So I bought a '95 XJ6 a couple of months ago, but didn't have the time to work on it until now. Didn't drive it much though. It has 145,xxx miles but runs strong. It has the "mumps" as FJT described it to me, and explains that taking off the head cover, getting it blasted and repainted should do the trick. Hope that makes running smoother.

Another major issue is the differential. Of late I've noticed a slight "whine" during running. When accelerating at speeds above 40mph I feel a slight hesitation or slip....same when I release the gas pedal. Will draining the diff oil and replacing it solve this problem, or is there some special service I can do??

The suspension came up too. Recently I inflated my tires to the recommended PSI, and realized just how bad the suspension is. Stiff, you can even feel the little bumps in the road. And a banging in the rear right; very irritating. Should I change the bushings, or do I need the whole shock/strut/spring assembly replaced?? Especially given the age and mileage of the car....

I would really appreciate any input concerning the above mentioned issues. Also, please let me know what else to look out for in these cars.

 

On the Diff. I would change the oil in it and add a good Gear only additive. Lucas is all I use! The old fluid my have so much metal sticking in it, it is not riding smoothly on the pinion.


Brian

 

Differential whine is usually caused by bearings either worn out or out of alignment. It could be the output beqrings, the pinion bearing or the carrier bearings letting the ring gear mesh pointmove and cause a whine. The last is the most likely from your description. If it whines all the time, look at the output shafts, if it only whines on accel or decel, look at a new diff.
Cleaning up the valve cover is good, but I doubt it will improve running. Look out for corrosion so bad that the plug seals are distorted or even penetrated, this will cause the cover to be trashed. These covers are magnesium alloy, stray currents around the coils probablycause the corrosion. They are a badly spec'd material for the use. I have already thrownthe originalcover away and thesecond is almostshot too in 116,000 miles.
Rear shocks don't last forever, yours are probably gone, especially the lower spherical joint which may be making the knocking. Be careful, some replacements are not made right and will snap due to the lack of a proper spherical lower bush to handle th egeometric motion of the shock, use only Bilstein or Boge to be sure. Replacing these is a littlepricey since the shocks runa little over$200 for the parts.

 

Will definately use Lucas lubricants - engine, diff, transmission... The "whine" kind of died down, now its just the sudden slightjack or slip if I may describe it that way during accel. and deccel. I have a strong feeling draining the diff oil and refilling will solveit.Will let you know how it turns out.

The shocks cost $200 a piece or both of them?? Would really like to replace all four at the same time, though the front ones don't seem too bad.

I appreciate the input guys, thanks.

G.