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The XJS WAS MADE WITH BOTH AJ6 AND THE LATER AJ16 , the difference being a distributor cap on the fwd right SUPERSEEDED BY A 2 WIRE cAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR
Sorry for the long delay, I had work take me across the country for a week, then I spent any other free time pulling the L28 out of the Datsun. (For those interested, the fully dressed L28 weighed in at 471 pounds. This includes alternator, AC compressor, flywheel, clutch, and oil!)
I do have three questions at present:
First, from what I can tell, it seems there's two flywheel options for this engine:
- EBC3114 looks like a dual mass flywheel that came on the XJS 4.0 cars, correct? I believe this is the one I currently have. Does it bolt the the AJ16S?
- EBC10865 looks to be the OEM flywheel for the XJR6, but still seems to be called out as a dual mass flywheel
- EBC???? I recall seeing somewhere that there is a standard (single piece) flywheel that was produced that will bolt onto the AJ16S. Is this correct? If so, what is that part number, and what models/years was it available with?
I'll use the dual mass if I have to, but I clearly remember switching a dual mass for a standard in my Acura and how much of a drastic improvement that was, so I'd like to try and shoot for the stars on this build, as well.
Second, am I correct that an XJS bell-housing (EBC9337) will bolt onto the AJ16S? If not, what's the part number for the piece I need to get this Getrag 290 bolted up?
Third, I am trying to locate a new clutch kit for this setup. Since manual XJR6's were never sold in America, it's next to impossible to locate an off-the-shelf solution. I saw on this forum that 90's Silverado C1500 trucks used the Getrag 290 transmission in some cases. That would be infinitely easier to locate a clutch kit for, but is the flywheel end the same? (I've also heard select BMW cars had this transmission as well...) In short, if anyone has a part number they know is available in America, I would greatly appreciate having it!
The Getrag 290 was built in the US under a joint partnership called New Venture and is labeled as a NV3500 or NV4500 ( cast iron ) with the last number 50 added if with a front transfer case output for 4WD
This opens a lot of parts possibilities
The vehicle application list is large like Dodge , GM , Jeep
Third, I am trying to locate a new clutch kit for this setup. Since manual XJR6's were never sold in America, it's next to impossible to locate an off-the-shelf solution. I saw on this forum that 90's Silverado C1500 trucks used the Getrag 290 transmission in some cases. That would be infinitely easier to locate a clutch kit for, but is the flywheel end the same? (I've also heard select BMW cars had this transmission as well...) In short, if anyone has a part number they know is available in America, I would greatly appreciate having it!
Simply performance has a clutch and single mass flywheel kit for the XJR6, so you should send them a mail if you can stomach the shipping cost from the UK.
Got a chance to start playing with the pieces today.
It's definitely a snug fit! I'm hoping that once the rest of the Datsun bits and brackets are removed from the engine bay, I'll free up a few more inches. I will definitely be struggling to route header piping on the exhaust side, and I'm already thinking that a rear mount radiator may be needed. Not the end of the world, really, as that'll shift some weight back to the rear and help maintain the balance of the car. Overall, though, this should be possible!
Here's some weight and size comparisons for any curious on the info:
From 440 pounds up to 525 pounds. For double the power, I'll happily live with that!
Moving on to the flywheel... The ones that came with the XJR engine ran through a spacer of sorts, then into the crank. I'm assuming this spacer is meant to take up the space that a manual flywheel would, when using the thin automatic flexplate. So, I removed this spacer and mounted the XJS flywheel directly to the crankshaft. I'll definitely have to buy some longer bolts, as you can see below (unless the single piece flywheel is thinner?)
Anyway, that's as far as I got today. The rest of the week is going to be spent rebuilding the L28 motor to sell it off, then stripping the rest of the Datsun bits from the engine bay. In the meanwhile, I'm going to start hunting for the bell-housing that I need, and hopefully some rebuild kits/parts for the AJ16S.
Don't underestimate the space that radiator, electric fans, AC condenser ( if you have AC) and supercharger radiator will take up in front of the engine. The factory supercharger radiator was considered a bit undersized, so go bigger there. Are you going to have space for the airflow meter and air filter?
Regarding the clutch, there was an adapter plate between the engine and transmission, so the spacer is to accommodate that and get the clutch/release bearing in the right place.
Don't underestimate the space that radiator, electric fans, AC condenser ( if you have AC) and supercharger radiator will take up in front of the engine. The factory supercharger radiator was considered a bit undersized, so go bigger there. Are you going to have space for the airflow meter and air filter?
Regarding the clutch, there was an adapter plate between the engine and transmission, so the spacer is to accommodate that and get the clutch/release bearing in the right place.
The Datsun AC Condenser is still mounted in there. I have a lot of room in front of it, in the nose area for stuff. It'd be easy to put the SC radiator somewhere in there. As for main engine radiator... not sure yet. I need to get the rest of the Datsun bits out to have some more room to move the engine around and get a more accurate idea of how things will end up. I have seen some people mount an entire cooling package at an angle in the Datsun nose area, this could also be an option. Pictured below is a tube frame front end, but it gives an idea of what I mean, sloping the radiator a bit to make use of the empty space up front:
Re: clutch - So I will be needing to put that spacer in, using a manual transmission on the XJR engine? That's going to make those bolts a lot longer, then. I wish I could have seen how the original flex-plate and such were installed. I'm not even really seeing how that works as-is.
I saw that adaptor plate in the Classicjaguarparts Catalog with a Jaguar part # but not sure at the time if aplicable to the manual transmission ( Getrag bolt patern )
But then I did not see the adaptor during my starter bolt changing with my automatic
Question on starter pinion gear engaging the flywheel ?
Sorry, not for sale! I doubt it's the same as the one for the manual, as this goes from the block to the 6.0 V12 pattern on the GM automatic. The pattern on the transmissions is different between supercharged and NA.
Sorry, not for sale! I doubt it's the same as the one for the manual, as this goes from the block to the 6.0 V12 pattern on the GM automatic. The pattern on the transmissions is different between supercharged and NA.
Are the block patterns the same between XJR and XJS? (Also, it seems the 91-96 era XJS had some overlap between AJ6 and AJ16... are the block bolt patterns the same there?)
If the XJS AJ16 engine block bolt pattern is the same as the XJR AJ16S bolt pattern, then I have no worries. If not... I ended up buying the Getrag for nothing. I'll need a custom spacer, and at that point, I'll use a different transmission.
Are the block patterns the same between XJR and XJS? (Also, it seems the 91-96 era XJS had some overlap between AJ6 and AJ16... are the block bolt patterns the same there?)
If the XJS AJ16 engine block bolt pattern is the same as the XJR AJ16S bolt pattern, then I have no worries. If not... I ended up buying the Getrag for nothing. I'll need a custom spacer, and at that point, I'll use a different transmission.
yes they’re the same
the 265 is an xjs and 40 thing the 290 is an x300 and db7 thing
The crank adapter shown earlier in this post is only required when using the flexplate to which the torque converter is fitted. The dual mass flywheel used with the Getrag 290 gearbox mounts directly to the crankshaft, without this crank adapter. The single mass flywheel set up may be different again.
The crank adapter shown earlier in this post is only required when using the flexplate to which the torque converter is fitted. The dual mass flywheel used with the Getrag 290 gearbox mounts directly to the crankshaft, without this crank adapter. The single mass flywheel set up may be different again.
Thank you very much for confirming that.
Since I have your attention, how much "tuning" is available in the OEM ECU? I know you've said you can adjust advance, as well as remove inhibitors that would prevent the engine from running in a Frankenstein project like this... but what about getting into some more involved engine modifications? For a broad example: larger supercharger, camshaft regrind, altering the intake cooling to be more efficient, larger injectors, etc?
You will need to modify the adaptor plate that sits between your engine and the transmission when using the single mass flywheel from the XJS. It's a very minor one but thought I point it out. You have to remove some material just below the rear seal. See photo
As for the bolts, they are 33 mm long
shave off area in red bolts that go with the XJS wheel...no spacer required...flywheel bolts on directly on the crankshaft
Perfect fit, so this confirms that the X300 XJR, XJS, and even the XJ6 all have the same block-side bolt pattern and fitment, and that the 5-speed transmission has the same fitment as the automatic. How nice of Jaguar to do this!
Does anyone know what that odd plastic "plug" is in the adapter plate? It certainly doesn't seal anything, but I can't seem to figure what it's for. Inspection cover?
Does anyone have the length specification of all the bolts holding the plate to the block? Seems there's a few different lengths used.
One thing I did see:
Only one of the starter holes is threaded? Not a hard fix if this is some weird difference between plates, but I may just be missing something. I'll have to dig through some parts catalogues and service manuals to see what might be needed here.
Other notes I've found as of now:
- I would *really* like to eliminate the power steering housing on the engine block. As best as I can tell without opening the front cover, it seems the power steering ump is driven off a front gear train? Curious design choice, but not something that some careful cutting, grinding, welding and/or block off plate fabricating can't fix.
- I'm hoping to retain the air conditioning compressor, but I may not have space in the location designated by original Jaguar design. If I can successfully remove the power steering bits, I might be able to fabricate a bracket and run the compressor up there!
- I am not a fan of the intake tract on this engine at all. Too many narrow passages, bends, turns, etc. all getting in the way of efficient air in - air out of the supercharger. Definitely going to be fabricating my own intake tract.
- Since the intake ducting is being changed, I'm also looking at the intake manifold itself. I think there could be some substantial gain to be found in redoing the manifold towards more of a velocity stack setup, as in creating individual runners to each port and having an entirely custom cooler in front of that. Might have to load up some simple CAD and start playing with this idea.
- The dual mass flywheel feels like it might be pretty worn out, in terms of between the two pieces. Seems to me like it has too much play, and the bearing/sliding surface has a really gritty feel and sound to it. Another strong reason to try and find a single mass... somehow.
- Still need to find a way to determine if a GM clutch will fit this setup. Looking more and more like I might just have to order one and hope for the best... or eat $100 on a gamble.
- Need a source on a reliable gasket/rebuild kit so I can open this engine up with confidence and freshen it up.
- Is there an easy upgrade from the Eaton M90? Or is porting it my best hope?
09-03-2022, 04:58 PM
