Paul, A couple of days ago. I experienced a problem with my Alarm system sounding off for no apparent reason shortly after returning from a drive. There had been no strong winds, no heavy rain, or any other obvious reason for this, so I just reset it by unlocking and re-locking. The alarm went off a...

Richard, thanks for helping me narrow it down further. Not sure I'm familiar with "the last nut and run method", but if it's anything like what I imagine, then Usain Bolt could have some serious competition!!

Hi Paul, thanks for your advise and concern regarding the use of a home made spring compressor. The reason for going down this route is due to the high cost of buying/hiring the proper tool. The problem with hiring is that I don't want to be time restricted over when I can use it, or have to worry a...

Hi Doug. I agree that doesn't look like oil to me either. I would expect it to be floating on the coolant if it was. My best guess now is that it is aluminium corrosion deposits, but I'm colour blind so it is only a guess. A small amount of corrosion/erosion is normal but this looks more than I woul...

Doug, Mr Doomsayer here again! Two liquids that don't mix still sounds ominous to me. I'm now wondering if one of these is oil. Perhaps a small leak between the oil & waterways at the cylinder head? If this mystery contaminant has historic origins,there probably is nothing to worry about. But if it ...

My car is a 4.2litre with air con but the information you have given me is a good starter for ten and much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Mike, thanks for responding. I'm hoping to keep my existing springs. The reason for my query was because I am making my own spring compressor using 20mm studding and wanted to get an idea of how long the studding needs to be to fully decompress the spring. I don't want to make it longer than necessa...

Doug, I don't want to be accused of scaremongering, but the sludge you mention sounds a bit ominous. Could it be that at some time an incorrect antifreeze has been used to top up your coolant. I've heard that mixing certain antifreezes can result in your coolant turning into a sort of smoothie, clog...

I'm looking for a good n/s rear silencer heat shield for a late Series 2 XJ6.
Would you happen to have one of these?

I am preparing to replace the front lower wishbone bushes on my 1979 Series 2 Daimler VDP. Can anyone tell me what the unsprung length of the coil springs are on this car please?

Weather permitting, I'm going to have a more determined hunt for the engine block drain plug this weekend. It occurs to me that if Jaguar dealerships are using the JTIS procedure to drain down the coolant, could it be that they too are only changing 5 litres of fluid each time?

Thanks for all discussion & advice so far, particularly regarding belt squeal. I'd really like to understand why the procedure laid down in the JTIS CD doesn't result in a full 10litre drain down. Are there any other 4.2L XK8 owners that have followed this procedure and managed to drain down more th...

Would be nice if it were that simple. Both top and bottom hoses connect to the Coolant outlet duct sited high up on the engine. I can't see how this allows the block to drain down without some sort of syphoning action which I don't appear to be getting

Thought I'd do a nice simple Coolant change on my 2004 Reg XK8 Coupe. Using the JTIS CD Workshop Manual as a guide, I raised the car on Axle stands all round, ensuring a very slight nose down attitude to ensure good drainage. On opening the radiator drain cock I was rather disappointed to find that ...

Hi Alex,
I've not had any experience with this but your problem may be caused by duff coolant thermostat. I know this can be a problem area on some XK's.
Perhaps someone else may like to expand further on this.