On a Standard HF (High Frequency) Plasma Cutter there are 3 Plug in points on the Front of The Case

From Left to Right:

(1) Main Power Source Plasma Cutting Cable that is also Air Cooled and available in a Variety of Lengths and theoretically no limit as to how long that can be although I haven't heard of anything Stock over 25ft

(2) Standard Din Plug and Cable to operate the Trigger on the Plasma Cutting Torch

(3) Ground Earth to Clamp to the Work Piece



So far so good but on a Pilot Arc Torch you have an extra Wire to contend with and nowhere left on the Front of the Case for you to Plug it in, although on a Store Bought Pilot Arc Cutter there would be an extra Terminal on the Front of the Case



This Extra Wire (The Red One) completes the Circuit to excite the Pilot Arc Flame without being in Contact with The Work Piece where unlike the Non Pilot Arc Cutter, The Pilot Arc Flame is instantly there from the moment you Pull the Trigger on the Pilot Arc Torch

This gives the Pilot Arc Cutter a very big advantage when it comes to something like Cutting Rusty Steel or even Steel with a Painted or Powder Coated Surface, as the Pilot Arc can burn into the Surface before you make the Cut

Where in Contrast a Standard HF Pilot Cutter can sometimes have a problem when either Striking or Maintaining the Arc, as unlike the Pilot Arc Cutter the Standard HF Plasma Cutter needs to be in Contact with the Work Piece the whole time and while it can normally manage this with a little bit of Surface Rust

The Plasma Pilot Arc Cutter is an even better Tool for the Job, as I found out for myself as I have tried both

In order to Switch on the Pilot Arc Flame, that Red Wire needs to be Grounded, except with nowhere left to Plug it in, this presented a bit of a Problem that needed a 'Hack' so what I thought was the best thing to do was to somehow Connect it to the Existing Ground Wire on the Front of the Machine in such a way it would look neat and not out of place

So I started by removing the Dinse Plug that was connected to Earth and this is a Twist and Lock Plug like you would find on many Welding Sets



Standard 'Twist and Lock' Dinse Plug as found on Welding Sets, with the Alan Key Clamp Bolt removed

The next thing that I needed was a means of attaching that Red Earth Wire and while there was enough room to push in this Extra Cable if I cut the Round Terminal off the Red Wire, I thought that I would try another way and found a Bolt in my 'Box of Bits' with the Same Thread as the Alan Key Clamp Screw



Having cut this down to size I used this to Clamp the Wire inside the Dinse Plug, which the gave me the Extra Terminal I needed that was missing on my Standard HF Plasma Cutting Machine



Dinse 'Twist and Lock Plug' now with the Pilot Arc Wire



The only thing left for me to do is to Cut a Slot in the Rubber Shroud and then Push it on for a hopefully Neat Looking Job! where the Black Wire has a Big Crocodile Clip that Clamps onto the Work Piece

Though before I do that, I want to make sure that it works!

 

Although I came up with a bit of a 'Hack' to Convert an HS Standard Plasma Cutter into a 'Pilot Arc Cutter' which happened to work very well, it was a bit of a 'Lash Up' and so I decided to do the Job Properly and treated myself to a proper 'Plasma Pilot Arc Torch' which was incredible value for money at only £35 together with some Automatic Self Darkening Glasses and a load of Nickel Plated Cutting Tips

Unlike a Standard Plasma Torch, a Pilot Arc Torch has got an Extra Wire although a Standard HS Plasma Cutting Machine doesn't have anywhere to Plug this in!

Although it certainly would have if you had gone a bought a 'Pilot Arc Cutter' which could have probably Cost a lot more money!

This Extra Wire 'The Red One' (That may be a different Colour on a different make of Torch) is used to complete the Circuit when the 'Trigger is pressed' on the Pilot Arc Torch and then once having done so activates the Pilot Arc Flame, that can cut through Metal like a knife through butter, including Rusty or even Painted Steel, that the Non Pilot Arc Version may well struggle with in maintaining the Arc

That in either Case produces a Flame of a whopping 22,000 degrees Centigrade!

In Simple Terms this Extra Wire 'Tricks' the Plasma Cutter into thinking the Cutting Tip of the 'Plasma Torch', is already in Contact with the 'Work Piece' as in fact it would need to be on a 'Non Pilot Arc Torch' although with a 'Pilot Arc Torch' the Plasma Arc Flame will appear from the moment you pull the Trigger on the Torch



In order to do the Conversion all I did was to Connect this extra Wire to the same one as the Ground Clamp but what would happen when I pulled the Trigger! as I had Visions something might go bang!

Though to my delight and amazement it worked perfect!

Except when I increased the Amps and Tripped the Circuit Breaker in the House and so later I replaced that with a higher duty one and that seems to have solved the problem once and for all


Working ok at the moment although this kind of Gadget takes a bit of getting used to

 

Dear Lord, OB, that looks fearsome! How do you keep the torch the right distance from the work? By eye or what?

 

Hi Greg

If you're coming from a 'Gas Axe' to a Plasma Cutter, you will find it so easy to use, that it takes a little while to get your head around it, as its nowhere near as 'fearsome' as it looks and has a lot of advantages over the 'Oxy Set Up'

As such it doesn't matter if the 'Tip' Touches 'The Work Piece' as you are Cutting, because on a 'Pilot Arc' you can also use it as a 'Drag Tip' and Stop and Start whenever you like, even in the middle of a Cut, which on a nice clean piece of Plate can give you the kind of Precision Cut that if you are going to Weld it up, leaves virtually no finishing to be done at all

Although in order to make your Consumables last that little bit longer, you can get a 'Stand Off Guide' such as the one that you see in the Photo, to help maintain a Gap of about 5mm

Just make sure the Ceramic Shields are the ones with the Groove around as they fit on much better

My biggest concern at the Moment is my Electricity Bill that could be interesting! especially with the increased Cost of Energy we are now facing, although on the other hand maybe its just Paranoid me Overthinking as usual

 

Naa, yer not really cutting anything unless you have a lot of FIRE, slag and sparks bounding all over the floor.

 

Fifty Shades my 'Grey XJS' is one of those Cars we love to use for 'Tripping' at Weekends, while my Daily Driver is the 'Merc' and so I don't mind driving around in that whenever we go Shopping or over to see friends, as unlike the Gorgeous '50 Shades' with her Uber Juicy V12 I am not so Paranoid about where I park her (although on Second Thoughts maybe I am!) but you get the idea!

As for Starting '50 Shades' I've always had a problem that I didn't know I had and that's when Starting her from Cold, the Revs just jump right up to 1500 RPM which I sort of thought was Normal, although apparently not, even though they did drop down to around 750 RPM once She had Warmed Up

Then 'Jagboi' kindly pointed out that putting her in Gear while Revving Away at 1500 RPM was maybe not the best idea, that I ever had as with those sort of Revs the Gearbox could get damaged over time, where as such it was Safer to put her into Gear at around 850 RPM or even less, where a Sticking AAV may well be why She was Over Revving

So what better time could there be for 'The Famous Fix' from 'The Wizard of Oz' ?

The Answer being anytime but now! as this would involve the Removal of the AAV with the associated Risk be it a very small one, of either breaking off a Bolt or Stripping a Thread in the Side of the Engine, where I've been a Forum Member long enough to know that this can happen, so as for me I didn't want to risk it this side of The Summer

As for one thing I'd just spend a vast amount of cash to Tax and Insure her and then once having done so fill her up with Super Duper E5 Petrol at £9 per gallon! not to mention missing out on 2 Years of Motoring Pleasure during the Pandemic, which I felt was a very good reason Not to take a Chance abd 'Be That Guy!'

And so the Proper 'Wizard Fix' would have to wait till later, while determined that I'd Soldier On, with some sort of 'Sticking Plaster' Job, which in the beginning was as usual one of Trial and Error to see what might Work, except of course the GF beat me to it and came up with an idea of her own, that initially worked a bit too well for my liking! (which was down to professional jealousy on my part)

Because She Fixed my Speedo once and never lets me forget it, so I was in no hurry for a repeat performance of that!

To be continued after I've had a Cup of Tea and also found the Photos............

 

To give her Credit where its due the GF came up with a Great Idea! that was to Warm up the AAV with one of Her Old Hairdryers and while that Fix worked for a while it didn't last very long and was very soon back to Over Revving, after a Stone Cold Start


After Thinking it over for what seemed like forever, I came up with a Hack I thought might Work, which was to restrict the Flow of Air into the AAV just enough to Cut the Revs down until the Piston in the AAV then began to Close, which would hopefully give the same effect as you might get from unbolting the AAV from the Engine and knocking The Top Hat Down



In order to restrict the Flow of Air to the AAV I came up with a Hack which was to put a smaller Tube inside the Air Inlet of the AAV and I didn't spend all day making it, as this was a 'Bog Standard' Plumbing Fitting I found in a Box of Bits and though I didn't even know if it was going to fit, the moment I clapped eyes on this I started getting Good Vibes! especially as it had a little Collar on the end



The only thing I had to do was to Cut it to Length so that it wouldn't Block off the Hot Idle Adjuster



Removing the Rubber Air Inlet Tube from the AAV



Inserting the Air Restriction Tube which was an absolutely perfect Tap in Fit!



Such a good fit that all that was needed was a very Light Tap from a FSH



Reconnecting The Rubber Tube Of The AAV Now with the Restriction Sleeve inside, after cutting it to length so it would not Block OFF Air to the HOT IDLE ADJUSTER



Checking the Ambient Temperature Just before a Stone Cold Start

Just before I turned the Key to see what would happen, I was so nervous that my hands were shaking, then when I did the Engine started bursting into life! where to my Astonishment! Amazement ! and Unbridled Joy! The Engine Started Ticking Over PERFECT!

 

Brilliant, also permanent, fix OB. We all stand amazed by your ability to think outside the box!

 

Hi Greg

Cheers! but I couldn't have done it with out that sketch because I really wasn't sure how the whole thing worked and wondered why there wasn't any way to adjust the Cold Idle, in the same way that you can do with the Hot Idle Screw, which was seized solid on my Cars AAV

So wondered what might happen if I could find something to put in the Air Inlet Tube to restrict the Air Flow, so having found that Plumbing Fitting in my box of bits, I thought that I would put that in just to see what happened where more by luck than anything else, it just seemed to work and brought the Cold Idle Revs right down to near where they would have been if the Piston in the AAV was closing off the Air

Which was probably just as well as the fixing bolts on the AAV had become so Corroded, that if I had tried to undo them I feel sure they would have broken off and left me with an even bigger problem. than a Stuck Piston in an AAV and so I didn't want to roll the dice just in case that happened

Just to make sure that this wasn't a Fluke, 24 hours later, I did another Stone Cold Start and it worked even better this time!

So Thanks for your help and encouragement in trying these kind of Mods

 

Its not so much that I cannot afford to use my XJS as a Daily Driver, even with Fuel Consumption that could give 'Rip Van Winkle' Sleepless Nights but more 'A Thing of Beauty Is A Joy Forever' and I want to keep it that way if I possibly can

So going down the Supermarket in my XJS is something of a really great big No! No!

The reason being that people can be so careless when accidentally letting the door of their 4X4 bang into the side of your Classic Jag without thinking until its too late by which time they may have decided to drive off into 'The Sunset' in order to avoid what I feel could be a very large bill

And while most people are not like that, many just cannot appreciate the amount of time and effort, not to mention hard Cash! that goes into maintaining and keeping a Beautiful Car in Pristine Condition, which is a Labor of Love for most Classic Car Owners

So taking a Car like that Shopping is not far removed from writing a Suicide Note for a Car that you love

And so in order to try and avoid that many Classic Car Owners, have a not so Cherished 'Daily Driver' to use for very short journeys as well as Trips to the Dumpster/Skip and for going Shopping or Towing a Trailer

Where in that respect I sort of Failed as my Daily Driver is a Merc 190e that I love very much! although I only paid a Grand for it, so maybe I just shouldn't worry about her as much as I do, except She is the
Work horse that I couldn't do without and has such an attachment to me emotionally, that there is no way I would ever Sell Her

She's also very reliable and as such almost never lets me down, although She has been through quite a number of Fuel Pumps, which has to be said is quite an awkward repair, although apart from that She looks the Part and just keeps on Trucking! where her Stunning Condition belies her 200,000 Miles where according to those who know is not yet even run in!

Though wouldn't be going out to day, as with the Sun Shooting out of a Cloudless Sky, Today was an XJS day if ever their was!

Or maybe I should have said Wasn't!

As after all the rain we had if we had tried to go out in the Jag, then She would almost certainly, have got bogged down in the mud coming out of the Garage, so in the end we decided to pack up some Sandwiches and a Flask of Tea and head for a local beauty spot that wasn't too far away

Except that when I turned the Key on the Merc I could feel it sticking!

Which was a really Big Red Flag that was because it was such a Nice Day, I had Stupidly chosen to ignore! and if you drive a Merc you know that you ignore that Warning Sign at your Peril! because if that ever happens, you don't drive the Car another Inch!

But leave the Key in Position (1) disconnect the Battery and get yourself a New Ignition Barrel, before it is too late!

As if you ever to decide to ignore the 'Gypsies Warning' then you could pay a very heavy price!

Do not ask me how I know, as I'm about to tell you!

As when I tried to Turn the Key for the Second Time the Engine Started, so off we went for our mini Trip, quite unaware at just what now about to happen!

Where just as we packed up to go back to 'Orange Blossom Towers' the Key refused to Turn in the Ignition OMG!

Though after some Tapping and Bashing, from a little Hammer that I keep in the Boot/Trunk by some major Miracle She Started where once having done so we managed to get home all in one piece, though when I drove her into the Garden and tried to turn the Key again, it was not only a case of 'No Dice' but the Key then Broke Off in the Lock!

OMG! I thought what have I done!

Not a Rhetorical Question by the way!

Although this has never happened to me, I did know someone it had and they Called in a Professional Locksmith to drill the Lock out, who apparently told my Friend that it would be No Problem! as he said he would be using a diamond tipped drill

He ended up snapping 3 of those and simply had to Call it a day because after trying for ever, he simply couldn't do it, as without the Key in Position (1) you are quite simply dead in the Water, where the only way that he ever managed to remove the Ignition Lock Barrel was by taking the Dashboard to bits and then Smashing the Steering Lock with a FBH

Like almost everyone seems to do on those YouTube Videos, when they have tried everything else and this Merc of His was off the Road for Two Months! (I kid you not!) and he was even thinking of Scrapping it to buy another one, as the OEM Parts alone were not far short of £600

And so as you may imagine, I had my head in my hands at the prospect of even attempting to do such a difficult Job, as the Ignition Key Barrel has an Anti Tamper device, that even a Dremel Can't Handle, that in turn must make the Merc such an almost impossible Car to try and Steal

Especially if its one like mine with the Key broken off in the Lock and refusing to turn

Unless maybe I could come up with another way by looking at it from another angle........?

To be Continued............

 

Oh, Drat!!
I HATE it when that happens!
I say that because I did that very thing once, but the car was a true Beater on the farm, very Elderly and with little or no anti-theft provisions. I merely changed out the lock barrel (came with its own key), which I imagine is virtually out of the question on that side of the pond, and for a Classic XJS.

Well, DANG!
(';')

 

Hi LnrB

Ordered a New Ignition Barrel and even with the disruption of a having a Bank Holiday, it arrived to day as promised!

 

Having owned a lot more Cars than I would Care to remember, apart from My XJS V12 my favorite Car of all of those has to be My Merc a solid reliable Workhorse that seldom lets me down, except of course for now, as with the Key Stuck in the Ignition I was going nowhere anytime soon

Replacing the Ignition Barrel has a reputation of being the Job from Hell, as if you are unable to Turn the Key to position (1) to remove the Old Lock Barrel. then to all intents and purposes, you have a big job on your hands, where even before I broke the Key off inside the Lock Barrel, it was jammed solid and simply refused to move

Where having watched an awful lot of YouTube Videos, in the hope of seeing how to remove the Ignition Barrel, many people who were also trying to do this, had completely given up and were now in the process of cutting the Steering Lock off, in order to try and remove the Ignition Lock Barrel, which is also fitted with a Fiendishly Clever sort of Anti Tamper device

Ok So Challenge Accepted!

As I really thought there had to be another better way of doing this and it didn't take me long to find it, as less than 3 Minutes Later, the old Ignition Switch was in my hand! without dismantling anything at all, where Shops can and also do Charge £500 for this Service in the UK

Anyway now that the Old Ignition Barrel had been removed, it was time to fit the New One that I had ordered on Sunday, which turned up on time as they had promised and literally took just a couple of Seconds to fit, before I then replaced the Rubber Bezel

After which I turned the Key and where much to my delight and joy, my Merc Started First Time!



What is in the Box? A New Ignition Barrel and a Couple of Spare Keys



No point in going OEM now I know how to Fix it if it goes wrong again, and so for this I paid about £12!



Although this wasn't OEM it felt so solid and well made that it was very hard to tell the difference



Back where She belongs in the Ignition



She Starts and Runs so Thank Goodness that my Daily Driver is Back in the Game!

Job done so back to enjoying my XJS for the Summer!

 

how long should the fast idle last on cold start? i might have the same issue

 

Hi Rescue

Having done the 'Mod'' from a 'Stone Cold Start' it took 6 Minutes to go from 1100 RPM to 800 RPM before I put her in gear, then once She was Properly Warm with the Temp Gauge Starting to Rise She then went down to 750 RPM which is her Normal 'Hot Idle' Speed

But with Petrol nudging £10 per gallon!

I took out my 'Modded' Air Restrictor Tube and then put in another one with an even Smaller Bore but the Same External OD don't ask me what the size was as it was just Trial and Error till I found a fitting that was a Tap in Fit

Then the following day when I did another 'Stone Cold Start', 'The Fast Idle' was down to 800 RPM and then went down to 750 RPM as soon as She warmed up although She seemed fairly comfortable being put in Gear at 800 RPM which then went down to 750 RPM 'Hot Idle'

My Hot Idle Adjuster is Corroded Solid, so fortunately 750 RPM 'Hot Idle' is perfect for me

Hope this Helps

Alex

 

greatly thanks

 

With the Credit Crunch upon us and Prices rising everywhere you look, I was still Surprised that my Car Insurance had risen as much as it had even though my Circumstances had not changed at all, so in order to make a Saving by any means I could, this year I decided not to renew my Legal Protection Insurance, which in previous years I included just as a matter of course, as the price of this had risen from £10 to £39!

Where once having done so, I started looking around to see if any Specialist Firms could supply this Legal Protection any cheaper than my current Insurer, where during the course of my research I came across Driver Guardian who could supply me the very same thing for only £15 where in the event of a No-Fault Claim against the other party, I get to keep 100% of whatever they recover

And this can be used not only with my Jaguar XJS but also any of my other Cars I may be driving

 

Ah Yes!

I remember it well, as on one dark December Night I was taking '50 Shades' for her MOT Test

It was Cold, It was Dark with Flashes of Fork Lightning, Lighting up the Sky and since I had the Soft Top down, even I was wondering what was wrong with me! but as I do like a bit of Adventure, driving along in a Thunder Storm did seem such a Cool thing to do, as at least it wasn't Raining when I drove out of 'Orange Blossom Towers'

Though all that was about to change as it started bucketing down! so rather than stop to put the Top up, I kept going which on balance at the time seemed to be the best thing I could do, which just shows how wrong you can be!

As there were Roadworks everywhere on a normally well lit dual carriageway but since those lights were missing, I really had a job to see the Speedo, which of all things wasn't ideal with constantly changing Speed Limits as they had the Road up

So I made up my mind when I got back to base, that I would get some Brighter Bulbs for the Instrument Binnacle and though I went and got the Bulbs, I never got round to fitting them, not until To-day, as I seldom do any Night Driving but with Her Annual MOT Test due in December this year, To-day just seemed the ideal time to do that

Where just in case you may be thinking of doing exactly the same, because those Standard Bulbs are as 'Dull as Dishwater' then hopefully this may help you to get the job done

Though first of course you are going to need some New Bulbs, which were 5 watt Classic Bulbs that I got off ebay, from 'Greg's recommendation



Getting the Bulbs was easy though fitting them is 'Fun' and needs a gentle touch as you will see, as you have to take the Instrument Binnacle right out of the Dashboard, which is nowhere near as difficult as it looks although a Magnetic Pick-up Tool will come in very handy just in case you drop a Screw, as you almost certainly probably will together with a Magnetic Screwdriver

Just like the one I lent to a Friend and have never got back!

Ok so now the First thing to do, is get the Steering Wheel back as far as you can, easy on a 1989 Car as you just undo that big knurled Collar the pull it right back or if you've got a 1990 then push the little lever and drop the Steering Wheel down

Then once having done so its time to remove those Plastic 'Cheek Pieces' that go either side of the 'Binnacle' and this is where you need the gentle touch, as you don't want to break that hard Plastic

These are held in with just 3 Screws, so undo the one at the Top first of all and then do the ones at each side



Undo the one at the Top first and then do the ones at each side






Having first removed those 3 Screws, you have to very gently 'wrangle' those 'Cheek Pieces' out, where a Blunt Flat Knife could help you here



Be very, very Careful you don't break this very flimsy piece of plastic



Once those 'Cheek Pieces' are out of the way, the next two Screws you need to remove are hidden behind a couple of even more Fragile Blanking Pieces which snap out, where once again Care is needed to make sure that you don't Snap the Plastic Clips



Once the Plastic Blanking Pieces are out of the way, you will see 2 Screws on either side and all 4 need to come out



The Outside Screws hold the Binnacle and the Inside Screws hold the Row of Warning Light Covers that come off separately



Undo the Screws for the Warning Light Covers and gently pull the Covering Strip out



Now the Binnacle is free, gently pull it down



As you pull the Binnacle down, be Careful not to damage the Printed Circuit

Then once having done so pull the Binnacle far enough forward, to get your hand behind it to remove the Two Multiplugs that have Squeeze together Clips to undo them, where unlike the 1990 Cars Jaguar have been generous with the Length of Wire on these Plugs, so you should get your hand in there 'No Problem!' (famous last words!)




With the Binnacle out of the Car, you can see the Multiplugs now left behind



Well done! if you got this far and next the Fun Part Starts, when you remove those Dim Old Bulbs and then replace them with 'Bright Ones!'

To be Continued.............

 

Alex
This is a really useful thread, loads of people have to get the binnacle out, and the first time you do it, everyone is terrified and nobody really knows what they will have to do.. This part of your thread is worth copying into a sticky, IMO, when it has been finished.
By the way, on my 1985 car the amount of loom on the plugs is practically zero, and they are an absolute sod to get back into their slots!

 

Hi Greg

The First Time I took a Binnacle out (or rather the GF took the Binnacle out!) on my 1990 XJS V12 because I couldn't figure out how to drop the Steering Wheel, as I was apparently pushing the Lever the Wrong Way! It came out very easily although the same as with your Car, there was very little room to get your Hand around the back in order to pull out the Multiplugs

Where having got the Binnacle out, I missed the opportunity of Changing all the Bulbs and so it looks as if I may have to do all of that all over again in the future!

But on the one that I've just done (my 1989 XJS) it was Changing the Bulbs that really freaked me out, which was such a nerve jangling job that by the time I'd finished, beads of sweat were running down the Dashboard, as like other things in life there is a knack to it and almost nothing about what to do in the Hand Book

How to Remove The Speedo Binnacle on an XJS 4.0L How to remove The Speedo Binnacle on an XJS 4.0L 6 Cylinder Car

How to Remove The Speedo Binnacle on a 1990 XJS V12 How to Remove The Speedo Binnacle on a 1990 XJS V12