Hey guys,
I'm new to the forum and Jags as well. I just bought an 88 xj-s dirt cheap. It sat for a couple years and a rat made a home on the top of the engine. So alot of wires have been chewed. I replaced all the plug wires. I repaired the white coil wires that run by the dist. The wires that run from the dist are gone, can they be replaced or will the whole dist need to be replaced. I also found a red and blue wire with a copper outer braid. I assume that all three of these connect together is that correct? I havent found any other partial wires anywhere that they could connect to. Also the diaphragm thing (sorry couldnt locate it in the manual I have) that mounts to the back of the a/c compressor is chewed up as well. What is this part and what does it do.

Thanks in advance for the help




This is the plug in question on the distributor




The blue/red wires with the copper outer braid




This is the plug I found on the intake, which I assume goes between the dist the red/blue wire.

 

The plug in your third photo connects the wires that are bitten off but which can just be seen emerging from the bottom of the dizzy to the Lucas ignition box screwed to the top of the USA driver's side inlet manifold. I am assuming you have a Lucas ignition car with just one king lead coming out of the top of the dizzy? These two wires send the signal to the Lucas box (the ignition amp) to send the signal to the coil to fire the HT leads.
The copper shielded wire looks NON Jaguar to me. What is the other end connected to?
Greg

 

The other end does go to the Lucas amplifier box, dunno if the wire is factory or not, the braided part is on a ring connector grounding to the amp case. So I guess I was correct then that the red/blue wires go from the amplifier to the dist. Can the wires that go into the dist be replaced or will I need to get a replacement dist?

 

forgot to put the pic in it.

 

K all good. The wires need to be connected to the dizzy bottom. You can make a connection, but from the photo it looks like you will need to remove the dizzy and take it apart to get to the wires to make a splice. The bit of dizzy internal the wires are connected to (I do not know the proper name) is still available from various suppliers and is a mechanical thing that allows the advance mechanism to move. So carefully take the dizzy apart and see what you can see. The Kirbert Palm book (fee download on Jaglovers) has quite a decent amount of info on tackling the dizzy internals.


Before removing the dizzy, mark carefully where the rotor is when removed, do NOT turn the engine with the dizzy out, and ensure when you replace the dizzy the rotor is in the same place.
Greg

 

Thanks for the info Greg, I assumed that was right but didnt wanna hook something up wrong. I am hoping the chewed up wires and the foul gas in the tank was all that kept the P.O from starting it the last time he tried.

The other part i was asking about with the diaphragm on it that mounts to the a/c compressor. I think it is either for cruise control or a kickdown connection for the trans. Ive seen pictures with and without it.

 

Cruise control bellows. You can quite easily fix it or live without it.