Sweeet. Horn was the fuse, all fixed. Headlights, almost fixed. The wiring is corroded BAD, likely I will replace with inline fuses, jiggled the wires they all worked, closed the hood they went out LOL. easy enough repair. yet to test the Wipers and Cruise, will update when I have daylight again Thanx again all. HUGE help !!!!!!! I'm in debt to you all. Also I LOVE the fact that high beams light ALL 4 lights rather than typical turn off lows. Productive 24 hours, cigarette lighters both fixed, horn honking great, Headlights will be no prob. and I hope to fix the wipers tomorrow as well.

 

oh forgot to mention, with the fuel tank selector switch, drivers side tank selected works great red arrow light is on. Passenger side selected gauge drops to empty and NO green light is lit. Not sure if this points to the switch but figured I'd mention it.

Thanx Again

 

I'm afraid the wiper and cruise Stalk Switches won't be that easy, it takes patience to open them up and fix them, pure surgical surgery.

these cars are prewired from the factory for auxiliary Fog or Driving lights, the wiring is in the passenger side, front and bottom side of radiator, between radiator and bumper, taped over. 2 red wires with yellow stripes. (or is it 2 yellow wires with red stripes?).

then you have to remove a "C" clip hidden under the headlights switch Knob and then the switch can be pushed down at the top Fog position to light up the newly installed Fog lamps; The only problem, when you push down the headlights switch knob to light up the fogs, the headlights will go off automatically by design. The bumper has the holes pre-drilled for the lamp brackets.

to eliminate this limitation, try to get a UK/European Headlights switch which has more positions than the USA switch, and you can turn the Fogs ON in any of the switch's 5 positions by pushing down the switch anywhere. (parking lights only, parking lights with Fogs on, outer headlights only, outer headlights with Fogs on, etc., etc. (yes it also works with all 4 headlights On too). In my car I have a total of 8 lamps, (4 headlamps, 2 Driving-Spot lamps, and 2 Fog lamps). Interstate 4 in Florida is very dark.


if the passenger side gauge drops to empty, disconnect the battery FIRST;

then remove the rear passenger taillight lens,
then remove the taillights assembly,
then disconnect the wiring plug,

now you can see the rear of the tank and the Gauge Sender wires connected to the float-sender; Check those wires for corrosion or disconnection first; if everything is good, it could be:
a) the float sender (not likely though they do become lazy if the car has been sitting),
b) the switch-to-gauge connection.

 

Jose, You are the Man ! If I ever get down to Florida again to visit my sister (St. Augustine) I feel I owe ya a 6-Pack. Granted last time i made that trip I was in a 1981 Chevy Luv, and I was about 10 yrs old, riding in the back on a foam rubber mattress. lol

 

you welcome pal, and you might find St. Augustine has changed a lot since your last visit, but still worth the trip! There's even an ice cream parlor now!

 

Ok another update... Cruise Control is all fixed (blown fuse) Horn was a fuse as well, replaced it, honked the horn 4-5 times blew that fuse, tossed in a 30 amp, blew that too. hmmmmm. Wires to sending unit look good, still no results there, might be a sending unit after all.
telescoping wheel..... seems to have no "lock" or lever, is that normal ? , just moves with push / pull.
Brake caliper may be fine after all. finally got under her good and found that a brake line is bad and leaking. it's what I'll call the "crossover line" from 1 side of the caliper to the other (NOT the main feed line) seems I should be able to replace it without too much trouble although it sure is a tight squeeze up there. Otherwise I'm loving it, and having fun turning wrenches on her.
No update on the wipers yet, but Ill get to that.

 

check the horns mountings under the front bumper to see if they are both connected, check for loose or disconnected wires.

behind the steering wheel there is a scalloped wheel, you loosen it counter-clockwise to adjust the front to rear position you want, then you tighten the scalloped wheel clockwise to keep it in position.

 

tyvm, was stuck a bit and doesnt seem to hold it REAL tight but plenty tight enough. Will check horns asap.

Fuel tank(s) update. Filled both tanks, switched to passenger tank (again no arrow light lit up, and gauge drops to empty) drove it for about a mile with that tank selected anyway and the car began to sputter as if not getting gas, switched to drivers side tank, red arrow light lit up, gauge climbed to full and she ran fine. Any ideas beyond wiring behind tail light ? wiring there looks fine. Could it just be the switch on the dash itself ? seems unlikely to be fuel pump and sending unit. I'm guessing it just is't selecting the tank at all. And with a full tank I'd sure like to burn that

 

definitely not the fuel Pump if it runs fine with Driver's side tank engaged.

so the fuel gauge goes to Empty when you switch to the Passenger side, but the Passenger side tank is full?

 

As faras the arrow goes, I don't think that's significant to the problem. As I recall there's a single bulb for both arrows and the light is directed to one arrow window or the other by the internal design of a switch








Could be a bad sending unit (common) or a faulty switch (somewhat less common)





I'm guessing the change-over valve in the trnk isn't changing over at all

Could be he switch or the avle. Have a helper operate the switch while you put your hand on the valve. You should feel it operate....or at least feel it try to operate. It might be stuck



With a 12v test light check the white/purple wire of the change-over valve. It should havevoltage with one tank selected (can't remember which) but no voltage with the other. If you don't get any voltage at all you have a switch or wiring problem upstream. If you do get voltage but the change-over valve does't work, it's the valve

Cheers
DD

 

yes exactly.

 

does the car have 2 fuel pumps ? (1 in each tank) have yet to try a test light in the trunk, but will asap. but yes to clarify with switch pushed in (drivers side selected) all works fine including gas guage, arrow light, and car runs great. with button out (passenger side selected) no arrow light, gas gauge drops to empty (with a full tank) and the car starts to run rough very quickly as if not getting gas.

 

One pump.

The change-over valve determines which tank the pump draws from

Cheers
DD

 

based on the symptoms you describe, and after deep meditation, I also think it is the change-over valve/solenoid, and it happens that the passenger side valve is the one that always goes kaput.

 

sounds good, where exactly is it located? I was in the trunk lst night with a flash light thinking it was going to be an easy find.... no such luck.

 

The changeover valve is indeed in the trunk, under the wooden trunk floor, just aft of the spare wheel.

It'll look similar to the pic that Jose posted but will have three hoses: one from the left tank, one from the right tank, and one going to the fuel pump

If you see the fuel pump the changeover valve should be just a few inches away.

If it becomes necessary to replace it make sure you have some wooden dowels (or some other devices) to plug off the hoses or you may end up with a fuel gusher on your hands!

Cheers
DD

 

or, he can do it the proper way by de-pressurizing the fuel system as prescribed in the Jaguar Service Manual, then he won't have any gushes to deal with. Famous Quote: "anytime the XJ-6 fuel system is opened to atmosphere, the fuel system should first be de-pressurized".

or, he can place a bunch of rags around the valve, and replace one fuel line AT A TIME, until all three are done, regardless of gasoline spills; Liquid gasoline is cancerous, it gets inside your body through pores and nails, wear protective gloves, don't inhale the fuel vapors, wear a respirator, fuel vapors get into your lungs and then you have nightmares, headaches, nausea, and the brain gets confused for at least 3 weeks. Has to do with molecules or something.

 

Much caution required, yes.

However, to prevent unnecessrily concern....

De-pressurizing the system is not an issue in this case as the tanks and change-over valve are *before* the fuel pump....so the fuel is not yet pressurized. The system is under pressure *after* the fuel pump.

But pressurized or not the flow can be a real problem if not prepared in advance

Cheers
DD

 

A flask and shot glasses in the arm rest? Probably a VDP feature not found in "ordinary " Jaguars like mine. And, if you fill it with spirits, it violates CA law and probably a lot of other state laws. The open container thing.

Indeed, the large brown wire from the alternator to one of the bulkhead posts may be open at a connector or along it's length. I suggest starting with clkening and tightening and luboing the connector at each end. Try by using a VOM to detect voltage from the alternator. The dash indicator not very useful for this purpose.
I made a patch cord for my VOM to fit the cigar lighter outlet. I can read voltage in real time under various operating conditions, load, rpm, etc. Now, I hear they sell 'em!!!

Merry Christmas

 

Flask came with her but the glasses were missing. planning to replace asap, and fill the flask with water and food coloring =) I posted pics a few weeks back.