I have a 1986 XJ6 VDP and the alternator is failing miserably. I was wondering if anyone knew in a little detail how to remove it. I have had 2 failedattempts. It seems impossible to remove it because there are bars and part of th body in the way. I may be over looking something if anyone has any info that would be great. I have 2 books on how to fix things and both of them just say to remove it. no real instructions. any info is appreciated

 

I've done a few. Here's what works for me....

Disconnect front anti-roll bar from the right and left drop links.

Loosen, don't remove,right side anti-roll bar "U" bracket

Remove left side anti-roll bar "U" bracket (work from above with a looooong extension)

Remove screws holding oil lines to the front of the crossmember.

At this point you should be able to wriggle the alternator out.

A few extra tips.....

Use 1/4 drive tools due to lack of room.

Disconnecting the wiring is difficult as there's not much slack in the wires. Remove the main output wire at the firewall "+" stud (near the brake booster if you have a LHD car) and then remove the clips that hold the wire to the inner fenderwell. Now there will be enough slack so that the alternator can drop down a few inches allowing for easier removal of the wires at the back.

Others will chime in will their own variations of tackling the task

Hope this helps

DD

 

well what i thought would be a walk in the parl, turned out to be a finding my way though the jungle.
I will be tackleing this again, thanks for your info.

 

Everyone struggles with this job on the first go 'round. When you're done you'll have earned "JagMan" status



I had a pal who struggled with his alternator and wisely decided to take a breakto clear his head. As he was walking away he heard a big clunk and the darn thing had fallen out onto the floor ! True story !

Cheers
DD

 

The first job is to raise the front of the car and place substantial support underneath it, you will be jerking the car side to side and up and down and you don't want that vehicle to fall on you, so SAFETY FIRST. Place substantial WEDGES on the rear tires, transmission in PARK and emergency brake real tight. Harbor Freight Tools has some very effective wedges for around $8.00. Worth every penny, last what they may.

the first part to remove is the Splash Pan,which will allow you tomove the tube under the radiator out of the way, thendisconnect the roll bar links from the suspension, the roll bar can then be moved up out of the way and the alternator will come out through the bottom of the car. Make sure the new or rebuilt alternator has the same size PULLEY.

Not a piece of cake but it is doable. Plan on taking breaks when the arms start to hurt. Use latex gloves and safety glasses, you have to work on your back looking up. change the glovesevery now and then, very greasy in that area.

As far as the wiring at the back of the alternator, I was able to disconnect the wires by a combination of moves from above and from below, in fact that was the easiest part of the job.

I'm going to install the BOSCH alternator from the XJ-12, I'm told by others that it is a perfect fit and a lot better alternator. (Doug, this is what Gregory Andrachuk says). I am not happy with the GM Alternator conversion I did, the LUCAS alternator was a lot better.

Jose

 

you brought up a good point jose. The alternator it self does not come with a pulley....they expect you as the buyer to use the old pulley from the bad alternator. Am i going to need a pulley puller?

 

Walter,

no pulley ? don't buy it. You're being shortchanged.

Tell you my opinion:

1) remove your alternator, (you have to anyway),

2) take it to a nearby Alternator Shop to get it tested, ( not to AutoZone please).

3) if the alternator is bad, ask for the price to get it rebuilt,

4) if they give you a lot of baloney and high pricebecause itis a Lucas (assuming it is),
then you have the following alternatives:

a) order the XJ-12 Bosch alternator from JagTech Ohio,since you're already ordering the rubberseal from him, and yes it should come with the pulley and the pulley should be the same diameter as your old pulley.Measure your pulley diameter, do not buy any alternator without a pulley, not worth the trouble.

b) or order John's Cars GM Alt conversion kit, and they will sell you the GM alternator too.
The GMalternator I do not like, but others have had good luck with it. I didn't.

http://www.johnscars.com


My best advice? Order the XJ-12 Bosch alternator. People in the know at Jag-Lovers recommend it. No modifications as I understand it. I think Doug knows the part number and may know more about it. That's what I'm going to do next to mine.

Jose

 

The Bosch is fine although I don't know the part number, sorry.

Just make sure you don't get jammed up on the pulley. AsI recall....and don't take mine as the final word.....the Bosch type used a flat, ribbed belt rather than a "V" belt.

I know some XJS guys have used the Bosch, so its doable, but they had to make pulley changes.

I'll try to find out

Cheers
DD

 

Jose,

The XJ 12 and XJ6 alternators mount on opposite sides of the engine: the relative position of the mounting lug for the belt adjuster is therefore different, approximately7 o'clock for the XJ6 and 5 o'clock for the XJ12.

I'm not saying it can't be done, just that I have never seen a reason to consider it. The PRS rebuilts come with the fan and pulley attached, and as I posted somewhere else recently, were still covered by a lifetime warranty when last I purchased one.

 

well, this other mountingdetailof the Bosch alternator I did not know, but the guys at Jag-Lovers XJ forum swear the Bosch is a direct fit, and according to Doug the pulley is different also, so obviously the Bosch is noteasy-street. Walter, scratch that !

What's PRS ? a brand of rebuilts?Same pulley diameter as the factory? (I bought John's Cars GM Alt conversion for my 1984 and the alternator came with a smaller pulley, causing the voltage gauge to go south when idling, while the Lucas alternator remained on 13v at idling, so that's where I'm coming from).

 

PRS is a brain fart...I worked on PRS chassis Formula Ford racers back in '79-'80, and miss-acronymed the name.

PPR is an automotive electrical rebuilder for the aftermarket, established in 1972. They do not offer direct retail sales. I have installed perhaps 100 of their reman alternators and starters on XJ6/ XJS since '90 or '91, with excellent results. None lately, most of my workload is newer vintage and apparently my memory is not.

All of their units are OEM fitment, meaning that the alternator we are discussing is a rebuilt 75 amp Lucas, complete with fan and correct pulley. My distributor upgrades the three year warranty to lifetime coverage, so I can pass along the same. Stating that means I should include the fact that any suspect unit would have to be returned to PPR for testing and confirmation before a replacement would be authorized. That's the same deal I get, same deal you get.

I can sell the Series III XJ6 alternator as described above for $220.00 plus actual shipping charges. Not included is the $70.00 core value, although I have several cores to provide so that would not be an issue if I was fortunate enough to sell one or two units over the web. Once my cores are gone, I would have to handle the standard deposit/ return/ refund program that all other buyers and sellers know so well.

I originally started installing these units when I learned of the warranty, and also found thatPPR was priced lower than units from the now-defunct supply chain direct from Lucas, and fromthe more recent Bosch program. I'm a loyal customer: once I find a supplier who demonstrates his ability and his consistentproduct quality, I don't ever have to look for an alternative.

All other things being equal, there isn't a reason in the world why the OEM alternator is insufficient for a Series III XJ6 or XJS. Installation of a mega-kickin' power amp, or a strip of flashing police lights and sirens, is not "equal" and might necessitate the demand to augment the stock electrical system. Only then would I contemplate modifying pulley fitment, mounting aligmnent spacing, and belt length to solvea more complicated issue.

 

"GM alternators in Jaguars: the cure for which there is no disease"

I never had a problem with OEM alternators beingadequate in my Jags. I think a lot of people are so paranoid about the whole "Lucas thing" that they go a little crazy.

Agreed, though, that if you're gonna start adding a bunch of high-draw accessories an upgrade might well be called for.

Cheers
DD

 

Beyond making junk switches and OPUS ignition systems, and pasting their stickers all over defective Bosch P jetronic components, Lucas is no worse thanmost other manufacturers. Ask the XK8/XJ8 guys about failing $2000 ABS controller modules, I'd bet Lucas gets blamed for that too. Those are from the land of warm German beer, not English ale.

If you want to waste someeffort usea Denso XJ8 alternator and A/C compressor,they'll last a lfetime too. They'replentiful and cheap,having outlivedthe junk Jaguar V8engines they were peeled from.

Junk Jaguar V8 engines? Yes, when the Sachs timing chain tensioners disintegrate, or the Mahle Nikasil coating fails, the Jaguar engine grenades or pukes itself to death. Maybe Lucas doesn't get blamed for that, but another bunch of Englishmen get laid off anyway.

So be it if international content laws dictate construction practice, the guy who screws up is the guy who should be held responsible. My response to your GM quote:

GM produces overwhelming PR, not reliable DC.

 

the only non-factory electrical accessory I have added to my XJ, are front Seat Heaters,I still use the factory speakerswith a more or less modern Kenwoodstereo.I also added fog-spot lamps, but these carscame pre-wired from the factory, so assumedly, an allowance was made for that when they selected the Lucas alternator.

I went to the GM conversion 90 amp. alternator thinking more-is-better, and I was wrong.

Fortunately I kept the original Lucas alternator which is dated 1983.From what I'm hearing here, I'mre-installing the Lucas.

My XJ is electrically stable, I never blame Lucas for anything.In any case Ienjoy Lucas parts because they are openable and serviceable.Consider that I also have a 1965 S type, the grandfather of the XJ, and that car is as stable as the XJ, if not better. It is not alternator-equipped, but Generator-equipped. All electrical parts in that car have a date on them, usually 1964. For example, the Coil is dated1964,the Generator is dated1964,the Starter is dated 1964, and so on. Some other parts are dated 1963 or 1965.They are still kicking. The engine starts instantly after the SU pumps charge.

And as you say, the only parts I ever had trouble with,have beenthe Bosch parts, like the Cold Start Injector, (threereplacements in the 18 years I have owned the XJ).

 

Good point about the serviceability. Just as a suggestion, and you probably already decided on it, would be to put a regulator and set of brushes in your original unit before plugging it back in. Otherwise, a good stock rebuilt and you have output at idle again.

 

So just to be sure I took it to a alternator test shop, turns out it was just a loose wire and a worn belt......I feel retarded...$47.34 price tag.

 

is it a Lucas? if yes, my point about Lucas components lasting decades is vindicated.

The Generator, Starter, Starter solenoid, Coil, and most other Lucas partsin my S typeare
44 years old, and that includes the Wiper motor and Fuel Pumps.

 

I think its lucas...its theorginal alternator they said.

 

The real problem with Lucas stuff on the older Jags is the non-sealed bullet connectors. If not for them the Lucas legend would have died decades ago......

Other than that Lucas stuff is good. When I had older Jgas I always specifically asked for Lucas ignition parts, etc. Yeah, there's the odd exception here and there....like dime store quality window switches.... but in general its high grade stuff.

Just my 2-cents

Cheers
DD

 

Lucas is still today a lot better than Delco, Mopar,or Motorcraft I'm not happy to say.

But in fairness, I also should say, my '65 S type has some Motorcraft and Mopar parts still kicking. For example, the Power Steering system is from a 1960's Ford Tractor. If I want to replace the power steering Filter, I find it in Ford Tractor Supply houses.

The Inhibitor (Neutral-Reverse) Switch is from a 1960's Chrysler-Dodge. I assume Mopar.

Funny ehh?

But it is known that William Lyons came to the US on shopping trips. He went to GM, Ford, and Chrysler to buy parts, like the DG-250 auto transmission from the Studebaker days installed in many Jags. and the Brog Warner trannys, and the GM trannys.

The XJ-6has lotsof GM and Delco parts, like the Ignition Amplifier, parts which can be found at NAPA, CarQuest, AutoZone, O'Reilly's, Rogers, Advance, you name it.