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Greetings,
I am Brand new to the forum and was hoping for some advice.. I just purchased a 96 (I 'think' xjs) V12 convertable from a friend. the body is in great shape, and the car had been in a garage for all of its life, except for the last year. a squirrel had taken up residence in the engine bay and decided the bonnet heat shield is fantastic bedding material. I know the car ran well when stored on the side yard but obviously we have some unknowns.. I think (or perhaps "hope" is a better word) that the price i paid gives me wiggle room. I paid $4,000 for the car, i felt that was fair based on listings i saw for cars in good running condition. If fresh fuel, new battery and some TLC are all it needs then im in luck, but I would still think I would have a budget for some repairs without being upside down.. thoughts?
the one thing the owner noted was an E-brake switch that would not allow the top to lower, unless it was switched to accessory.
That's not a 96, looks more like a 91-92. What does the VIN sticker say in the door jamb? It is an XJS.
The top can only be raised or lowered when the handbrake is on, the car can be running or in accessory.
I would do the usual thing to bring an older car back to life as you mentioned, other things to check is the plastic cooling fan that is belt driven. They have a tendency to crack at the hub, and there have been instances of them exploding when revved and taking out the radiator and/ or hood. Replace with the newer black fan. Test the clutch by moving the fan with a finger. It should turn about 1/2 a turn and stop. If significantly harder to turn, replace the clutch as well. A locked up clutch will over speed the fan most of the time and put undue stress on it ( and make more noise).
If you have the small hoses from the fuel rail to the injectors and it's original hose, replace it. There is lots here (and on Jag-lovers) about replacing those hoses, make sure to use the proper size and type of hose. Proper hose will need no clamps to seal. I mention this, because there is a report today about an engine fire caused by an original hose cracking. It's a well known thing as the rubber ages.
92-96 is the "facelift" version, it has a different front bumper. By 96 the V12 was "Special order only" and not sold in the USA. It was available in select other markets. Do you know if the car has a 3 speed or 4 speed transmission? 5.3 or 6.0 engine?
Agreed this is Not a 96. Also note the Chrome Wing Mirrors and Chrome around the Headlights... If this were a V12 96 those would be the same color as the Paint.
Welcome! Nice car! If you have the budget (or skills) I would replace all rubber and thermostats in the cooling system and the fuel delivery system. That way you will not have to write posts about overheating or engine fires. :-) With the engine sorted out, you will be able to enjoy it for years to come.
If you really want to enjoy your Jag, mark "budget" or "upside down" off of your mindset. I'm not suggesting you go crazy or anything, but take a methodical approach to making her road worthy. Many times in the past, I asked myself "why am I doing this?" only to find that at the end of the day, the joy of owning a truly pleasurable car, that few will take the time, money, and effort to make nice, is worth far more than the supposed market value.
Update: checked the door tag and it was manufactured in April of 92. I got a fresh battery, and hope to get it hooked up to a code reader and at least see if she turns over.. from there, the fun process of seeing what codes she may throw, and start to identify and resolve. Added a better pic of the car.
Good luck on the code reader...... The only codes it will show will show up on the trip computer. Welcome to the '90s...
Damn. have not had to work on an older car in years.. I have had some fun ones.. 69 T bird with 429, 77 benz 450SEL with 6.9L V8.. i guess fancy code readers can spoil you.. I do happen to have an oscillator and read that can be handy debugging injection systems on this Jag.
I wouldn't even worry about a code reader. I can honestly say that in all of the Jaguars I own, and have owned, I've never even thought of using a code reader. On a 92, GM and Ford had just begun to enter the world of diagnostic code readers. My experience is that 94 was maybe? the first year a code reader could really be utilized on just about any manufacturer successfully.
I recently purchased a 1988 XJS-C that has been parked at least 8 years. Guess where I am starting work on it? In the trunk! Pulling the tank, cleaning out the fuel system from the rear forward. I have yet to try and turn it over. I honestly can't imagine owning one of these cars without replacing every possible fuel line on it. Lets get real....a 1988? 1992? car that was known for engine fires when new, is now 30 and 26 years old?
My first V12 was overwhelming. But broken down into "systems" it really is a fun (to me) car to work on, with huge grin factor rewards. I certainly can't tell you what to do, but for me, its the basics. Fuels lines, clean the injectors, pull the plugs, do a compression test, check or even replace the plug wires, replace the rotor button, or at a minimum clean it and the posts inside the distributor cap. This car is a Marelli ignition car, so I would go ahead and check the air gap on the flywheel "sensor" as well and the front engine sensor. Adjust by filing the mounting bosses. Start looking for new ones though, as their age is beyond replacement time.
You may want to even go ahead and pull the radiator, flush system, re-core, or replace the radiator.
Do all of this, and then fully anticipate the car to start and run well.
In all seriousness, what is worse to me on this era of Jaguar isn't the V12 or its tune and maintenance, but the damn brakes! That accumulator ball needs replacing if it hasn't been already, and lets hope that the rear brakes are in good shape as that id aa suspension out job to replace the rotors!
But all in all, having owned ALL kinds of cars, Jaguar is, and I imagine always will be my favorite. Feel free to PM me for my cell number for any verbal help, encouragement. Gene..
Newbie, just got a 1996 v12 convertible yesterday
The only codes it will show will show up on the trip computer. Welcome to the '90s...