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LnrB Nailed it (as has come to be expected!) with 'Boom Lift' aka 'Cherry Picker' here in the (UK)
Also Paul (ptjs) with that Super Photo of something so ginourmous, that I'd never get it down my driveway
Cherry 'P' (not Cherry 'B') is on the back of a 2.5 Ton Truck that up to now I haven't been able to Start but that could well be because She has an immobilizer that is not shown in the Manual, as it was Aftermarket and I've only just managed to find it
Where the electrics under the Bonnet have been a bit of a 'Nightmare' to sort out, requiring a bit of a re-wire by myself, who quite simply knows not very much about that sort of thing, or to be more accurate absolutely 'nothing!'
But at least I'm only playing around with 12 Volts instead of 240 Volts this time!
I still maintain that I have got a Bargain! but only once I have managed to get her started but even Today the Weather has been so Freezing Cold that I'm not making very much progress
This 'Cherry Picker' is just like mine, except that this one's working! and not being new, of course it was a lot cheaper!
Yep that would be called a "Boom Truck" as I know it. The one posted by Paul, I've heard called a couple different things. Most common is a Man Lift, or a remote Manlift. As it can be worked from the basket for repositioning, without having to come down from the basket. We've rented / used one at the school several times. Very handy thing to have.
After Two Traumatic MOT's One of them for my XJS and the other for 'The Merc' my Daily Driver getting both Cars ready for 'The Summer'
I felt the need to indulg in a little bit of Retail Therapy!
The only problem being that there was nothing I needed or even wanted to buy!
Oh! but wait hang on a Minute! whats that piece of 'Junkmail' that's just come through the door!
Except this wasn't 'Junkmail' but instead a list of Special offers from one of my Favorite High Street Stores, offering 25% off many of their Tools, especially as their Quality is really Second to None and that's the reason I buy all my Tools there, including my Plasma Cutter and my Cordless Impact Wrenches
But my latest Acquisition, was a Gadget that I must have just walked by a dozen times, because I wasn't really sure if this was something that I was in need of or not, which was an Angle Grinder Cut-Off Stand, that was already Cheap enough at only around £14
Though with the Special Offer of 25% OFF how the heck was I supposed to resist a Bargain like that?
Where in Answer to my own Question, I just couldn't resist a Bargain like that 'So I didn't'
At which point things then started to go 'Pear Shaped' as I suddenly realized that there were loads of other Tools I either really needed or else wanted to buy, so with the 'Discount Devil' inside me, Temptation took me buy the hand and I just went Bananas! and really filled my Boots with loads of Stuff
That included things I didn't need! like another 5inch Angle Grinder that with the 25% off only came to £19 so really resisting a Bargain Like that for a Bargain Hunter like me, was now never going to happen till 'Hell Freezes Over'
So having got back to base I decided to put the Angle Grinder Cut Off Stand together, which really looked so Simple to do, that I just tossed the Instruction Manual to one side, which with the 'Benefit of Hindsight' could have been a little bit of a mistake! even though their Manuals are the Best in the Business!
Looking deceptively simple, according to the picture on the Box
OMG! where on earth do all those bits and pieces go? (Note to self read the Manual where it's all clearly explained!) but after two Traumatic MOT Tests I really wasn't in that kind of mood
Having got the first part on, I then resorted to YouTube
Things were now becoming Clear but what were all these Nuts and Bolts left over?
What would we do without YouTube, where I found these excess Nuts and Bolts were there in case you happened to have a different make of Angle Grinder!
Doh! I should have sussed that out but with the Dim and Dismal Weather, I clearly wasn't firing on all Cylinder, where to make matters worse if they could get worse, 'Her Indoors' had now got our lunch ready, so I didn't have a Chance to try it out, at least not yet!
But as an aside while on YouTube, I came across a 'Car Chase' that I have to say was Arguably almost better than the one in 'Bullet'
I'd love to see the whole Film it looks really good
After being battered by a Month of Storms, there were Trees down everywhere at 'Orange Blossom Towers' where a massive great Branch was hanging, literally by a 'Thread' over the entrance to the Garage, where I keep '50 Shades' my Grey XJS as well as 'Cherry Blossom' which is my Red one
The 'Tree of Doom' as I call it, that was hanging over the entrance to this Garage, was about 30ft high and was almost impossible to reach, using something like a Normal Ladder
And so I did the Sensible thing that many people would do and rang around to get some Quotes from Professional Tree Guys, as the 'Tree of Doom' is waiting and still hanging by a 'Thread' for me to back the Car out of the Garage, before it decides to come Crashing Down on my precious XJS
But what was almost worse than the thought this could possibly happen, were the Crazy Quotes I got to cut the Overhanging Branch of 'The Tree of Doom' Down, many of which were in the region of £600
So surely this was something, that I could do myself, as if you can Fix an XJS anything else should be as easy as falling off a log, though hopefully not the one hanging over my Garage! 'I Mean How Hard Can It Be!' providing you've got the right Tools for the Job!
So I just went out a bought a 'Cherry Picker' 'As You Do' except that instead of going out, I bought it 'Sight Unseen' Over the Phone! as based on the description and the fact it was only a 'Grand!' it had to be the Bargain of the Year, as it was a 'Runner' with Stratospheric Low Mileage!
And I've never heard of anyone 'Clocking The Mileage' on a 'Cherry Picker' as once on Site, they very often don't go anywhere, as its not the Sort of Vehicle that you use for going Shopping!
So any resistance to buying this soon evaporated, like 'Dew on the Steps on a Hot Summers Day' and so I just had to say Yes! and so having spent a bit of time (a lot of time) widening the entrance to 'Orange Blossom Towers' 'Cherry P' My Cherry Picker, a Machine I'd never seen Suddenly Turned Up!
Where though the actual size of it was starting to Freak me Out! it had to be the Ultimate 'Big Boys Toy' and as for me Over All, I was overjoyed with my New Purchase, as it was just the Thing to cut that Overhanging Branch down before it fell on my Car!
Except of course there was only 'One Small Problem' (make that a Big One!) as I'd somehow managed to lose the separate Key to the Immobilizer! without which it just wouldn't Start, even with a Wire connected directly to the Self Starter!
And so another 'Nightmare' was now just about to begin, as you just can't ring up and order another Key, which contains a Programmed Micro Chip, you have to get hold of someone who fits immobilizers to come along with their Lap Top and programme you a New Key
And this could easily Cost as much as what I paid for the 'Cherry Picker' Well maybe not exactly that much but some of them really know how to Charge for this Service
At which point I got to thinking, who needs an Immobilizer anyway!
As the 'Cherry Picker' is so big it would be hard to Steal, so obviously I decided that the best way forward was to remove it, which is exactly what I did to the Immobilizer on '50 Shades' my Grey XJS
Which was in fact so easy to do, that I was starting to wonder why the previous owner quite possibly paid around £500 to have this fitted, so obviously now considering myself, to be a bit of an expert in this field!
Then removing the one from the 'Cherry Picker' would be a 'Walk in the Park'
Except of course it was anything but!
And probably far easier to try and Climb Mount Everest in a 'Tee Shirt' and a Pair of Carpet Slippers!
As in order to find the Immobilizer, you literally had to take the Car apart!
Or maybe not! as I came up with a Cunning Plan! which was to find whereabouts of where the Ignition Switch was Plugged in and if so had it been altered!
So looking underneath the 'Dash' I eventually found the Plug that was wrapped in Insulation Tape to try and hide it up! so after what seemed like forever, I managed to cut all of this old Tape away
Just a Tiny Fraction of all the Tape I found, which eventually led me on to a 'Rats Nest' of Wires
Which one do I cut?
Its no good asking me, cause I don't know! although I somehow felt myself being drawn to Black and Yellow! so I cut that one, at which point I started to see the way this Total Bodge Up, had been put together
The Wires to the Immobilizer had somehow been Spliced in and the Original Ignition Wires had been Chopped off, to prevent you from joining them back together!
So in order to get around this the only thing I needed to do was to take the Switch off the back of the Ignition Switch and then replace it with a New One, as after all it was only held on by a Couple of 'Tiny Screws' that were almost impossible to see or even get to!
Having seen the 'Bodge Up' that the Installer of this Immobilizer made, I see this as another one Good Reason, to never Trust a Garage with your XJS or in this Case my 'Cherry Picker' if you can learn to Fix it yourself, either that or Shedloads of Money burning a Hole in your Pocket
Because if they can do it so can you, as most if not all Immobilizers come with Fitting Instructions and the one that was fitted to '50 Shades' Simply had to go! as it would go off in 30 Seconds every time that I Filled up with Petrol and then the Car wouldn't Start again until it had been re-set
There are better ways of protecting your Car that I can't go into here for obvious reasons, that just require a little imagination that any potential Car Thief would need to be a Jaguar Expert to find out, that in the Case of myself and 'Greg' had better leave their Tools at Home and instead bring a Crane!
But lest I digress its time to get back to the Plot, as the first thing that I had to do now was to remove the Ignition Switch from the Actual Lock Barrel, which as said was held together by Two Tiny Little Screws, that I knew were holding it but couldn't even see!
That were in the most awkward place that you could imagine, where to make matters worse if they could get worse had been there for Years and simply didn't want to come undone
So basically I just had 'One Shot' of getting these out without damaging the Screw Heads, as there would be no room to drill them out!
The Good News was I managed it, except the Bad News was it took EIGHT HOURS!
This is the Switch that goes on the back of the Ignition Barrel and the Two Tiny Screws that hold it all together took me 8 hours to remove!
As I had to be Careful, not to damage the Screw Heads
Or I would have to go and buy a brand new Steering Lock! where the prospect of taking that off, literally filled me with dread and would no doubt have cost Mega Bucks to buy!
And there it was gone! but not forgotten, as it was really not a job I'd really ever want to do again!
Having Finally Removed it from the Ignition Barrel ('Thingy') I now had Two Choices, which was to either Re-Wire it and put on a New Plug, or else buy a New One from Somewhere!
But where on Earth can I manage to buy one of those?
Amazon to the rescue and it only Cost me £12.95 so it made sense to buy a New one, as these days there's almost nothing that Amazon don't sell and they delivered it to my door, just half an hour ago after placing my Order at Midnight last Night!
I don't even know if its going to fix the problem, as I haven't even unboxed it yet!
Its took dark to see and its Time for my Tea, so I will have to do it Tomorrow!
One of the Life Lessons I have learned on during my tenure owning a Classic Jaguar;
No task involving a Jaguar, even remotely, or in the most obscure or peripheral manner will be a "simple job."
Each small part of that overall project will have sub-projects, which have numerous unforeseen details to work out, and each of those will have a couple dozen tentacles leading into seemingly completely unrelated directions, all of which require resolution before the job is completed successfully and one can draw a line under it.
My neighbor calls this sort of thing Job Security.
Only special, unique and interesting people own Jags, especially Elderly ones.
Jaguar Ownership is a Character Building Experience that one will get nowhere else.
No question about it. We're all Such characters!!
(';')
Lots of unconnected Jobs have to come together, to get you to the place you need to be which right now is driving my XJS but right now a Branch from the 'Tree of Doom' is hanging right in the way and has no intention of Crashing down, until my Jag is right underneath it!
And since I don't have a 20ft Ladder and even if I had I wouldn't Climb it, I either call in the Tree Guys and have nothing to Show for the money I've spent, or spend the same sort of money on a 'Cherry Picker'
Which will be very useful for pruning all my Trees of which there are many
The only problem being that although 'It was running when parked' it isn't running now, because I somehow managed to lose the Immobilizer Key of which I don't have a Spare one and nor does the previous owner!
GF put the whole thing down to the Lunar Eclipse! and is so Paranoid about the whole thing, She won't even leave the house!
While I put it down to Carelessly dropping the Key and then Mowing the Lawn, in an effort to make sure that I that I will never be able to find it ever again!
I'm not sure that I can bring myself to tell you about my Ride-On Lawn Mower, that was refusing to Start namely because of all the Rain and Storms that we had been having, where the Connections on the Self Starter had got all Corroded
Top Tip from me, don't try this at home!
Don't ask Questions, Just don't!
Especially if your Lawn Mower has a Hydraulic Drive!
As you will see why in a moment!
If you can Fix an XJS then you can Fix a Ride-On Lawn Mower!
'I mean how hard can it be'
'Greg' who knows all about XJS's and Mowers, will Splutter his Morning Coffee, all over the Kitchen Table when he reads this!
And 'Grant' 'The Wizard of Oz' who's forgotten more about Jags than we will ever know, is probably all ready on the Phone to reserve me a Chapter in this very well known Book
As all I really had to do was to Clean the Contacts on the Starter Motor of My Super Duper Ride on Lawn Mower
So I grabbed a Tin of Brake Cleaner and then Sprayed it on the Contacts of the Starter Motor and since it was Washing the Grime away, I thought
do you know what! I might as well Clean the whole thing! so Sprayed the rest of the Mower with Contact Cleaner as well
So Far so Good! 'What could possibly go Wrong!'
Well wanting to make a good Job of this and being a bit OCD I took a Wire Brush to the Contacts of the Starter Motor, which then Completed the Circuit! as I hadn't bothered to disconnect the Battery
At which Point the Mower 'Burst into Life!' and then it 'Burst into Flames!' where the whole thing turned into a 'Fireball!'
But that's Not All! as because it had a Hydraulic Clutch and I'd disconnected the Safety Device, (which was always a PIA) because the Mower Started in Gear (As I had left it in Gear!)
This Flaming Mower! just took off while I was knelt down beside it and headed for the Trees!
Where while normally good in Emergencies!
I was so Shocked by what was happening, that for once in my life I just didn't know what to do but as I was running after it with the Garden Hose which in situations such as this is either tangled in a heap or not long enough
The GF had the presence of mind to Tip a Bucket of Water Over It and put the 'Flames Out'
At which point I'm really starting to think, that rather than take all the Blame myself
The Lunar Eclipse must have had a lot to do with it, as everything that can go wrong has gone and done just that!
Well advertised. I've followed the Darwin Awards for decades. An astonishing catalogue of ineptitude - & they don't even make the shortlist for winner !
It was really the last thing that I ever expected to happen, the whole thing took me by Surprise but not for the First Time the GF Saved the Day and has a new name for the Mower 'Flaming Nora'
Alex, I have heard it said by those who claim to know,
'There's more than one reason God had to make women.'
You probably should hang onto that one, she sounds like a rare one!
You at least deserve Honorable Mention in the Darwin Awards as it wasn't fatal... This time!
(';')
After taking only 8 Hours to remove a Couple of inaccessible Screws that wouldn't undo, I ordered a New Ignition Switch from Amazon, which thankfully looked exactly the same as the one I had just taken off
Except of course that fitting it was looking like another potential Nightmare!
Even the Plugs looked exactly the same, so who knows when its fitted, then it might even work! (or then again maybe not)
The problem was these Tiny Screws (shown alongside an SD card) so you can see just how small they were, just kept falling on the Floor, every time I tried to Screw them into holes I couldn't even see (not even with a Mirror on a Stick!)
In the end I had to Glue the Screws to the Tip of a Screwdriver, which finally did the Trick! (Just 2 Hours Later!)
At last I'd got the New Switch in Place, so all I had to do now was to Clip the Plug into its Socket, Turn the Key and off we go! (or maybe Not!)
Because what you can't see in this Photo and I couldn't see at the time, was that whoever had fitted this Immobilizer, also Chopped a couple of Wires off the back of the Socket that the Plug went into and not only that but left them so Short that there was nothing left to join onto
Which sort of left me with a Major Problem, as I think they were for the Dash Board and if that does not light up, then She will not Start, so now I've got to figure out how to join a couple of Wires together, when all I can see are just the Stubs of the Wires that he cut off
Still no drive out this Year! as although we've had a Couple of Nice Days, overall the Weather has been 'Sketchy' often turning to Rain in the Afternoon, so not what I'd call the best day for having the Top down
As it turned out this could have been a Blessing in Disguise, as the 'Broken Tree of Doom' now hanging by a Thread is ready and waiting to come crashing down on the Car!
Which was one of the main reasons for buying a 'Cherry Picker' aka 'Cherry P' which was not just a Bargain! but only a Couple of Hundred Pounds more than calling in a Tree Guy to come and Cut that Branch down
Although of course it all went wrong when I somehow managed to lose the Key to the Immobilizer, which has meant that without this, I couldn't get 'Cherry P' Started!
So there was only one thing to do and that was to somehow remove the Immobilizer, as getting another Key for this, can be quite a long drawn out and expensive process, which would also have meant the removal of the Dashboard that it had been buried behind
And nowhere near as simple to do as removing the Immobilizer from my XJS which was a bit of a 'Walk in the Park' even though I had never done anything like this before, as all I really had to do was look at the really amateur way that had tried to disguise the Wires with insulation tape
Which basically meant just Cutting the Immobilizer Wires and then rejoining it to the Original Wiring
Except of course that 'Cherry P' presented more of a Challenge. as whoever fitted it was determined to make sure, that removing the Immobilizer was going to be an almost impossible job!
By Cutting back all the Original Wiring, so that it could not be reconnected, which for Starters meant a New Ignition Switch, surprisingly Cheap at only £12 although it took 8 Hours for me to fit, as the Tiny little Screws did not want to come out and so I had to be Careful not to damage them
Then just as I was thinking that things couldn't get any worse they did just that!
And left me with the 'The Job from Hell' to sort out! as the Immobilizer Fitter, also cut the Wires back on the Socket that the Wiring for the Ignition Switch plugged into, where trying to remove what was left of those Wires that he had left behind in that Socket, was going to be a real Nightmare to sort out
Those Wires he Cut Short would have to come out to then be replaced by the OEM Wiring that was left behind tucked under the Dash and getting those two Stubs out was a Nightmare! as the Bladed Prongs that they are attached to, once pushed into the Holder Lock into Position and don't want to come out
In order to remove them you 'Supposedly' need a Kit of Special Tools, namely 'Pins and Needles' that I got off Amazon for about £5 that unless you are an Auto Electrician, you may use just once in your life and so I bought the Smallest Kit available
Even the Experts on YouTube concede that removing the Bladed Prongs from these Sockets isn't easy and requires a lot of practice as well as a bit pf a 'Knack' and so doing this for the very first time, proved a lot more difficult than you could ever imagine
Using the Kit was a waste of time, although I had much better luck, getting them out with a 'Pick' but only after I'd somehow managed to lever this locking mechanism down, which must have been designed by some 'Evil Genius' as getting those Blade Connectors out seemed to take for ever!
So Clever and Complicated that those Blades just don't want to come out!
One down and one to go! and one of the most Complicated jobs I've ever done! as although it looks a 'A Piece of Cake' it's anything but that!
After hours of struggling, I got there in the end and got the Blades out
So now all that I've got to do, is to cut the last two wires that are still attached to the Immobilizer and somehow put them back into the Socket and then of course hope that it Works as it may not!
Out of the great big Jumble of Wires that I had to sort out and then replaced the ignition Switch before I pulled apart the most complicated plug I'd ever seen, I only had Two Wires left, as up until now the Ignition Lights wouldn't come on
So seeing that I hadn't got a Clue what I was doing, I just cut those two wires that were under the Dash and then replaced them in the only two holes left in the Plug, before I turned religious and prayed to 'The Jaguar Gods' that at best it would work, or at worst not go off with a Bang!
So after Connecting the Batteries, the only thing left to do was turn the Key and this is what happened!
To my complete Astonishment, She Started on the Button! and ran like a Little Swiss Watch and so Tomorrow I'm hoping to Cut down the 'Tree of Doom' that's been hanging over my Car!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 05-07-2024 at 02:18 PM.
Hearty Congratulations from this side of The Pond!!
Just think, Alex, if you had just Paid those guys their Pound of Flesh to take that tree out it would be done Many times over by now.
But then, you wouldn't have had all this fun with Cheery P, would you.
Nor would we have had the last few months' entertainment reading this thread!
Although She Starts and Runs and Drives, the Boom will not lift up!
So I've either accidentally Cut the Wire to the Pump, as the PTO Switch is on the Dash (but does light up when you turn it) or 'Cherry P' is out of Hydraulic Oil
The other problem being the Alternator Light will not go out, I must have wired something up wrong, as it never did that before
The other problem being that the Mower that caught fire has burned out all the Wires for the Self Starter
The other problem being that the drive belt snapped on Mower number Two and I'm waiting for the replacement that has to Shipped from China
The other problem being that I don't have any more mowers and the Grass is Growing longer by the Second
Have you read fully through the Cherry Picker Manual to see the procedure that you have to follow? I'm guessing it's like the XJS Hood eg you need to have the van in Neutral (I assume it's an engine PTO, not a gearbox PTO? Do you need the handbrake on, or any other conditions set before the PTO engages etc?
It seems strange that the problem would be a wire that you've cut out for that immobiliser.
03-08-2024, 10:10 AM
