Hi y'all.
I just obtained an '89 XJS with about 60,000 miles.
I actually didn't buy it, it was willed to me.

Back in the 1990s I used to dream of having a Jag. Interesting how life goes.

Not sure if I'm gonna keep it or sell it, but I definitely want to make sure it's in good condition either way. I'm gonna get started reading and see what I can find about common problems with this model.

Anybody know how tough an oil change is on one of these? I know these older Jags have huge oil pans.

 

Welcome aboard :-)

The XJSs are great cars but they do require love and tinkering....and if the previous didn't keep up on repairs and servicings you might have quite a catch-up list. Most of us find it all very rewarding as a well-sorted XJS is a real treat.

You'll need about 11 quarts of 20/50 oil and make sure to get an oil filter in advance as many neighborhood parts stores don't keep 'em on the shelf. A Delco PF964 will work, among many others. Other than that nothing exotic about changing the oil

If you plan on keeping the car you'll want to change all the fuel hoses (fire hazard) and make sure the cooling system is 101% up-to-snuff. Additionally, your '89 might have the Marelli ignition system which requires special consideration or big problems can result. The break-point from Lucas to Marelli ignition was apprx VIN 156xxx. If you have two coils wires going to the center of the distributor cap and two square-ish ignition modules above the radiator, you have Marelli ignition.

More details as needed.

Great car but you gotta learn the quirks :-). Many here can help

Cheers
DD

 

Welcome. You've come to the right place for help. I don't know how anyone keeps a Jag running without the kind of help available here.

 

Welcome to the forum,

Good to have you with us.
Some excellent advice already.

You should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

welcome to JF good to have you here with us ....I see you're already in great hands!!

If you add your car details to your signature it will help others to help you much more quickly.


Jump on into the relevant section and the guys will help, I'm sure!!!
There really are some amazing and friendly guys here....you're in really good company to discuss anything Jag related or even just to have a few laughs!


A really great mix of information, camraderrie and fun

I've manually upgraded you to full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features
so jump on in and enjoy

 

Thank you all very much for the advice & warm welcome.

Many years ago I worked in a Ford service garage (as a technician student). The joke back then was that the Jaguar was actually a $100,000(US) vehicle - $50K for the car and $50K for the full-time mechanic you had to keep on hand

Y'all have some great resources just in the XJS forum stickies alone. I looked at the car this Tuesday, but the battery was too low to get it to start (it cranked, but did so rather slowly). I'll go back over Saturday, give her a jump, and bring her home. I'll be starting a week of vacation, so that gives me some time to give a good once-over.

Thanks again!

 

Welcome fellow Texan! If you are in Dallas there are several great jag mechanics that I have used over the years. A couple of them will look your car over for free and let you know what issues you have and which to fix first.

 

Thanks! I actually found that out pretty quick...some real good local guys on here!