow" cone filter that doesn't use oil and replaced the stock airbox. The part number is AEM (21-2039BF) and at 9.25 inches long just barely fits after I relocated one relay to an empty location on the front of the bracket and relocated another electrical connector, but it does fit with the use of a trimmed down 45 degree elbow. If you were to get the slightly smaller 21-2038BF (8") it might be a slightly cleaner and more user friendly install. If I had it to do again, I'd probably use the 21-2038BF. I used an old airbox to cut off and donate the intake throat that clips to the front of the MAF so the connection looks somewhat OEM and is supported by the factory stud.

I'm not really sold on the whole "cold air induction" mania, so I'm not going to bother with trying to build a box around the filter, plus there is plenty of "cold air" entering through the headlights and the hole in the fender/wing for the OEM "cold air" solution in my opinion.

But I am sold on giving the engine some better breathing, and I can tell you the engine is definitely snappier with the stock airbox replaced with this filter. With this filter I have practically tripled the surface area over OEM, and just via a "sucking" test, I can tell it is much easier to pull air through than the OEM filter and box.

Plus you can now really hear the supercharger from within the car when opening it up

 

Al, I had an almost identical set-up to your cone filter on my XJR, but I got sick of air flow meter issues so reverted to stock air box. I really don't think there is much in it. I then put on a spare air box lid I had, where I have cut out a large rectangular hole in the top to let in more air, and I can hear the supercharger whine under full throttle.

However I think a decent length of pipe between the cone filter and the AFM is important : when using a cone pod filter, I initially clamped it straight on the front end of the AFM. I think the air flow is probably too turbulent from just emerging from the pod when it hits the meter, done this way. When I put a long elbow on it like yours, the difference was very significant. This difference may reflect it is getting colder air on a longer pipe, but I don't think so - at 100 km/h, there is plenty of cold air every where.

I think a good air flow meter is key to keeping the XJR running properly. I have had issues with the original OEM ones, and new 'genuine' ones are unavailable. I have tried one of those no-name ones from the internet (about £99 from memory) and it worked well so I will get another as spare.

 

I have a airbox made around the cone filter. Intake air is colder.

 

I agree completely on the need to smooth the airflow before the MAF, and that the filter will get plenty of "cool air" at speed even without a snorkel or box.

Years ago some of us in the Moto Guzzi V11 community did a bunch of dyno testing with pod filters directly attached to the TBs, velocity stacks, stock and modified airboxes, etc. And the worst performers were the pod filters directly attached to the TB, and perhaps surprisingly the best performers kept the stock airbox with some opened up snorkels. Analysis by some of the engineers looking at flow, etc said this was because the airbox served to calm the air and guide it smoothly into the TB/intake. And this was without a MAF (open loop FI).

That's why I salvaged the throat from a stock airbox to mount to the MAF and then another approx 4 inches length silicone 45 degree elbow, and what you can't see is the 3 inch diameter aluminum tube that joins the 45 degree elbow and filter flange. That 3 inch diameter aluminum tube is also salvaged from the duct that connects the XJR6 intake to the TB. This tube extends another approx 3 inches inside the cone filter. So I've probably got close to another 7-9 inches of tubing to smooth the airflow before it hits the MAF. That was my goal there.


Another thought on the "cold air" is my friend's recent experience with his fan clutch dying this week on his truck. At speed, no problem, the truck would operate at normal temperature. Standing still, it would overheat. My point? At speed there was enough "cold (ambient) air" to flow through the radiator and into the engine bay to keep it cool. That same air is being rammed in our cars past the headlights, in through the side wing/fender "cold air" airbox hole and yes, through the radiator. So I don't think there is great benefit in trying to isolate the filter, other than it is fun as an aesthetic project.... and that I totally understand



Can you link to the no-name MAF you bought?

Since the OEM is unobtanium, this would be good to know for XJR6 owners

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Very cool looking

Unfortunately the filter I've used, at 6" diameter, leaves no room for a solution like you have built.

I've seen some off-the-shelf kits that have a similar solution where the filter is enclosed in a carbon fiber (look, real? I don't know) cylinder.

I did consider the following "heat shield" at one point, but again I don't think I have the room now. But it does look like an interesting product. They also make a smaller one.

https://www.spectreperformance.com/s...aspx?prod=9730

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The website for the XJR6-specific air flow meter is


https://www.worldcarparts.co.uk/jagu...eter-lna1620aa




The link above is for the XJR AFM

At the risk of stating the obvious, teaching you all how to suck eggs, et cetera, if you are ever buying an air flow meter for an x300, there are two part numbers

LNA1620AA is for XJR

LHE1620AA. Is for everything else 3.2 or 4.0 (I'm not talking about V12)

 

got it back from the body&paint shop today,loo

ks good as new...
new rear glass and seal,respray boot