Thanks Greg, most are on the list already.
I will change all fuel and ignition and coolant related seals, washers, hoses and whatsoever, no worries there.
The list is getting longer and longer...

I today took advantage of the summer-like weather we are experiencing, and in stead of gonig to the dark B2, went to the roof and de-greased one of the manifolds.
Cleaned up not too bad.

Will need to do some detailing tonight, and will take the linkage apart for some further cleaning, greasing and adjustment.
Saw it is also missing some parts.

 

This, dizzy cap labeling. this is... this is just un-possible. What? The rest, loose and cut wiring, that coil rigging, plugged and open vac lines. I can imagine some possible explanation, some sequence of Dr. Frankenstein random jabbing and poking that could...OK not the WOT switch either, but this, this is just... inexplicably wrong.

 

Frankly I did not even dare to post the dizzy yet, as I wanted to be sure there was no hidden story behind the weird numbering ....
Strangely, with all wrong numbers everywhere, they were still connected correctly.

It is crazy, he? I really don't get the logic behind anything they did so far.

 

I expect he just numbered the cylinders in his own way. Have you got the firing order starting from A1, if not I'll post it. A1 is shown by a tiny 1 cast into the dizzy cap - which you will be renewing I feel sure!
Greg

 

Surely he got a weird "own way"...

Thanks Greg, got the firing order and cylinder numbering hanging inside the bonnet, and prefer to keep my 10 questions for you for later .

 

Old and new, lots more of cleaning, and a little bit of constructive work, slowly some satisfying results.

Throttle mechanism is cleaned, and without play now.
Rest is just loosely fitted, as several parts will be replaced, and as I have a lack of original nuts, washers and bolts and all little other things which went missing over the last 30 years.

I hope to get a first order together by the end of this month, need a lot .
Fuel rail and injectors next.

 

Really impressive Eric.
Greg

 

Now that is process! Costs a few bob... That is my current issue: funds. I can only order once a month for around €200-250 a time... So I can only do bit by bit...

 

But you have to stay in front of me, cause I can't count the times I checked something on your site, love the supply of pictures you have there

 

That is hard, as I lost my job last November... So I am struggling quite hard...

 

Out of curiosity, are you planning on checking the valve clearances? I have been unfortunate enough to suffer two V12 dropped valve seats. One of, if not the main reason, to me, "may" be from the increasing lack of tolerance as the engine wears. The valve clearances lessen rather than increase as the valves and seats wear. With that, especially the exhaust valve, stays on seat less and less. As I understand it, it is important for the seat to absorb the heat from the valve in order to "cool" it to some degree. It won't cost anything but time to check the clearances, if for no other reason than to just know.

 

That is not something I like to read, and I am sorry for it Daim.
Surely you will get something new.

 

Yes, as somewhere mentioned before, it is on my list.
As you, I want to know, both the clearances and eventual disposed valve seats.

I have to take the covers off anyway, they are badly corroded and bubbling, and then it is indeed just a very small extra effort to check.
First need to clean the remaining engine though, it is too big a mess to open up anything right now.

And yes, I do know I am taking a kind of a gamble to clean all stuff before absolutely sure on the engine itself, especially after seeing how 'well' it was taken care off by these clowns.

However, before we bought this car, we saw several other XJS V-12's, and all but one had some kind of ticking or ticking related noises.
This one however, in spite of the dizzy vacuum disconnection, and some clogged injector filters, ran super smooth on idle.
I prey every day that the base is indeed good, the rest I will manage.

 

Good luck on the job front.....................

 

Good work Eric, I love seeing people dive into their cars and get them back to functioning properly.

BTW while you have the cam covers off replace the 1/2 moon seals, these things leak, seal it back up with RTV NO gasket and it won't leak there any more.

 

Thanks Warrjon, and that is on the list as well.
As a reminder, I have a picture from I think Orangeblossom who did id recently, wearing some sexy glooves, normally used by vets doing the cow-under-the-tail thing .

I am disassembling the fuel rail and its old hoses.
They came off easily from the rail (the cups long gone, and installed with clamps).
However, 9 out of 12 injectors were having what I think the original hoses, and installed with the cups.
However careful I am, the hoses kind of disintegrate upon removing, leaving the last 5mm within the cup, behind the last fin, and preventing the cup from slipping off.

I have not found any other solution than carefully prying out piece by piece, which takes me about 1/2 hour per injector, making it a almost a full day job .



Next is cleaning up the parts, and cleaning the little filters.
Most look clean, but one is heavily clogged, confirming my earlier suspicion of one cylinder not getting sufficient fuel.
I will order replacement cups for the ones missing, I like how they look once installed.



And for everyone still not convinced replacing fuel hoses sometimes, this is how one of them came out (not damaged by me, only kept closed by the clamp).

 

On a side note, I'm very impressed by all this work, especially in a place like Taiwan, which I'm assuming is about as short on space for good wrenching as Japan.

 

Yup, that is a real problem.
While living in China, I had a garage and most of the common tools and accessories while doing the motor bikes.
Here, I basically have nothing, no air, no power tools, no vice, nothing.
So all cleaning is done by hand, with lots of elbow grease.

The good thing though, we have a 2nd apartment on the same floor, basically as an art studio for my wife.
She is travelling this week, so I took over the place, and try to finish all these stinky jobs before she returns.
Guess will need to open the windows to get the fuel smell out .

I am progressing on cleaning the fuel injectors, 8 done, 4 to go.



- The injectors seem to be coated in a very thin plastic like layer, which is partly gone already, and partly loose.
Is it wise to pain them in a new layer of heat resistant black paint, or better leave them bare?

- One out of the 12 yellow caps has a crack, seems old one.
Is this a reason to replace the injector, or how does that work?

 

Ah, that would be very helpful. I don't have anywhere in my apartment I could use to work on parts. Nowhere. I want to move this year - if I can get my wife off her butt long enough....
I look forward to following your progress, at any rate.

 

Replace the cracked injector Eric. I expect the gum covering them is just fuel and oil varnish built up over the years, leave the injectors cleaned but not painted with anything. But do ensure you get the injectors spray patterns cleaned and checked though, that is most important. Your photo of that injector supply pipe is a caution to all V12 owners everywhere, really sensible to do everything properly! I believe I am right in saying that when refitting, you should NOT use clamps, by the by, and hose and pintle caps, ferrules etc and other bits are available as a kit, if you want to ensure you get everything to refurb them yourself.
It is also a good idea to site the fuel rail slightly closer to the heads than OEM, which is easy to do by reducing the feedpipe lengths by half an inch or so. This gives a touch more bonnet clearance. The steel bits of the rail can actually foul the bonnet slightly and produce an impossible to find knocking on rougher surfaces that seems from the cabin to come from the exhaust in the rear (guess how I know!).
Really great effort, plus shows confidence and bravery to infuse Madame's studio with ineradicable petrol smells!
Greg