So, of course one of the first things I want to do to my new XJS is change out oil, plugs, wires, etc. I thought I'd get a feel for what brands of things folks around here generally prefer, with consideration to US availability in general.

Oil? (I usually use Castrol non-synthetic in my RX-8, but that requires non-synthetic; are synthetics good/bad/neutral on the XJS V12?)

Filters? Just regular ol' Fram if I can find them in correct sizes?

Plugs/wires? (I got an old Jaguar Racing jacket that has various sponsor patches on it at a yard sale, one is Beck's and it seems they do wires and distributor caps and such--any experience with them?)

Other brands of fluids and so on that I should prefer, or (perhaps more importantly) avoid?

 

The oil debate can go off at anytime so be careful what you ask for regarding that subject.

These engines were all made to run for a long time on regular plain old oil. Just make sure you're using the right weight and you change it regularly. (That topic is up for debate as well)

Me? I live in the DC area. I use Mobil-1 0W40 in the winter time and 20W50 in the summertime. I end up putting about 5,000-6,000 miles on it by the time the season changes.

For filters, basically anything except Fram. Purolator is good. I use Mann.

Spark plugs. The consensus is stick with $2 Champions. Some people prefer NGK and so forth, but rarely has anyone had an issue with the recommended champions. Apparently Bosch is bad.

The most important thing you can do for your car is the following:



Add the year and engine of your Jag to your signature so we all don't have to guess what model you the asking for help on.


My answers are based on model year car: 1996 XJS with the 4.0

 

Thanks for the advice.

I thought I did have my signature updated (1986 XJS); is it not showing for you?

 

Yes your car and engine shows in your signature. I used NGK platinum plugs (only a few weeks ago) they seem to work well. Considering this engine holds 10.5 quarts, synthetic can get expensive. I haven't changed mine yet (only had the car a month, it had fresh oil when I got it) I am planning on using dino oil.

 

Champions are generally the least finicky plug out there. They'll run just about anything. If Champions are recommended, stick with them!

 

Could that be Beck Arnley, perhaps? Generally known as good stuff.

I always asked for genuine Lucas distributors caps and rotors on my older Jags as they were high grade stuff. In the last couple years I've heard a couple stories that have me wondering but I'd still consider them to be a less risky purchase than some others.

Many guys like MagnaCore wires. High grade, stout, expensive. I ran OEM "Rists" wires on my XJS and was happy.

Spark plugs. Jaguar has recommended both Champions and NGK at various times. I vaguely recall my owners manual (1988 XJS) calling for NGK and the shop manual calling for Champions. That's Jaguar for ya





No exotic brands/types of fluids required....nor prohibited. Nothing on your car was designed in an era where anything exotic existed. 20/50 oil is the near universal favorite in the old 5.3 V12 and, if you're the sentimental type, Castrol and Jaguar have gone hand-in-hand for ages.

As for parts, well, things are getting tricky. The never ending changes in corporate parentage combined with global manufaturing and "label engineering" makes it hard to know exactly what you're buying these days....even if you select a well known name brand.

Many Jag vendors sell two or three grades of stuff, from true OEM to brand-x aftermarket in an unmarked box. Always ask !

Over the years many "goods" and "bads" have been discovered as well as many substitutions from unlikely sources (such as bronze hinge bushings to replace rubber throttle bushings). Discussion of this sort of stuff goes beyond the broad nature of your question so as particular needs arise it might be a good idea to post a new inquiry for recommendations.

Cheers, and welcome to XJS ownership. Lots of neat stuff to learn

Cheers
DD

 

If you want to run Synthetic Valvoline is the only brand that makes Synthetic 20W-50

 

Here is a pretty comprehensive study on oil filters which has been around for several years, and got an update in 2008.
Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources

Based on what I saw there, I quit using FRAM filters a dozen years ago (they have the least surface area, and cheapest components).

I would love to buy a bunch of RYCO filters, as they seem to be the best made, and have the largest surface area. However, they are an Australian product, and therefore, hard to get in the US.

The Purolator Pure One seems to be the next best, but, is also difficult to impossible to find for the V12 in my area, so I use WIX. It has above average construction, good surface area, and it's available where I live.

 

I use Castrol 20W50, and am careful to make sure I slowly fill the WIX filter, to fully saturate the element with oil before I install it.

I wouldn't recommend synthetic oil, as it tends to leak through old seals and gaskets easier than conventional dino oil.

I religiously run NGK 2238 plugs, and I personally gap each one to 0.025" (they are gapped wider than that out of the box, but, it's too wide for the V12). I used to race 2-stroke motocross bikes as a kid, and the NGKs stood up better than the Champions for me.

 

I'm not going to try and start a debate about the topics, just say what I'm using.

Im a college student with little to no money, so that affects what parts i buy.
I have been putting 20w50 mobil 1 synthetic in my car at about 70 dollars a change. I will probably try regular dino oil next time. it totally depends on the car though. You can either buy cheap oil and change it often, or buy good oil and change it less. I don't like going with the 5k and 7k recomendations and like the 3k standard.
I always change my filter so I never pay much attention to which it is, it usually ends up being STP, which i don't really like.
I like castrol and mobil for dino oil, stay the **** away from quaker state. I can dive into that if you want.
Many parts I buy seem to be URO. I don't pick these, but its whats on the package a lot of the time. These are cheaper parts that I haven't had any trouble with, but I noticed some of the hoses in my hose set were a little thin. My URO brand parts range from the struts for my hood and a full hose set, to my new oil pressure sender, they are all doing just fine. I have never had anything not fit.
replacing brake fluid is more important than which brand, which type is important if you are running stock seals and rubber though!
Diff fluid and grease for points are the same, better to change fluid than get expensive stuff and never change it.
Brake pads, EBC isn't necessary, but don't buy off-brand.

Full synthetic is not necessary, it is better and worse in different ways. On an older car I would not recommend full synthetic. It has a way of creeping and getting into every place it can. This is great for lubricating the engine, but not great if you already have leaks and it will only exaggerate them. If you car leaks any oil, fix it or put dino oil in it.
Just recently put NGK plugs in mine and they are doing well. Distributor cap...idk the brand but look around as the rate can be from 45-160 dollars.

 

I've been riding, restoring, repairing British Motorcycles for the past 30 some odd years not to mention various MG's, TR's, Jaguar auto's too. I've found through experience that Champions make great fishing weights but not very good spark plugs. It's pretty amazing to put in a set of N5 Champions in a 79 Triumph T140D, then put in a set of NGK B7ES's (if I remember that correctly) and the start, idle, run quality is night and day between the two...it takes two minutes to do and the results are quite different and noticeable. I also found the Champions would break down quicker and foul quicker. In a two to three cyl Brit Bike NGK's run FAR superior to Champions so I stay away from them in my Brit cars too. I also run Purolator filters on my V-12 and not that small version they sell find the L30381 (not produced by Purolator anymore but you can find them), I ordered the last 4 from Advance Auto's local warehouse. I also run Castrol 20/50 with some ZDDP additive BUT my cat's are empty also.