So I made this post a while back:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...stions-188135/

And I was supposed to add pictures. Thought I thought I’d show of Grrtrude and do a rundown of where I am at with her. I guess I should have picked better scenery but I snapped these while pulled over to inspect an issue (more below).




The Profile



The Stance



Oh my God Becki

Before purchasing the following was inspected / changed:
• Checked for belt noises when engine running (no issues)
• Checked condition of fuel injection hoses (wonderful condition)
• Checked all electrical functions (at the time all in working order )
• Transmission and torque converter had been replaced by dealer before putting the car up for sale
• All fluids replaced
• Got printout of a compression test (all cylinders were well with tolerance of each other)

So first thing I did was replace the failed struts on the hood so that it would stay open (very helpful for getting work done). Unfortunately the PVC pipes I cut to hold the hood open slipped and I cracked one of the front hinges. I found a pair but it will be a while till they arrive as they are in Fort Lauderdale right now. I have a hood gap that I cannot align until the hinges come in.

The car pulled to the right quite a bit so I took it to get aligned. While getting the front end aligned the subframe bushing/mounts were replaced as they had cracked. This also caused some uneven wear on the front tires so I had them replaced as well.

I am also having headlight issues as posted here:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...uation-188581/

I was dead set on it being a relay issue. User Doug told me to start thinking this out on a more basic level and I should have listened because it was only after purchasing a new relay that I started to do so. I am pretty sure it is actually the switch and that is on order.

Another user recommended Archoil fuel injector cleaner. Yesterday I threw a bottle of AR6400-G in the tank before filling her up. I decided to put some miles on the car to let the cleaner work its way through and now I have a new issue:

Rear wobble / sway. Very pronounced at slow speeds and quite the butt-wiggle at higher speeds. I made it home (carefully) and didn’t have time to do anything but take a cursory look for any tire issue and didn’t see anything. I don’t have a lift so I will be taking this in to get inspected. I am hoping it is something as simple as getting rear bushings replaced and a back-end adjustment but if someone has a similar story I would like to hear it.

So outside of the headlight and back-end wobble here are my plans:

• Change all filters (outside of oil which was just done)
• Change spark plugs and cables
• Replace fan with better after market option (current fan is stock and in good shape so this is longer term)
• Pro-actively replace fuel injection tubing
• Replace center console wood (interior is near flawless except for cracking in the center console laminate)
• Replace reverse light lenses (the yellowing kind of spoils the rear)
• Get some exhaust work done – removing the resonators and moving to 2.25” pipes are supposed to help the machine breath a bit better
• Replace rotors and pads – rotors are just 3mm away from being outside of Texas state inspection thresholds

Some of these will be done sooner than others and for things I can’t do on my own - I already have a mechanic I love. He is almost done rebuilding an ’87 XJS from the ground up and about to throw a Chevy 350 engine in it. Needless to say he knows what he is doing.

If anyone can recommend a make/model of rotors and pads that would be a big help. I tried searching the threads and couldn’t find a “what I bought” as much as discussions of problems.

Also the front bushings were replaced with original Jag parts that I believe are rubber. Is there a recommended alternative part using a polymer?

Thanks for reading!

 

Welcome to the forum.
EBC rotors are the very best and they make pads to go with them. If the car is used for fast driving, EBC are the only rotors I have not had warping problems with.
Jaguar (Metalastic brand) bushings are the absolute best if you want the legendary Jaguar ride/handling mix.
Your rear end problems are most likely to be caused by failed/failing rear radius arms and bushes, possibly by cage mounts delaminating also.
Good luck with the car. Stick at it and you will have a wonderful Grand Tourer
Greg

 

Nice car what colour is it? Gregs good isn't he!

 

 

I beleive the official color is named "Diamond Blue". In high sunlight it looks grey and light blue in the shadows.

 

I agree with Greg - Her Highness demanded R & R of the rear-end assembly, replacing all the worn-out bushings, a couple of bearings and the differential oil seals to keep fluid off the inboard rear discs. After that, she tracks straight and true!
Las Colinas? Save the name of your mechanic, please, as we plan to move back to the DFW area when I retire.

 

Throwing her on the lift tomorrow. Don't know if your interested in what I find but I'll report back.

 

Greg - good news!

Mechanic put the car up on a lift and two problems were glairing. There was a knot in the tire and the radial arm had become disconnected as a result. As a reminder I replaced the front tires but not the rear. The car was low mileage so I figured they were still good but it turns out they were just old.

The bad tire was replaced with the full size spare and the perfectly good arm was re-attached. Everything else was well inspected and found to be in top shape.

My mechanic even felt bad charging me the $100 minimum. I came in and said "I think all this stuff has failed." He could have just said "yep" and charged me an arm and a leg.

Love this guy!

Hood hinges came in today and now comes a hood alignment.

-martin