xj12 purchase and ownership

[ipburrell1962]

hi,everybody!
i am looking at the possibility of purchasing a jaguar xj12 in the next 12 months or so i am a diesel mechanic to trade but i am a nvice when it comes to these big cats! any advice on the pitfalls etc would be very welcome!!

[almcl]

Hi

V12 saloons are wonderful cars providing effortless, silky smooth power.

The Series XJ bodies rot. SIIIs in particular go around the screens (the shift to bonded screens in the early 80's seemed to make this worse) this can lead to other areas, particularly the rear wheel arches, going from the inside. The rear valance goes where it joins the spare wheel well floor and the pax side foot well seems to rot adjacent to the transmission tunnel. Sills and front wings can also be a problem.

The good news is that many original Jaguar panels/bits and non-original remaunfactured parts are available.

The engines seem to last very well if not overheated. Unfortunately, if they do overheat it is often terminal, as getting the cylinder head(s) off with 20+ years of corrosion welding them is near impossible.

The oil pressure on my 125,000 mile example is still 60 -70 psi when warmed up, and the GM400 box seems still to shift more or less correctly.

All the drive train and the suspension parts are available, see the catalogues here: JDHT

[ipburrell1962]

hi there!
ive taken note of all your comments its great to be able to contact somebody who knows xj12s so well!! will let you know when i make a purchase! thanks again for your help!

[almcl]

Good luck with the search!

Some pictures of rusty XJ bodies here:
http://almcl.org/sitemap.aspx
and
http://almcl.org/v12.aspx
and
4.2 banger

Hope that isn't too off-putting.

[ipburrell1962]

hi again!
i have been talking to a mechanic pal of mine over the last few days who had worked on some xjs in the late seventies he had some nightmare tales of unreliability even on well maintained examples!! could anyone shed some light on years/models to avoid? regards ian p burrell
ps it hasnt put me of ownership as long as i can find the right example!!!

[almcl]

As far as the saloons go the consensus seems to be the later the better (they were made up to 1992 in V12 form.)

There are differences between the XJS and the saloon. Saloons never had Marelli ignition, for example. Also there's a bit more room to work on the saloon engine bay.

[ipburrell1962]

hi!
thanks for the advice, ive taken it onboard! ill try to find a later model i think!!
regards ian p burrell

[jthorne]

I ran 6.0 XJS's as my every day cars for 4 years and they were great! Just make sure the moment you purchase you have all the fluids changed/flushed and then be religious about servicing. I think half the problems come from lack of use- dried pipes and seals etc etc

If you want to pm for more detailed advice do.....

Cheers

Jon

[XjRestorations]

All excellent advice here.
The engine is a very strong unit - a very relaxed unit. Look for good service history, with invoices to back up any stamps in books!
Road test the car over as long a distance as you can, as Al has already mentioned - running hot will kill the V12!
They are a heavy car. Look for pulling under braking, tramlining, metallic knocks over bumps, under steer. All of these would point to worn out suspension bushes on the front. Specialists spring compressor is required for the lower wishbone bushes.
Corrosion is the biggest nail in the XJ coffin. A complex bodyshell means that unless you are a bit handy with a welder - expect big bills. The shell tends to corrode anywhere between the front and rea bumpers!
We have plenty of galleries highlighting XJ faults here -
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 3187439423

Kind regards,
Keith