My uncle gave me his car for my birthday, i have yet to see another jaguar like this.

 

Hi jaguarguy13,
Wow, great gift! I don't think I've come across another car with that color combo, but I'm sure they're out there. Unfortunately with XJ40s, rarity doesn't seem to affect value all that much. The most important thing is to have one in good working order and keep it that way. Being a regular participant in the forum will help you do that. Best of luck, and don't forget to check in with the New Members section. An introduction of yourself is in order and appreciated!

Cheers,
Scott

 

Hey, thanks a ton. And it seems to be in good condition just a few pesky problems like the antenna not working, windshield wiper, and oil burning somewhere. Any thoughts?

 

We all think our cars are rare! Welcome to the club!

Doesn't sound like much stuff to attend to, antennas can be fixed/replaced, you'll have to get the wiper working first though, I'm sure there's a few threads on here about wiper issues.

Oil burning smell? Could be an oil leak getting on to the exhaust, have a look at that.

The archives are a great source for just about any issue with the 40 - you should be able to search the archives after you've made 10 (I think) posts so post some more!

All the best and welcome to the forums AND the world of keeping an antique Jag on the road!!

Larry

 

Hi jaguarguy13,

Ditto on Scott's previous input.

Regarding the antenna, does the mast not raise and lower at all, or does it operate only partially? What are the specific symptoms?

Regarding the windshield wiper, does it not operate at all, or does it fail to park properly at the bottom of its stroke when you turn the wiper off?

One of the very good things about the AJ6 engine is that there simply are not many places for oil to leak, so tracking down leaks is usually just a matter of careful observation, sometimes after cleaning off any accumulated gunk that may hide the actual source. Burning oil generally means the cam cover gasket has failed and oil is seeping out onto the exhaust manifold or the back of the block and transmission. Replacing the gasket and the six rings that seal the spark plug wells is an easy 30-minute job. The only trick is two "half moon" shaped rubber plugs that seal two similarly-shaped recesses in the firewall end of the head (created by the tool that machined the camshaft bearing journals). Apply a dab of black RTV silicone to each half-moon seal before installing it in the head to help hold it in place while you reinstall the cam cover (and since these are Over-Head Camshaft engines, it is correctly called a cam or camshaft cover rather than a "valve cover" as on OHV engines).

Let us know about the radio antenna and windshield wiper.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hey Don B, the antenna mast will go up and down if pushed by force, but won't automatically. The antenna motor tries to work but it just makes a buzzing sound. The windshield wiper does the same, it makes a buzzing sound but no movement.

Concerning the oil leak, do the head gaskets go bad on these cars typically or is it a "once in a blue moon" type of thing?

 

And thank you all for the welcome!

 

Hi jaguarguy13,

The antenna mast is operated by a long flexible nylon drive cable with teeth along one edge. The cable attaches to the antenna mast at the base of the top (narrowest) section of the mast and extends downward into the motor where the teeth engage with the motor assembly. If the teeth on the drive cable are damaged, the mast will not operate properly.

Replacement masts are available on eBay for under U.S. $20.00 and replacing the mast is easy: Loosen the chrome plated nut at the base of the mast (it is round but has two flats for a wrench). Have an assistant turn the key to Position II and turn the radio ON. Pull upward on the mast until the entire white nylon drive cable is released from the motor. Compare the length of the cable on the old mast to the new one to be sure all of the old cable was removed and that a broken end has not remained inside the motor housing (if it has, you'll need to remove the antenna motor and open it up to remove the broken section of cable - that rarely needs to be done but isn't difficult).

Now position the drive cable of the new mast with the teeth facing toward the front of the car and feed it down into the motor until you feel the cable stop. Have your assistant turn the radio OFF. After a short delay, the motor will operate and begin drawing the cable down. Feed the cable into the motor, and when the brass threaded section at the base of the mast approaches the fitting on the fender, carefully direct it into the hole. Have your assistant turn the key to the OFF position. Carefully thread the mast into the motor by hand to prevent cross-threading, then snug it up with the wrench (not too tight or the threads will strip).

Regarding the windshield wiper, it sounds as though the problem could be mechanical. You may need to remove the motor cover to see if any damage is evident in the motor gearing and linkage. Note that the motor setup on the '93/'94 cars is a little different than on the '92 and earlier cars, so a lot of the information you find online will not match the motor on your car.

Regarding head gaskets, yes, XJ40 head gaskets do fail, typically after about 100K miles, but the smell of burning oil is not typically a symptom of head gasket failure. It is a very common symptom of cam cover gasket failure. I replaced the head gasket on our '88 once and on our '93 twice (90K miles apart) and all three times the symptoms were white smoke from the tailpipe, rough running and extreme power loss due to coolant leaking into one or more cylinders. Nothing you've described so far should cause you to worry about the head gasket. Have a good look around the cam cover gasket, especially on the exhaust manifold side (right side as viewed from the driver seat) near the rear end of the engine (close to the firewall or bulkhead). That is a very common point of oil leaking from the cam cover gasket, where it then drops onto the exhaust or the hot block and transmission.

Please keep us informed!

Cheers,

Don

 

Don B,

Since i last posted i took apart the antenna and sure enough, the cable was broken! This is such a relief and i'm glad to know it's a cheap fix. I definitely will fix this as soon as possible (for aesthetic reasons).

Regarding the cam cover gasket, do you just need to take apart the top part of the engine? (Where the spark plugs go in) And i'll check the windshield wiper motor and get back to you. Also, how do i fix the little piece of cheap iron that generally breaks in the doors? Thanks again.

 

I found out the wiper motor works, it just wont move the wiper blade?

 

Here's a link to the antenna I recently purchased on eBay after I drove through a car wash with the radio ON (and the car wash attendant failed to remind me to lower the antenna - I'm happy to place all the blame on him!):

Chrome Power Radio Antenna Mast for Jaguar XJ6 XJS | eBay

Regarding the cam cover gasket, here is a link to the parts diagram. The main cover gasket is part 3, and the spark plug well gaskets are part 4 (there are six of those, one for each spark plug well):

Camshaft Cover-3.2/4.0 Litre - Parts For XJ6 & XJ12 from (V)667829 to (V)708757 | Jaguar Classic Parts UK

The cover is secured by several Phillips-head screws (part 5), which are sealed by fiber washers (part 6). The washers don't do the greatest job and they tend to get brittle over time, so I replaced mine with stainless-steel/neoprene sealing washers from McMaster-Carr. The only problem is that you have to purchase 100, so if you'll PM me your address, I'll mail you some (assuming I can find the 90+ I should have left!):

McMaster-Carr

Regarding your question about doors, if you mean the door handle itself is broken, they can usually be repaired, but the repair method depends on where the handle is broken (there are a few places they break). Pete Peterson (Jaguarpete at the Jag-Lovers XJ40 forum) has repaired more XJ40 door handles than anyone else I know. Below are links to photos showing some of Pete's repairs, as well as photos of a repair done by fellow Jag-Lovers member Robin O'Connor:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page
Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

Cheers,

Don

 

jaguarguy13:
I can HARDLY add anything to what Don has already shared! But it occurs to me that you might first want to check the looseness of the cam cover screws. I had a '94 once that was leaking oil onto the manifold in the exact place Don described - the rear right hand side. The screws had jiggled themselves so lose they could be easily turned by hand. There was no place for the oil to go but out! I tightened them, cleaned up the area, and that was that. I know it may not last forever, but thought it was worth saying.

You've received great advice and you seem to be familiarizing yourself with the car. That goes a long way in reducing the anxiety of owning an 'exotic'… Enjoy it!

Scott

 

Excellent point, Scott. Which reminds me that I meant to mention that the torque specification for the cam cover screws is in the inch-pound range, so they're supposed to be just hand tight, which makes it easy for them to vibrate loose over time, especially as the rubber in the cam gasket hardens and compresses. Tightening the screws is a great idea to see if it reduces the oil seepage and to buy more time before the gasket has to be replaced. But the screws shouldn't be overtightened since the gasket can be damaged (whether it is old or new), and potentially you could even strip the threads in one of the screw holes in the head, which would ruin your whole day.

Cheers,

Don

 

Don,

Why don't you just say it.....!

"I know this guy that over tightened his cam cover screws and three of them snapped......he simply couldn't figure out after the first one snapped, not to tighten them anymore"

That "guy" would be me.

Word of caution, don't over tighten the cam cover screws. What happened was the screw holes had accumulated gunk over time, so when I was reinserting them, the gunk/fluid was causing undue pressure and there was no more room for the screw to go down, even though I could see they needed to be go further into the hole. It's refered to as ''hydraulic-ed''.

When re-inserting the screws and it is quite clear you are getting resistance and there is much thread left to go, back out the screw and spray solvent in the hole, use a swab to clean the hole threads and canned air to clean/blow out, then try again. I got lucky and was able to back out the broken bit with a vice grip, there was just enough above the head to grab onto and back out.

Don was right....it did ruin my day.....

Good luck

 

Honestly, Rob, I had completely forgotten about your minor disaster ... well, maybe not completely, since something in my subconscious prompted me to mention not over-tightening those screws. Learning from each other is such a beautiful thing!

Cheers,

Don

 

Guys this really is an amazing place to learn about our Jaguars. It seems as if someones trial and error can be your success eh?

Don B, you really have been helpful and thanks for that. The door handle broke literally on the part you pull. The little piece of metal going from the handle to the rod snapped (common problem i've seen). And with the wiper motor, i opened up the motor and the gears were running fine, the wiper itself however wouldn't move? Thanks for the links too, parts are hard to come by . By the way, would you really be kind enough to mail a random stranger some washers?

Midwest Jag, thanks for the tip i will go try that now. Exotics are nice i just cannot stand how difficult it is to find parts for them!

Rob Evenson, I feel bad for you. I can only imagine the reaction when a 5 minute fix turned into a surgical operation haha

Thanks you guys

 

On another note, has anyone tried the mimousa 19 piece interior wood? I heard they are really good and for $150 you can get a great deal on a whole new set of wood.

 

To me, no Jag owner is a stranger.

(okay, a few are jerks, but they aren't strangers)

I should have a box with more than 90 of those washers somewhere, more than a lifetime supply, so of course I'm serious.

Cheers,

Don

 

Well hey thanks a million

 

jaguarguy13:
As you can see, many hands make light work. Interesting thing to be able to say about an online forum…

Sorry to have suggested the cam screws without mentioning torque specs. My bad. As usual, Don and Rob to the rescue!

Scott