Low oil pressure

[supersonic62]

Hi folks,
On start up oil pressure went up to around 20 , ( 1974 series 2, 4.2 engine) I then drove it on the main road pressure then up around 40 and got to about 50mph and the pressure started to drop hence I pulled into a layby, I couldn`t see anything visably happening under the bonnet although it smelt hot.I drove home and no pressure reading at all at this point, switched it off and lifted bonnet it was very hot and you would think it had been for a long run but the distance was around 3 miles max.I was glad to get home I can tell you ! Has anyone has a similar issue and rectified it.I wondered if it could be the oil pump, as it certainly isn`t short of oil.Just when I think we are making headway with the issues I have had this year with it, we are confronted by another.Any ideas or advice much appreciated, Regards Paul

[mike020150]

Assuming the car has fresh oil of the correct grade and a new filter, the best place to start is with a calibrated 'wet' oil pressure gauge. The Jaguar electrical units can be unreliable. Screw the gauge into one of the oil gallery tappings or where the Jaguar gauge is fitted and compare the readings. With luck, it will be a gauge issue. You don't want to tear the engine apart on the basis of a dodgy oil pressure gauge! Mike.

[supersonic62]

Hi Mike, I think I may have solved the issue of low or no oil pressure reading. When the oil and filter was changed ( castrol 20w50 oil and genuine Jaguar oil filter )very recently, I sat yesterday evening and thought about the order of the spring, washers ,filter and the plate in the canister and if they played a part in this issue.I remembered some years ago I put the plate in the canister the wrong way round and had no oil pressure so the only thing I could think of was I had put either the spring , washers or the plate in wrong. I drained the oil and went through the diagram in the Series 2 workshop manual again and it was the plate in the wrong way round.So today we did the same and on checking the plate it was on the wrong way , so it was rectified and we have oil pressure.I cannot blame anyone as I should have checked and they were doing me a favour by changing it as it is in the most awkward places.I remember many years ago I used to jack the car up and slide underneath going in on the side with the wheels to the left on full lock and found this the easiest way.The car today seemed to idle okay in the drive showing oil pressure, so think we have solved this problem.On putting it away I noticed a small drip of coolant , I can`t see any splits in any hoses, so that will be another issue we will be looking for when my chief mechanic ( son ) is free.Thanks Mike for your input, Regards Paul

[mike020150]

Great news! Simple cheap solutions are always the most appealing. I'm pleased you have solved that one. Mike.

[PaulGover]

As far as I recall, there are several suppliers of kits to convert the XK engine to use a modern screw-on filter, which with the 6000 mile service interval can be a boon. Try googling "XK oil filter conversion" or similar, if you're not a stickler for originality.

[supersonic62]

Hi Paul, I have a conversion spin on kit which takes the same spin on filters as the XJ40 model , after mentioning the kits on the club site with other members previously, I spoke to SNG Barratt and they supplied me with the conversion kit for my particular model and as yet I haven`t had the chance to get it fitted by the garage as we have had other issues going on with the electrics and needed to know if they could get the car up and running( as not jaguar specialists)so getting it fitted was pushed back until I feel we have the major jobs dealt with first, but it is on the list, and certainly will make life a lot easier ,Regards Paul

[supersonic62]

Hi folks
I am in a bit of a conundrum regarding the oil canister and the order the spring, washers, filter and plate go into it.Thinking I had this sorted I was talking to a fellow enthusiast who had parked next to me ( I was in my XJ40 ) in his 1973 XJ6 (early series 2 and still has canister holder oil filter ) in halfords car park and while we were waiting for the store to open, talking like you do and I said I had a 1974 series 2 and how I had been having several issues this year with it including the devil of changing the oil filter we have had recently and how various manuals show the order of the way the spring ,washers , filter and plate go together in the canister.He maintains that the spring, metal washer then the felt washer then the plate and spring clip go in first then the filter and the plate that is attached to the housing will go against the filter as the bolt is tightened up. Well we haven`t done it that way ( it shows picture of things in this order in the Jaguar parts catalogue ), We have followed the plan in the Haynes manual and in the Jaguar Repair Operation Manual 1977,which shows the oil filter in first then the spring, felt washer, metal washer then the plate, no spring clip as it`s missing. He said he puts it back in the order it came out and has owned the car just over 4 years and he`s changed the filter twice and never had a problem.Well this had me thinking are we wrong in following the diagram in the two manuals mentioned above ( or are they printed wrong) and is this why it was so difficult to bolt back on ? It is many years since I changed it myself.We haven`t driven car since we turned the plate the other way around.Can someone Please verify the correct way they fit inside the canister.Feel I`m having a senior moment over something that should be and was easy at the time some years ago, Regards Paul

[mike020150]

It's a while since I had to replace an oil filter of this type but hey are all assembled in pretty much the same way. With the cannister complete with its central bolt in position, the internal components go into it in this order: spring flat washer, felt washer, dished plate, clip. This order allows the paper filter to be spring loaded against the filter head. Mike.

[supersonic62]

Hi Mike, Thanks for that, much appreciated. I wasn`t a 100% happy with it when we put it back together and looking in various manuals we had different diagrams and like I said it`s sometime since I had changed the filter myself. So we will put things in the right way this time and have written it down and put with cars paperwork for future reference, Regards Paul