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Hello again all:I have 3 issues with my 1995 Jaguar XJR and I am looking for a good and inexpensive Jaguar mechanic to help me resolve so I can resume driving it even in the winter; 1. SUNROOF (INOPERATIVE-IT IS STUCK OPEN AND WON'T CLOSE), 2. HEADLINER SAGGING and 3. A/C LEAK in metal tube of the Evaporator to Receiver Dryer hose. Can anyone recommend a Good INEXPENSIVE Mechanic in, near or between Crofton and Waldorf, Maryland?? Please advise soonest. Thanks
He'd be the one riding the unicorn. Possibly farting rainbows if he's et cabbage or cauliflower recently.
Seriously, those are not insurmountable problems. Any decent a/c technician should be able to replace the knackered line, ("decent" here assumes he/she would by rote replace the receiver-drier as well) vacuum and recharge your system and set it right.
Headliner is a reasonably easy do-it-yourself task for $50-$75, or you could find an upholstery shop to do it for $200-$400, depending on locale.
The stuck sunroof is an argument for doing the headliner yourself. While it "should" be possible to get it closed manually wtihout dropping the headliner, the one I had in similar nick was MUCH easier to close once I had the headliner down and could bring more pressure to bear on the offending side. When you say "stuck" I'm assuming you've dropped the overhead console and attempted to close it using the manual over-ride. In the event I've assumed too much, do a search and you'll find instructions on how to open/close it manually. Possibly just a blown fuse or other electrical problem. More probable, however, is that you have a broken track mechanism and the roof is jammed by being cocked ever so slightly sideways in the track and you'll have to apply some pressure to one side as you are manually closing it to get everything aligned and moving again. If so, best option given your emphasis on "inexpensive" would be to seat it in the closed position, unplug the motor, put the overhead console back together and forget about it. Those track mechanisms are pricey, if you can even find them.
Good luck in your search, but I don't think you need absolutely find a Jaguar expert given the problems stated. Lots of other techs should be able to handle that which should widen the available pool for you. However, eyeballs have been known to turn into $$ signs like the old Bugs Bunny cartoons when you tell the previously-reasonable tech it is a Jaguar.
Hello Again Aholbro1, Thanks for your response. Yesss.. I did drop the forward control access panel 3 times and attempted to close it manually with large screwdriver. No joy. Regarding the headliner my only hesitation is once down getting it out of the vehicle to redo/repair. I found a reputable ac tech. Headliner is main concern though since cold weather is upon us up here. Thanks again for your attention/suggestions.
Make sure your a/c tech fits a new rec/drier as part of the fix. The dessicant bag in those things has a history of letting go and all the little beads go clog the TXV, which is serviced as an assembly with the evap core - meaning a complete pull-the-dash-apart repair; not worth the $35 you'll save by not buying the new Rec/drier. It may be possible to recover from it by back-flushing with compressed air, recharging, rinse/repeat numerous times, but neither option is fun nor cheap. Also make sure you or your a/c tech checks those lower condenser mount bushes - they also are known to depart and you'll have a hole in the condenser later for lack of noticing it.
I've pulled the headliner out of a SWB and a LWB. Both out of Left Rear door on LHD cars. I remove both front seats and rear cushion for convenience but it's not necessary. You do have to fold it up a bit to get it out, but it survives it. Having said that, I've done two, neither one perfect yet, but have a third still to go! (Don't cut right around the sunroof opening - leave an inch or two, and pray you don't get a wrinkle when gluing down the new material) If you are working in a narrow garage, there may be a problem. However, if you can fully open the left rear door, and walk past it while open, you'll have room.
My stuck sunroof looked visually symmetrical, but wouldn't budge with the manual method as you've found. I measured from the leading edge of the opening to the leading edge of the sliding roof on both sides and found roughly an eighth-inch difference. I pulled forward on the side that was farthest back grasping as best I could while simultaneously operating the mechanism with a screwdriver and finally got it moving, but it was still tough sledding. Got it closed that way but we were equipped to do the headliner anyway so just went ahead and took it out to play with it. Found it would need a new track and just fit it all back in pace closed and left the motor disconnected. For some reason, they seem to break in a way that they'll open somewhat readily, but not re-close!
aholbro, Thanks.. I intend to take it one step at a time. I have moved your information into a word document and have the TSBs on the sliding roof as well. I've been studying them and I believe there is some slider mechanism that is not operating correctly when the roof advances forward which signals it to return to the open state. When pushing the switch to close the sunroof it advances 2-3 inches then immediately slides back. Either a piece is dislodged/broken or the sunroof is misaligned.., so too could be the sunroof Control Module has become misaligned. I've secured this removing the headliner video
... a pretty good video by Mr. Robert Skinner. www.robertskinner.com albeit the ending wherein the headliner finally either broke or needed to be cut to remove entirely is not favorable. I will proceed and advise. Thanks again.
I mostly followed these instructions from one of the Jaguar workshop manuals: fully reclining both front seats, removing the center console and front passenger door interior trim panel. I was then able to remove the headliner board by gently folding it into a "taco" shape and feeding it out via the front passenger side door:
I did the job by myself and didn't stop to take photos of every step, but I did photograph the process of recovering the board, in case they may be of interest:
I hope you don't mind some more advice .You say you are not going to fix the A/C because it is cold where you live but the residual gas with a mixture of air is highly acidic and if left will damage your compressor and incur more expense , maybe talk too an experienced A/C Tech. Also I replaced my headliner in the car and I have to say with a lack of modesty that it looks like the original ,had to take out the sunroof to do a good job and recovered everything IE sunglass holder , visors .
Make sure your a/c tech fits a new rec/drier as part of the fix. The dessicant bag in those things has a history of letting go and all the little beads go clog the TXV, which is serviced as an assembly with the evap core - meaning a complete pull-the-dash-apart repair; not worth the $35 you'll save by not buying the new Rec/drier. It may be possible to recover from it by back-flushing with compressed air, recharging, rinse/repeat numerous times, but neither option is fun nor cheap. Also make sure you or your a/c tech checks those lower condenser mount bushes - they also are known to depart and you'll have a hole in the condenser later for lack of noticing it.
I've pulled the headliner out of a SWB and a LWB. Both out of Left Rear door on LHD cars. I remove both front seats and rear cushion for convenience but it's not necessary. You do have to fold it up a bit to get it out, but it survives it. Having said that, I've done two, neither one perfect yet, but have a third still to go! (Don't cut right around the sunroof opening - leave an inch or two, and pray you don't get a wrinkle when gluing down the new material) If you are working in a narrow garage, there may be a problem. However, if you can fully open the left rear door, and walk past it while open, you'll have room.
My stuck sunroof looked visually symmetrical, but wouldn't budge with the manual method as you've found. I measured from the leading edge of the opening to the leading edge of the sliding roof on both sides and found roughly an eighth-inch difference. I pulled forward on the side that was farthest back grasping as best I could while simultaneously operating the mechanism with a screwdriver and finally got it moving, but it was still tough sledding. Got it closed that way but we were equipped to do the headliner anyway so just went ahead and took it out to play with it. Found it would need a new track and just fit it all back in pace closed and left the motor disconnected. For some reason, they seem to break in a way that they'll open somewhat readily, but not re-close!
Ignore added discussion on dryer canister on this thread . See separate discussion on AC canister installation
11-17-2016, 04:16 PM
1995 Jaguar XJR NEED A SUNROOF MECHANIC
