Hi! I have just bought an XJ-S HE built in August 1982. Tudor White with Biscuit trim. 72,000km on the clock and it has been mostly parked up for the last 11 years. My husband is a very experienced mechanic and does mostly race engines, but he's never really worked on a Jag before so we are going to have to figure some things out.

The trans is leaking & slipping so that will be coming out to be reconditioned. I will be buying 4 new tyres and we are planning to give the brakes an overhaul. The radiator needs a flush as the water looks very rusty (not oily or milky). There is a small rust patch in the passenger front footwell and a couple of bubbles at the rear of one of the front guards.

I have some questions for those with more experience....

1. Is there anything obvious of concern in these photos - e.g. things that should or shouldn't be there, or look like they're going to cause a problem?
2. I can't find the handbook - is there somewhere secret that these hide, or is it just missing?
3. My husband thinks it sounds like there is an exhaust leak up near the top of the engine, but nothing obvious visible.
4. Does anyone have a close up pic of how the battery cables & cover go back together neatly?

Thank you in advance
Naomi







What are the numbers in the footwell??

 

Almost forgot - this is inside the boot behind the carpet on the right hand side. It has us mystified.

 

Does it end up with a multiplug plugged into a silver box about 8 inches square and two deep, mounted in the buttress? If so, it is the ECU harness that runs back from the engine bay.



Welcome to the Forum. Great choice of car. Generally, you are in luck as Grant Francis, a fellow Ozzy, AKA as the Great XJS Prophet, will be along soon to help. But basically the car looks in great shape from the bodywork point of view. Mechanically, there are quite a lot of things you absolutely must attend to before the car will be reliable, and to make sure you do not risk cooking the engine etc. look upon getting the car spot on as a two years learning and fun thing. Once done, the XJS is one of the best and most reliable Grand Tourers ever made. Here are a few things to do, but Grant is the Man:

• Remove radiator and clean out the gap between it and the oil cooler and aircon condenser. pressure test the rad and inspect it. If it is iffy, recore it.
• Change all coolant hoses, there are about 14 of them.
• Change oil and filter
• Change plugs and HT leads and dizzy cap and rotor. Check the rotor shaft is not seized on its advance springs. It should turn about 15 degrees clockwise (I think) and snap back, very sparingly lube it with synthetic
• The injector loom gets cooked and then shorts and floods the engine, check it carefully for cracks and general hardness, replace if you find any.
• Clean out the fuel system front to back and change the filter (behind the spare wheel) and the sump tank filter (under the battery)
• Replace/rebuild the calipers and renew flexible on the brakes, easiest to drop the rear axle to do the rears.
• All the rubber suspension components will be probably shot, as will the steering rack bushings, so they will need doing almost certainly. use only OEM metalastic bushes as the others last no time.
• Check the shocks.
• Replace the coolant temp sensor, as if it is the original it will fail and the engine will not run if it does.

Google Jaglovers and download and read the Kirbert Palm book, this is a really good primer on the XJS and how to maintain it. Remember this is a 150mph car and it has a legendary ride and handling compromise. It is fast, accurate when all set up properly and really comfortable. A few hundred on bits and some hard work to start with will pay off. There are other things that you will undoubtedly have to sort in time (eg the odd instrument going out, oil leaks here and there, electrical items such as windows stopping, maybe some wiring to redo under the bonnet, aircon going hissy). But the above is a start. Here is a link to the Jaguar Classic parts site, which has all sorts of useful illustrations and parts ID on it: Jaguar XJS parts | Jaguar Classic Parts UK

I am sure you will have fun if you fall for the car!
Greg

 

'We are going to have to figure some things out'.
Bless you and top marks for the optimism!
Looks very solid from the photos, especially underneath.
Greg apologises because he obviously meant Kirby Palm and it is not so much a primer as the Bible of the XJS; it's about 900 pages but it is a free download: get it here Kirby Palm's Jaguar XJ-S Help Book
Welcome to the world of the XJS; misery, pain (especially around the knuckles), expense, depression and then all of a sudden it starts and drives and it's fabulous.
The engine is not that complicated; about 8000 insignificant components that all have to be working and connected to make it run properly.
Easy peasey.
You have come to the right place for help so good luck and keep us posted.

 

Don't apologise for the Pics (we love lots of pics!) or at least I do.

Check for any Cracks in the Fan as this can break up and take out the Radiator and also dent the Hood/Bonnet.

If the Fan is Cracked, replace it and also the Fan Clutch, with a new one and also change all the belts.

Make sure that the Engine is not over heating, or the Engine could get cooked, which could 'possibly' result in a dropped valve at some later stage.

So if the Temperature gauge goes over half way, then it may be time to check out the Cooling System with a possible Re-Core of the Rad.

 

Thanks Greg. That must be what it is. The thing that had us wondering about it are the "SAMPLE" sticker and tag - looks a bit unusual.

 

Thanks everyone for the pointers. We will be getting the trans done shortly & giving the whole thing a good check over. It's drivable but we don't want to put in on the road prematurely and cause further damage - but at the same time, I'm like a little kid waiting to use my new toy right now. I don't want to get too bogged down in detail and end up with a full resto