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You may already be aware of my 2015 winter project which is a 2002 X-Type 3.0 SE which I purchased for peanuts from eBay. The plan is to restore the car to a high standard in time for the Silverstone Classic in July.
When purchased the car had been standing idle in the elderly lady owner's garage for some three years and had gradually succumbed to the usual problems arising from inactivity. There was an attempt to pass the mandatory mot test in January 2014 but the failure list was quite long and eventually the dear soul sold the car on.... to me.
The failure list (below pic) hides the main reason for the car's disposal - "Gearbox Fault" and "Cruise Control not Available" error messages which, as I am sure we all know, seem potentially frighteningly expensive but are often laughably simple to put right, as it so proved.
On the plus side the paintwork is immaculate and there are no dents or scratches to the steel panels. Both bumpers will need minor scratch/dent/paint repairs, but this is something I have done a few times before and will be no problem. The interior is unmarked and has no driver's seat bolster wear. The carpets are as new. The car came with a full Jaguar main dealer service history and has only covered 48,000 miles.
Well worth £500? I thought so...
I have taken the side skirts off and there is some corrosion in the rear driver's sill area where salt water has become trapped in the vicinity of the wheelarch liner forward of the wheel. This will only require a patch.
The car is currently on my lift in the garage while I set to with the spanners and renovate/rebuild the brakes and suspension. The XKR convertible is sleeping beneath but is (obviously) moved out when work is taking place, and there are steel trays below the X-Type to catch any drips or flaking mud which might fall. Funny how the led worklamp makes the green paint look blue!!
Wish me luck, guys...
The failure list was as follows: Reason(s) for refusal to issue CertificateNearside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)Offside Front Headlamp not working on dipped beam (1.7.5a)Nearside Front Headlamp not working on main beam (1.7.5a)Offside Front Headlamp not working on main beam (1.7.5a)Dipswitch operation does not deflect all main beam headlamps to make them dipped beams (1.7.4b)Front both split Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (8.2.2)Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)Front passenger door cannot be opened from outside the vehicle (6.2.B.1b)Exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle excessive (7.3.D.3)Exhaust emissions Lambda reading after 2nd fast idle outside specified limits (7.3.D.3)Advisory Notice issuedFront brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)Rear brake disc worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (3.5.1i)Nearside Front to hose Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)Both rears from joints to hoses Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)Service brake: service brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.C.1a)Parking brake: parking brake efficiency only just met. It would appear that the braking system requires adjustment or repair. (3.7.C.1b)Fuel pipe/s corrodedUnder-trays fitted obscuring some underside componentsEngine covers fitted obscuring some components in the engine bayEngine light on dashGearbox fault
considering some of the comments I see about whether people thought the older X-types were worth saving, I am always glad to see efforts put into saving them
It is one of the reasons I went out of my way to retrieve my ex's X...the five-speeds were too good to let go to waste.
I agree with you. In my opinion no car over ten years of age is a viable economic proposition unless you are either prepared to face the inevitable garage bills, or do the work yourself.
Additionally the early X-type joins a list of cars where the average garage mechanic was unable to fix many simple problems through lack of knowledge, or the lack of the proper tools, or by assumption born of experience of working on less sophisticated engineering. In the 1970s there were large numbers of UK Coventry Climax-engined cars which went to early graves because Fred in a Shed maintainers did not know that the cylinder heads needed careful torquing down according to a very specific procedure.
I am also aware of a good proportion of X-Types which have been scrapped because of the dreaded "Gearbox Fault" message, which in fact usually costs about 0.05 to fix.
There is nothing wrong with this particular car other than that caused by years of standing idle in the North of England where the roads are covered in salt during winter. A lot of the suspension components are covered in surface rust, as are the brakes. Every item will be cleaned and gritblasted before inspecting and refinishing or renewing.
I expect the full cost of restoration to be in the region of £1500 - £2000 GBP including a new set of tyres (project rules state these are the only items I will not source from eBay), and a set of transfer case bearings (just in case!!).
However, after this I will have a well-sorted example of a 3.0litre baby Jaguar which cost some £27,000 when new: and Jaguar interiors are a very nice place to spend time in.
So, in conclusion:
Will I have paid for the entire project by selling my own junk and unwanted items on eBay? Yes.
Will I get ALL that money back when I sell? Almost certainly not - at best half - but who cares?
Will I have had a pile of fun, and gained some useful knowledge while fixing the car up? Definitely yes.
12 months of what the UK Government call "Vehicle Excise Duty" (VED) on the X-Type is currently £285 per annum, assuming no increase in next budget. The XKR will be £500, but as I only have it on the road for six months a year, half is refunded.
The X-Type is not going to be a daily driver either, and I might even leave it France on SORN for six months of the year - so I expect to fork out about £157 for a similar six month period.
All of which is largely irrelevant as the £285 VED on the X-Type is broadly equivalent to just below 57gallons (UK not US gallons) of fuel at todays prices - or about four tankfuls.
Since November I have managed to amass £1,511.99 in sales.
Principal items were a cherished registration number at £700, a stack of die-cast toys totalling £130, a vintage Mota Lita steering wheel, a new Meguiars polisher and some TVR spares. The remainder were odd GM/Alfa/Jag car spares and Fender guitar accessories.
Onwards and upwards! This is turning out to be more fun that I expected.
The small hole at the rear of the driver's sill has been welded (very neatly) and cost me £80. I watched the guy work via the cctv cam...
I have now investigated the sill box sections with an endoscope and the inner sills are looking good, although the inside of the base of the outer sills shows some surface corrosion on both sides of the car.
This weekend I will be injecting the sills with rust converter followed by a rust inhibitor - probably Waxoyl.
After that the outer sill surfaces (now treated with rust converter) will have a couple of coats of stone chip paint followed by a top coat of British Racing Green.
They truly are lovely cars.................... I'm sure you have already but drop that undertray and rustproof/waxoyl anything that doesn't undo and copper slip anything that does! The rust I've just found on ours is almost bad enough to condemn the car....................... good luck with it. Ali
It has just taken me two days to remove the following:
two exhaust clamps preventing the downpipe from being removed
the bolts holding the anti-roll restrictor bracket (under the rear catalytic converter)
However now I have been able to pull the transfer box pinion assembly from the car and I found that I MAY have been lucky. There was only a tiny bit of oil left in the housing (not enough to dirty my shoes) - what you see in the pic is about 20% of what I got out.
The good news is that now having inspected the pinion teeth and bearings it does seem that they are not damaged. We will see...
Last edited by Bogbrush; 02-09-2015 at 11:35 AM.
Reason: spellcheck
I would seriously advise checking the preload on the bearings before you put it back together mine was way to tight.
hence the reason I had to change them.
would not be a bad idea to change them now you have them out not that expensive in the long run I think i got the complete set for $70.00 around 50.00GBP. and the oil seal was only $8 from jaguar. (had a ford part number stamped on it and my local ford dealer could not find it in there system)
That is sound engineering advice from you, and normally I would comply but I have now examined the rollers, housings and cones very closely under a lens and there are no signs of wear or heat stress, so the whole lot will go back together later this week with new oil seals. Regarding preload, the pinion nut took precisely 15 full revolutions before it came off so should be ok if tightened 15 exact turns.
The car has only done 48K from new at elderly pensioner speeds so I am not unduly concerned... and ace in the hole is that I have a spare xfer box in my spares bin in case the worst happens.
What is of greater concern to me is that originally this box was filled with half a litre of thick oil. It must have gone somewhere, so I will be checking for leaks on a regular basis. Logic dictates that one of the two external oil seals must have been leaking - either the pinion seal or the driveshaft / cover plate seal (C2S4875). There are no signs of oil leakage around the driveshaft seal so I rather suspect the pinion seal may have given up some time in the past. Obviously this will be replaced, (C2S11506) as will the ring seal around the pinion housing (C2S5131) and the nut itself will be sealed with silicone as per JTIS instruction.
Having originally cut my teeth on most examples of the British motor industry's fine products from 1965 onwards I have a deep rooted hatred of any vehicle that leaks oil!! Those who are familiar with the BMC transverse engine/gearbox assembly will smile agreement at this point.
I may take the opportunity to drill a drain plug in the casing (cf astromorg's post) while it is accessible, visible and easily cleaned up.
Took a little time off from rebuilding the brakes to have a poke around the engine compartment.
I found this disgusting mess in the pollen filter housing. This is AFTER I had used an industrial vacuum cleaner to get all the leaves, rubbish, illegal immigrants and dead pigeons off the outer surface. I am wondering if this filter was ever replaced in 14 years?
I know the car only has 48000 miles on the clock but I thought it prudent to change out all the fluids - brake, coolant, engine oil and transmission fluid.
The old fluid came out a dark colour but smeared against a white background it still looks vaguely golden. New fluid in the left hand cup and nice swarf-free drain plug on the right.
This all looks quite healthy to me. The second pic compares old (left) and new (right) transmission fluid from my auto GM Astra after 9 years and only 21,000 miles.
My car has all the signs of having been well cared for during most of its life. It has a full main dealer service history and a plethora of little touches and minor accessories which indicated proud and caring family ownership.
Yet corners have obviously been cut in what must have been a desperate, cost-conscious (and failed) bid to pass its last mot in 2012. One of the Pirelli tyres had been replaced by a cheap Chinese item, the battery was inadequate, too small and very old, but worst of all it was obvious that the brakes had been messed with.
There were clear signs of dangerous bodging: several steel brake pipes had corroded badly and been dealt with by the simple expedient of slapping gobs of black grease over the worst affected areas. Additionally, although the offside front brake pipe had been replaced with new, instead of using new pipe clips (X type brake clips tend to disintegrate when the pipe is pulled clear) and routing the new section properly, the grease monkey responsible (may he rot in mechanic’s hell) had employed electrician’s cable ties to attach it to the nearest solid structure. Had I found an unmolested brake system I might have considered the cheaper option of rebuilding with new rubbers and seals, but I had no confidence in what I found. The visible bodging was bad enough but I obviously had no idea what other ‘work’ had been done on hidden components.
Both front callipers were badly corroded and one had a sticking piston. I therefore decided to junk the entire system and invest in brand new discs, pads, hoses, and callipers all round, plus a new master cylinder. Most of the steel pipework remained in excellent condition except for those exposed areas under the wheel arches. The rotten pipes were easily cut out and replaced with new. I refuse to compromise on brake safety even though the total expenditure on parts came to just under £600.00 – the purchase cost of the whole car. Everything was carefully sourced from eBay to keep costs down, as per project rules, but I made sure to order the items from well-known commercial motor factors.
Even so, the budget is now under strain, my original cash float now showing a balance less than £250. I have started to cast around for high-value possessions I no longer use which might be converted into cash.
Squeaky steering wheel fix uncovers fan module fault
Old hands at the X-Type game will know that on early cars the steering wheel could squeak as you moved it. According to the appropriate Jaguar technical bulletin this is caused by a seal inside the steering rack itself which is vibrating and the vibrations travel up the column to the wheel. It can be cured by adding the special additive part number C2S48887 to the power steering reservoir. If this does not work Jaguar recommend draining the system and completely refilling with Mobil ATF320.
As well as this, many of you will be aware that the engine cooling is controlled by the ECU via a fan control module mounted on the plastic fan shroud assembly. You'll shortly read why I have linked these two topics...
To fix the steering squeak with C2S48887 you take 50ml of fluid from the reservoir and replace it with the 50ml of additive. You also fix the sticker provided to the reservoir body as you only advised to do this once only.
The instructions state to start engine and heat the PAS fluid to 100 degC. To do this you are told to run the engine (gearbox in Park or neutral) at 3000 rpm with the wheel held 90 degrees to the right of straight ahead (a quarter turn to the right). Once the fluid in the reservoir reaches 100 degC you perform a series of wheel movements designed to mix the additive with the fluid.
Now this heating procedure requires an accurate temperature gauge. I used one of these: eBay item number:
181560047709. It is cheap enough and an alarm will go off when a preset temperature is reached so there is no need to watch it constantly. I have also used this device to check the temperature of the ATF in the transmission.
However, it took me 20-30 minutes of running at 3000 rpm before the PAS fluid hit 100 degC. This coincided with an alarm on the instrument panel and the engine temperature gauge hitting the red.
I had found that on my car the cooling fan module would turn on the fans at low speed at the lower of its preset temperature limits, but as soon as the engine temperature crept up to the point that the fans should be running at high speed all that happened was that the fans stopped completely!!!
Although I know I ought to get myself a new fan control module I am not going to bother unless I have to. I live in the UK which has a temperate climate, not Arizona, and the car never gets hot when moving. If I am unfortunate enough to be stuck in a traffic jam on a hot day with the aircon on full I will just make sure the engine is not racing at 3000 rpm!!
01-12-2015, 01:24 PM
The eBay X type
