The Last time I bought a Battery for my V12 XJS must have been about 5 Years ago and this was an Exide Excell that was Rated at 62 AH and cost about £65 and has proved to be a really Amazing Performer that has never failed to Start my XJS

During the Winter all I do is to disconnect it and never even use a Battery Tender, as in the Spring all I do is connect it up and go, so hardly surprising that I am buying another one the same, as the Battery on my Merc has started to let me down

And so the plan is to take the Exide Excell off my XJS and put that on the Merc and then put a Brand New Exide Excell on my V12 XJS as even though this Battery is over 5 years old there is plenty of power left in there to start my 4 cylinder Merc

Where one of the most surprising this is that this Battery has gone down in Price, especially if you know where to look, as for me I can't resist a Bargain and at this price they are almost giving it away £51-73 including VAT and also Free Next Day Delivery, so having ordered it this morning, it should be with me Tomorrow from Tanya Batteries on Ebay (almost £10 Cheaper than on Amazon!)

The Length of this Battery is 242 X 175 and so should fit the Battery Tray just like the other one did but also like the last one I had, I ordered one with a Height of 190 because the most important thing for me was the Cold Cranking Amps and 62 AH

So being a little bit taller that the Correct one for my Car, I've made some Bespoke Battery Clamps to hold it in position, which means that I won't be able to put on the Cover, which I was well aware of before I placed my order as I don't want the cover on it anyway (but that's just me)

In the event that's not for you, then you can buy one of these Batteries that is not quite so high, so that you can put the Cover on it if you want to with the Correct Holding Clamps but as I like to mod stuff, this slightly taller Battery, was just what I wanted

Where according to the Tracking, it should be with me Tomorrow, being Saturday

So more about this Battery when it arrives...............

 

Great plan to have a bigger battery. I actually modded my tray so I could get the next size up in there, and it really does make a difference to the cranking speed. A really good mod, in my view.

From memory the length of the new one is 275 mm but the height is the same. Like you I fabricated a hold down, and I did manage to get the cover on.

 

Hi Greg

Same here and I would have gone even bigger than that but the next size up is longer, so wouldn't sit in the Tray and I'm also the same with the Fuel Pump and have moved it over so that I can easily change it by the Side of the Road as those Generic Fuel Pumps are so inexpensive that I always carry a Spare

£51-73 to buy a Top Quality 027 Battery like that, is so 'Crazy Cheap' that when it arrives, I am going to put New Batteries on the rest of my fleet and that includes my 'Smiley Transit' with the Crane on, that takes two massive Batteries under the Bonnet, that I am now in the process of turning into a Mobile Workshop just for fun!

And will be fitting an Inverter, in case we get any Blackouts with the Energy Crisis, so more on that later............

 

What is in the Box?



Looks Good and very well packed, that so reminds me of British Parts, where everything that I order from them looks like it has been delivered and packed by a Top London Store



Excited! feels like Christmas! (I need to get out more!) It's only a Battery!



Wowser! Top of the Range and Crazy Cheap! the last one I bought exactly like this cost me £14 more!



Although the Vetech has been good and has been on my Merc, it was getting past its best and was in need of replacing, especially during this Colder Weather when I had to put it on Charge overnight, so although I bought it for the Jag, I decided to deal from the Sensible deck and put it on the Merc before I got stranded and have now reordered another one for the XJS



Having installed it on the Merc the difference was amazing! and 'wanged' that engine over in a way that was hard to believe, so have no hesitation in ordering some more for the rest of my fleet!

 

Nice price. what does the 62ah equal to in cold cranking amps?

I ended up going with a redtop battery @ 880 cca (-18C) / 1000 amps (0C). cost me almost 380 cdn dollars but I think it is work it since it will hold a charge a very very long time and since i dont run my xjs often its been great. I havent had to put the charge on it since i got it in the spring where as the old one (which i got new in 2019 when i got the xjs) i had to put the charger on every month or so. and before you ask i have no draw on the battery. I checked lol.

 

It has 540 CCA, I think that is what the 540 means on the label.

 

I always go for the highest CCA rating for reasonable money. In the 4 litre XJS, I'm running a Varta with 77ah and 780 CCA. Current price is £77 at Tayna.co.uk which Alex also used.

When it comes to fitting a new battery in the pre-HE V12 (which I need to do know) I'll try and go for something similar. The problem is that the pre-HE uses a smaller battery than the 4 litre and it's difficult to find anything over 700 CCA in that size, so I might need to fabricate a different mount and tie bracket to use a larger battery.

Paul

 

Hi Paul(ptjs)

Hi Rescue (what Greg said about the CCA)

Hi Greg

You may not believe this but since I mentioned this Battery on the Forum, the price has increased from the price I paid of £51-73 to £61-38!!

So come on guys, try and find that same Battery Cheaper

One of the reasons why I like the Exide Excell, is because of the very Tough Case and also I've had one of these before, so that was reason enough for me to go and get another one the same

 

There is really no good time to go for an MOT (Ministry of Transport Test) but its just one of those 'Slings and Arrows' that we have to suffer every year

Although for many reasons that cannot be explained, or maybe just bad planning on my part, I somehow seemed to wind up with an MOT in December! that in the main was brought about by refurbing the IRS in my red XJS 'Cherry Blossom' where as a result I've been using '50 Shades' my Grey XJS

Not exactly a hardship as in someways '50 Shades' is my favorite one of the 2 or is that 3 or maybe even 4!

The reason being '50 Shades' is a 1989 which has a slightly more industrial vibe than my 1990, as for one thing '50 Shades' has that simply drop dead gorgeous heavy duty steering wheel, which is not only easy on the eye but also happens to feel like pure perfection in the hand and that is why I love this Car to bits

But when MOT time comes around, then you can never be really sure that something won't go wrong like for instance 'The Rolling Road' tearing off those little Hand Brake Pads, although since I had modded then I really felt that they were 'Bullet Proof' and in that respect they haven't let me down at least not yet!

As in my book the Hand Brake is only used for Two Things! and One is just a Couple of Clicks to raise or lower the Soft Top and the other is just to hopefully pass the MOT and in this respect I never ever use the Hand Brake for Parking, I just put her into 'P' on the Shifter, which reduces the possibility of ever accidentally leaving it on, as replacing those Hand Brake Pads is a Total PIA Job!

Except that this was not my main concern, as my Car Tax was about to run out and to make matters worse if they could get worse (Spoiler Alert! Things did get Worse as in very, very Worse!) my 'Go To' MOT Place was booked up to the hilt

Where while I could go to a pre-booked MOT without Road Tax in this day and age where they're clamping down on every little thing, not having any Road Tax is let's face it not a very good look for all of those APNR Cameras, where I would have stuck out like a bit of a sore thumb

But Since my MOT Shop have got to know me well, they always try and go the extra mile and managed to fit in my MOT at the very last moment!

So off we go!

Well sort of anyway, as in order to get there, I had to run the Gauntlet of a Road I absolutely hate!

Which is a manic dual Carriageway where everyone seems to go Crazy and in fact the very one on which I broke down on the last time, where the Alternator Belt snapped and knocked out the CPS which then cut the engine dead and stopped her in her tracks, with almost nowhere to pull off the road

So I was really hoping that Lightning wouldn't strike twice, although un-beknown to me, it was about to!

As going through some Roadworks, where the Tarmac was removed, I felt a Bump as '50 Shades' fell down an unmarked ramp but as there was nowhere to stop, all that I could do was carry on as '50 Shades' has gone through worse than that and it wasn't such a big bump anyway

And so arriving for the MOT I was greeted by a Cheery Wave! although things were about to taste as sour as lemon drops, once '50 Shades had been put on the Lifter, as when She was raised up in the Air, the Silencer fell off onto the floor!

No, No, No, That's not quite right! 'Both Silencers Fell Off!

OMG! I'm thinking! with the best will in the World '50 Shades' will never pass that MOT Test now!

Unless of course that's not part of the Test?

Which was Wishful Thinking on my part because of course it was and in that moment I was feeling doomed in a very Big Way!

The problem was those OEM Exhaust Clips were clearly designed for 'Wafting' along, rather than falling down holes, whereas such the outlook was looking very bleak to say the least and though my MOT guy will always go the extra mile for me and as such is always willing to help me out with any little problem

Today of all days they were so fully booked that they just hadn't got time, so I just said No Problem I will fix it myself right here and now!

As I never go for an MOT without a Shedload of Tools and Spare Parts in the Boot/Trunk, that to day of all days was about to come in very handy, as in the Boot/Trunk I had some spare Clips and Exhaust Brackets that were much more Heavy Duty than the OEM Plus a very useful gift that 'Santa' brought me, in the 'Black Friday' Sales

But more about that in my next post because it is Sooo Good! that you might want one!

So putting the Silencers back on the Pipes, was not just a 'Walk in the Park' but something I managed to do so quick with a little bit of Help from my MOT Guy, that they nearly offered me a Job!

Only of course in my dreams because my Merc and my XJS are the only two Cars that I know how to fix!

So I think it would be fair to say that the Planets were aligned and I got Lucky!

As did '50 Shades' who Passed her Test!

 

I've been wanting to get my hands on these for a very long time, as a couple of years ago I bought a Chinesium one, that only lasted a couple of weeks of light use before it caught fire but I'm not gonna name and shame anyone, as their Customer Service was Superb and they even gave me a refund with no questions asked, perhaps I just got unlucky as some of these Chinese Tools are really good!

So this time I decided to stick to a well known Brand, where after watching all the Reviews on YouTube, no one had so much as a single bad word to say about them and in fact they were being universally praised up to the roof tops and so that was what I decided to go for



A couple of Super Quality 'Mid Range Tools' that I can't live without!

'Spanners Are So Last Year!

On the left a 1/2 inch Impact Wrench that many of you are familiar with that has different Torque Settings and a Variable Speed Trigger, that is ideal for the Heavy Stuff like removing Rusty Nuts and Bolts of for Removing Wheels

While it little Brother on the Right is absolutely perfect for the Smaller Stuff and with so many accessories, that out of the Two, this ones 'The Swiss Army Knife' and so your ever loving Significant Other, will never be stuck for a nice little present to give you, as to will your Relatives where it is almost Traditional to fall out with at this time of Year! Ask me how I know or rather don't



More Accessories for this than you can shake a stick at!



Perfect for those awkward little jobs around the house



Miniature drill chuck ideal for Pilot Holes using regular drill bit although the 1/4 Shank ones will just Click straight in, although I've just reminded myself that I haven't got any of those, so they have now been added to my 'Wish List'



If you are using drill screws, this makes that job a Breeze!



This 10mm Chuck is perfect for all sorts of stuff



Can also be used with or without an extender for driving screws



Adapter for Larger Sockets although you could be better off with the 1/2 inch Impact Wrench if you need to go this big

Price wise they were a Bargain on any day of the Week as the 1/2 inch one was around £60 including a 4AH Battery and Charger while the Smaller one of the two was around £30 without any Battery or Charger, although I had a very 'Cunning Plan!'

As I wanted to also buy myself a Pole Saw, to chop down all those Branches that are hanging over my Garage with my XJS inside and this Pole Saw also came with a Battery and Charger of its own, so when I'm not using the Pole Saw, I'll always have a Spare Battery on Charge

You can also Buy a smaller 2 AH Battery that could come in very handy for getting in tight spaces under your XJS but probably best to stay with the 4 AH one whenever you can, as this will last a lot longer in between Charging

So now for the $64,000 Question, if you could only afford to buy One, then which One should you go for?

For any Heavy Wrenching or undoing Rusty Nuts and Bolts, I think the 1̣/2 inch one may be the obvious Choice, especially for Removing Wheels that the Smaller one would Struggle with, unless you go and Crack the Nuts with a Torque Wrench, then you can just whiz those Wheel Nuts off in a Snap, as that is the most Laborious part of the Process

Where in any event you'll need a Torque Wrench when you put them back, where in my own experience many Shops don't do, which maybe Ok until the day that you have to change a Wheel by the side of the road and so regardless of which Impact Wrench I decide to use

I always use a Torque Wrench to 'Crack the Nuts' before I take them off or put them on

As for myself a 'Hobbyist' who knew absolutely nothing before I joined this Forum, I tend to be using the Smaller one of the Two a whole lot more, for as has been already said this 'Rinky Dinky' Smaller one is the 'Swiss Army Knife' of Wrenches that I now find I cannot live without

Although the definitive answer would be to go and buy them 'Both!'

 

Hi OB,

I keep meaning to get a cheap battery-powered impact wrench, so I might pop down to Lidl and have a look at those Parkside ones, as their cheap air tools were always ok for the money, as budget tools. Tks for the recommendation.

I'm sure it's different with battery impact wrenches, but I'd never use a manual torque wrench to try and undo a seized nut. My late old Dad always told me that if I overloaded a manual torque wench, it would strain the spring and mess up the calibration so it couldn't be trusted again. He then bought me a 30" breaker bar and told me to always use that instead!

Cheers

Paul

 

Peter is right, A.J. buy yourself a breaker bar, or use the impact wrench, now you have three! (one mains, two battery!)

 

Hi Greg and Paul (ptjs)

With respect Greg, have a re-read of my post, the Torque Wrench was just for the Wheel Nuts

For Rusty Bolts then I'd just let the Impact Driver go and do its thing and if that doesn't work then I would use the Mains Powered Impact Driver, that has never met a Nut it can't undo!

 

Hi Paul (ptjs)

I also got mine from there and was going to buy one last year, as in November they loads of those things on the shelves but as there was still a Month to run until Christmas, I with hindsight foolishly decided to leave it a little bit nearer the time, as about 3 weeks before Christmas 2021 there was not one to be seen! everything was gone including the Batteries and Chargers

When I asked the Manager what had happened to them, I was told they had all been sent back!

I just couldn't believe it! one of the most sought after 'Boys Toys' taken off the shelves just before Christmas

Almost the same thing happened this year, so I went and bought mine in November just to make sure that I didn't miss out this time and so I think you will be lucky if you get one, as I have seen these on ebay for almost double the price!

Though if you get unlucky and I really hope you don't, I bought another Amazing piece of Kit from the same Store, that was so unusual that it really blew me away and exceeded all my expectations and was one of those things that I never knew I wanted

But before I tell you what it is and what it does better than anything that I have ever seen, I'll have to get some Photos as it really is that good!

 

Whenever you Bleed the Teves Brakes, you need to Bleed the 'Low Pressure Side of the System' that is basically nothing more than removing all the Air from the Pipe that goes from the Reservoir to the Brake Pump

If you look at the Back of the Firewall you can see it very easily, where being Gravity Fed its Not under Pressure but even so don't attempt to turn on the ignition while you do this

Its a fairly easy job in the Scheme of Things but it's going to make a bit of a mess, so stuff old rags around the Pump and wash down any Spills with Soapy Water or the Brake Fluid will strip the Paintwork, so do be mindful of that

Also be Careful not to Break the Plastic Elbow that goes into the Brake Pump, as you may not be able to easily get a replacement, the basic Principle being that with the Reservoir Topped right up, you pull the Plastic Elbow out of the Brake Pump to let the Brake Fluid run Free into a Jar

Then reconnect it on the Fly while the Brake Fluid is still running, above all try not to Panic as it can be a little bit Scary if you haven't done this before and you can always put your finger over the end to stop the Flow while you settle your Nerves

Here's my Original Thread:



Lots of requests on how to do this so I am re-posting this updated Version so that I know where to find it to help those who may be having this problem
IGNITION OFF! AT ALL TIMES!

(1) Have a Jar and some Rag standing by and then Cover all exposed Paintwork with Old Towels and also have a Bucket of Soapy Water close at hand to Sluice down any accidental Brake Fluid Spills

(2) Pull the Locking Pin out of the Plastic Elbow of the Brake Pump

(3) Jiggle and Pull the Plastic Elbow out of the Brake Pump being Careful not to break it, as its made of very Brittle Plastic

(4) As soon as you pull the Elbow out Brake Fluid will Start to run out but as its not under pressure put your finger over the end to control the flow Brake Fluid as you catch it in the Jar

(5) Let the Brake Fluid flow into the Jar until it runs Bubble Free (just takes Seconds) and then while the Brake Fluid is Still running out Put the Elbow back in the Brake Pump and lock it in place with the Pin

(6) Its a bit of a messy process so mop up any Brake Fluid Spills with old rag and wash down with a little water but try not to Spill any Brake Fluid so you don't have to do that

That's all there is to it!

In a 'Nutshell' you are Gravity Feeding Brake Fluid from the Reservoir to the Brake Pump via the long Metal Tube that runs across the Back of the Firewall while getting rid of any Air Bubbles just before it goes into the Brake Pump at the Plastic Elbow end

This must be done 'on the fly' while the Brake Fluid is still flowing, as you push the Elbow back into the Brake Pump

The Brake Fluid is only Gravity Fed, so its not going to come squirting out and you can put your finger over the end of the Plastic Elbow if you want to stop the Flow for any reason

Its Best to have an Assistant (who knows what they are doing) to keep the Reservoir Topped up as you do this, as if any Air gets in then you will have to do it all over again!

Do not let the Reservoir run dry

Be very Careful not to let any Brake Fluid drip on the Paint Work, or it will just Strip the Paint off in an instant and potentially ruin your Car

Don't Panic its not quite as Scary as it sounds as the Brake Fluid is flowing out under Gravity and Not under Pressure!

Then having done that go and re-bleed all the Brakes all over again!

I Know its a bit of a PIA but if there is even one Bubble of Air in the System, then it will never be right

Either use the Tried and Trusted method described by Paul (ptjs)

Or My Gravity Bleeding Method

But don't Mix and Match them either use one or the other but after Gravity Bleeding the results of this are so good that I will never do it any other way

Don't Panic! as Bleeding the Low Pressure Side can seem a little bit Scary

And don't drip any Brake Fluid on the Paint!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 10-04-2022 at 06:45 PM.

Next Post:

What to do if your XJS suddenly dives to the right when you Slam on the Brakes

Could be a Broken Ribbon Wire in the Valve Block that could cost you hundreds of Dollars for a Shop to fix

This is a very easy and inexpensive Repair that should cost no more than $50 and when its all done it should be better than New

But Please resist the Temptation to take the Valve Block off and have a look:

(1) Because You don't need to and if you take the Valve Block off, then you could make things worse! with 'O' rings and all sorts of stuff falling out!



Here is my Video to Show you how to do the Tick/Click Test to check the Valves are opening and closing

How to do the Click/Test on the Teves Master Cylinder Actuator (VIDEO)

If one of those Valves isn't 'Clicking' then the Chances are that you have got a Broken Ribbon Connector

If you Car Violently pulls to the Right under Sudden Braking (not just drifting but trying to ****** the Wheel out of your hand) then there is even more of a chance its a Broken Ribbon Connector

A very easy and inexpensive Fix (in the Scheme Of Things) that will make it even better than when it was New!

A Shop could charge a Fortune for this if only they knew how but if you do this yourself it will be 'Peanuts!'

(1) Drain the Reservoir and have plenty of Old Towels at the ready in order to keep any dripping Brake Fluid off the Paint or it will Strip it!

(2) Undo the 4 Bolts that secure the Master Cylinder Actuator to the Fire Wall and disconnect the Plugs

(3) Don't bother removing the Reservoir just lift the whole thing out in one piece

(4) Lay the Master Cylinder Actuator on its Side so that the Valve Block Cover is uppermost

(5) Very (as in very, very Carefully, remove the Cover and look inside) where you may see the Broken Ribbon Wire

(6) Take Photos and make a little sketch of what Ribbon goes where

(7) Put the Cover back on just finger tight

(8) Take the whole thing to your Local Radio/Shack and again very Carefully remove the Cover in front of them, making sure to tell then that if they turned it upside down all the Valves could drop out under their own weight

(9) Ask the Radio Shop to Re-Wire ALL the Valves not just the Broken one with High Temp Silicone Wire and then put the Cover back on

(10) That's it 'Job Done' $25-$50 then put it back in the Car and Bleed the Brakes!

Most Important before you Bleed the Brakes, you need to Bleed the Low Pressure Side of the System or else you'll be wasting your time

How to Bleed the Low Pressure Side of the System

Unless you are a professional Soldering Technician who for instance was Trained in the Military, I would strongly advise you to leave the Job of Soldering and rewiring the Valve Block to the Experts at a Professional Soldering Shop, where as mentioned there is no need to remove the Valve Block

Where in fact its better not to disturb it at all

Good Luck

Alex

 

Hi Guys

I've been looking everywhere for this Thread from djinaustin, which has a very useful diagram and lots of information on Testing and Re-Wiring the Teves Valve Block, including a drawing of what Wire goes where

Pure Gold if you ever need to know about this Stuff, so Props to djinaustin for this incredible Thread

How to rewire the Teves Valve Block with Thanks to djinaustin

 

 

You never told us what it was.

 

Hi Robinus

My Phone Camera isn't working and that's why I haven't Posted anything for a looooong While!

 

Come onAlex, with your bargain hunting credentials, I am sure a visit to the charity shop will turn up a new Iphone still in its box for 15 quid!