I love Dimples any day but yours are gorgeous!

I finally finished installing the LED lights in the centre console today, looks nice and clean now.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...59d0c49e8.jpeg

As everyone always say, it’s really difficult to photograph these, but in real life they are all a uniform blue colour, not different shades as it looks here. The top screen is a little patchy, so I might adjust the angles of the LED’s next week.

If anyone wants any help, I’m happy to answer questions.

I also swapped the J gate light to an LED and also the ashtray. And I did the buttons on the ceiling too

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...794e6e7f2.jpeg
All the interior courtesy and map lights are already LED, so that’s it for now. I might tackle the speedo lights in the summer.

next is renewing the anti roll bar bushes and links, and I’ve got a set of tyres coming tomorrow.

I’d already converted the headlights to LED, but as I’m new I thought I’d share what they look like.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...807961013.jpeg
And here is a shot with the fog lights on to compare colours.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...77ebbcb61.jpeg

The fog lights are not LED yet. I have the LEDs ready to fit, but haven’t dropped the under tray yet. Am I right in thinking that I need to break the plastic rivets and fit brand new ones each time the under tray is removed? Or can they be re-used?

The under tray on mine has very soft plastic Philips head screws and washers. I managed to remove them by very gently unscrewing them with as close to exact fit screwdriver as I could find.
I'm not sure if the parts used vary, but single use rivets doesn't sound like a Jaguar thing.

oh, definitely a Jaguar thing:
https://www.moss-europe.co.uk/rivet-...kra106001.html

This is what it looks like are on mine, and seem to be the proper part. Might swap them out for the screw type that holds the bonnet liner in place though.

These are what I have on mine. Seems like a good idea, but the screw heads as so soft they can easily be stripped if you're not careful
Undertray Scrivets Ebay
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...fe00862211.jpg

Thanks, I’ve just ordered some 👍

I'm taking the X330 in for a Fully Synthetic oil change 0w-30 or 0w-40 oil (I'm not quite certain which will be better). I must prepare for the 2300-mile Mexican Odyssey.

I went and had the oil changed to Valvoline 5w-40 Full Synthetic Engine Oil. I'll change it when it reaches 6,000 miles, as recommended

I replaced the hose whose name I shall not utter here.
 

I ended up taking the water pump off and connecting the hose to it, then fed it back through the front of the supercharger bracket to put it on. Idk if that's right but it worked pretty decent. Looking back that may have been the best way to take it out too. Any body else do it like that?

I checked off another milestone on getting mine tidied up: I glued up and re-installed the headliner today. Not a fun job, but it's done. The only thing left for the interior is re-upholstering the sun visors with headliner material and fitting them back in.

Silver 1995 XJ6: Polished the second dimple wheel - process down to four hours from five hours for the first one, learned that hand sanding is faster and more effective than random orbital sander beyond 400 grit. Worked with my son to figure out why there is a clunking noise on the drivers side when we go over the washboard gravel road approach to the house. Forum was really helpful on the triage list: shock damper good, all of the bushings on the front suspension intact, no play in the bearing... after laying under the car (up on ramps) for half an hour just looking, we saw that the lower ball joint mini-boot was a bit askew. New one on the way, hope to get that on in the next week or two. We also did a rear brake bleed which cured some rubbing/squeaking. Waiting for some connectors to re-install the factory radio, and managed to fix the LCD clock and replace the backlighting bulbs. Replacement rear parcel shelf arrived intact from UK, might install that this week as a nice break from the hard labor.

Red 1996 Vanden Plas: Working on the triage list for the CEL P0420... throttle body fully removed and carefully cleaned paying close attention to not getting crud or solvent near TPS. Thorough check of wiring and MAF etc pre-intake manifold. All good. Pulled exhaust manifold cover... hairline crack in rear exhaust manifold, nice little carbon deposits on it just to make sure I didn't miss the crack. Good news and bad, I guess - we could always tell that there was a slight exhaust leak in the sound of the red vs silver cars, now we know at least one source. A bit puzzled though since the P0420 code applies to Bank 1 (cylinders 1-3) and it is the rear exhaust manifold with the crack. But, fix the problems you know... then worry about the others. We did pull the upstream O2 sensor on Bank 1 just to look at it - looked fine. Have a 17mm crows foot for pulling the rear one when I get the car up on the ramps again. Next step? Buy an uncracked used rear exhaust manifold ($300+), pull off the cracked one and get it welded for backup. Very nice write-ups and parts list for this process shown here ; with luck, $450 in parts and a weekend job. Maybe next month :)

Have a weeklong trip to CA coming up, will be a nice break to gather energy for tackling the exhaust manifold, PB blaster at the ready.

What a great upgrade! Doesn't it look perfect? It is an easy job and well worth the investment, isn't it?

I just replaced the air filter in the X330. this should improve my fuel economy as I head south. (I need all the help I can get).

I admit to doing it that way, too, but removal of the undertray is (allegedly) not required to renew the front fogs. They prise out (allegedly) from the front using a thin, stiff, wooden or plastic (non-marring) tool.

My recollection is that all the fasteners are reusable, save the zip tie at the aft-middle, which is probably my own home-fit.

Aholbro1 raises a point that has bugged me about the undertray fitting.
That hole at the rear center of the under tray piece doesn't seem to have a corresponding fitting on the car.
I found mine just sitting there (not quite flapping around) but also used a zip-tie to keep it steady.
It that hole supposed to be securing the piece to the car and if so, where should it connect to?

Finally got round to flushing the brakes after 7 months with the car, they were working fine but it was an unknown quantity I wanted to be sure of.
Using the one man (person?) method, was able to flush right rear, left rear, right front and left front (being left hand drive).
So happy I did a full flush, the old fluid looked like kombucha juice with heavier sooty deposits at the bottom. The new Prestone DOT4 was clear like water.
I might flush it again in the next few months just in case there's any dirt left in the system.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...bd014d795.jpeg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0a8eb4bad8.jpg


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a93bf15918.jpg

Suspension almost done...maybe today my car will leave garage... I feel like sping installing virtuoso, who can instal sping in few minutes...but that was my first time changing bearings...so probably will need new ones soon...

Mine was missing the undertray but the hole you are referring to may be for the radiator drain

The fogs light assemblies have 2 large 1 inch plastic tabs on the inside of the bumper that if you push them in inward or outward direction the fog lamp assembly come out aft

The tabs can be hard to see being the same black color as the lamp assembly

I think one is at the top and the other is not at the bottom but off to the side

Took a few weeks off, thought about the cars. Then I came home.

1995 XJ6 Silver: Changed a lower ball joint (1995 XJ6 Silver) to try to eliminate a clunk... was kind of a fun project, but still more clunk research ahead (ball joint was fine, just a torn boot, so I'm glad to have changed it before exposing it to heavy rain etc). Re-installed the radio + climate control + clock module with repaired LCD and LED background lights. Tape deck still works, need to put the CD player back in and see if that works. LCD on factory radio is toast, but if I get the bluetooth attachment then that won't matter much.

1996 Red Vanden Plas: Still tracking down a good leather dye color for the 1996 Vanden Plas with NDR interior... leather is somewhere between white and ivory and cream, so non-exact match will show up with a vengeance (ask me how I know). Vacuumed the carpet to make me feel better; guests in town so I actually get to use it as a limo.. gotta find a proper hat. Waxed the top of the car while watching the thunderstorms roll by.

I think colourlock can scan the colour and match it pretty accurately, if you have a dealer nearby.
Otherwise, you can cut of a small piece of leather from underneath the seat and send it in to be scanned and matched.

Thanks! seatdoctors.com matches interior code NDR with "Cream" and LFJ with Nimbus Grey. If I get good matches and results, I'll post some pics.

Have had great cleaning results with Fiebings Glycerin saddle soap and a small brush; will treat the leather with their Deglazer before applying the seat dye from seatdoctors (polyurethane base dye, not alcohol or acrylic).

-CF

What does an X mean in this summary? I'm guessing that an X means that it doesn't contain that particular chemical. But do we want that chemical?

Nothing special just completed my 8000km service. I'm happy to hear if anyone thinks that's an excessive amount of serving on my part but I've heard differing opinions on service intervals.
I changed the oil and oil filter, Drained the Transmission fluid and refilled, Cleaned the K&N air filter along with the air inlet and carbies. Checked the rest of the fluids and added some injector cleaner to the Fuel Tank. I'm not sure if it's a placebo or not but I'm always amazed at how well my jag runs after a little basic maintenance.
I'm also curious if someone can tell me how much oil it should take with an oil and filter change. I know the manual says 8 litres, I also know the oil filter will add to that figure? But I feel like it's taking considerably more?

Recent oil changes on my silver 1995 XJ6 and 1996 VDP used about 8 1/4 quarts of oil, if that is helpful to you. Filter change, oil bypass o-ring renewal, etc.

1995 Silver XJ6: This past weekend, found a big crack in rear exhaust manifold and two smaller cracks in the front exhaust manifold. Since this car has spent most of its life in the desert southwest of the US, I am guessing summer temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit helped make this happen (103k miles on the car). Repaired cracks temporarily by cleaning them with Dremel+wire brush and proper application of QuikSteel extreme. We will see how long the repair lasts... in the meantime, will find a good front and rear manifold + gaskets etc for a longer-term fix, and replace them both at the same time. Installed replacement rear parcel shelf (had to order from UK), re-attached rear defrost tabs which have been hanging free w bits of broken glass for years (just increases my mis-trust of fly-by-night collision repair centers), finally got rear kick-panels under rear seat to fit properly with some angle-grinder trimming, persuasion, and sweat.

1996 VDP: Repaired small crack in rear exhaust manifold w QuikSteel extreme. Tested "Cream" leather and vinyl dye from Seat Doctors - looks like a great color match; will remove rear seat bottom and do the fix in earnest this weekend (Deglazer from Feibings, leather dye from Seat Doctors, Resolene from Feibings to seal and protect). Will post before and after pics on Sunday.

Got it back on the road after winter/spring and gave it quick wash.
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...829ef15dd.jpeg

Hello, today worked on my car a bit...changed coolant, air filter, put on wheels with new summer tyres ( Pirelli Cinturato P7 225/60 R16 98Y what tyres do you guys use on your X300? )...
Then started the engine, to drive back in to garage, but before closing the bonet noticed one thing. One pulley vibrates...I think this one is called harmonic balancer...should it vibrate like that?
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...1bcc88d723.jpg

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d33c36c508.gif

It should run pretty evenly. I suspect the balancer has either deformed or is likely to suffer delamination.
The harmonic balancer has 2 metal pulleys molded together with rubber, the rubber eventually deteriorates, usually with a bit of a squeal at startup.
You can see in the video that the pulley closest to the engine is running smoothly and the outer pulley connected by the rubber is not.
I replaced mine not so long ago, it seems to be a consumable unit. The general options are to either source a replacement or have the one you have rebuilt.

How hard it is to take that thing off?

removal:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...roject-100618/

installation:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...lancer-101674/

worth watching this video to give you an idea...
my two sons replaced one on my 1995 silver XJ6 without any special tool fabrication, but there was a lot of frustration, cursing, and eventual victory :)

shared the love
 

Last week, my oldest son drove the 1996 VDP (Red) to my father in Texas as a father's day gift. It will be his last car, and one worthy of him.

(and I left an OBD2 device in the glove compartment for future CEL's and excuses to visit)

So... down to one car, 1995 Silver XJ6, with enough fun projects to keep me busy for a few months. Then if she survives, I'll get her painted and may keep her :)

My accomplishment for the day was getting the radiocasette and trunk-mounted cd changer in full operation. I had flaky communications between the head unit and the changer. According to several old posts here and elsewhere, this was due to a manufacturing flaw and could be fixed by resoldering a certain surface-mount component.

I extracted the head unit and opened it up. PO's smoking habit had even left ash and soot inside the head unit. After cleaning the circuit boards with alcohol, I attempted the resoldering. Hand-soldering surface mount components is not my idea of fun, but I managed. The trick is to wrap some copper wire around your iron and use the wire tip as the "iron". While I was in there, I gave the cassette transport a good cleaning as well.

After the standard re-assembly fun, everything worked. I could consistently select and play CD's without comm errors. Even the cassette player worked, even though I had to hunt a bit to find a cassette to test with.

Good work! Where exactly was the suspect joint? I have a similar problem!

The trick is to wrap some copper wire around your iron and use the wire tip as the "iron".

Brilliant

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...2572b8869c.gif

Jos Raven, aka PA0AMX, illustrates the problem on this webpage better than I can: Jos Raven PA0AMX
Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

And do follow Parker2's tip (right below your post) on modifying your soldering iron.

The credit for the trick is not mine but opens the possibility of other projects to be used on

Thanks for that posting> I guess I'll have to get to the circuit board and see if I can locate the joint. Alec G.

I finally got round to replacing the differential fluid today.
My 97 VDP has the strut setup behind the diff which made things a little trickier, but after a little fiddling and a few moments of deep thought I managed to figure out how to get the fill bolt removed.
I was getting a very slight leak on the drive shaft seal, so I decided to pop the outer cap and inner cap of the diff breather and give it all a good clean. Hopefully a clean breather will remove any excess pressure from the diff, so the oil won't leak out. After a quick test drive, I have no leaks (yet), but will keep an eye on things for a few weeks.
I also cleaned the mess caused by the leak so it should be easy to see if there is an (or no) improvement.

One thing I noticed on the test drive was that I am no longer getting a 'clunking' feeling when slowing through the gears to a stop. It was very slight, but it seems to be gone for now.
It seems I'm the only one that noticed it and I thought it could be a transmission issue, which is why tomorrow I start on a transmission fluid flush. The age of the current transmission fluid is unknown, so it will be good to change it out anyway.

I also got round to checking all the connections to the Evap system and its filters. It could take a few more drives but I am hoping that will eventually complete the emissions test (fingers are crossed on that one)

Time for a beer.

Dipped oil out the number 4 sparkplug hole
 

Every couple of thousand miles I take a paper towel and dip out oil or remove the sparkplug to drain it. Installed all new seals to correct this a couple of years ago but, it still leaks into that one cylinder. May have to remove it and use some RTE which I hate to do but, any port in a storm!

The transmission fluid flush is now on the second gallon of Castrol Transmax. I have one last one to do in around a 100 miles.
I was happy to see the second gallon out was a lot cleaner, but still looked like a pinkish weak black coffee.
The improvement to the drive is pretty significant already, the car takes off a lot better now and I am no longer getting the slight jolt when shifting down through the gears to a stop,
I plan to change out the transmission filter and gasket in the next (20k miles) service. From what I have been reading in the forum, it seems Redline D4 ATF is the way to go.

Oddly, I also had a failed thermostat this week. Luckily I was monitoring stats on the OBD2 app and saw it was rising above 230 degrees, coupled with the upper radiator hose by the thermostat housing being hot and the lower left radiator hose a lot cooler it seemed a sure sign of a failed thermostat.
I did the boil in the pan test on the old one was not opening up.

Successful morning so far. Must be beer o'clock.


https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QE...-no?authuser=0