XJ6 owners : lack of Forum comments! XJ6 Series 3 3.4 auto

[CliveRothwell]

Hello all! I'm a new member and am a little disappointed that it appears that so few members actually use the forum. This probably explains why the XJ6 does not have it's own forum and banner like most other models. For such an important car, this does seem to be unfortunate. Perhaps with it's own forum, more owners might be inclined to write.

My car is a 1985 XJ6 3.4 auto in Claret. It boasts a retro fitted Van Den Plas interior, a sunroof and really nice paintwork thanks mainly to a small fortune being spent on N/S inner and outer sills, front lower wing and rear arch repairs last year. It now runs on new SU HIF 44s with the built-in manual choke. Consequently, it now starts!

I'd be very interested to learn from other members what MPG they get from their 3.4 litre cars. Mine still only returns 21.0 mpg, using a satnav to give an accurate mileage reading........

The car needs new front springs. Can anybody recommend the items currently available on Ebay from Doctor Car priced at £48 ? These seem very cheap and so I was wondering if they were poor quality.

I have owned the car for nearly 3 years and would drive it a lot more if the heater did not blow steam at me when the heater is turned on. Any advice on the heater would be greatfully received. A happy new year to all readers!

[almcl]

Hello, Clive.

Yes, this forum is incredibly quiet. It seems few series XJ owners who are also JEC members use the forum. In part this may have been down to some pretty disastrous decisions taken early on in the life of the website. There are some threads about this on the general and issues forums, if you care to search there.

Things change only on a geological time scale and none of the national committee appear to have any awareness of, or presence on, the web, but hey, you're here, so let's try.

Don't know about 3.4 fuel consumption, but on a decent run my 4.2 can manage 20+ mpg, but then so can my V12. Mostly it returns 16-18 on my 9 mile run to and from work each day.

Haven't fitted new springs yet although I probably should. One well known restorer gave his opinion on after market springs to the effect that he'd not found any that were satisfactory. Several have reported spending money only to have the car sag back down again within a few months. One Scandinavian is of the opinion that it's more to do with the subframe distorting over time. Don't know if he's correct, but he sounded plausible.

When you say your heater blows steam, is this cooling fluid (identifiable by smell, taste &c) or pure water? If cooling fluid then your heater matrix is likely perforated. If plain water, are your plenum drains clear? (Assuming that, as it's a 3.4, you don't have air con?) If you do there's another possibility.

[simon4253]

hi clive and welcome to the forum. apologies for near silence on the forum. I guess a lot of hibernation goes on with our group! personally I have been rather busy fixing familly and friend,s cars as well as work of course so haven,t had chance to visit site much. the ones I have met on here are very friendly though so do persevere! happy new year and do enjoy the 3.4.regards simon

[CliveRothwell]

Hello Al

Thanks for your reply. I believe the matrix does leak as the steam does smell upleasant. There may still be a problem with sourcing springs as Jagaur do not list them at present. I'll ask further afield about fitting the aftermarket options as I don't want to do the job twice.

Regards

Clive

[almcl]

If it's a leaky heater matrix, they are repairable. My local radiator shop did a nice job on one for me a little while ago for under £50. This autumn I thought they were going to have to do another (from a different car) but when I got it out, it was blameless. So it went back in again. I had a really bad experience with an after market replacement matrix. It was impossible to fit for five separate reasons. Needless to say, the manufacturer 'had never had anyone else complain' even when I took both it and the heater unit down and showed them why it wouldn't fit.

It may look quite a daunting project to remove the heating unit and extract the matrix and if your dashboard wood is in need of refurbishment it might make sense to do that as well, but it doesn't need any special tools or skills, apart from a willingness to work methodically and keep good records of where and how everything is attached.

[ipburrell1962]

hi clive,
the forum has been very slow of late,but over the christmas new year period most peaple are probably busy spending what little cash they have left!,i have not been on the forum for a while due to pc problems,and, being that my 82 double six needs a new alternator and a couple of other small jobs done the pc repair came a distant second!!.
on the fuel consumption front my v12 can manage between 20mpg and almost 25mpg at a steady 60mph,(very hard to keep to ill admit!!),a friends 4.2 is almost the same ,sometimes less im told!!.
anyway welcome to the jec,im sure like me you will find the help and advice available on the forum is second to none,happy jaguar motoring!!.
cheers for now ian,perth tayside.

[J44EAG]

I moderate the modern S-type BB.

Things are generaly quiet on the bulletin boards at this time of year. Usually, the number of postings picks up as the summer approaches and members begin to use their cars more frequently. The number of postings increases as members quiz each other regarding repairs and other matters as the season becomes more frantic.

Forums take time to build. Take a look at the volume of traffic to be found on the X308, XK8 and XJS boards. As we know these models represent the more popular everyday models in use by the membership.

Conversely, X and S-types have a smaller following and therefore a smaller number of members posting on the sites. I am however pleased to say that the S-type BB site is growing slowly but surely into a useful reference site.

Many of the Forum Co-ordinators monitor their BB sites several times a day. In this way, they hope to be able to help members with their queries as quickly as possible. Please however remember that the model Co-ordinators are ordinary members of the club who volunteer their time and knowledge freely as a hobby and may not be able on occasions to be able to respond due to other private commitments.

If you own a particular Jaguar model which is not covered by the current Forum scene, please consider becoming a Co-ordinator and running a Forum. Graham Searle assists and advises on set up proceedures and the Co-ordinators them selves would be very pleased to guide you until you feel comfortable with the role. Only if members volunteer for running Forums, can they ever exist.

Forums are for members use. The number of people visiting the sites greatly exceeds the number of people who post queries or answers. This is to be expected of course.

Please encourage fellow members to make full use of the Club BB facility and where possible to contribute to the postings. It is interesting and informative for us all. Please tell us your stories of Jaguar ownership and add to the BB useage.

Mike Kennedy. S-type Co-ordinator

[CliveRothwell]

Hello Mike

Thank you for your detailed explanation about the running of the forum and reasons for lack of comments. You clearly are well organised and an experienced member of the club. Your work is obviously time consuming; I am sure it is appreciated by your fellow members.

Personally, I look at the forum almost daily at present in the hope that something might have been added. Later in the year, this may well less frequent as I get to drive the car rather than take it apart..........

This week's problem has centred about the servo. Can anybody recommend a firm who can recondition the servo for my XJ6 series 3 3.4 auto?

regards

Clive

[J44EAG]

Thank you for your kind words Clive.

Keith Parrington heads up the early XJ Forum so it is worth making contact with him. He runs a professional XJ restoration business and is in a position to help with most XJ queries.

I did a quick Goggle on recon Jaguar servos and came up with this link. I`ve not used there services but the web site looks very swept up. Perhaps they can help you with your needs.http://www.jlspares.com/

I had noted your regular activity on the BB sites. The more the merrier.

Kind regards,

Mike

[prunerede]

Hello, Thought I would introduce myself as a fellow XJ6 owner and local to you , I am in Peterborough.

Having fitted new springs to my car, it is not a 5 minute job,so get the right ones to give you the corrrect ride height and handling.

If you need any parts I have quite a stash put away over the years,might be able to help out a fellow enthusiast.

I own a series 1 and a series 3 both 4.2ltr.

Bye for now.

[David27]

Hello Clive, just thought I'd introduce myself as another JEC member who does occasionally use this forum. I've got a 1979 series III XJ12 which is giving me major headaches and marital strife at the moment! I'm unable to start it at the moment because the ECU packed up. I had it tested and got a report back saying the ECU was faulty, possibly caused by other issues eg. relays. Have now bought replacement 2nd hand ECU and am trying to find a new set of relays. These cars are great but they really are a labour of love!
Cheers, David

[CliveRothwell]

My goodness! The bad luck has changed! The servo has been fitted and it actually works! It really is a most satifying feeling to correctly diagnose a fault and then to fit the part and for it to have such a noticeable improvement. The brakes are really strong now, much better than at any point in my nearly 3 years of tenure.

Next problem is the horn which has stopped working during the cold weather and the radio.............and to sort out some decent weather for us all !