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For the sake of my own sanity I'd rather not be reminded of how many broken down Cars I am surrounded with
Though with the benefit of hindsight, one would have been plenty, as I only have one working at the moment and that one has got the hole in the side of the downpipe in one of the most impossible places for Welding
And so at the moment I can't even go out in one of them, not at least until I've fixed it which without a Car Lift could be quite a difficult job, as I won't let a 'Shop' go anywhere near it, as if you're going to have that kind of a Car, then I believe you have to try and learn to fix it yourself......or what's the point of buying one in the first place
Last edited by orangeblossom; 06-02-2021 at 12:12 AM.
Doing a Rear Caliper Rebuild for 'The Ice Princess' My Blue XJS reminded me of when I did the same on '50 Shades' My Grey XJS which was one of those jobs that I thought would be easy, although within minutes of making a start, it quickly turned into a 'Nightmare' of epic proportions!
One of the reasons being that I had never done this job before, as what I had done in the past was to send them to a firm for a professional Rebuild, which I would have done this time except the price of doing so, was almost double what I paid before
And so I though I would try and rebuild them myself, where to my undying shame, it took me over 4 hours to just insert one Piston in its sleeve and then a further 2 hours to put the Rubber Boot on with its spring steel circular Clip, although I got there in the end!
So this time I was quite determined not to make the same mistakes that I did before, although I did use plenty of Brake Grease on the Piston which I think was part of the problem as the Circular Clip was so slippery, that trying to hold it open to clip it over the Boot was almost impossible
Even after removing the Grease from the Circular Clip and also washing all the Grease off my hands, it was still one of the most difficult jobs I have done, as every time I tried to get the Clip on, the Rubber Boot would disengage from the narrow Circular Ring that I was trying hard to Clamp it over
And while it may look easy on those YouTube Videos, the reality of doing this job can be somewhat different, as there seems to be a 'knack' that I hadn't mastered, so maybe that's why some of these companies charge as much as they do
So having thought it through this time I came up with 'A very Cunning Plan!'
First Job Clean the Calipers and then remove the old Pistons which I could have reused but since I had bought New Ones I decided to use those instead
Having Removed the old Pistons I then removed the Piston Seals using a 'Pick' and replaced those with New ones
Fitting the New Piston Seals was easy! 'So far so good!'
Having Cleaned and Repainted the Calipers it was time to rebuild them only this time I used a Clamp to push in the Piston after applying Brake Grease
Unlike last time, this time inserting the Piston in its Sleeve was easy!
Rubber Boot on the Piston and ready to go in
Using a Clamp to gently push the Piston down its Tube
This is where the real fun started last time, as getting the Clamping Ring over that Boot without disturbing it can be a real 'Nightmare!'
So I came up with a 'Hack' to make it easy! (or so I hoped)
First I cut a Circle from the Plastic Top of a Tin of 'Spray Paint' and then I put the Rubber Boot 'Clamping Ring' round it
Then when I pressed down on the Plastic Ring it Locked the 'Rubber Boot' in place so that it couldn't move and then once having done so, all I had to do was to use the fingers of my other hand to slide the 'Locking Ring' down the Plastic Ring and then as the 'Locking Ring' came off the end, it Locked the Boot in place
'Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy' It worked like a Charm!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 06-04-2021 at 03:45 AM.
Repairing The Exhaust And Refitting The Heatshield
Down here at 'Orange Blossom Towers' things haven't been going too well, as I found a Second Exhaust Leak that was making a heck of a noise and where it fleetingly crossed my mind to 'Bodge it' that would have been quite hard to live with, when considering all the stuff that I had already done
Where once having decided to do the Job as well as I was able, it was then I noticed an even bigger problem as the Heatshield over the Exhaust must have somehow detached itself from the underside of the Car while I was replacing the Cage and where refitting this turned into a 'Nightmare'
The reason being to do this involved removing the Exhaust System on one side of the Car and since the Car wasn't on a Car Lift,, there was hardly any room to get underneath, which when compared to removing the Cage, made that seem a bit of a 'Walk in the Park'
As refitting that Heatshield, was one of the most difficult Jobs that I have had to do on any Car, as the Heatshield was made of Stainless Steel that had bent right out of shape and sort of turned itself into a Spring Board and in case I forget to mention it almost impossible to drill when not on a Car Lift
Another problem that I didn't need when the Heatshield fell down!
Refitting the Heatshield took all day but I got there in the end
In order to fix the Heatshield, I had to remove the Exhaust where having to do this so close to the ground also turned this job into a 'Nightmare' especially when it came to putting it back, although on the Plus Side if there ever was one, I found the perfect piece of kit for joining the Exhaust Pipe as the OEM Joiner had a bad Exhaust Leak
Another 'Bodge' repair I decided that I would try and Fix
The end of that Exhaust Pipe was so full of holes, that I decided to cut it off with the Angle Grinder
Having cut out the bad bits I made a joiner from a 'Key Clamp' fitting, which took heavy duty to a whole new different level
At this point I was on day three but if I thought removing the Exhaust was hard, it took another 8 hours of Blood Sweat and Tears to put it back, as the design of the Exhaust system seems so out of balance that it kept on twisting out of position
And though I eventually got it back on after struggling all day, it isn't over yet as adjustments still have to be made, where I got to thinking that since the whole Exhaust System needs replacing, I was thinking of one of those 'H' or 'X' Cross braced Systems, if anyone could tell me where I could get one
Since Gravity Bleeding the Teves Brakes on '50 Shades' My Grey XJS the run time for the Warning Lights and Brake Pump continues to astound me, as from a Stone Cold Start after Standing unused for 7 days
The ABS and Brake Warning Lights go out in 7 Seconds and the Brake Pump cuts out only 4 Seconds later with a Perfect feel to the Pedal as before, which is a massive improvement on the 45 Seconds that it used to take, which is why this Video is such a short one
And though I eventually got it back on after struggling all day, it isn't over yet as adjustments still have to be made, where I got to thinking that since the whole Exhaust System needs replacing, I was thinking of one of those 'H' or 'X' Cross braced Systems, if anyone could tell me where I could get one
That is the most horrible lashup/bodge I have ever seen Alex!
You just need a decent stainless system and be done with it. As for linking the pipes from each bank together, this will do precisely nothing to enhance power, it will in fact be detrimental. Roger Bywater's book about the internal combustion engine is fantastic on the physics of exhaust pulses - not that i would claim to understand it all - but it is 100% correct. ENGINE TECHNOLOGY in the Modern World / AJ6 Engineering
We mere mortals should not try to improve on things we will never understand!
Agree 100% about that Exhaust Bodge but today I managed to fix it and it isn't leaking at all (at least not yet!) as having put it together with that Heavy Duty Scaffolding Joiner, which was really tight 'Tap on' fit
I took out the Allen key bolts and then drilled a couple of holes big enough to take a couple of Phillips Screws with Big Flat Heads, then after screwing those down I then screwed the Allen Key Bolts down right on top of them so those Phillips Screws cannot fall out
The end result was absolutely perfect, with not the slightest trace of a leak anywhere! and then I took her for a little Test Drive!
More about that Tomorrow!
Also a Petrol Station just down the road from me has started selling Synergy Supreme 99 Octane with a double additive Treat Rate containing a Friction Modifier, not sure what that's all about, maybe Paul (ptjs) will know
Last edited by orangeblossom; 06-10-2021 at 04:44 PM.
Friction modifier agents in fuel tend to work on the cylinder wall to piston / ring contact surfaces. With minimal oil on that contact surface, something that can improve the ability of the piston to move up and down the cylinder (without increasing the gap between them) will help to improve engine performance and hence economy.
However, I think there are 2 more important reasons why you might want to use Esso Synergy Supreme in your XJSs. The first is that it's 99 octane and hence the highest octane petrol commercially available in Britain right now. So very good for your engine performance. The other really important reason (imo) is that it's about the only petrol in the UK that is completely ethanol-free. Therefore with ageing fuel pipes etc, anything that doesn't have ethanol seems a good thing to me! Bizarrely, if you live in Devon, Cornwall, NW England or certain parts of Scotland, I think Synergy Supreme has 5% ethanol, so Esso must be using different refineries in those areas.
So Esso Synergy Supreme is my fuel of choice right now for my XJS & Range Rover (but it's not cheap!)
'50 Shades' My Grey XJS Hard to believe but I haven't been out in my XJS for nearly 18 Months!
What with all the restrictions during 'Lockdown' and the fact I decided to refurbish the Cage with New Rotors and Calipers, where owing to the bad Weather, I wasn't in a rush and took my time where due to my inexperience I decided to do this job in 'bite sized pieces'
Taking out the Cage was fairly easy, as was putting it back, where the length of time it takes is how far you wan't to go when it comes to replacing either some or all of the Components
Which in my case included New Rotors and the Calipers which I rebuilt myself as well as making New Handbrake Pads to 'Greg's Special design, which very hopefully won't get torn off during the MOT Test on the 'Rolling Road'
The Satisfaction I got from all this was simply off the Scale and now the Car is 'up to snuff' at least in that department, I am hoping to drive my Car for very many miles of smiles in pursuit of pleasure on days out in the Country and going out for Picnics just like we used to do
Cost wise the refurbishment was 'peanuts' and in total probably spent no more than £150 which would have been a different story if I had taken her into a 'Shop' to have that job done, where the bill for the work would have probably run into Thousands!
Its not the Parts but the Labour that costs all the money and so doubt if I would have got away with anything less than £3,000 plus the parts! where since I did this job myself with no one to help me, I feel I've learned a lot along the way and really enjoyed every moment of doing the job which I have to say I found so fascinating
Then when it was finally finished it was really 'bitter sweet' as by then I was so into it, that I never wanted it to end, or maybe I was suffering from a fear of failure if it all went wrong, which in someways it did!
As no sooner had I finally put the last bolt in, than the Stainless Steel Heatshield fell right down on top of the Exhaust, where in order to put that back in place I had to remove the Silencer together with the long pipes, where doing this job then turned into a 'Nightmare' that then took me 3 days to sort out
And then and only then was She finally ready to go out on a very short Test Drive, which started with a very expensive little trip to get some fuel, as at the time in question the Tank was nearly empty
Where having been out of the XJS game for some 18 months, I suddenly found that the World had moved on and I was now faced with what I think I can only describe as something of a bewildering choice of New Fuels because in the 'Merc' I'm not that fussed and fuel up with 95 Octane which seems to do the job
Though not so with the XJS that only wants the Best! and that does so no 95 Octane for her or even 97 as She now only has eyes for Esso Synergy Supreme and that one is 99 Octane
So having now melted my Debit Card to the Tune of just over £100 we were finally ready to hit the two lane blacktop for the first time, except things just went 'Pear Shaped' right from the off!
As I heard a loud Screaming from the back axle! and so I had to Park her up and look underneath with a Torch, the only problem being that everything look normal with nothing to be seen but then when I got back in the Car and drove off a second time the same thing happened again
Which in the event turned out to be the Handbrake, which I forgot to disengage after putting the Top down, so thankfully I noticed this before I had got very far and so with the Handbrake now released, that was only on a couple of 'Clicks' we were now back on the road and back in the game
Where '50 Shades' was driving like a 'dream boat' whisper quiet and as smooth as silk and everything was working as it should, even though I never went above 40 miles per hour, as I am still paranoid that Nuts and Bolts just might start to drop off
So I'm going to take things easy, until the new components are nicely bedded in and then progressively go on longer road trips, though on reflection this Road Test if you could call it such, was really more a case of 'first night nerves'
Where rather than enjoy it as I should have done I was more tuned in to listen to every bang and rattle, where hopefully on Road Test 2 I'll be feeling a lot more relaxed and in tune with the Car
Last edited by orangeblossom; 06-11-2021 at 11:40 PM.
For Paul (ptjs) And Anyone Else Who May Be Interested
'Esso Synergy Supreme 99 Octane'
Hi Paul (ptjs)
Filled up '50 Shades' today with another Tankful of Esso Synergy Supreme 99 Octane and the difference is Amazing! as having now got confidence that my Axle rebuild isn't going to fall apart, we did a full on road trip to properly Test her out and I am now getting 18.2 mpg instead of the expected 17.2 that I was getting before
Such a Big Fan of Synergy now, that I won't use anything else!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 06-12-2021 at 06:40 PM.
After the Trials and Tribulations of doing a Major Rebuild on the IRS Rear Axle and Repairing and Refitting the Exhaust, this Afternoon we took her out for a Full On Road Test in the Country, unlike Yesterdays 'Shake Down' where most of the Shaking was being done by 'Paranoid Me' who was hoping my Axle Rebuild wouldn't fall apart!
When it comes to nice Sunny Days in the UK it just doesn't get better than this and if you know the UK Weather it can easily get worse but not Today as we had a Heatwave on our hands and everywhere else for that matter!
So once having convinced myself that my Axle Rebuild was going to be Ok and remembering 'Grant's' Wise Words to have 'Faith!' the GF packed up a Picnic, while I got '50 Shades' out of the Garage, which began as always by me taking the Car Cover off
As She sat there glistening under the lights, She just looked so beautiful it made me want to cry then having wiped the tears away I lifted up the Bonnet/Hood to do the Pre-Flight Checks as I now call them, Checking all the Fluids and also most importantly the Brake Reservoir, where the level was the same and hadn't moved
Although I took Spare Fluids just in Case as well as a Case of Spanners in case they were needed and a Fire Extinguisher in case the worst should happen, which every XJS owner seems to carry, as you don't want your Icon going up in smoke!
Once all that was out of the way, I got into the Car and sat myself down on those wonderful soft leather seats and looked out on that never ending Bonnet/Hood that was basking in the glow of the iredescent lights that hung down from above and then put the Key in the ignition, which is always a very poignant moment for me
And in case I forget to mention it, always a bit of a thrill as I mentally prepared myself to Start such a wonderful Car, which is one very Special lonely moment of the kind that you don't want to share with anyone devoid of raw emotion
Turning the Key to position one, all the Warning Lights came on together with the buzzing of the Brake Pump and as it built up pressure in no time at all, the ABS and Warning Lights then disappeared from view, as if to say we've done our bit and now it is over to you
And so now without any further ado, I turned the Key and Spun the Engine over, where She fired up with a whistle and the kind of Turbine Roar, that has the Hairs on the back of your neck literally standing on end, as happens with an Engine the size of a double bed
And then I snicked her into gear and very slowly backed out of the Garage where the golden rays of Sun bounced off the Bonnet/Hood, where the GF was standing by with all the stuff we needed for a Grand day out in the Country
Where after She had jumped in we were off!
Though not be for we topped up with more Synergy 'Motion Lotion' at the Esso Garage, where after that we headed out to the Countryside, to find some of those twisty roads to shoot the breeze and test out this storming performer, where every bend was taken in her stride
With both pin sharp steering and the kind of rear suspension that can take you on a magic carpet ride and while I won't claim any credit for that as I didn't design it, I did have a hand in dismantling it and putting it all back together! so what can't speak can't lie (and we'll leave it at that!)
This was such an awesome drive that we could not stop smiling all day long, as we stopped off for our Picnic in the Forest before heading home on the dual Carriageway to 'Orange Blossom Towers' where could take her to 70 mph for the very first time, where She just drove like a dream boat
And was absolutely perfect in every possible way
Then while the GF made ready for Tea, I thought I'd see if She would pass the Coin Test, which is to balance a Coin on its edge and see if it will stay there as you rev the Engine and it did!
Inspired by your day out, I also topped up with some 99 octane this morning, and have already had a swim and a coffee at a completely deserted beach at Hythe on the south coast. Even better for having brought the Jag with me!
There could be a very good reason why that beach is deserted because they found the Water was a bit too Blinking Cold!
We've been on another great Road Trip today down to Aldeburgh the Home of that well known Famous Fish and Chip Shop, similar Mileage and Similar Speeds but even without trying I was getting 18.9 MPG
Lots of Sports Cars at Esso this Morning filling up with Synergy Supreme and I'm absolutely certain that the Car is also running better than She's ever done before as the Sound from the Exhaust Pipes when accelerating is similar to Chips being Fried
06-01-2021, 05:23 PM
