Let's see what I can do with that Jag!

[Rivguy]

After I sold two of my cars, the '97 Jaguar XJ6, and the '51 Jaguar Mark VII, I found myself left with only one Jag, my '89 XJS convertible. I told myself that with fewer cars to work on that maybe I could do something with this car. I'm starting out with a pretty good car; nice paint and body, good running V12 motor and a good transmission that swapped in lying on my back in the garage. I was using the car in a limited manner until an issue has surfaced with the ABS braking system, that's when it when it went on non op. I knew that I wasn't going to get to it for a while. Before this, it was the worn out front suspension and steering components I had to deal with. It also needs a new convertible top and some upholstery work. I've been working on the car for seven years off and on, mostly off if I was to be honest! It is an amazing car, I think that it's really beautiful. 

My '96 Mustang is still around, since it doesn't really need anything, I'm going to concentrate on the Jag again. My first step was to switch the car's spots in the garage. I moved the Jag to the right side where I can more easily work on it. The Mustang is now nestled under the drive under table. 

I've done some research into the ABS system and I think that the accumulator ball is probably the culprit. The ABS pump works fine, and from what I read the ball loses it's pressure over time. We'll see.

[Rivguy]

It's been a few weeks since I posted. I have several places that I get info for working on my car. The Jaguar forums is an invaluable resource, so is Kirby Palm's book, Experience in a book. I've also got the official Jaguar shop manual. I've spent a lot of times searching the Jaguar forum studying all the past ABS issue threads. I'm re-reading Kirby's book in preparation to actually working on the car. Every three or four weeks I start the car up and back it into driveway. I run it for 30 minutes, to get it good and hot driving it back and forth in the driveway to circulate fluid through the transmission and brake calipers. I kind of forgot what my brake issue was specifically, so I'm going to have to do a good diagnosis before I start. The car uses the Teves II ABS system, more complicated then it might need to be, which is typical of Jaguar. But it was also used on the Buick Reatta and the Thunderbird Supercharged coupe. 

There's nothing like 1980's and '90's high tech. I mean how many cell phones, computers and tablets have you gone through since then? From what I've learned lot's of problems are due to the fact that these cars frequently sat for extended years at a time, decades are not unusual!  My car did not sit that long. I bought it from an estate sale, the previous owner passed away from cancer in his mid Fifties, He had a large collection of  cars. His Daughter told me that it had been one of his favorite cars. New replacement parts are not generally available. I've had the car for quite a few years  and have learned that I have to proceed carefully and methodically. You can't just throw parts at this car. I plan to start in after I return from Vacation. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

My guess is you will find it is not as tough to diagnose and fix as made out to be.  At least that has been my experience with our 1989 Mercedes 560 SL.  People run from them due to concerns on maintenance and repair.

Like yourself I use marque specific forums, just find the group that talks tech, and manuals.  I paid $250 for a decent set of factory manuals because the Bentley and Haynes stuff is hard to find for mb and less detailed.  I have invested in a few specific tools to make certain jobs a little easier, timing chain pin puller for example.  Most guys hack something together, break a pin and blame the car...

And then I made a list and worked it.  After 10 years or so with it I am now making another list.  We drive it regularly. 

I think those Jags are under appreciated and look forward to your progress reports.

 

[Rivguy]

Thanks for the encouragement. It's nice to know that someone is reading my posts. There was a guy at my workplace that had a Porsche 928 and we would acknowledge each other with a little wave as we left our parked cars. I'll be starting in on it again in August.

Edited July 23, 2022 by Rivguy (see edit history)

[Rivguy]

Even if I don't do anything else I'll start up the car back it into the driveway and let it run until it's fully warmed up. Today the car started immediately but after about five minutes it died and wouldn't restart.  First thought was that it was simply out of gas, I don't like to keep too much in the tank, but I recalled putting a couple of gallons in last month. My driveway slopes downhill then dips and levels out at the garage opening. I had just backed up my other cars that were in the driveway so I couldn't move the Jag too far back.  The back wheels were sitting in the dip and the front end was tilted up.  If the level was low maybe the pick up was unable to pump what little was in there. I tried cranking it and it sounded like maybe it was not firing the ignition. I pulled a plug lead and stuck a screwdriver in the boot and tried to check for spark against ground. It didn't display a spark, so checked the ignition connections which looked okay, I hadn't been fussing with any connections anyway. 

By rolling the car forward partially in the garage I was able to push it back fast enough that inertia and my putting my back into it, carried it about four feet further back than it had been and the nose was now pointing down a bit. Two tons of Jag is not too easy to push uphill! I jumped the coolant temp sender which is a common fault, though I had replaced it only a few hundred miles ago. It didn't fire after this and the engine smelled like gas, for some reason, these things always smell like gas, really. So I pulled a plug to check if it was wet. believe it or not, there a a couple of  plugs on the V12 that are quite easy to access. The plug was dry as a bone , so I stuck it onto the plug boot and draped it on the engine where it should have a ground. The plug was visible to me as I cranked it over. I was happy to see a strong blue spark and the engine started running. I guess that it was low on gas. I shut it down then went to the gas station to get a couple of gallons of premium in my two little gas cans. 6.29 a gallon. 

I put those two gallons in and fired it up, ready to drive it immediately back into the garage if it sounded bad, but it settled into a smooth steady idle and I decided to let it run until it got completely warmed up. I will admit that the engine runs really well. 

It seems that I am always in a funk about this car, but lately I've been feeling more positive. I found a YouTube site called Legit Street Cars and the owner Alex, works on a lot of late model ( post 2000) high end European cars. These cars are filled with very expensive and complex electronics, they make my Jag look like a Model T. He shows how he diagnoses the problem, repairs what he can, and re-places what he has to. By using used parts the cost remains pretty low.  Alex was a professional Mercedes tech for several years and his common sense approach to electrical problems has given me a lot of hope.  Now to put my attention to the ABS system.

[Rivguy]

I really did do something with the Jag, but maybe not what you might have expected. I've been holding onto it for quite some time and had done some work to it. I kept it well protected under a cover until it spent the last several years in the garage.  I've always been careful to protect and preserve it until the day that I was ready to make it a priority. Except.... that day never seemed to arrive. My '96 Mustang always came before it. Then after I saved up some money, instead of putting it into the Jag, I went out and bought an '06 Mustang GT convertible!

 

I've been itching to buy another  hobby car, I wanted a '51-53 Cadillac, or maybe another mid fifties big car.  However something different has caught my eye. I have been somewhat intrigued by these vehicles for some time. They are a modern equivalent to those mid fifties American big cars, at least in my eyes. They are the only models that can capture the swagger and attitude of a mid Century Cadillac. 

 

But I would have to get rid of one car. My Wife would have accepted the fact that i was back to accumulating too many cars, but she "politely suggested" that I sell at least one car before I acquire another. I totally agreed with her, and resigned myself to having to sell my beloved '96 Mustang.

I was really not looking forward to that. I've had the car for 13 years and I have invested a lot of money, work, and heart into it. I guess you could say that I made a real commitment to it. I dreaded the idea of selling it to someone that would butcher it.

 

Since what I needed in particular was more space, I thought, why sell a car that I love, when I can get rid of a car that I'm indifferent to?  "Getting rid of" was the operative thought, for as many times as I offered the XJS, for sale there wasn't even a hint of a nibble. I seriously considered just donating the car, it appeared the only way to get rid of it. I had offered it up to Carvio, the service that had bought my XJ6, but they never even replied to my inquiry!

 

So I went to one of those "junk car" buying sites, Peddle. It was right after breakfast. I typed in some info and they provided an instant offer  of 2,640.00. Wow, I could live with that. After completing the rest of the info, the offer went up to 3,340.00!  Even better, and they could arrange to pick it up that afternoon. Offer accepted!  I backed the Jag out of the garage and cleaned it out. My Wife was a bit disappointed, as she thought that the Jag was so beautiful. and I'd been saying that I would just hold onto it. I told her that I also thought that it was beautiful, but that I loved my Mustang. It was a car that I could keep to my dying day, so goodbye Jag!

 

I should be picking up my "new car" in a couple of days. It's a low mileage example in good condition that just needs a bit of detailing and touching up. A perfect preservation project, that will qualify as a vintage car in the near future. These vehicles really deserve to be preserved, as they too, are the last of their breed. 

 

This marks the end of my Jaguar journey, all three are gone. Now to move forward.

 

I know that this is a long entry, but I'm a storyteller, not a Tweeter!  If you liked my writing, I invite you to visit my automotive blog at www.betterbeaters.blogspot.com. 

[31nash880]

I just keep ours fed so the wife can pet it. Maybe 12000 miles in last 10 + years.