More what it did to me....pulled the gold '97 into the shop to have it nice and level for fluid check/top up for the weekly commute. Already knew PAS reservoir would be near empty and the quart I keep in the boot for daily top-ups would need a weekend refill. Inasmuch as I had recently shut it down, no point in checking crankcase oil for several hours....not really expecting anything, I popped the cap off the coolant reservoir. Level was "visible" but below the "add" step in the reservoir. Hmmm....pulled the flattened box from underneath I'd straddled when parking to catch the known crankcase and PAS leaks...and found significant watery-like substance over-running the oils. Already knowing....b/c A/C compresser siezed up a few weeks ago that it weren't condensation, a dab and a sniff confirmed it were coolant. Fairly late Sunday afternoon after futzing about with the 05 X202 all weekend with no improvement, I had no heart to hook up the pressure tester to confirm source, but based on drop location and inspection of the mill from above with an incredibly bright light, I'm 97.3% almost certain it's water rail gaskets. Have a set of those and an intake manifold gasket in inventory, so I guess that's a job for next weekend. Thought about throwing a couple three gallons of distilled water in the boot and trying to make it through this week....then thought, "That's stupid.....and blew the leaves off the Excursion cowl, installed the new (current) registration sticker, renewed the wiper blades, front and rear and cleaned the windscreen....I'm burning diesel instead of petrol this week.

Took the car out for a drive after changing the intake air hose (bellows before the throttle body) and the EGR gasket.
The old intake hose was worn and ripped at the TB end so I was pretty sure it wasn't sealing well.
The replacement is the URO (URO009009) from RockAuto. It came covered in a white waxy coating which I washed off, then prepped the rubber with some silicone.
The idle and return to idle when stopping is a lot smoother now and STFT's seem to be happier staying mainly near zero, but fluctuating between +/- 15%.
I think the car is now in great shape,
Apart from some minor bodywork dings, slight rattle from underneath, some leather re-finishing, fixing clunky window regulators, repairing the front AC vents, repainting both bumpers, fixing the right windscreen vent, possible O2 sensor or CAT replacement, (there is more) and a full detail it's awesome.
I really love the car, just wish I could get everything wrapped up at once.

Few little bits and pieces. Changed some of the interior globes over to nice blue LEDs (start of whole change over)
changed my odometer globes (was going to do the instrument cluster but realised i need neo wedge 4.7 which i have not enough of)
Changed the cruise control and headlight switch globe panels, including soldering leds into the switches. Maybe the globes are too bright for some but i love it. (They look brighter in the photos than in real life, and can be dimmed atleast a little) i do like them bright tho
used mostly blue, but used green for the Headlight ones. Had to solder in an extra smd into the cruise control panel to get it all lit up nicely. The one did not reach the bottom well enough.
put a blue led into the jgate also.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0739eb810.jpeg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a7a8d4f1f.jpeg
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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...36cee1ba5.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...1da0afd17.jpeg

Hi Spud Maat,
Great work on the LED switch over, I have been considering this as I have a few failed bulbs on my switches and would like to get them all working and bright again.
So far I haven't taken the dash apart enough to feel comfortable doing it yet, but it's good to see that it's do-able.
Is this a tough job to get done and did you find any problem areas? It would be great if you could post a list of the LED's you used.

I’ve been a busy lad on my x300

I have replaced the diff output bearings and fitted new bolts with low profile aircraft k-nuts from raceparts so they can be installed with a smaller spanner.

Kay lock nuts are a high strength deformed nut that provides locking . They are used almost exclusively on aircraft and the higher grades of single seater formula cars , GP2 , F1 ect .

The bearing kit I ordered had the incorrect radius so I had to machine them myself. While it wasn’t a big deal I’m quite annoyed the supplier didn’t respond to my email about the situation. However the parts are installed and the end float is back to jaguar specifications on the dial indicator gauge.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d1adfefff.jpeg
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so far the trim and what not has come out pretty easy. instrument cluster is held in only by 4 screws underneath, cruise control and headlight switch panels are held in by a few screws. 2 on the trim and then another 2 on the PCB itself.
all the LED i have (and will) use are the SMD type.
Neo Wedge globes are required.
The bulk of the globes are T4.2 Neo Wedge.
The globes in the instrument cluster are T4.7 Neo wedge
and the globes in the aircon from what i know are a little larger than a T3 Neo Wedge. Apparently using a T3 results in a little bit of wiggle whilst using a T4.2 requires a bit of drilling/shaving the PCB (which i don't plan on doing) I plan on using the T3 and a dab of hot glue to hold them secure in place.

the globes in the switches themselves however was a bit more difficult. not hard if you are handy with a soldering iron (my skills are not great but adequate). Replacing these required removing a SMD from the neo wedge housing and feeding into the switch assembly via a hole in the back of the PCB and then soldering onto the contacts for the original globe.
the original globe can be removed, but i took the easy option of just pushing it out of the way as i figured the LED would just overpower it anyways.

for the Jgate was super easy for me as the previous owner has broken the clips on the wood surround so i was able to easily pull it out. will make it easy to also replace the A/C and clock LEDs.

had a productive day today.
As the AU spec models do not come with side mark lights like the US spec does i wired in the rear ones today.
i drilled a hole in the back of the housing, slotted in a T10 connector, put a globe in, wired them into the side light wire (hanging near the tail lights) and tinted the orange reflectors red.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...95e606603.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e71813e2e.jpeg

also took on a big job as my remote did not work and installed an aftermarket keyless entry kit (hooked into lock/unlock wires and SLCM) so that i have my remote entry back.
see page 3 (last few posts on this thread)

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ispreloading=1

Got some work done on my 95

Air injection pump and hard lines are now removed . ( hard line removal went quite badly )
the engine bay looks quite a lot nicer without the air pump in the way .

The benefit of having clear visuals of all the water hoses is excellent.

I’ve also cut off the ugly intake resonator and blanked it up with a wee bit of carbon.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...68ac4cce7.jpeg
This isn’t visible so it’s a just a slug urethaned into the old bit of hose
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...154f8a9d9.jpeg
Looks much nicer I think
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e12b47d6a1.png
Another discussion regarding air pump I found interesting.

changed the globes in my climate control and clock to ICE BLUE LEDs. attempted to get the clock working but realised that i do infact need to get a new LCD.
i was expecting the LCD of the climate control and clock to be a little spotty as i was using SMD LEDs and thought they may be too direct however they look amazing in the screens.
will take some pics once it gets dark outside.

i must say i am annoyed at 25YO plastic that likes to crack.
i wanted to try and upgrade the red leds for the shift light indicator but realised there doesn't seem to be enough room to add extras without removing the lights that are already soldered on. and i didn't wanna do anything that major unless i had a spare piece in case i mess it up.
also wanted to make the red LED for the cruise control indicator brighter as it is not that easy to see in the day time however i realised that none of my SMD LEDs were working. i assume it must be maybe only a 1.7v circuit or something. will have to see if i can get a bright low voltage LED

Couldn’t seem to edit my above post to add pics.

it’s always hard to get good pics of lights. They look much better in person and the light on the climate control LCD is much more even colour distribution.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...fe9f22974.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...5fc4c37cd.jpeg

Well it's not so much exactly what i did today but what i have been doing this week, see i am on a 2 week holiday from work....

I fixed my coolant level sensor, i am hoping to fix my handbrake switch (cleaned it all just need to test and reinstall) i changed allt the power window switches and the sport selector switch over to LEDs. only interior globes left to do are the dash globes and i am patiently waiting those coming from china.
i am in the process of an awesome LED headlight upgrade....
glove box is broken, took it out, realised that it looks like i cant repair it and will need to replace it, so used some hook and loop tape and viola atleast now i can open and close it.

i am realising that there is so much cracked / broken plastic . the PO seemed to break lots of bits of plastic trim, (and i am breaking my share also) 25 YO platic does b ecome brittle thats for sure.

will upload pics of the headlights once done

seat base reinforce, looks a little rough from the steel-weld epoxy but it is strong. Epoxy and screws so hopefully it ain’t going anywhere
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...506033304.jpeg​​​​​​​
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6f46efd31.jpeg
.

this post is my bible for LED replacement https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...dimming-38712/

very helpful diagrams, etc, and you can easily swap LED's into the existing (ie ones that fit!) bases that come from the factory.

seen it and almost complete with everything. Have only main instrument cluster globes left to do, have done all the power window ones which were the most finiky.
will upload pics once all is done

Cheers :) thanks to CDMA, I have a driver side power window unit on my bar, after you post the pics I will get those lights converted to LED

was actually 2 days ago now not today....
but this is what i did... (actually took multiple days)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...51a08d29e.jpeg
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-units-255475/

Completed the change over of all interior globes to LED. Instrument cluster was the last thing on the list.
would have loved blue background with red needles, but as everyone who has done this knows the tinting on the needles is very light and blue globes make blue needles.
but using white smd got a good result.
not what i was after initially but i do like it

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...cfde81be6.jpeg

picked up a XK8 monobrace for my XJR - bushings looked like new, but it had some rust on it that needed removing.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...e14221f3c.jpeg

Silver 1995 XJ6: tightened down drivers side sideview mirror (glass removed, cleaned things up, two screws w locknuts on backside were a bit loose), replaced the drivers side button cluster on the door with a salvage button cluster (CDMA to the rescue!) and now I can move the mirrors on both sides. Replaced the bulbs behind the buttons with LEDs, but they are not lighting up so... at some point I'll have to check to see if there is any voltage going into the plugs that feed the button cluster. Nice to get a few small things done today :) warm and sunny, nice to be outside for a change.

maybe a silly question but did you check the polarity of the LEDs? Unlike incandescent globes they require correct polarity.

not a silly question - would be the same question I would ask :) Had the car running with the lights on (did this at night) and tried the LEDs in one direction and then the other, before the wood piece went back on... multimeter didn't show voltage either, on the old button console or the new one. I know I am missing something, but the wiring for the front and passenger doors needs focused attention, so I'll start there later in the year. Whoever owned the car before my father-in-law ran some wires directly from the passenger door to the driver door, maybe had a lock issue? No idea; will take some time to sort... on a warm sunny day with nothing else to do :)

Please delete

^^^ So Phil you didn't do anything today after all?

I did the C1095 repair for the ABS/Trac Fail warnings. Steady on every trip after reaching 12.5 mph. Code reader fought me but I managed to capture C1095, pump motor failure. I remembered this common "failure" and looked up the threads.

The repair was quite easy. Didn't need to bend the brake lines much at all. Resoldered the connections. Was unsure that it would really be cured. But it was, no more warning lights! The pump motor is just fine. Thanks Aholbro and motorcarman, among others. :icon_woot:

Mrs wasn't happy with her manual passenger seat and kept pestering me about it so eventually I bought a Daimler seat with every single option possible and proceeded to swap the entire base, below are some pics I've taken, they are not in correct order but you'll get the idea.

Yes, I've moved the heat pads too so will now have a passenger heated seat, all using sports seats too, dont think I ever saw one like that! :)

Its not an easy job, must have taken me ~6 hours.

If anyone decides to do this, don't cut the whole for controls in the same place, on sports seats they are in slightly different position.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...28ea5839f3.jpg
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Welcomed a new X300 to the family on Friday... found on Hemmings, drove back to Santa Fe from LA on Thursday. The drive was a nice way to wrap up a business trip, and I got to take the missus to a nice restaurant this weekend as a belated valentines day date. 1997 VDP Carnival Red.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...498616e5ad.jpg

She ain't perfect, but the to-do list is manageable and the interior leather is almost perfect (coffee, I think).

So, I washed her, vacuumed everything, and put a nice coat of wax on the outside. Very happy :)

-cafe

Nothing wrong with the Lass getting a little dirty now and then!

You couldn't live without your red 96 Vanden Plas... I understand... well done.

Chromed 20-spokes! Now you are really showing off. :icon_naughty:

SleekJag12 - you are 100% correct. Kind of addicted to the 20 spoke chrome wheels too... there was a VandenPlas shaped hole in my heart since the drive to Texas last June for fathers day.

Perhaps one day, if our paths cross, you can introduce me to the dark side of the 6.0L v12. After I get a few more years of scar tissue and experience with the 4.0L six, of course.

-cafe

:icon_laugh:
Continue on the path, you will. Useful will be your Jedi skills when you are face to face with the Dark Side.

Retroffited a power seat that I put together from a Daimler seat couple posts above.

Socket for the main loom is hidden in a hole under carpet close to transmission tunnel. That's also where seat loom link that plugs to seat bolts on and hides in secured with metal clip. That red plastic cover is where ground for the seat link bolts on. The plug is sadly covered in a black foam that after 25 years turned into a very sticky black plasticine, horrid stuff, needed lots of brake cleaner to get it off the socket. Plugged in and all was well.

All works now and I have a fully electric passenger sport seat, even the heat pads works great. Mrs is finally happy :)

Tap and die set was needed, these seat bolts are so easy to crossthread and they are made from a soft metal.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...da80d0cbea.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...be33c7d46d.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...59e5c0b557.jpg
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1997 VDP Carnival Red (Ruby Tuesday)... more like over the last two weeks, but what the hey:

(1) New floormats from eBay, extended rear mats that fit the VDP perfectly :) seller goboilers1
(2) New windshield wiper.... only took me 20 minutes to figure out how to install it on the hook :o more time that it took to order it
(3) Cleaned up the front of the engine, 122k miles of road gunk and engine fluids... looks much better, and will show any leaks if/when they are there (suspect a valve cover gasket is in my future for Ruby Tuesday)
(4) Harmonic Balancer replaced with no cursing, lost skin, or bent/banged up car parts! Helped to have my son along, who made the puller and the holder, and has done this before... so happy to have that done! thank you for this post and (5) Along the way, took off the pulley tensioner assembly and cleaned it down to factory finish, regreased, and re-assembled
(6) Radiator and condenser grommets replaced... amazing how many people just never even look for these... "what is that clanking noise?" thank you Forums!
(7) Perhaps most importantly, removed the chrome exhaust tips and polished them to factory shine with the paraphernalia purchased to do the dimple wheels on the 1995 silver XJ
(8) Wait, no, this is most important... gave the 1995 Silver XJ to my son, took a sunday drive with him, and he started the instagram channel "reed_x300_collective"... sniff... proud papa

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d7d0de753f.jpg
cottonwoods reflecting the graceful curves of the cars... somewhere outside of Madrid NM

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8ee5a7fef4.jpg
what I do at night... polish chrome at the bar


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8ba1e07a06.jpg
home-made puller, torque bar for tightening leaning against the wall, and the wooden brace that holds the 3/4" extension for when you loosen the harmonic balancer nut with the starter :)


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...015f22bf44.jpg
the long 3/4" SAE 16 bolt whose thread matches the factory hex head bolt that holds the harmonic balancer on... amazingly easy to get the new harmonic balancer on with this! I have two extra, Message me if you would like to have one on hand (ordered from Grainger.com... awesome site for nuts and bolts etc)

fitted some stainless over-axle mufflers, and some front droplinks from andy
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...fddca0e5a.jpeg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...4b993fd48.jpeg

I'll need to get myself some stainless rear boxes too, had to go the cheapo route for now as car ran out of MOT and exhaust started blowing literally a day before I was going to take it for the MOT and cant wait for new ones. Anyway here's what happened...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...ee76af093b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...0ee2ac3aa5.jpg


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9200a501ba.jpg
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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...d5b8fdf610.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...7630438e8d.jpg

So this muffler is utter chinesium garbage, only got it 4 years ago for the previous car. Felt robbed seeing this huge hole so I've decided to fix it with a piece of old Jag front wing :icon_biggrin:
Should get another couple years out of it now. MOT next.

Silver 1995 Xj6 - worked with my son to help him change the lower radiator hose and the bast**d hose... gave us a chance to clean and re-assemble all of the air intake before the throttle body, as well as the black air "compressor" that feeds extra air into the cats on cold startup. We forgot to hook up the coolant temperature sensor, which resulted in a very high idle, then unable to start after shutting it off... following the advice of wise veterans, we poured some whiskey on the rocks, chilled out for a few hours, then came back and checked all the plugs. Re-filled and topped off coolant, cleaned the O2 sensors, car purrs like it should.

Red 1997 VDP - Sent clock off to Module Masters for repair, ordered Aux/bluetooth device for factory radio from Discount Car Stereo, replaced the front valance and fabricated new clips to go with 6mm hex head screws instead of the crappy plastic single-use fasteners (I hate those things), and replaced the hood and truck struts. Thank goodness for the forums on the trunk struts! Fabricated a 20" "strut removing and replacing tool" from one leg of a tomato cage - huge help in loosening the clip in the bowels of the car behind the back seat, in getting the socket off the little ball, and in holding the clip open till the new strut was back on the ball (once seated, just pull the tool back and the clip slid right into place). No more chance of hood or trunk causing injury, esp when its windy in NM. Also am on the sixth careful coat of polyurethane on the steering wheel, carefully filling and sanding the places where it cracked... on final sanding and coat now, glossy and smooth, important for something that you see and touch every time you drive. Oh, and new buttons for the two remotes, installed after dis-assembly, cleaning, and new batteries... these remotes are pricy, if you can find them.

Finally, made a sunday trip to Starbucks this afternoon for a well-deserved beverage and a twisty-road drive with my son in the silver car. It was a good day/weekend :)

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...03280cf9f7.jpg
the end that you wedge into the clip to loosen it away from the socket
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...67abbc1103.jpg
the flat end that you use to get the socket off the ball
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...34c02b5acd.jpg
20" is just about perfect
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...c091dc0844.jpg
real OEM buttons for the two remotes... yay!
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...08c7954251.jpg
new hose, installed... a lot easier to get on, esp with a heat gun, than to get the old one off (the cleaning was fun too... thank you paint can opener and patience)
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...a36f629fbe.jpg
old bast**d hose, failed on a rev test initiated by my son, thankfully in the driveway
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...321d9b975b.jpg
new valance, installed, with the new fasteners... much stronger!
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6deec0eac1.jpg
painted black, just because (maybe to help prevent rust)
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...fbe3d6013e.jpg
making fasteners with metal, nuts, JB weld, and patience

Quite productive day today, I have FINALLY got to changing gearbox oil. I think I've bought that oil 5 or 6 years ago. Have to say I really dont know why I haven't done it earlier, the difference is clearly noticeable, gears change much smoother and that's with only 4l of oil changed!

I've got the rear end up on stands, started the car hoping that this might actually cause the oil that is in converter to flow to the pan but no, even with the car in drive/reverse I've only managed to drain approx 4l of oil and that taken roughly half hour. I'll have to repeat it couple more times, wont be waiting another 5 or 6 years to do it though :)

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...3285ca4c0a.jpg

I've also finally removed driver side door card and lubed up door check arm. It not longer opens like a victorian wardrobe. Was always very creaky since I bought the car. Also somehow managed not to break any door card clips! As a last thing today, I've connected back my bluetooth adapter to the factory radio. Last time I had it apart I forgot to plug it in :icon_bowrofl:

If that check arm is making popping sounds, you need to shore it up quickly! Probably a how-to on here somewhere, but can be done with door card in-situ, IIRC, so you've likely not lost any time in not doing it while you were in there. The basics: Dig a C-shaped foam block out of the door at the check arm. Undo the fixings and fit large fender-washers on the back side. Also on the front if they'll fit, I can't recall if so. But if it pops when you open/close, then the door sheet metal has a crack. Some number of openings and closings later, a chunk of it will break off and the door side of your check arm will be free-floating and no longer checking the door. Can still be repaired then, but is much more involved.

Yes, that was my first thought that metal is cracked but no, was just creaky arm, go figure. Added lots of grease and silicone spray and its good as new and still super quiet. Another productive day today.

Started with rad and heater core flush, new coolant, followed by another gearbox oil change, this time with filter and new gasket and ended with engine oil flush, followed by new oil. filter and even added some additive to treat the cat.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...b11e239ed3.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...8686caa121.jpg
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Glad I did gearbox filter, one pan magnet was full of clutch material, probably half a cm thick layer on top of it, the other one surprisingly clean. Top of the filter was covered in clutch material sediment :icon_eek:
Not a pretty view, I was actually surprised but gearbox still seems perfect and when I bought the car few years back, oil was still pink, not sure if this is normal or not, first time I did filter myself, clearly a good idea to do it once in a while.
Was a bit of a pain to get the pan back with my teeth in the floor pretty much, crawling underneath the car but its doable. I think the filter I had(bought 10 years ago) was for an older box and I had to chop of pick up tube at the bottom of the filter to fit it in(x300 filter doesn't have a pick up)
Oil change as always its messy but also needed changing, think last time I did it was 2 years ago, maybe 3.
Only diff oil now to change, that might happen next weekend.

Well its a nice long weekend, and finally not raining after like 2 months of almost constant rain, so there is not better time then now to get a few things done.

- So i gave the girl a nice well deserved wash,
- I took out and remounted my LED headlights so they sit more centered and look much neater install.
- i replaced the LCD screen on my clock, (realised the new lcd has 1 missing line, but not worth replacing again for that, is only the to line of the first one so only affects 6 hours a day, LOL. i think the lcd got slightly damaged in transit)
- adjusted my bonnet strikers so my bonnet closes better and sits flush now.

hopefully get another couple small things done over the rest of the weekend too.

Did an oil and filter change today at 147000 miles.
Mobil1 10w-40 and a Wix filter.

After a quick run the LTFT dropped about 5% to -0.78, which was nice.

Checked the steering and still no leaks after a pump seal and hose refresh.

Will replace plugs and air filter in the coming weeks

realised i could nbot handle the fact my clock was still buggy. partly due to the fact it was just annoying, and partly due to the fact that i can't accept fixing something and leaving it half done....
took it out today... realised that it was a loose connection on the ribbon cable to the PCB....
so used some hot glue (ontop of the ribbon between the white shroud , the heat from which will help adhere the glue on the cable down, and then put the white shroud on and pressed it down very tight until the glue cooled and set so that the hot glue now creates a shim to ensure good pressure and connection..

not sure what job is next on the list.
leaking power steering is certainly a priority fix, it is leaking from the low pressure before the pump and the high pressure near the steering rack. i think i need to replace all hoses.

Just bought my manual XJR back from the third owner it's had since I sold it in 2017. Actually in better shape than I sold it, which is a relief. Now to hunt down the cause of a rough idle.

Returned from a trip to CA, and treated myself to an easy task -

1997 Red VDP got a new antenna for the factory radio. Took out the whole power up/down unit from the trunk, removed the cover, cleaned up the crud in the gears and ramps etc, re-greased everything, re-assembled with new antenna. No rust, very quiet now, no popping/grinding. Nice little project with not much at stake and I could start and finish it in about an hour or two. Satisfying.

Now I gotta buy some gear oil and replace the goo currently residing in the diff...

-cafe