Hello i have a jaguar S Type 3.0 V6 AUTO gearbox, 2002 year model, this is a car that was inherited from my late father , the car is standing still under a protective hood, with the battery disconnected for almost 10 years now, and before commencing any actions to bring this beautiful car back on the road, i would like some guidelines, should i empty all the lubricants,oils,fluids, gasoline if there's any left in the fuel tank, replace the old battery with a newer one? Should i just load to the road assistance truck and take it to the auto garage? Do you think that it's worth all the hassle? Should i try to crank it by hand from within the engine?

The car has not started for many years now, and I don't know what kind of difficulties i will come up to while I'm trying to make it work again. As for the wiring i am not so sure if it's ok or if it has been eaten from mices since it is parked in a privately owned open space garage though. Any information or feedback you may have or can provide it will be really helpful to me.

Best Regards

 

Battery first -- a new one that's charged -- just to get the car talking to you.

 

Welcome to the forum.

Definitely replace that poor battery, as previously suggested. Make sure it is fully changed, too. New batteries are typically not fully charged at time of sale.

Resist the urge to try starting the engine right away. I'd suggest using a socket (15mm?) and breaker bar on the bolt at the front of the crankshaft. See if you can turn the crankshaft by hand, to make sure nothing is seized.

Plan to drain the gas tank. Any fuel that old has gone bad. There is no drain plug underneath. You will have to siphon it via the filler neck. The tank is saddle shaped, so you may not be able to get all of the fuel opposite the filler, but remove as much as you can. Top off the tank with fresh fuel to help dilute any old fuel remaining.

The fuel pump is notorious for seizing after inactivity. You can try the existing pump, but don't be alarmed if you have no fuel pressure. If needed, replacing the pump is not difficult. We can walk you through the process when the time comes.

Do be careful about sinking too much money in the car right away. Expenses add up quickly if paying to have work done. I'd hate to see you spend lots of money on the initial resurrection, only to find out too late that mice have damaged much of the wiring. Repairs like that could be cost prohibitive. I'd start with a new battery, fresh fuel, and possibly a fuel pump to get the engine running. After that, proceed cautiously with other systems. Keep us posted.

 

Just a half-baked crumb of encouragement: our mice love my wife's Land Rover -- and apparently hate the taste of my S-Type! Good luck! BTW, how many miles?

 

Karl's advice is good. If turning over the engine from the front pulley, do make sure you rotate the crankshaft "clockwise". Rotating the engine counterclockwise can result in bearing damage.

Good luck getting the engine "fired up"...

 

Thank you for your advices and comments, i sure do hope so that mices or other rodents have stayed away from the car all these years, and they haven't created a home within the car engine bay. I am having some second thoughts though but i am trying to be as much optimistic as one can be in these kind of situations.Or I don't know what other species is lurking inside the car's interior, or panels, many years have passed and the car is just standing there waiting stranded, and with no salvation hope in sight , don't wanna sound dramatic, but nobody even cared about it except me, this car was the last car purchase that my father did and it has special meaning for me so i will not give up that easily in order to restore it back on the roads and having it moving again. The car has 60000 miles.

 

Your S certainly looks to be in good shape, worth keeping alive if possible. Where in Greece?

 

Revive her!