I think that the plate I refer to is best viewed on any part supplier website. SNGBarrats seem to use Jaguars drawings but may be somewhat easier to use than Jaguars. It is on the rear face of the head- facing the firewall above the transmission . It is almost impossible to see at all because of wiring harnesses, the wiper motor, the main air injection tube and at least one vacuum line. I have tried repeatedly to look at mine with bright light, mirror, from the bottom , yadayadayada, and have given up until such time...... As far as the suspected coolant on the steering rack, dont rule a drip from your flush out so fast. its not that far back, and once you take the thermostat housing off, you get stuff running everywhere although you may not see it. Im suggesting you May Not have a problem there. Please get a look at those brakes. The parts arent hard to get or very expensive (at least not in the US). Keep up the good work!

 

had the car up on ramps yesterday but couldn’t really see anything making too much smoke, and it took me driving around the paddock for it to start, didn’t dare get it back onto the ramps to see where the issue was due to family etc but couldn’t see anything that would be causing the issue. Father in law says it seems/smells like an oil burn yet oil level has remained almost identical since first start, still could be related to that or even a leaking exhaust which I’m not discounting either. I’ll try have a look at the head the next time I get under, definitely going to get the brakes bled before I do much more, hoping that bleeding them off will go at least some way to helping them and will change anything else in the system that needs it from there.

 

They hold a lot of oil, so its possible for it to be leaking enough to smoke and smell like oil without a visual effect on the oil level.

 

Hi Wsz,

I can't remember if anyone has mentioned how common it is for the camshaft cover gasket to seep or leak oil onto the hot exhaust, resulting in smoke and burning oil smell. In my experience, the most common leak point is at the rear of the cylinder head, near the firewall.

Another common oil leak is from the head gasket just above the distributor. The original head gasket did not seal well around a small oil passage in that area and allowed oil to drip down the forward right side of the block below the head.

Regarding the plate on the rear of the cylinder head that Jerry mentioned, Jaguar calls it the "Rear Cover." It is part number 9 in the diagram below. Its gasket is part number 11. The cover is so close to the firewall that it is difficult to see even with an inspection mirror.
You can view the parts diagram here:

https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic.../brand/jaguar/

Cheers,

Don

 

Hey guys - I've finally grabbed some time to work on the car again, even in the deepest pits of winter (insert grumbling here). Am looking to replace the battery, just a small reminder: '93 XJ40 Sovereign with battery under the bonnet.

Just mainly unsure of the battery output recommendation (I am literally clueless when it comes to this).

Options that look as though they'll fit are a 640CCA (20.5cm x 23.1cm x 17.1cm) or 580 CCA (17.5cm x 17.5cm x 27.7cm). There's also a few others but I'm simply unsure. The current is labelled as being 67MF if that helps, though I'm not sure if that's been part of the starting issues in that it's not powerful enough but also could just be a dud.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

Hi Wsz,

Others may have more specific replies - it's been years since I owned an XJ40 with the battery in the engine compartment.

As a general rule of thumb, if I don't know the Jaguar-recommended battery size, I try to find the largest battery that will fit, with the highest Cold Cranking Amp rating and the highest Amp Hour rating and the correct orientation of the posts (positive on right or left when viewed with posts closest to you).

Jaguars have a lot of electronic components that place relatively high demands on the battery.

Off the top of my head, I would guess that you are looking for something like an H5/Group 47 or H6/Group 48 battery.

If the starting troubles you are referring to are slow rotation of the engine while starting, it is worth going through all the battery power and ground connections, disconnecting them and thoroughly cleaning the cable terminals, ground posts, etc. This includes the engine ground strap, which usually connects from a starter bolt at one end and the vehicle body at the other end. It is very common for these connections to corrode or to become contaminated with oil, which adds considerable resistance to the electrical circuit, reducing starter power and causing all manner of difficult-to-diagnose electrical gremlins.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks kindly! Got her running on the same model of battery, just an updated version and came straight to life! Hopefully the mechanic doesn't inform me of too many issues now

 

Small update; been pretty much given a clean bill of health besides the alternator. The issue from before with the smoking was resolved by leaving the car at mid-range revs for a couple of hours - mechanic informed me it looked somewhat like a tire heap had been left ablaze, but now nothing. Unsure exactly of the alternator issue/fix, but been given a contact in the next town over to try and fix it up, and will find out more tomorrow. Keeping fingers crossed it's not too big of a fix and then hopefully she'll be purring on the roads once more, adding onto the >325k km!

 

Appears as though a new alternator may be required due to it losing charge currently. Have someone coming out to check hopefully some point this week and then it may well be the burden of attempting to find a part. Other than that it was all good from the service and check up!

 

Is your battery light on? are you going off the dash gauge? Ive had the issue of a loose battery cable on an alternator causing the light to come on. Of course it was my own doing, but still....There wasnt really a problem.

 

this is from the mechanic. Will have to check the above though just in case. Battery is brand new.