Hello,
I found a very nice xjr from 1996. Exterior and interior are in very good shape, aside form the left head light which has the lens who does not stay firm in place and needs to be fixed. It has a small leak from the power steering, but not worried about this I have same problem on my xj6. No other issues aside from the mileage.
The mileage is 175000mi. I drove it and it handles very well. it has lot of torque but not so impressive as I thought. You feel it has more power than xj6 but I thught it were like a blast compared to xj6, while it isn't. it's much more prompt and quick to respond to throttle push, so far I drove it up to 80mph.
The owner has always well maintained it, he replaced 6 years ago the supercharger belt and fan. He won't let it go for less than $2700. The rear tires has to be replaced.
It drives really well the only thing I noticed is the power steering. it is hard compared to my from xj6 especially when the car is not moving and you try to steer the wheel. THe steering on my xj6 is softer.
I do not know what I Should do. I am worried about the very high mileage even if the car looks really very good.
One thing to replace is the radiator bushings. They totally disappeared and need new ones.
is 175000mi really end of life for this engine ?
I would use it as a weekend/fun car.
How much should I offer ?
thank you

Rick

 

if you can, stick an OBDII diagnostic thingy on it and make sure you're getting close to 100% max throttle opening - this could explain less than impressive power - my car was getting 57% max opening due to a frayed jamming cable . New cable and 96% max - totally transformed.

 

 

A simple OBD reader will only read codes , but if you put a meter on the center wire it will read a voltage less then 5.0 DC volts . Do ytou have a target value . It can be checked with the key on and engine not running .

A more advanced ELM327 device will give you the sensor value in %

verify the second fuel pump turns on by removing the # 1 relay during starting as it should turn on after a failure to engine start .

Correction requested as the removal of the relay may not be a valid test if I recall

Some X300's hzve veritable steering , some do nor and can be verified by the electric actuator on the steering input shaft area , see bollow :

 

this means that I Can get the value just connecting the ELM327 to the OBDII port and reading it from my iphone app ?
thanks

 

Yes , but there is a learning curve to use the ELM327 if never used hence the old school method of determining the sensor value as a test of throttle linkage correctness .

Same can be said for the MAF as it can be read as a voltage less then the reference voltage of 5.0 being feed to it .

Important note :There is a TSB to not run the engine above 2000 in park that may ot may not apply to the different GM L80E transmission in the supercharged model .

https://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/u...e-supercharged

The MAF sensor is different then your N/A engine on your current Jaguar and will not run correctly .. The TPS sensor is the same part # ..A source for a correct MAF for a SC engine ( # ? ) can be problematic from what I have read .


I would at the least verify that the MAF is alive by seeing a value of 1,2 volts DC at the correct idle speed and going toward 5.0 on throttle up . Without this signal the ECU defaults to different set of data maps which can account for a performance shortfall .At 800 RPM the ELM327 should read about 4.5 grams / second and some devices are off by poor design by a factor of 10 or 100 so multiply to a figure that makes sense .

Editing

 

should I hear a particular noise/sound of the supercharger while driving the car ?
I never drove one before so I cannot tell anyway while driving it I did not hear any particular different sound compared to my xj6.

 

You should hear a slight whine, yes.

Cheers
DD

 

175,000 miles is by no means nearing the end of life for the engine. It is the other components of the car that will need work. Like radiator bushings. That's no big deal. If you can get service records or know of maintenance and repairs done, that adds value. But if the car is running and driving well now, that is a good sign.

At it's age, it is not economical to repaint to any great degree. Also the interior condition is important to the value. If those things are acceptable that is a good sign. A consideration must be given for a pair of new tires, and you want to know the age of the battery. Check for rust around the body. Check the vehicle history report, to include smog testing.

I'd say $2700 might be worth it, if all these things are in better-than-average condition. But everything is negotiable. As a weekend or occasional use car, it could last for a long time to come. You can tweak the throttle cable later on.

 

I Agreed to get it for $2000. I just need the blower to be checked I hear no whine while driving the car...

 

Al NZ jusr made a video from the inside of his XJR where you may or may not hear the whine you expect . I personally do not have the SC but I believe the lobed supercharger makes more of a drone then a 40,000 RPM turbo charger turbine

 

this is awesome, but where I can find the video ?

 

According to past discussions, the supercharged turns 5 times faster than the engine revolution so the noise produced by air being drawn in and flowing through the system should be quite noticeable.

 

I would say the whine is distinct (and addictive!) but in no way dominant, so I can understand why you could drive the car and it wouldnt be amongst your first impressions. If the unit is there when you look under the bonnet, and the car goes like stink, the fact you didnt notice the whine shouldnt be taken as a negative!

 

I wonder if you may have a noisy engine (like a failing tensioner), a bad coil, poor fuel due to long standing, or a blowing exhaust that may have compromised performance and subdued the supercharger whine. The pulling force and the supercharger whine are the most prominent features of an XJR and would not go unnoticed from someone with previous experience of the normally aspired 3.2 or 4.0 engine.

I also read that your XJR steering is stiffer compared with your XJ6. It is sign of a failing steering pump or simply fluid leak. Check the fluid level of the power steering reservoir and the hoses that go in and out from it.

 

Yes it is indeed leaking. Another $2000 needs to be spent on the car to put it in good worker conditions that is all brand new tires, new radiator and ac condenser bushings, new power steering pump, new headlights. Oen head light is really in mad condition the headlight glass is coming off.

I Decided to pass and to go for a 1998 XJR, replaced engine and transmision and tensioners issue addressed, $2500. My jag mechanic proposed it to me at that price.

 

thanks... the car is not really going so fast as I would expect, it is only very slightly better than my xj6, so there must be something wrong.

 

Cars losing power could be caused by a variety of things: bad fuel, dated MAF, choked air filter, overdue fuel filter, dying ignition coils, overdue or wrong spark plugs, blown exhaust manifolds, dated O2 sensors, overdue lubricants, worn wheel bearings........ But at least the 1996 XJR you were considering still starts and runs.

Knew you have picked an X308 instead. You just gave up the chance of having fun with fixing a X306.