New member with an incoming V12

[xtriple]

Amazingly, after another night of gales and bouncing bins etc, today has dawned bright... and breezy - took the dogs to the park overlooking the sea and nearly got blown off the cliff top!

But, apart from having to prop the bonnet up with a walking stick to stop the wind trying to dent my bonce, jobs got done! I tried to do the oil pressure switch but failed, after bringing every size spanner from 10 - 17mm none of them were big enough, jaws wise, or short enough lengthwise! So I abandoned that and made a start on thermostats. Pretty easy actually and there is loads of space once the airbox lids are off and the filters out of the way. My car does have the drain for the rad, but I am such a feeble old cripple (I really am: AS so walking stick etc)I couldn't undo the thing! Anyway, surprised to find a pair of old thermostats in place (I was convinced some nefariousness was afoot!) but they feel really weak and the coolant was all blue and clean, a very good thing I feel Also new air filters so it does sort of show the car has been looked after? Start to finish in 90 minutes which for me (very slow these days) was pretty good.

I have left it without water until such times as the Barrs leaks turns up from Amazon and put a BIG note on the screen to inform me... just in case!

Anyone have any ideas how to change the big pressure switch? Looks to be about a 19mm but it will have to be a short little spanner unless there is a trick?

[davidr]

Well done changing the thermostats. Interesting what you found.
I would recommend that you read the attached link to KWE's website before you put Barrs Leaks in your engine.
http://www.kwecars.com/coolant-sealants/
Personally, I don't!
Better I think to keep the cooling system in good condition, make sure the antifreeze concentration is kept up (for corrosion protection) and change it and flush through every few years.
The oil pressure sender is not easy to change. The issue is getting a spanner to the hex underneath the sender. I think I might have taken the throttle capstan out to get access.
Good luck!

[xtriple]

I was just going on what Jaguar say 'use 2 bottles of Barrs leaks whenever coolant refresh is undertaken' It did seem 'odd' to me as I have never used sealants before in a healthy engine (and only used then in knackered old bangers with no love shown or warranted!) but I do try and stick to whatever the manufacturer recommends.

Back in the days when I had these cars before, they were always new(ish) and so things like this were never considered. Now I'm in two minds about Barrs leaks.

[davidr]

You're right that Jaguar did stipulate the use of Barrs Leaks but I'm not convinced it's a good idea and the KWE piece explains it well I think.
There are 2 things it's supposed to do. First is to help with corrosion protection but a good antifreeze used at the correct concentration will do that. The second is the obvious one of plugging leaks but I'd say if you've got a leak then fix it!
Your choice at the end of the day!

[xtriple]

I am really struggling with this oil pressure switch. I have now got all the throttles off, the big tower it sits on and I still cannot get the switch undone! It seems to be unbelievably tight, so tight I did consider it being a L/H thread - it's not, is it? If/when I get this switch changed it's going to take three days to get the car back together!

[xtriple]

After getting a friendly neighbour involved, we cut down a spanner to size, and got precisely nowhere! Man, that thing is tight! So finally undid the complete housing after taking off the oil pipes at the back of it and even with it off, held in a vice, we still couldn't move it. It finally relented under a concerted attack from a hammer on the spanner end and pretty brutal blows with said hammer at that.

It is now off, all I have to do is send several days putting it all back together, what with all the electrical connections I've undone, and the potential for damage from all the effort in that area, I am confident it will never run again!

[davidr]

What a battle! Well done for winning it!
Hopefully it will all go back together without further fight

[xtriple]

Couldn't believe it to be honest, clearance is tight I grant you but having taken everything away from the area, it should have been a simple undo job. My neighbour Vasz is well used to working on elderly cars as he is a fellow mad idiot who loves elderly motors, even he (who is able-bodied) could not believe how ridiculously tight it was. Of course, once it moved, it span off with remarkable ease!

I am ashamed to say: I just threw all the tools in the boot of my other car and all the various bits and fixings for the XJ-S are left wherever they would fit! Talk about frustrating...