would have done that...
but the last of the real radiator shops has closed here...
after calling around NO ONE will rod out a radiator or re-core them...

If I do not take it out and make a trip to Seminole Alabama I am out of luck...

luck it is only 15 miles away... who knew...

I have no Idea what they are going to charge though as they would not give any guessitmates over the phone...

they are open on Tuesday Veterans day so I will pull it and drive it out to them Tuesday and Wed. I fly out to Conn. for training back on Saturday should be able to pick it up on Monday or have the Brother or sister-in-law pick it up before I get back if done before then... ( they live out that way...)

I will get to clean the rust and flaking paint off the fan shroud and repaint it with some nice high temp black I have... and a fan clutch is only 40.00 so while it is out... Fan clutch
with water in it, it does not run hot... runs just below the center line on the temperature gauge...

I will have a good look at the power steering system while all this is removed... no better time to inspect and replace things when the radiator is out of the way...
and clean and paint things too... too bad I will be out of town most of the time I expect it to be done before I return...

 

A year Later....


new Wizard Cooling AL. radiator in place the fan shroud stripped and painted, OEM Yellow fan was cracked, (noticed by some one on here in one of my pictures) replace w the upgraded OEM BLACK fan. Top plate cleaned and painted. the tube across the top of the radiator was swiss cheesed with holes at the ends... repaired and painted that...


thing have bought and not used:
1 14" electric fan (not necessary w new radiator )
2 lower temp thermostats... (not necessary w new radiator )
1 power steering hose set (I will be putting these on the car)
2 hella 155 fog lights from new old stock (I will be putting these on the car)


Approaching 100,000 MILES

 

Only a years, well done.

These ally radiators are taking over, even down here, but a tad slower. We still got heaps of old school radiator shops.

 

~99644 miles bought it w ~97000

We used to... about 3 in town... now NONE...
they just order you one and put it in....

I found a shop in Alabama 13 miles from my house that will re-core it but he would not give me a cost of services so I bought an Wizard Cooling radiator through the infamous V12performance... (never had a bit of trouble with him) ( I am lucky that way...)

kept the old one put it in the shipping box for the Al. rad. I will have it re-cored at my leisure as I think car show might take off point for non-OEM
or just to have it if I want to sell it. It only had 3 pin holes on the top tube running across... just enough to (for the unwary ) destroy the engine after a while of un-attentiveness

if I had done more research I could have bought it straight from W.C. but hey shoulda, woulda, coulda, only would have saved 100$

last payment for the XJS 11/06/2015 (unless something weird happens)
I am half a year ahead on payments... so if something comes up... ( G-D forbid )
I have like 6 months to pay it off...

now on to the dripping power steering fluid...

I was thinking that in the summer here in this nice very warm area I live in I will disable the AAV I really do not think I am going to need High Idle in 80 to 90 F weather ( 26 to 32 C ) going to leave it in place and put something like a 1" (13mm) ball valve in the line...
or maybe a butterfly valve in the air filter housing where the line connects
ah, I will figure something out...

I have the rebuild kit for the injectors.
I will use that when the wife takes vacation... (so she can Haul me around ) because when I start something I end up doing more scrapping and cleaning and Painting (might as well when you have it torn apart )

 

Ya know, Jonathan, Kirby Palm lives just east of you, in the Tallahassee area.
I have no point to that statement, just a little FYI.

 

I thought he passed away...

Is he still around and kicking?

does he still own an XJS?

 

Yes to the first.


No to the second.


Jeff Isbell also wrote a treatise on the XJS cars.


I've read and benefited from both, even if my car is an XJ wuzza 6.


A lot of commonality between the cars.


Environmental concerns have closed many an old school radiator shop.
The brews in the tanks are brutal. I'm not sure if the last one in this area still exists.


The radiator shops buy their cores from various vendors. Quite generic.
But, much different in construction. Some much better than others.


Most folks do not understand the role of a thermostat in an IC engine.
The only effect on an overheat is a defective one stuck closed of whatever value.


Find a local hydraulic hose shop. they can help with leaking PS hoses.


Never fear, it took years to return my car to the road after it suffered an engine
melt down. Back better than ever....


Carl

 

Kirby is very much alive, and although he sold his XJS several years ago, he is still an actively posting member on the Jag-Lovers XJ-S forum.

 

Went Flying with a buddy yesterday...

The XJS even though it has 99700 going on 99800 miles on it Still Chirps the tires going from first to second with the throttle wide open...
(I should be nicer to it)

can not wait to fix the power steering leak... what am I going to do when I do not have to check and top up things...

Oh that is right, there is the radio and cosmetic things
Might be needing a new convertible top in a year or two...
Tires... those are a pain to find... 235 15 vr 60 huuuug...

I redid the wood on the center console.... I need to redo it with the correct wood...
Which I now have....

any one drive their XJS in the rain?

I find it a beast.... if I get even a little frisky with it; it wants to lose traction and I have to be more careful...

would like more of an exhaust note...
looking into the driveman's exhaust system...

there is a possibility I would be better suited to a manual transmission...

ah... we will see...

 

OK, Friday the 13th 11/13/2015
almost 100K miles on the car, open the door to come to work and a loud bang and a metallic tinkle .... looked down and this was on the door sill

this begs the question where do I get a door spring?

I think If I remove the fender I can get in and replace it ...

It is that or take the whole hinge out....

found sources for the Hinge ranging from 250 on down to 117... but no spring... I will stop by some auto parts stores on the way home...
I have rehearsal to night and tomorrow morning and a performance tomorrow night
all in all a bad week end to chase parts down...

 

Here's the system I put together on one of my XJS.
Gutted front cats, removed secondary cats, 2-14" pipes going back to Flowmaster Deltaflow 40s where the stock front silencers used to be. Pipes then travel under the center of the rear suspension, then turn outboard, exiting at the stock location through Monza twin-tip resonators.

Sounds like pure f#cking evil on downtown streets, in a tunnel, parking garage, or, anywhere that the sound can bounce around & echo.

Idle & Rev.wmv

3000rpm Drive-by.wmv

6000rpm Drive-by.wmv

You can hear a bit of the classic V12 "exhaust crackle" in the 1st clip.

The sound clips were recorded about 12 years ago on an old Sony Mavica digital camera, so the quality is less than spectacular, but, you get the idea.

My other XJS has a larger diameter tubes, an H-pipe, Dynomax mufflers and glasspacks. I don't like it's sound quite as much.

 

That is fantastic! I am just starting my ownership now but alot I read says the cats are a nightmare for heat under the hood and I live in Fla so no emissions. So would like to remove mine as well and just let it breath...

Can you give me ball park $$ on how much it is to get them removed and run straight pipes as opposed to cats? There are four cats on these??

 

For fear of the Feds, an honest mechanic, or, muffler shop won't remove them for you, unless they are replacing them with new ones (there are several companies that make free-flowing performance cats). I gutted mine myself.

 

Ahhhh gottcha

I thought it states without emissions it was no biggy for a shop to do it

Thank you

 

Stargazer....I know what you mean. I have the Royal Enfield Continental GT, and the same issue with the questions every where I go. Just got the 94 XJS convertible and have same thing with it. I kinda like it! The attention is part of the fun.
...Jimmy

 

Just the usual legal confusion. The FED EPA requires them. Illegal to remove them.
So no pro wants to chance a removal.


Now, the state's lack of testing isn't blessing the removal, they merely no longer think it is worth checking on old cars. Few left on the road. and those that are, are likley o be well cared for and reasonably clean.


CA can't think that clearly.


A hazard in removing cats is if one wants to sell the car to a buyer in a state that tests....


Value reduced, market reduced.


Carl
e

 

On my 94 XJS conv I had problems with the rear windows also until I pulled
all of the relays in the top control box and cleaned the contacts on the relays
and sprayed them with contact cleaner. I also sprayed the contact cleaner
down in the sockets and inserted the relays several times to wipe the contact areas.
No problems since then.
I also used an odd contact cleaner-preservative from Radio Shack that came in
a tube.
I don't remember the name but I did see it on the shelf a few months ago.
It was similar to a product I used on military electronic equipment called
"Gold-Wipe". Great Stuff to use on contacts that are exposed to high humidity
or in salt air environments.
P O R - Press On Regardless

 

Wife drove my XJS to work today...


had to take our Daughter and her wheel chair to a birthday party


so I finally got to get my wife to drive it...


YEAH!

 

in the USA there are ... / is.... the EPA and laws that we did not get to vote on... one is the federal law about converters... we are not allowed to remove or modify them...


in non testing states that means we will not get caught if we do... though it is not legal to sell a so equipped car with said cats removed or modified...


used car lots have to have them on the car and operating...


I do not care...


why because any non equipped car can be sold... and I have owned a few over the years...

 

I like the way yours sounds


WE JUST MISSED THE BULIT the other year on our air quality... so we are still a non testing state...


and we will from now on... as the number of newer car replacing the more smog prone over the years it frees the few of us up to... ah.. be free with our exhaust...


I would like to see some pictures of your system that is in those clips...