Early MK2 1961 Engine Breather

[yaverland]

I have just purchased a 1961 MK2 3.4 my question is about the engine breather system on mine it just has a pipe attached to the breather outlet on the front of the engine which hangs down in the space between the exhaust manifolds and the inner wing without being anchored anywhere I cant believe this is correct even on an early model. The pipe is rubber but I believe it should be aluminium skinned. I know on the later models they feed the output back into the air cleaner. Anyone help with info on correcting this please - Alan new member.

[PPV]

Hi, my car is an original early 1961 3.8 and the breather pipe goes from the front into the airfilter aluminium casing (underneath it close to the joint with the carb intake housing). Hope that makes sense.
Regards,

[yaverland]

Thanks Paul I will have a look. I know the early cars such as the MK1 had a pipe but I always thought it would have a catch tank or something otherwise your dropping oil residue on the road as you drive. - Alan

[yaverland]

Paul, does your 3.8 have the pancake air filter with the paper element? only I found out with a little research that by engine number and chassis number my car should have the old oil bath air cleaner and has been changed at some point to the pancake type but there is no visible point where the breather can connect. so it may be correct for the open outlet pipe from the breather. - Alan

[PPV]

Hi Alan, yes mine has the pancake/paper air filter. The actual connection is just on the aluminium section that is part of the filter located where it joins the carb inlet section and the rubber sealing ring goes around the joint. There appears to be a tapping point here to which the hose connects fronm the breather on the engine.
Regards,

[oldtimer]

Hi Alan,
I suddenly feel very old, about sixty years ago I had a Mk 7 . My vague memories are that the pipe was corrugated aluminium with cardboard like lining . This simply passed through a grommet in the inner wing and vented overboard with the pipe being clamped in the wheel arch. I'm sure this carried over to other models of the time but I could be mistaken. By the way, if the engine is in good order nothing should come out of that pipe !

Oldtimer

[yaverland]

Hi oldtimer you are absolutely right after some research I have found that according to my engine and chassis numbers, the pipe which exits right side of the engine looking at the front is indeed a corrugated aluminium with cardboard type internal just vented below the the car. I had forgotten that I have two of Nigel Thorley' s excellent books on the Jaguar MK1 and MK2 which have some pictures that show the differences under the bonnet of the early models of MK2 and the breather is more or less the same as the MK1 and XK150. Ive managed to obtain the correct pipe from an XK150 parts supplier so I'm now happy I can return my car to original. Many thanks for the help on here - Alan