Wow thats awesome. I use to work in concrete for a few years before I joined the airforce. If you have any questions I'll try to dig deep into the memory banks for the answers. Just remember you can always add water but you can't take out...well you can but there a chemical you can add but thats commercial grade lol...anyways I would love a lift but no room in this garage. Maybe next house ill have a shop in the back.

once I get the rear back in and do some other little things I need to try and get the rust fixed for my safety inspection. I have the document that lists everything so as long as the leaks are not too bad and there's no holes in the body and everything works ok I should be ok. I'm allowed 2 attempts in a year for safety so hopefully 1st one is passed or close.

 

What do you mean you've never seen a 'Lilac' Concrete Mixer!

Note to Self: Never tell the GF there is some Red paint in the Shed to paint the Mixer, when there are Tins of Paint in other Colours

Or make the mistake of saying that you like the 'Lilac Lipstick' She was wearing, just in case She is feeling Creative and Paints your Concrete Mixer the Same Colour and as much as I thought I'd dislike it, I have to say I sort of like it more and more each day, as just like real 'Lilac' it sorta grows on you

Still I suppose 'Cement Well' (sorry just couldn't resist!)

While many people are happy enough to just drive around in one Car, when it comes to the Jaguar XJS it's certainly not unusual for some Guys to buy a pair of these just like a brace of Pheasants, so that you always have one to drive while you are fixing the other one

Which in my Case has me wishing that I had a Second Car Lift, which used to be the stuff of dreams but not any more, as the prices have come down so much that you can buy a 4 post Car Lift for about £1,750 and a mid rise one for about £1,250 all brand New

Since I've got a Car Lift with Skids which is both a curse and a blessing, this time I am thinking of buying a Mid Riser which you can leave folded down on the Floor and move about or even drive right over

Which makes it very easy to store on the Floor of a Single Garage (Just the job for you Rescue 119) but when I have Concreted over a part of the Yard at 'Orange Blossom Towers' I am planning to buy a Mid Riser Lift that I can leave outside

The Main advantage being that all the Wheels are Free and so it would be easy when it comes to things like Calipers, or even dropping the IRS Cage as one you've got all the bolts undone, you can lift the Car up off the Cage and then wheel it away and then do the same to put it back

Because as for me I've had more than enough of having to roll around in the dirt, while either doing an Oil Change or trying to get the Bottom hose of the Radiator when it comes to changing the Coolant, which I do every year, just to make sure everything is kept up to Snuff

But as of now one of my XJS's has developed an Oil Leak in the Power Steering, where fixing that could be a '10 Beer Job' without a Car Lift, which unlike buying an XJS seems a very worthwhile investment

Where by way of a Bonus, my Neighbours will love me even more than they 'don't' at the moment! if I let them borrow it when they want to do an oil change on their Cars, which they can't do at the moment as I've got an XJS on Car Lift No1

Although I'm very tempted to go completely 'Bonkers' and also buy a 4 Poster! as you can park one Car underneath with another one on Top or you can buy Trays that fit in between the Runners, so that you can make yourself an Instant Car Port to keep a Car under

All sorts of possibilities there, as what with this 'Lockdown' I've already saved enough in Car Tax and Insurance to be able to treat myself to one or two much needed Toys, not to mention Petrol which is around £6 (Yes! Six Pounds!) per Gallon where a nice little run in the Car usually cost me around £50

But then again there are much worse things to spend your money on

So if (Rescue 119) happens to read this? should I buy Ballast or Sharp Sand and what is the Mix, as I'd like a fairly smooth surface and I'm also planning on a Base for the Car Lift and the Yard which is 4 inches thick

 

I wish I could get a lift. But being posted every 4 to 6 years makes it hard to move it. Not sure they would move it lol.


As for the pad since the xjs is heavy and u add the weight of the lift i would go a little thicker in the pad. Like 5 to 6 inches or 4 inches with re bar.

So concrete is made up of cement (portland) , sand, and gravel. Also water of course. for tight places like icf walls etc you would use 10mm stones but for a pad just regular gravel is fine. Keep is gravel has to be washed gravel so your mixture is consistent.

One thing people forget is to test the slump of the concrete. You want a nice 3 to 4 inch slump.

To test this you need something that is like a pylon shaped but metal. A hole in top and bottom. You place the pylon on a peice of flat board on level surface, fill the cone from the top with your concrete right to the top, use a peice.of rod or something and put it in the top hole and move it up in down to make sure the concrete has filled the cone completely.

once the cone is completely filled slide the cone straight up slowly until it is completely off your now cone shaped pile of concrete. Now put the cone upside down beside the pile and measure how far the concrete pile has "slumped " down. If its too wet it will be way over 4" difference. Under 3 "and she's dry and hard to work with.

example forbasement floors and walls usually 4 inch to 5 inch is perfect. For basement footings bridges etc they use 3" slumps.

More water is less strength. To put it simply.

Hope that helps.

 

Hey OB You just had to let the GF make it pretty didn't you. I guess I've never seen a Lilac mixer before, but as long as the functionally hasn't been effected. Who gives a darn what color it is? On the thought of a lift, I personally went with a 2 post clear floor version, as it opens up all areas of the car for complete access to the underside no matter what you want to work on. I've loved mine from day one. It cost me $1845.00 USD, and was the best money I've ever spent. According to the instructions that came with my lift. It said I needed a minimum of 3 inches, of 3000 psi concrete. I sloped the area where we installed the lift to approx 5+ inches thick. Just me overbuilding. I used steel reinforcing wire in the floor when pouring it. It's been up for several years now, and hasn't had any issues, cracked the floor, or anything. And it just gets used, a lot! Good Luck.

Jack

 

More in Hope than expectation that the 'Lockdown' may be eased in the UK which has now Thankfully happened and hopefully won't be reversed, I decided to try and get
'50 Shades' my Grey XJS out of 'Mothballs, so we could go driving this Summer

Which has not been Started since September last Year, where I left the Soft Top down and have never used a Battery Tender, relying instead on my Car Disconnect, which isolates the Battery and has never let me down when Starting this Car, although there is always a first time! so would today be it?

There was really only one way to find out, which was take the Winter Covers off and see if She would Start......

The GF and me were as excited as a couple of Kids on Christmas day, as we had hardly left the house since 'Lockdown' and if 'The Jaguar Gods' were on side, we could finally 'Shoot the Breeze' for the First time this Year, where if all went according to plan would be June 1st, as it wasn't worth Taxing or Insuring the Car until then



What lays beneath those Winter Covers, as I'm only hoping that the Squirrels didn't get in! although we have a friendly Cat that chases them away



Although the Car is looking good, my Shop is a bit of a mess, so as soon as the Car is out of the way we can have a major tidy up!





Oh Yeah Baby! that's a lot more like it!



Time to Check the Engine before I try and Start her up



The Rads Still Full of Coolant from Last Year! which was a Mixture of Antifreeze and de-ionised Water (only the best for my Baby!)





The Oil was also up to the Mark as was the Power Steering!





Maybe its me but I always like to lube the Chain with a Pint of Oil after a long lay up before I try and turn the Engine over to see if She'll Start



When I turned on the Car Discarnect the Boot/Trunk Light came on, which was exactly what I was hoping to see



OMG! Lights are Flickering here we go!

This is the Part that always scares the hell out of me and I've really got my heart in my mouth as I turn the Key and hope and pray that if She Starts there won't be any funny noises coming from the Engine

With a Brand New Marelli Crank Sensor only fitted last Year, after the Scariest Breakdown that you could ever imagine, when the Alternator Belt 'Snapped' on a dual Carriageway and smashed up the Crank Sensor which stopped the Engine dead!

A very traumatic experience that keeps coming back to haunt me, as with all the Traffic around, I was very lucky not to be killed or injured in a bad way

So with my hand now trembling at the thought of what might have been, I turned the key and the Engine Fired at the first revolution with Light Switch Ignition, more instant than I ever had expected!

Good to go, so Summer 'Bring it on!'

 

Love it!

 

Yea way to go... enjoy your summer, winter has just arrived here in NZ.
Life sucks until September, then we start looking forward to Christmas and summer.
Loved that mixer story, I wonder how long those teeth will last. You can not beat free things!

 

Very nice.

 

 

Sweet hopefully in a couple of weeks I might be able to go around the block in my neighbourhood. Baby steps. Lol

 

Having got '50 Shades of Grey' my Grey XJS up and running, 'Cherry Blossom' my Red XJS seems to have developed a very unusual problem with the Brakes, of the like of which I've never come across before

Ignition turned on, pressure builds up in the ABS Brake Pump, then ABS light goes out and Brake Pump shuts off but if you push the Brake Pedal quite hard, it suddenly drops down almost to the Floor

Very Strange and someone else on the Forum also has the same problem, the Brakes on 'Cherry Blossom' have never been the same, since She came back from her MOT Test last year

So I'm already thinking it may take a while to sort out, although I'm seriously thinking of removing the ABS and fitting a Brake Booster system like I had on an earlier Car which was a Lucas 1988

 

every time I read about your car I feel terrible, not just for that car but I need to do my accumulator ball soon and the thought of touching the pump is now giving me nightmares, it's not broken yet but...my car creeps forward at a stop unless I apply slightly increasing pressure, pump eventually clicks on as with any sustained usage.

just a shot innthe dark but isn't there a hardware bit in the rear line that dampens pressure? Maybe they SLAMMED the brake pedal and broke it.

 

Hi Vancouver

All part and parcel of the Fun of owning an XJS where if anything goes wrong you have to find a way to fix it by whatever means

She was working perfectly until I took her for an MOT but after She had passed the Test and I had driven her home, the following day when I got her out of the garage the Brakes were feeling very strange and the ABS light started to come on

So instead of taking her out on the road I drove her round the garden and when I put the Brakes on the Pedal at first went down to its normal position and then it suddenly sank down to the floor and so its going to take some sleuthing out to see what has caused this to happen

So I had better get cracking and find out what has gone wrong

 

Hey OB, could it simply be a bad master cylinder? I mean if it loses pressure, and goes to the floor??? I sure don't know anything about this style ABS, but it still has a standard Master Cylinder? After the master cylinder, is where things get complicated. Just a thought.

Jack

 

Hi Jack

The ABS on my 1990 XJS V12 is the Teves Mk1V Master Cylinder Actuator which unfortunately is not anything like the Master Cylinder that you would find on a Non ABS Car with the Brake Booster System

Though with the Benefit of Hindsight and comparing Notes with 'Robbo' I think that I can see what I did wrong, as after I changed the ABS 'Black Ball' Accumulator, which goes on the Brake Pump on the other side of the Car, I made the mistake of not Bleeding the Brakes!

Because I didn't think that Air could get in there, which only shows just how wrong you (or should that be me!) can be

And so I am going to Bleed the Brakes and see if that makes a difference but I'd also like to fit another New ABS Ball, just to be 'belt and braces' about the whole thing

Also I've been looking around for Car Lifts and I can get a New 2 Post Car Lift like the one you told me about for £1,000 plus £240 (ish) delivery which seems a good price but as I am so Paranoid about it falling over with a 2 Ton Car up in the Air, that I cannot bring myself to buy it and would rather have a 4 Poster for £1,500

But then the GF 'Struck Gold!' when clearing leaves from underneath a long forgotten Hedge, when She found some adaptors for the Car Lift I already have, where instead of using the 'Runways' you can replace those with these adaptors, to lift the Car on all 4 Jacking Points and sort of turn it into a Mid Riser

The only problem being that these adaptors have simply rusted away, because I bought this Car Lift such a long time ago that I've always used the Runways instead of these adaptors which disappeared in the mist of time and had been forgotten about

Having said that I can use these old ones as patterns and easily make some new ones, although I cannot fit them as the XJS cannot be moved and is sitting on top of the Runways on the Car Lift, which has created a 'Catch 22' Situation!

Although now doubt I'll get there somehow, its just a matter of time........

 

Well yeah, that's why I said I don't know anything about the ABS on the Jag. I also didn't remember you had swapped out the accumulator ball, and opened the system. Good Luck.

Jack

 

Having experienced more than my Share of Brake Failures on my XJS V12 I splashed the Cash and bought a Brand New Valve Block which goes onto the side of The Teves 1V Master Cylinder Actuator which I bought at an Auto Jumble for the Princely sum of £50

Which was the Genuine Article all sealed up in its Original Jaguar OEM Box and though it worked ok for a while there seemed to be some excessive Pedal Travel and so I also fitted a Brand New Accumulator Ball

But then it all went 'Pear Shaped' on the day I took my Car for an MOT, after which the Brakes just didn't feel right, so today I decided to get to work on Plan 'B' which was to get ready to fit a Non ABS Vacuum Booster, which I took off a Scrap XJS which was in the Yard of a Friend of ours

I have already got a hard top Coupe that has this Braking System and although there is always a first time, the Brakes on this Car have never let me down, no doubt because there are very Few Working Parts unlike the much more complicated ABS Master Cylinder Actuator

Having said that it wasn't all plain sailing, as removing the Vacuum Booster from this Scrap Car took me Two days, because the Mounting Bolts on the Firewall were all rusted solid and had to be individually cut with a Hacksaw, which was not only a Nightmare to do but also the reason why it took so long to get it out

Where once having done so, I was please to see that this was a very heavy solid piece of kit with very little in the way of rust although I have to admit that it looked a real mess including the little round Reservoir which was full of Crud



Not exactly a pretty sight but if you think that this looks bad, take a look at the Reservoir in the next Photo





The Brake Fluid inside this looked like Treacle!

After a lot of Blood Sweat and Tears it now almost looks like a New One and by way of a bit of a bonus, I also got it for free as this mate owed me a favour



All prepped and ready to go in the Car and hope it goes in a lot easier than taking it out of the Scrap Car but in any event I will have to wait until Monday or Tuesday for some other small parts to arrive, during which time I'll have one more go at trying to get the Teves System Working and then see where we go from there

 

Yikes that was ugly. Now, if it works as good as it looks now, you'll be in business. Here's Hoping. It's sad to think this was "State of the Art" back then. As it has proven to be very problematic over the years.

Jack

 

OB
If you have not already done so, or if thet M/c is not a new one, you absolutely must take apart the master cylinder and inspect the bore for rust and unevenness, and install new seals if the bore is OK. If it is not OK, new or resleeved cylinder.

 

Hi Greg

The Scrap Car was a runner, when they drove it in and even without the engine running the Brakes on the Scrap Car felt good with a nice solid pedal, so I'm just getting all the bits and pieces ready as this is 'Plan B'

Though while I'm waiting for the 'Tee Piece' and one or two other parts to arrive, I'll give the ABS set up one more go as it might be a simple fix or something else within the Master Cylinder Actuator that could require much more of a Specialist rebuild