Your help required: Common XJ-S Issue compilation

[BigCatXJS]

Folks,

As part of the Forum display at Eastern/Western days, we're going to tag-up my 1989 XJ-S V12 HE with info pertaining common issues. I've had a brief first stab below, but would really appreciate all input into refining the list. The objective is to communicate common issues rather than compile a complete A - Z classification.

Please could you take a look and update?

Many thanks in anticipation,
Rich

Common Jaguar XJ-S HE (1981 - 1991) Issues
Key:
£ Cheap
££ Affordable
£££ Expensive
££££ Prohibitively Expensive

Engine overheating:
Coolant hose leaking:
Check/replace coolant hose £
Lower radiator section corroded and insulated with debris:
Replace radiator ££ or re-core ££
Cylinder head and block warped:
Replace cylinder head(s) and re-skim block(s) ££££
Oil leak front of car:
Oil cooler leaking:
Replace oil cooler ££ and connecting pipes if compromised £
Engine misfiring:
Electrical:
Service distributor ££, change spark plugs £ and replace HT cables £
Fuel starvation:
Replace fuel filter £, check fuel swirl pot and clear out debris £, and check/replace fuel pump ££
Noisy front suspension and vague steering:
Replace perished bushes ££
Econo cruise not working:
Repair bellows £ and adjust speed potentiometers £
Corroded near-side lower wing/sill:
Replace (or delete) corroded atmospheric tank ££, wing £££, and repair sill ££
Corrosion around windscreen scuttle areas:
Remove windscreen ££ and repair corroded areas ££
Damp nearside front carpets:
Clear air conditioning drain tubes £, dry carpets, and repair any floor pan corrosion £££
Corrosion around front and rear jacking points and seatbelt mounting plate:
Replace and repair affected areas £££
Headlining droop:
Replace headlining ££
Corrosion around rear wheel arches:
Repair as best you can £££
Rotten rear radius arms:
Replace ££
Corrosion around bottom corner of rear window and lower section of buttress:
Remove window ££ and repair corroded areas ££

[davidr]

Rich - you could maybe look at Nigel Thorley's "You and your XJS" book for inspiration. It has a chapter on common issues

[Brakebuster]

lol, you just described my car before i started to work on her.........



one to add to suspension , broken springs, both front and back (all 6 of mine were stuffed )

engine bay , corrosion at top of shock mounts , MOT fail ,

front subframe corrosion to beam and spring top turrets , MOT fail

electric/lighting, poor performing headlights from deterioration of silvering ,

body , doors dropping due to worn hinges

just a few for now, lol

BB

[BigCatXJS]

Rich - you could maybe look at Nigel Thorley's "You and your XJS" book for inspiration. It has a chapter on common issues

Thanks David.

I have that (signed) book sitting but a few feet away from me I'll take a look and will try and avoid a bad outbreak of plagiarism

Rich.

[BigCatXJS]

lol, you just described my car before i started to work on her.........



one to add to suspension , broken springs, both front and back (all 6 of mine were stuffed )

engine bay , corrosion at top of shock mounts , MOT fail ,

front subframe corrosion to beam and spring top turrets , MOT fail

electric/lighting, poor performing headlights from deterioration of silvering ,

body , doors dropping due to worn hinges

just a few for now, lol

BB

Ooh! I recognise some of these especially the door drop.....

Thanks Vince.

Rich.

[BigCatXJS]

I'd better get refreshing!

[PaulE]

To add a positive note to the catalogue of gloom perhaps you could suggest the cheap and easy way of improving the headlights dramatically is to substitute a pair of Phillips Ultra power ( or whatever the current term is - they keep changing it as the bulbs are made even more powerful)- than the standard ones. I think the current range is 130% better.See the front view of my car above - M120HFP.

[Brakebuster]

malfunctioning fuel gauge

mine keeps getting lower the further i drive

still haven't worked out how to fix that................

BB

[poprivet]

Rich, I can't deny that the XJS has some weak points, after all what 30 year old car is perfect.

It does however concern me a little that it will show the negative aspects rather then inspiring confidence in potential new owners.

I would personally prefer the benefits highlighted.

[Brakebuster]

Rich, I can't deny that the XJS has some weak points, after all what 30 year old car is perfect.

It does however concern me a little that it will show the negative aspects rather then inspiring confidence in potential new owners.

I would personally prefer the benefits highlighted.

i think this tack is to reflect the current trend towards survivor cars that are not fully restored, and gives potential owners and current owners the key points to look out for, honesty not smoke screens etc

BB

[ptjs1]

Rich,

I think that anything which helps to inform existing and potential owners of the work involved in maintaining and restoring an XJS is a great idea.

I do believe that it would be helpful to quantify each area under 2 separate headings:

- the degree of technical skills required / need for specialist equipment
+
- the cost of having the work done by garages / specialists

Some jobs are very labour intensive but not necessarily technically complex, whereas conversely some jobs are quite cheap to have done by a garage just because they have the specialist skills or equipment that a home enthusiast may not have.

Therefore, if you gave each area a code of, say, 1-4 "spanners", plus a code of 1-4 £, then enthusiasts and owners could understand where they may be able to cost-justify doing a job at home themselves versus the need to get the work done by a specialist.

Also, I'm not sure that ££££ is "Prohibitively Expensive". As we know, if one has a good late V12 with blown head gasket, it's still well worth fixing the problem using a good independent garage. Maybe ££££ just equals "Very Expensive", being say £2500+. For some cars, that may not be cost-effective, but for other cars, it's well worth the cost.

On a very minor point, I would give more than 2 "££" for the potential cost or remedying windscreen flange corrosion, as it will very likely have eaten into bulkhead, scuttle and even inner wings and A-post! It could easily write-off an older car.

Good initiative! I look forward to seeing the finished article.

Cheers

Paul

[BigCatXJS]

Thanks for all the feedback thus far - keep it coming!

I'll look to pull a grouped, spannered and costed summary over the weekend for final feedback as I need to have the list ready for tagging for early next week.

Ta, Rich

[JaguarMike]

Hi Brakebuster,

ref. fuel gauge:-"fault", if you turn the engine off but leave the ignition on, you will find the gauge works splendidly well! Another advantage is there will be less ware and tear statically.

Will see you all at Western Day as accepted into modified with the hatchback. Has cost a fortune to buy the castle for the misses to go too ~ the only way I could get a 3 day pass!

[BigCatXJS]

Right - latest list below. Please could you review and feedback? Last chance as I need to submit tomorrow am

I can't load as a pdf or MS Word doc, so I have snapped the sections and saved as PNG files (so you may have to zoom in to render the content readable or just click the image)

[ptjs1]

Rich,

Great effort, looks very good!

I'm sure there will be a number of people who may disagree over the level of technical competence required to do some jobs. But I think it works well as an overall framework.

Just one point; most cylinder head overheating problems require the heads to be skimmed or replaced. But I'm not sure that the problem warps the block or requires that to be skimmed. I think the problem usually just requires heads doing. I might be wrong!

Just a thought, why not drop Keith Parrington a line and send him the link to this thread and see what he thinks of it overall.

Cheers

Paul