I have had a couple of those offers. Grab them and go over for a coffee or have a good chat on the phone.
I have found so far these guys are elderly, off loading crap in their garage and very knowledgeable. They are keen to help you out and pass on what they know.
I had a guy I bought 2 tail light lenses off turn up at my place with tool boxes (after taking up his offer of calling anytime with question) and helping strip my burnt IRS and showing me what I needed to replace to fix it. Gold!

 

Thanks for the info. To the rescue again!

It has NSW mod plates. I start late today, i'll see what i can get done/ find this morning.

 

Did some fiddling this morning.
the drivers door lock was rotating in the hole and i couldnt lock the car. I tried fiddling with the metal ring and tangs that hold it in place but one of the tangs broke off (lock photo) . So i McGyvered my own solution.
I used a piece of tube (19mm outside diametre, 17mm inside diametre) (tube photo). I cut four tangs, one to lock in the little notch in the door skin and the other three to push against the inside of the door skin to keep the lock secure (new hoo hicky photo). I finished it off with a screw clamp to keep it all nice and tight. worked a treat. It took twice as long to put back together because some little plastic clips that hold the mechanism in the lock broke (FFS!) so i used some wire to hold everything in place.

Next important job was looking into why the reversing lights arent working, can anyone tell me if this little doo-hicky is the thing that controls that? its on the gear selector. (reverse light thing photo?)

The last most important job was an aerial. Australia of course
(aerial photo)

Can anyone suggest a reason why this vent near the washer nozzle has a cavity under it. mine is collecting dirt and rust and for some reason is blocked off with this black rubbering thing that looks like its held in place with fabric and glue. (rust vent and dodgy rubber thing photos)

Cheers
Glenn

 

Glenn,
Those two things are actually connected; Literally.
The cavity under the grill is the fresh air intake for the AirCon.

The dodgy looking rubbery looking thing should look like this:


Its purpose originally was to drain water from the intake area and redirect it away from any sensitive engine components.

Most of them look like this after 40+ years because they get hard and brittle, and break off when someone is working in the engine bay and bumps it:


I imagine someone covered the broken stub of your drain thinking that was a good idea. I would think this is not a good thing as it keeps all the detritus captured in the intake resulting in not good things happening with the intake side of the matrix.

I'm thinking you could clean the intake by removing the grill, sticking a vacuum snoozle in and sucking out all the trash.
(';')

 

cheers, i'll endeavour to find a replacement rubber thing or fabric something else appropriate.

 

The guys number I gave you will do Qld Modification Plates and Safety Certificates at your home or workplace.

 

It just struck me. Why it matters, I don't know?


The XJS differential is so similar to the sedan unit to be completely
interchageable. The ratios may differ and the SJs unit may have LSD.


Point, if the ratios are different, the sedan speedo will not read correctly!


The TH 400 in XJS cars had a case that is different from one that
fits the SBC's? O'wise Ok.


Other stuff, one at a time and all or most will get done.


Why don't the back up lights work? Because the switch that operated them left when original BW transmission was removed.


Is it possible to crank the engine in a drive gear? Not necessarily a bad thing to me. But "nanny state" inspectors probably think so.


The switch that operated the back up lights also interrupted the crank feature preventing cranking unless the lever is in P or N.


If so, I or others have a path to take to remedy those.


Carl

 

Sorry I didn't see this earlier, Glenn.
I don't have time this morning to properly answer you but when I get back this afternoon I'll address both of these.
(';')

 

Snoozle, what a great word. Early on, my dear departed wife had
her word for the gadget we know as a "pacifier" to keep the very young quiet. Snazzle !!!


Those drains are also known as "gaiters". Clever. When intact the end is a mitre. A one way valve. Humans and probably other mammals have them as heart valves. Known there as mitral valves. Useless trivia here.


1. When they go bad in us, replacements can come from pigs. Or mechanical. The latter click, the former not so, but yukky to some.


2. Mitral valve, because of it's shape. As in the cap Bishops wear, a miter!!!


Carl

 

Thanks Everyone.

Perusing the wiring diagram i see a sneaky in line fuse for the reversing lights. Hopefully its under the dash. I ordered a replacement gear selector switch thing ($32 new) to rule that out.
Also might go chasing the absence of a horn next time i'm at it too.

I stopped off at an air conditioning place to enquire about a new compressor. He recons the system will cost about $1000 to get up to scratch. new compressor $250, a high pressure hose is held on with a screw clamp (apparently a no no) $450, he thinks the fan isnt cooling the radiator enough contributing to the compressor stopping $200 + regassing and extras a hot summer for me.

 

Horn chasing. Way down at the bottom of the required for me.


But, if "nanny" says it must, it must!!!


First, they only toot with the ignition switch on!!!


Then, the horn button completes the ground leg of the horn relay.
At the bottom of the column you will find a brass "shoe", That completes the circuit from a rotating member to a still member.
Clean and lube. That just might get a toot.


On LHD cars, an in line fuse is just over the battery. Capable of
all flaws ascribed to them. Might look good but be open!!


Further along the right wing wall, you should finds a relay. Testing here might get a toot.


Down and under. Two classic horns. Thee ests:
1. Apply 12 volts. Honk yeah or nay.


2. Whack with a rubber mallet. Try volts again. Percussion maintenance and use it or loose it thinking.


3. Remove the horns to the bench. Open the caps. clean inside.
do volts and whacks again.


To me, ain't worth he effort???


Carl

 

Hello, Glenn,
Something else you might want to look at is the actual horn activation portion of the steering column. It's screwed into the center of the steering wheel (after you remove the center padding you can see it) and looks like a big white bolt.

I don't remember the size but a big socket just Barely fit, and even though it's Nylon I needed a long ratchet to loosen it; it's not helfer tight but not finger tight either. This is what's under the bolt.


That Nylon sleeve at the end fits over a contact in the column, which completes the circuit when the horn pad is pushed.

Seems a bit mickey mouse to me but we Are dealing with Jaguars.
(';')

 

Glenn,
Your S1 rack is no longer being rebuilt unless there is some adventurous soul in Oz who still does them. When mine sprung Numerous leaks we had to change it out for a S3 rack from a wrecking yard and it was a Lot of fun - NOT!

However, as you're in Oz you might have a better time of it, but you'll still need to change the lower column. Here's why:


The old rack on the right of the picture came out of my car. The newer S3 rack on the left came from a wrecking yard.

Also notice the different position of the pipes. These gave us absolute Fits to modify the mounts on the cross member to accommodate them, but Grant seemed to think at the time RHD cars wouldn't have this crowding.

Newer rack requires newer lower column, for obvious reasons when you think about it. Here's why:


There is a pinch bolt inside the driver's footwell that must be removed to get the lower column out of the car. It will come easily with the rack unless it's rusted in place (mine wasn't), and also must be installed along with the new rack at the time the it's attached to the cross member. It will only go together one way and the pinch bolt drop in. This is Definitely a 2-person job.

After that you might be dismayed to see your steering wheel is nearly 90 degrees off. I certainly was! How can turn signals with like this??!!

I agonized how to fix it for a week because I thought I would need to take apart the turn signal/hazard box. After a while I just said "Phooey on it," loosened the wheel, moved it to about the right spine and buttoned it back up. (Be sure the horn tube is in proper position)

And you know what?! The turn signals work Just fine; it's only in certain very rare circumstances that it's even noticeable that the wheel isn't straight. In fact I had forgotten all about it until I started writing this up.
(';')

 

My selector came from the original BW, and it doesn't work exactly with the 700R4. It will go into all gears except 1, but reverse lights don't work because when it's in Reverse the shifter is out of position to activate the switch.

The wires on the Reverse switch mounted to the shifter are only + and -. The switch merely connects the two, it doesn't care which wire is where.


I connected these wires to a momentary push button switch and hid it in the near ash tray. When the lid is close it's invisible.

(';')

 

This might be worth a read.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...al-how-142473/

 

Andrew Weinberg at Jaguar-Specialties posts and advertises here.
Has a lot of Chev to Jag parts and information. Google his site. Lots of good stuff there.


And, he has the pulse converter module or a way to get the tach
to read GM pulses.


Went to market in the Jaguar. Weather is coolish. So, my "little" rescue dog came along. He fussed a bit as to waiting in the car???


Delighted to see me return.


Jaguar purred.... English elegance, Italian flair and American power.
Not a bad combination....


Carl

 

Thank you.
replacing the steering rack looks scary. I might put that off as long as i can in the hope i find some old guy still rebuilding vintage racks :/ or a good S1 rack.

Good news is i got the reverse lights working. i cleaned up the connections, plugged everything in and presto! worked. this adds to my disillusionment with mechanics since obviously it had nothing to do with the gear selector thing, i'll just keep it as a spare. he also quoted $1300 for a compressor i can clearly find on internet for way less. *eye roll*.

I pulled apart the steering wheel, to check the horn. i'm having trouble getting consistent power from the brass rod for the horn. I dont know if its a power issue or a Glenn issue. I took the cover off under the dash. its horrifying under there. wires and plugs that dont go anywhere, tangled mess. i could eat spaghetti, vomit it up again and it would still be tidier than that mess. It dented my motivation but my recent experience with mechanics has tempered my resolve to do it myself. just more time.
I want to follow where the wires go, there are many wires that look like they should plug into each other, one with a fuse (missing) plug. i'm reluctant to just plug stuff together.

I did find some wires that had been cut by the fan, i hoped they were the cause of the horns problem, but after i pulled onthem to loosen them to join them back together, i found they went nowhere! more dead ends.

i'll try again this thursday.

 

That sounds like a good plan actually.

Some owners have discovered their rack was simply so worn internally that it wasn't repairable. Mine started "seizing up" for lack of a better term, in town, at low revs and right turns. After I got around the corner and revs went up, suddenly all was well.

It was like someone put a stick in bicycle spokes; a bit unnerving the first time it happened, and then it got just plain dangerous. Husband is Very good at finding repair facilities, but learned the S2 racks weren't repaired or rebuilt anymore. Otherwise I would have had it repaired, because the S3 rack has fewer turns lock to lock than the S2 rack, and is therefore more effort is required to steer. I lost my one finger steering and I miss it terribly.
So many mechanics simply don't know how to work on cars older than about 5 years. Many of them locally simply refuse. That's actually the great thing about these forums, because we all groove on this old stuff and find great satisfaction making something work that some hot shot Professional can't get his head around.
On the side of the column, forward of the bolt-up points, there are 2 grounding wipers, one of which may not be connecting properly, giving you this intermittent (aren't they fun?).

This is a picture of an extra column I have in the attic; poor image quality due to poor lighting. Even though it's not in the car you can see the position of the wipers relative to the ignition switch and signal box.

When I did all the work on my car I cleaned these and regreased them, just because I was cleaning and lubing Everything while I had it all apart.
I found that situation under my console! There were about a dozen loose wires, not to mention snipped off ends, dropped crimp connectors, loose screws, lengths of old electrical tape, various and sundry bits of Trash just cluttering up the area! Some people simply don't know how to clean up after themselves!
(';')

 

"Good news is i got the reverse lights working. i cleaned up the connections, plugged everything in and presto! worked. this adds to my disillusionment with mechanics since obviously it had nothing to do with the gear selector thing, i'll just keep it as a spare. he also quoted $1300 for a compressor i can clearly find on internet for way less. *eye roll*. "

Did you give them a chance to do any diagnostics or just ask what do you think it will be? The switch isnt a bad guess, with no hands on

$1300 compressor supply only (a lot) or fitted (probably in the ball park) brand new or reco?

 

Hi Steve,
They had the car for the day, so i would have hoped they would nail down the cause.

I believe it was for a new compressor. A local aircon shop said it could be the engine fan not drawing enough air through the condenser and the ac fluid was too hot causing the compressor to lock up, maybe a $200 fix. seemed like a long shot to me.

I've parked the car up and will be removing the engine shortly. I was looking forward to driving it around for the next few months until some other matters in my life resolved but there was too much to fix to make it roadworthy. Then to remove and sell the engine would not be financially worth it. The prospect of summer without air con and vinyl seats was not pleasing either. I'll get a cheap run around for now and give it love in time in the garage.

It will be the bed for another project i look forward to sharing with you all shortly, then it will return to be my daily hopefully in 6-12months. I'm excited.