Just got back from a grim visit to my local Jag guru. I've had an '89 XJ-S V12 convertible for about a year. After some initial repairs, mostly catching up on routine maintenance left undone by the previous owner(he had it sitting in his garage for 3 years) I had no problems. A couple weeks ago, I noticed a drip and after a while it started to leak oil in earnest. Took in into the shop, & he says that all the oil seals are shot, & to replace them would require pulling the engine, separating it from the transmission, & resealing everything. I just can't afford it.

So now I'm stuck with a beautiful Jag that's basically worthless. The body & interior are in great shape, but with the cost of the work that's gonna be needed, it's gonna be hard to get rid of. In a perfect world I'd be able to find a Jaguar enthusiast who's looking for a project, but I'm not holding my breath.

Any ideas what I should do? Any idea how much I could maybe sell this car for? I've got about $7000 in it, & I'd be ecstatic if I could get even half that. Please help!

 

Not to cast aspersions on your shop but I'd go for a second opinion.

I'm not at all surprised that there are multiple leaks but often it's only one or two that are causing the most of the mess. ....and they might not necessarily be the most expensive to fix.

Maybe you could get the worst of the leaks fixed for much less than you think and be left with a tolerable minor dripping....and keep the car.

Sometimes just cleaning a clogged breather system will turn a major leak into a minor one.

Just my 2 cents.

Cheers
DD

 

I'd go with Doug. From what you describe, it has only started leaking oil very recently, whereas oil seal failure due to wear tends to be a very gradual process over years.

Crankcase pressure due to a blocked breather will push oil out of every oil seal like Niagara Falls.

Second opinion - wise advice

 

Any way I can check the breather myself?

 

Sure!


At the front of the left cylinder head you'll see a bulb-like rubber cap ...about 2.5" in diameter or so ... with an aluminum pipe attached. Remove the pipe and the rubber cap. You should then see the breather filter. It's a metal gauze type of thing.

Remove the filter and clean it in solvent....gasoline, lacquer thinner, whatever.....and make sure the pipe is clear as well.

Cheers
DD

 

This is just a thought. Are there any auto-technical schools near you? Sometimes the instructors will have the students work on someones car as part of the teaching. You just have to purchase the parts.
Having said this, I'd make sure to check the school out thoroughly first. See if you can find out what kind of work the students are doing to make sure they aren't hack-jobs. When I was in tech school many, many, many moons ago, we would have been thrilled to have the chance to work on such a car!

 

I agree with Doug,
Personal experience; last October my XJS started dripping. Fearing the main seal has gone (the big dismantle), we washed the engine thoroughly and watched for leaks.
The breather was replaced and only the front seal & chest plug was replaced.
Saved a lot of down time & cost.
BTW does anyone know of a better replacement for the 2 piece main seal?
Cheers
Peter

 

Update: the breather bulb is cracked. You suppose that may be my problem? I haven't taken it off yet because I just got it home & the engine's still hot.

 

'Tis the guaze filter that's most important here.

If the filter is clean and the bulb is cracked then the crankcase fumes are simply vented to atmosphere.

If the filter is clean and the bulb is good the fumes are drawn back into the intake system, as designed...assuming the pipe is clear, of course.

If the filter is clogged it doesn't matter if the bulb is cracked because the fumes accumulate behind the filter and pressure develops in the crankcase...forcing oil out of the seals.

Cheers
DD

 

BTW, sometimes leaks are just annoyances.

For example, seeping power steering hose at $700 versus 5 quarts of fluid in the last 5 years. Drove the new building super nuts though.

Sometimes the cost of the fluids is minor compared to the repair.

 

just surfing by and read about your dilemma: if it were my car.....
I'd park it for a while, take a second job and find a way to pull it off! LOL....(but seriously) that sounds like quite a car to me....
I know that feeling of 'being happy with getting half of what I have invested in it'
but also having to walk away from something with so much of your money and love in.........
I'd stick with it and hope an alternative presents itself

 

Doug...you're my hero. If you're ever in Indiana, I'll have a case of your favorite adult beverage waiting for you.

The breather was positively filthy. All sludged up and gross. I soaked it in gasoline and cleaned the hell out of it, then put it back where I found it. The dipstick was dry when I checked the oil, so I put 10 quarts in, and it's not leaking yet. I'm gonna drive it to work tomorrow & see what happens, but so far so good!

 

Good work. Report back if you're oil leaks are reduced!

Don't take offense but I hope you checked your dipstick after adding those 10 quarts of oil. Just becuase the dipstick was dry it doesn't necessarily mean the crankcase was actually empty. I don't think the stick goes all the way to the bottom of the oil pan, in other words.

I'm sure you checked but I couldn't let it go without mentioning something. If you're wayyyyy over-filled you'll *really* have oil gushing !

Cheers
DD

 

No problem. It's definitely safe to assume I don't know what I'm doing. It takes 10.5 quarts according to the manual, so I figured that if I put 10 quarts in there wasn't much chance I'd seriously overfill it, especially with as much oil as there is in my driveway from last week.

The problem I have now is that I need to find a mechanic. Everybody I've talked to in town says that this is the guy, but I could tell from talking to him that he doesn't know a lot about the V12 engine & really doesn't want to work on it.

 

You may have missed Doug's point.

Even with a huge loss of oil, you cannot assume that 10 quarts is lost.

You must make a positive confirmation using the dipstick that you are neither over *or *under the required oil level.

 

Yeah, when I checked it it was just right, not too much or too little. I must've lucked out.