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I owned a dream 89 XJS for 10 minutes (engine fire)
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I owned a dream 89 XJS for 10 minutes (engine fire)
Hi everyone, I was excited to joint this group and become a member of the XJS owners but sadly this post is more looking for some opinions of what could have made my membership so short. (well, I may be back again!)
OK So I purchased an 89 XJS of eBay. 44k miles, 1 owner, garage kept and he had the filters and oil changed every 6 months regardless. This was a weekend cruiser for the owner, the original owner, never his main car.
The owner said the car ran fine, he drove it 20 minutes to the car pickup location and they drove it up the truck ramp.
So the delivery shows up at 9:30pm on Sunday night, the night before the car was expected to be here. They were trying to jump start it when I got there. They asked me if I had cables saying the other car on the tow did not have enough juice to jump mine, (translate: it wasnt starting easily).
Once it started the backed it off the multi-car truck and signed it over to me. I got in and drove away. I went 3 blocks and did a u-turn on the main road we were parked on the side of as they drove away. I get 3 blocks dow the other direction of this road and the car dies and I drift to the side of the road. At this point, smoke is coming out from under the hood. I sit for a second thinking it over heated (I knew it wasn't steam but hoped otherwise). I wouldn't turn over again.
I popped the hood and lifted it just a couple inches and fire flew out as oxygen got inside. I called 911 (twice) but I live in New Orleans which can be a 3rd world country in terms of government services. 20 minutes later the fire department got there, the car was completely engulfed in white smoke and the front of the car was blazing.
So my question to my new brothers and sisters... I know 89-91 XJs's are prone to engine fires but REALLY? I was doing 20mph for 6 or 7 blocks, then it died and coasted to the side of the road and that was all she wrote.
What are the possibilities of what happened here? The seller swears it was ok, I filed an insurance claim but my policy didn't officially start until today (when the truck was supposed to deliver the vehicle). I filed a dispute with Paypal (luckily that's how he wanted payment) and I filed a claim with the transportation company, but the more I understand what happened the better I may argue my point and try to recoup what I spent on this dream car that lasted me 10 minutes.
Any educated or experienced opinions are welcome and none will be taken as any kind of legally binding statements. I just want to understand what could have happened.
Most likely a fuel hose failure....not uncommon, especially if the hoses have never been replaced. Recommendations to replace fuel hoses are usually the first thing newbies hear when they come on board here.
Umpteen years ago some XJS V12s were recalled due to fuel hose related engine fires....but the details have long escaped my memory
Or.....
If yours is a mid-89 or later (apprx VIN 156xxx or later) you'll have Marelli ignition. Short version: if the system malfunctions raw fuel can accumulate in the cat converters, which then overheat (red hot!)...which in some cases has caused an engine fire
Sorry to hear the dreadful news. I looked at the original listing photos through the link you posted. It certainly was a beauty.
Doug has given good advice in post #2. Follow this link XJS ( X27 ) - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the XJS forum for help, advice and information from other members with the same model. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues.
Hope you get the insurance claim sorted without too much trouble.
Good to have you with us.
I hope you can work it out with the insurance.
Enjoy the forum.
If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help
Man, I feel your loss, really sorry to read this.
An unfortunate reminder that fuel and XJS V12's don't do well, as so often warned on this forum.
I hope you get things settled, and find an other one.
Don't know how this worked out but from the pics it really looks like a marelli fire. Mostly smoke, fire shooting out bottom in a sustained jet, and all the heat damage in the hood is at the rear where an under-car fire would roll up. None over the vee where a burst fuel injector line would be.
I'm curious what became of the car. You're not that far from me. If you retained ownership I might be interested in the body.
I owned a dream 89 XJS for 10 minutes (engine fire)
