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I have bought a book containing tests of the XJ-S done by magazines in the period 1975-1988, and other than the load of technical info these old articles contains, one thing strikes me: They are all impressed by the lack of noise in the XJ-S, and it makes me want to make my car more silent than it is.
So, does anyone here have a silent V12 XJ-S ? Or do we all have modified exhausts, noisy fans, rattling interior and clonky suspension ?
I can start the confessions here:
I have mounted centre box delete pipes. I'm not that happy as they causes drone at around 3200 RPM, and that is annoying. Easy fix though...
Left side ventilation fan is making 'sounds' from time to time. I have fixed this once and now knows how to access and dismantle
I have an annoying (and loud) rattle from something around the bulkhead in LH side. It's worst when cold and accelerating moderately from low speed.
My cabin vents rattle badly when I close my doors. Otherwise they are silent...
I think I have more induction noise at WOT than I should have. I'm just not sure why...
I have some knocking from the steering column when going over potholes and similar. I have not yet figured out why, but changing all front end bushes didn't change it...
Leo wrote, answers in blue:
So, does anyone here have a silent V12 XJ-S ? Or do we all have modified exhausts, noisy fans, rattling interior and clonky suspension ?
I can start the confessions here:
I have mounted centre box delete pipes. I'm not that happy as they causes drone at around 3200 RPM, and that is annoying. Easy fix though...I have these delete pipes in my garage attic! i have never fitted them as the ones i heard, post buying mine, made the car undriveably noisy.
Left side ventilation fan is making 'sounds' from time to time. I have fixed this once and now knows how to access and dismantle Fix it, Leo, fix it!
I have an annoying (and loud) rattle from something around the bulkhead in LH side. It's worst when cold and accelerating moderately from low speed. ditto, it could be the vac reservoir under a bolted plate, accessible from the engine bay
My cabin vents rattle badly when I close my doors. Otherwise they are silent... This is a royal pain, after my rebuild when all else was silent it drove me made. Removing them is a guastly job, side window out, drill out chrome waist trim, remove upper and end chrome trim, drill out several pop rivets and remove the absurdly complex plastic vent unit. The rattle is caused by the foam vent flap edging drying out and falling off. Glue two of the three vent flaps closed and remove the top one entirely, leaving an unflapped hole. Works perfectly, see pics.
I think I have more induction noise at WOT than I should have. I'm just not sure why...
I have some knocking from the steering column when going over potholes and similar. I have not yet figured out why, but changing all front end bushes didn't change it..probably the column bushes worn.
Leo, I have to say they my car is silent, no clonks and bonks, but this is after a dedicated process lasting some years, and constant attention to detail. You have to remember, re old road tests, that just about all cars in 1975, with the exception of the XJ6 saloon and the Rolls Royce, were MILES worse in terms of NVH that almost all cars are now. Against the standards of the time, the XJS was a revelation, particularly against the sporting/Grand Touring cars of the era. Astons, Maseratis, Ferraris, etc of that vintage required ear defenders!
Last edited by Greg in France; 09-02-2019 at 09:07 AM.
LEO; a while back Mercedes was offering $1million dollars for anyone that has a silent(no noise) fan or simple device that will cool engines when in a 100F + in a market parking lot setting still ,waiting for wifey to come out with groceries, some times 1/2 hr or more!
around here Austin central TEXAS, the Mercs,, make a terrible racket with all three fans at full blast! and we have a bunch of Elite cars that seem to try to match the Mercs!
ron
to anyone i have available perfect condition 12 blade steel fan for V12 XJS, it is all most silent when running or reving!
again it came from UK back 30 odd yrs ago, by who i have know idea !
the more i know about my RHD UK XJS cabrio. the more i know he/her was very much loving there XJS!
another hint to me, when restor/ paint i though under a recoat, was some(i thought was primer) a friend came by and examined paint and said that stuff is MILITARY DRAB?Kahki, question!
who did own this car in 1978/ 1982, and why was it shipped to USA??
ron
LEO; a while back Mercedes was offering $1million dollars for anyone that has a silent(no noise) fan or simple device that will cool engines when in a 100F + in a market parking lot setting still ,waiting for wifey to come out with groceries, some times 1/2 hr or more!
around here Austin central TEXAS, the Mercs,, make a terrible racket with all three fans at full blast! and we have a bunch of Elite cars that seem to try to match the Mercs!
ron
I guess it's hard to move enough air to provide the cooling needed without making noise. Maybe a Tesla is the solution ?
Leo wrote, Greg answers in blue, and Leo replies in Red. :
So, does anyone here have a silent V12 XJ-S ? Or do we all have modified exhausts, noisy fans, rattling interior and clonky suspension ?
I can start the confessions here:
I have mounted centre box delete pipes. I'm not that happy as they causes drone at around 3200 RPM, and that is annoying. Easy fix though...I have these delete pipes in my garage attic! i have never fitted them as the ones i heard, post buying mine, made the car undriveably noisy. Not undriveable in my opinion, but they are annoying at Euro cruising speed and also when you go fast (4000+ RPM).
Left side ventilation fan is making 'sounds' from time to time. I have fixed this once and now knows how to access and dismantle Fix it, Leo, fix it!It's on my to do list for next winter.
I have an annoying (and loud) rattle from something around the bulkhead in LH side. It's worst when cold and accelerating moderately from low speed. ditto, it could be the vac reservoir under a bolted plate, accessible from the engine bay. Great, I will look into that. Will I have to remove brake servo to get access ?
My cabin vents rattle badly when I close my doors. Otherwise they are silent... This is a royal pain, after my rebuild when all else was silent it drove me made. Removing them is a guastly job, side window out, drill out chrome waist trim, remove upper and end chrome trim, drill out several pop rivets and remove the absurdly complex plastic vent unit. The rattle is caused by the foam vent flap edging drying out and falling off. Glue two of the three vent flaps closed and remove the top one entirely, leaving an unflapped hole. Works perfectly, see pics.I was fearing an answer like this, but at least I know now what I have waiting for me...
I think I have more induction noise at WOT than I should have. I'm just not sure why...
I have some knocking from the steering column when going over potholes and similar. I have not yet figured out why, but changing all front end bushes didn't change it..probably the column bushes worn.Doesn't sound to hard to fix, and you're probably right. I can feel slack when I try to move the steering wheel up/down.
Leo, I have to say they my car is silent, no clonks and bonks, but this is after a dedicated process lasting some years, and constant attention to detail. You have to remember, re old road tests, that just about all cars in 1975, with the exception of the XJ6 saloon and the Rolls Royce, were MILES worse in terms of NVH that almost all cars are now. Against the standards of the time, the XJS was a revelation, particularly against the sporting/Grand Touring cars of the era. Astons, Maseratis, Ferraris, etc of that vintage required ear defenders! I know Jaguar was in their own league at that time. I was just wondering if everybody was aiming for more or 'better' noise, as many threads point in that direction.
Your exhaust shouldn't drone if you have OEM resonators, emphasis on the 'shouldn't'.
With your setup is it possible to splice in an X pipe? I know they generally give a more ferrari sound, and gutting the cats helps to if your stuck with them.
Your exhaust shouldn't drone if you have OEM resonators, emphasis on the 'shouldn't'.
With your setup is it possible to splice in an X pipe? I know they generally give a more ferrari sound, and gutting the cats helps to if your stuck with them.
I only have the back boxes, so it no surprise I have some noise. I was just not expecting to have the drone...
my V12 has only ONE exhaust outlet, so no drone that can occur from two outlets exhausts reverberate against reach other, i dont know about 4 outlets, maybe better or WORSE?
mine is loud on accel, but cruise acceptable kinda DEEP BASS sound! no drone tho!
ron all 12 cylinders 5" outlet.
If sticking with dual rear resonators I'd suggest trying an x pipe, Ron may be onto something you've got to mix the exhaust pulse its a a lawn mower till 4000rpm. Trust me I live with it every day...
Nope, mine's pretty silent. Sometimes has a rattle from some unspecified place in the dash, and of course road noise from the tyres depending on surface, but at the lights, assuming the engine isn't sending random vibrations into the cabin, more than once I think she's stalled and have to check the rev counter. And on a good road surface, windows up, it can be eerily quiet inside. And that's how I like it.
Leo
Assuming your rattle is on the passenger side? If so, the brake servo will not be on top of the hatch under which the vac reservoir for the aircon is. You might have the washer bottle on top, that should be all. If your rattle is on the driver's side. scrub this diagnosis.
Leo
Assuming your rattle is on the passenger side? If so, the brake servo will not be on top of the hatch under which the vac reservoir for the aircon is. You might have the washer bottle on top, that should be all. If your rattle is on the driver's side. scrub this diagnosis.
My rattle is in drivers side, in my case the LH side. I will look for another diagnosis then
If sticking with dual rear resonators I'd suggest trying an x pipe, Ron may be onto something you've got to mix the exhaust pulse its a a lawn mower till 4000rpm. Trust me I live with it every day...
I think I will go the silent way and thereby mount centre boxes again. We like to use our cars for long journeys, and there silence is nice. I can live with loosing maybe 10 BHP, the car will still be sufficiently fast for me. To be honest, it is rare I floor it.
I guess that I'm fast becoming an old man, but I kinda prefer the factory exhaust. It goes along with philosophy of being the Freeway Ninja. Move silently and unobtrusively through traffic as you leave them behind. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to land a 747 on the freeway behind them. Besides, I rode Harleys and other motorcycles for over thirty five years and I've had enough loud exhausts to last me a lifetime.
Spot on, Rivguy. For me it’s kind of embarrassing to have to make a lot of noise just to maintain 80-90 mph. Freeway Ninja is a great expression to describe the XJ-S
09-02-2019, 04:54 AM
The silent XJ-S
