thank you for the response Fraser. I read that thread before but I will reread it and see if I can glean anything further from it. It may be possible that I just need to remove all the belts give them a good clean and de-oil and then reinstall. I was planning to do that today but other household tasks redirected my attention.

Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with the exhaust shop to replace the Leaky section of exhaust. It's leaking in the area of the flex pipes and I also noticed some dents in the pipes. My 2+2 has the two pipes that merge into one and then back into two that goes into the two mufflers. I will give updates on that issue with before and after pictures.

 

Ok... I summoned up the energy and removed the alternator, air conditioner compressor, and the bracket that holds both on. That gives me much better access to the water pump belt. After pretty good examination, I've determined that oil is not the culprit. The belt does not seem tight enough on the pulleys. When I push the tensioner out a little bit, the belt gets very firm. I'm thinking that the tensioner is weak and needs replacing. I can't believe there isn't some sort of adjustment on this. Is there?

 

I removed the tensioner and it appears to be okay. The pulley itself spins freely and quietly. The Spring feels strong. I'm wondering if the wrong belt is in there. Maybe there is a certain kind that wedges in the pulleys. What belt are you guys using? My belt is Gates 9313.

 

Is there any hole anywhere where a locking pin might be inserted ? I'm sure that the alternator is used to set intial tension, then the tensioner is released. I may be wrong, though !

 

The alternator has its own belt that goes to the front pulley on the water pump. The alternator pivots which tightens that belt.

The belt in question goes from the rear pulley on the water pump to the crank shaft. I dont see any place for a locking pin.

 

After you clean pulleys, see if the bottom of "V" in the water pump pulley looks shiny... if so, pulley could be worn on the sides where the belt is supposed to make contact. Clean V on both Main pulley and water pump pulley, (I sprayed STP belt dressing) on pulley "V" and several coats on sides of belt, after dry install. If still a problem, take 3/8" belt to auto store and see if they have same length in a 10MM belt.

See if the auto store can find a smaller diameter pulley for the new alternator (may be be from diesel application)

Put a little masking tape on Meter, trickle charge battery to full over night. Start car and after one minute mark needle point on tape while still at idle. Drive 30 minutes at speed and return to idle and mark needle point again. See if the idle output after the battery is charged from the initial start is satisfactory to you, or still seems weak. An 80 amp alternator should do very well. To check the quality of wiring from alt to battery bus, (While at idle) check voltage; then add a single battery cable from Alt output to + terminal of battery... if there is major improvement, then existing power wire , or power post stud, could be a problem. Disassemble the leads from the power stud and clean and polish all wire terminals, coat everything with dielectric bulb grease and reassemble.
It is a process of elimination to get the gremlin, or a combination of small system improvements to you get it right.
Rgds
David

 

Thanks David. I did clean and put dielectric grease on the terminals of the alternator wire that goes to the battery. I also replaced both battery cables. When the Motorola battery was on the car, I checked for the voltage drop and it was very very minimal, maybe a tenth of a volt or something.

today I went to my local Jaguar guy to see if he had a different belt or some sort of alternative. He said the belt that I have is the correct one for the car. There happened to be a 1970 engine next door so we went over there and it had the same pulley setup has the set up in my car. The engine was out of the car so it was very easy to have access to the pulleys and I could turn the water pump pulley and the belt would slip. It was a little bit harder to turn but not much. This leads me to believe that it is a design defect in the car and I don't believe it can be remedied. Belt dressing seems like a temporary solution but it's worth a try. Another thing I could do is rough up the surface of the V groove in the crank pulley and the water pump pulley. I wish there was a way to lock the pulley in place but there doesn't seem to be. I noticed the jockey pulley on the 1970 motor seemed a bit smaller, and the belt on there was a Gates 9300.

I'll give this all a try and see what happens. Maybe if you guys with the same pulley system on your cars can check to see if you can turn the alternator or turn the water pump and see if there is belt slippage and report back?

 

I cleaned and lightly sanded the water pump pulley, the tensioner pulley, and the crank pulley. Then I lightly sprayed it with belt conditioner which seems a bit sticky which is good. I also sprayed the belt. The belts seem to have a bit better grip. In my opinion, the alternator pulley clearly needs to be smaller to overdrive the alternator so that it charges at idle. When the car is at RPMs, the needle goes to the H of charge which is very good. Also it seems to stay there even with lights on and radio on. It just drops down at idle.

I replace the motor mounts with polyurethane mounts. I also replace the stabilizer rod bushing with a new bushing. I want to replace the transmission mount but I'm not sure how it comes apart. Does anybody have a how to for replacing the transmission mount on an automatic transmission equipped 2 + 2 car?

 

#2 ( 2ea), & #5 are usually eaten up by oil. The spring #4 is tired after 40-50 years.... all available. Support Transmission, then put bottle jack under # 6 and remove bolts. Put two long (temp) bolts with heads cut off to align #6 plate when you are going back together.
Rgds
David

 

Thanks David. Does the exhaust need to be dropped, or can it be done with exhaust in place?

 

I did not drop exhaust pipes

 

Ok.....changing gears now. I received an email from the marketing director of the senior center that my parents are staying at in northern California To refresh your memory, the car I'm working belonged to my father from 1969 when he purchased it slightly used in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and drove it to work everyday until the engine was rebuilt by my brother and I in 1985 and then the car set until I had it shipped to my house in Southern California in November 2018. There are no pictures of my father with the car. One of my goals was to have the car so drivable that it could make the drive up to the San Francisco Bay area so that I could show my father. I was about to do that in March and then this coronavirus situation occurred. All senior centers in California are on very strict lockdown.

I learned that the senior center my parents are at has these parades where the relatives of the residents drive around in a parking lot with signs and balloons and things and wave to there respective relatives at the senior center. I figured this was probably the best opportunity I was going to get to get a picture of the car with my father. My father will be 95 years old next month and is in very ill health. He is wheelchair-bound and his quality of life is poor. I figured this is the least I can do to give him a little bit of a thrill by driving the car up there and being in the parade with other relatives so he can see the car. The marketing director assured me that we would be able to get a picture of my father and the car.

I would have been able to make the trip sooner but I was having trouble with the cooling system of the car. I turned the corner and solve the cooling system right about when this coronavirus situation occurred. Anyway, the parade is next Saturday May 23rd. I will be making the 400 end 50 mile trip up to the Bay Area the prior Day, May 22nd. I'm quite nervous about it because it's a long way and a lot can happen. I've had no problems with the car and I have made several fairly long local trips, up to a hundred and twenty miles with no problems starting or anything else. The only slight problem is that the alternator still drops down at idle. I think the solution is a smaller pulley but I can't seem to locate one and I'm not sure I want to do that before this trip.

my plan this week is to go over the car and make sure that everything looks okay. There are a couple of little things I want to look at but basically make sure everything is tight and good. I'm going to clean the coolant filter and probably drain the water out and fill up the cooling system with fresh distilled water. When I know that I am done with the cooling system, I will put coolant in it. Of course I'll check the usual fluid levels and so forth. I will Assemble a tool kit and carry that with me. I need to put some air in the spare tire this means about four stops. I don't want to pull into late so I plan to get an early start on Friday.
I plan to document the trip with my GoPro and make a video that I will post on YouTube.

. I've done a lot to the car and once the cooling system issue was resolved, I've had zero issues. I put a total of about 1,200 miles on the car since I got it in November 2018. It may be difficult, but if anyone has any suggestions that I have overlooked, please let me know. Special thanks to David for his tremendous help and hopefully continued help, especially with the triple carb conversion. Thanks also to everyone else who has helped. I will keep you all posted as usual

 

"The parade is next Saturday May 23rd. I will be making the 400 end 50 mile trip up to the Bay Area the prior Day, May 22nd. I'm quite nervous about it because it's a long way and a lot can happen. I've had no problems with the car and I have made several fairly long local trips, up to a hundred and twenty miles with no problems starting or anything else."

Since you are passing by San Luis Obispo, mid-way to bay area... Xks motor sport and XKs unlimited (now owned by Moss) are there side by side near the SLO airport airport. Also, Moss motors in Goleta (near Santa Barbara Airport) has numerous jag/Uk sports car parts and a knowledgeable counter staff.
Should be and enjoyable drive... Best wishes to your Father...
Rgds
David

 

Unfortunately Moss is closed to the public due to the recent virus Hysteria.

I replaced the battery in the car because I came out one morning to go for a little drive and the battery was weak to the point where the car would not start. I definitely don't want to have that problem. I did recondition that battery because it sat for a year. Even though it's only a year-and-a-half-old I didn't want to take a chance. The battery got has a few more cold cranking amps if that makes a difference. Before I installed it, I fully charged it. When I drove the car I noticed that the charging system seem to be operating a little bit better. I still believe I need a slightly smaller pulley. I'll see how things go on the trip. I'll try not to drive at night but it should be okay.

Also, I went on a shopping spree at Harbor Freight and put together a rather complete tool bag. It's probably Overkill but I don't care. 25 lb of tools in a car won't make much of a difference in performance.

I noticed the alternator belt was a little bit loose so I tighten that.

Rhere is something I'm sort of curious about that I didn't really bring up but my brake warning light stays on because the Caps to the brake fluid reservoir seem to be faulty. When I pull up on that little Center thing on both of them oh, the brake light goes out. This is the dash brake warning light not the rear brake lights. Is there a way to fix that?

One last thing before I leave is the lower radiator hose seems to be contacting what I believe is the front sway bar. Last year I had a custom radiator support bracket fabricated and it seems to be a little bit low. I'm going to put in some rubber shims to raise up the radiator a little to make some clearance so that the lower radiator hose isn't touching anything. I really don't want that thing bursting.

I have a car show to go to tonight so I will do that and maybe snap a couple of pictures for you Gents.

Friday morning Im off to the Bay Area. Please direct some good thoughts my way. This is a really important trip. Hopefully the logistics will work out and I will get a good picture of my father and his 68 Jaguar XKE.

 

I made it! The car drove about 460 Mi flawlessly. I even got stuck in a traffic jam due to a car accident up the road and no overheating....no really low charging. I did notice that the throttle gets a bit sticky when the car is sitting idling for a while. I think the heat soak causes the linkage to freeze up a little bit.



The hotel allowed me to park it under the overhang right by the entrance.
Anyway, I just thought I would share the good news

 

This weekend definitely did not turn out as planned. Half an hour before the visitor parade began, my father fell and an ambulance was called. I took the Jag over to the senior facility before the ambulance got there. They wheeled him out and he got to see the car but he wasn't very coherent. I think he was stunned from the fall. Anyway, the hospital checked him out and he seemed okay and he was released later yesterday afternoon.

Since these senior facilities are understandably sensitive about visitors I wasn't sure I would get to have my father and the car together. This morning, Sunday, I arrived at the facility at the same time my mom wheeled my father out. We were underneath the overhang and I got plenty of really good pictures of my father and his car and me and my mother as well. One of their friends showed up and wanted a picture with the car to send to her children and grandchildren. Anyway here are a couple of pictures.



I showed him the original keys that he used to drive the car and handed them to him. When he handed them back to me it was like he was giving me his Blessing to take care of the car. He told me the car is beautiful. Considering he is a man of very very few words and even fewer now that he is elderly, those are a very significant words. This was a momentous moment in my life and I just wanted to share this with you as this car was/is/always will be the most special car to me.

Tomorrow will be difficult for a few reasons. I'm realizing that I may never see him again. I mean you never know. I plan to visit for his birthday next month when he will be 95. It's also going to be about a hundred degrees along the drive which is going to make it difficult as the air conditioning is not hooked up. If it's going to be an uncomfortable Drive, at least it would be in that car so it won't be so bad. Once again, thanks to all for your help in allowing this moment to occur which will never be forgotten.

 

The car drove well on the way home. The high temperature reinforced the notion that I need to get the air conditioning working. The only issue that occured on the way home was the temperature gauge stopped working. it suddenly dropped but it didn't go all the way to the bottom so it was indicating some sort of reading. It's either the sending unit, the connections, or the gauge. What is the most likely culprit? What is the impedance of the sending unit at cold temperature?

The headliner was already loose and the open windows made it even looser and hang from the roof. Because it is aged and brittle, I guess I will replace it. I'm trying to keep the car as original as possible but I will need to address this. The other interior issues will be the center console elbow rest and the leather areas of the front seats. My plan was to have a seat upholsterer replace the leather facing on the front seats, the leather on the elbow rest of the center console, and now the headliner. Does this sound like a good plan? The torn leather looks pretty bad and it will only degenerate with time.

I noticed the transmission tunnel got very hot. Do you guys put more insulation there to minimize the heat?

My left hood latch does not turn clockwise to the locking position. How do you adjust it to it works?

 

Since my return from the Bay Area trip, I had the headliner replaced and also did the visors. On the trip down from the Bay Area the headliner drooped to the point where it partially obscured The View out the rear window so it just needed to be done. The factory headliner is a very thin material and age caused it to be extremely thin. I had my local upholstery shop replace it with a thicker material. It looks very beautiful. He also gave me some good tips on how to clean the vinyl door cards and other vinyl areas using a heavy-duty cleaner purchased from Smart & Final. It worked great and now the interior looks excellent except for the seat covers and center armrest cover.


I also buffed the paint. I used a variable speed polisher and first applied 3M machine polish. In some of the rougher areas I mixed in some 3M rubbing compound with the machine polish. I've then used some cleaner wax applied by hand in two foot square areas and then buffed that out. Finally I finished up with some ceramic wax and the car came out really well. Check out the before and after pictures below.



I think the results are rather startling and a tribute to the quality of paint used by Jaguar in the 1960s. I used the same cleaner to clean the wheels again. Of course then I had to do a photoshoot.



I also discovered a drain on the battery in the Jaguar. Is the car set for about three or four days, the battery would be completely flat. I disconnected the ground wire of the battery and attached an ammeter in series with the ground wire and the battery and determined there was about a 7 Watt drain. I disconnected all the fuses, the alternator, and everything that could possibly be a drain. I discovered that some wires near the positive cable of the battery attachment at the old voltage regulator bracket was causing the drain. As soon as I fixed it, the drain was gone.

The Jag is now my daily driver, especially since my other car broke down with a fussy electrical starter circuit problem. Maybe since I sorted the Lucas electrical in the Jag that the Gremlins ventured over to my other car.

 

Update.... Sooo, I'm driving along at a fairly slow speed and start breaking as I'm coming to A stop light. I hear a pop and the brake pedal goes to the floor and the car starts creeping forward. I pulled up on the handbrake to stop the car and was pumping the brake pedal to no avail. I babied the car home and when I lifted the bonnet, so that the rear brake reservoir was nearly dry. I got brake fluid and filled up the reservoir and pump the pedal and saw brake fluid pouring out by the right front wheel. I knew it had to be the brake line or the caliper assembly. Upon closer inspection I saw that the inner piston and cylinder had the top two bolts broken off and the bottom two were attached but barely hanging on. The piston and cylinder were cockeyed and the piston had pushed out out of the bore. I remove the caliper assembly and had the broken bolts extracted from the assembly and obtained Factory bolts to replace them. I also bought a new piston and cylinder and bolted it up and bled the brakes. All is well now. In fact I must have had a bit of air in the line previously because the brakes are much much better now.

And what better way to test the brakes? A drive to the beach! I went to a Jaguar club meeting at Newport Beach and parked next to another E type.

Here are some pics:





By the way, Griots Tire Shine is amaaazing stuff!

 

I'm looking to get the front seats and the center console armrest redone. Those of you who had their Interiors redone, can you tell me what you did or make recommendations? Also, can anyone tell me the official color of my interior?