Well, I finally did it. After literally two decades of lusting and two years of hunting, I finally bagged my big cat. Last October I had purchased an X100 1999 XK8, which I loved, but it wasn’t my “Eleanor.” A distinction reserved exclusively for the XJR.

After at least two failed attempts on other hunts taking me from Denver to Las Vegas to Fort Lauderdale, I located a car in Maryland on Hemings, and purchased it.

This particular feline is a 1999 black on black XJR. She was, until my acquisition, a one owner car(!), with 149,000 miles on the clock. The P/O leased her in November of 1998, bought out the lease in 2002, and used her extensively (to about 142,000 miles) from 1999 to 2011, for work travel. In 2011, when he retired, she was placed in a garage and driven sparingly, primarily just to keep the parts moving, and otherwise under a cover on a trickle charger. Her owner had purchased a Lexus GX, and found that more suitable for around-town cruising. A recent Porsche purchase and a loss of garage space inspired a need to downsize, and I now find her in my care.

Always dealer serviced, with a total (dealership-performed) transmission replacement at 100,000 miles, and an independent timing chain tensioner fix (at 130,000 miles!). No accidents, though the seller disclosed after many repairs he had the sunroof disabled-by-wire. One small door dent, a broken cup holder, and completely obliterated shock mount bushings were her only noted issues in a PPI.

Step one was finding her. Step two was closing the deal. After making contact with the P/O on a Friday, I hopped a plane from Denver to Dulles Sunday last, and exchanged cash for title. Step three, though, was to get her the 1,640 miles from her old den into the new. Alas, I am told these cars are meant to be driven, and a cross country enclosed shuttle was…prohibitive. A plan was devised.

The first phase was preventative. Though she was well kept, she was wearing P Zeroes from 2008, and her last noted oil change was 2,000 miles prior but probably 18 months in time. I fitted new continentals along with an oil change and secondary inspection. The shop informed their primary concern was the shock mounts, but explained “those are never supposed to fail,” so it was likely the whole shock setup needed replacement. I purchased Meyle replacements, and will install them tomorrow.

Phase two was to secure some company for what was to come. A friend of mine recently accepted a job offer and had a gap between their old job and this next. He offered to join me on phase three.

Which, was to get the XJR 734 miles from the P/O’s home to my friend’s in Illinois, and have her shipped from there to her new permanent home in Colorado.

I was leery, taking a 24 year old Brit with 150,000 miles on the odo having just bought it across half the country, but duty and a sense of adventure called.

In that spirit, we set out this morning at about 0630.

At 0645, our first concern. After trying to set the cruise control, she threw an “Engine Failsafe Mode” alert. We pulled over, and, as one does, consulted the forum. Further reading suggested the likely fail point was/is the break switch. Ordered a part over coffee and will report back once installed on whether it was curative. A short break and quick re-start later, no fault, and we continued on.

At about 400 miles in, we stopped for a tank of gas. We averaged 16.9 miles per gallon across the windy and pitched roads of Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio at 80 mph. Turned her off to fuel - went to re-start, and she had no pulse. Absolutely dead. Fearing the battery was deceased (though only two years old) we secured a jump from a gentleman in an F150. No dice at all. Not even a peep. A panicked call to triple a preceeded another scouring of the forum. A suggestion was to manipulate the battery terminal cables. In so doing, she immediately sprung to life, and we continued along the toll road.

Approximately 450 miles in, the sky opened up and shared every ounce of moisture with us it had to spare. Mid-deluge (on a flooded highway with 6% visibility as it was), the wiper gave up the ghost. No amount of coaxing could get it to glide its way across the glass. We pulled over, once more, to consult the forum. A quick search later we learned the wiper blade setup as a whole is concealed with a bolt, under a metal flap along which the windshield wiper fluid hose runs. Lifting the flap, and using a crescent wrench, the operation was recovered, and once more, we began to proceed.

The next three hundred or so miles were incident free, apart from a toll road in Indiana confusing this beast with a five axle trailer, and charging me $65 in fees to proceed westerly to Illinois.

We arrived this evening, fully in tact, with a completely new found respect, and education, on how these cars operate.

It has been a lifelong dream to own an XJR, and I am elated to be on this side of the forum. There is a bit of content about high mileage XJRs on here but I was leery, frankly, to commit. No matter - after stretching the legs today I find she is likely as nimble and resilient as she ever was, and I hope to keep her that way, for many moons to come. Looking forward to being involved on here and wanted to share the story given how important a role this forum played in making it so successful.

We decided given our experience today, the best license option will be “9 LIVES.” A few photos, below. Note the *original* factory headlight covers, hearkening back to a time before PPF, even. She’s a beaut, and I feel fulfilled, finally, to call her mine. Cheers!

- Steve
’99 XJR
4.0L, Anthracite Black

Also in the garage: '13 Audi Q7 (Diesel), 2023 G87 M2

Previously: ‘99 XK8, ‘99 BMW 328i (E46), '07 BMW 328i, '08 VW Rabbit, '15 Mini Countryman, '05 Escalade, '04 BMW X5 (4.4), '19 VW Golf R (Stage II)

 

Steve,

Great post and great that you chose to drive home instead of trailer or shipping.

You've found what is likely to be the best provenance example of a twenty four year old Jaguar and the one owner has clearly been the very careful type. I remember seeing those headlight covers in the accessories brochure (I had a 2001 NA XJ8L) but have never actually seen them fitted.

Graham

 

What a great story to start things off! Sounds like you're in looove ❤️ 😁

She's beautiful

 

This was the first thing I read today - a great start to the day. Congratulations, I'm sure the journey wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying without the little "experiences" you enjoyed along the way.

Have fun!

 

Good story. There’s a chance that the battery issue you had is the negative battery cable. I’ve replaced loads of them but only 1 or 2 of the positive cables at best. Where the braided strands meet the crimped sections, I believe is where oxidation occurs. After another long run on the road *before* you turn the engine off at your current destination, carefully touch the battery cables and terminals. If either of those are at least a little bit too warm to the touch, replace that cable. However, you may need to remove both battery terminals and make sure there’s no corrosion between the battery and terminals first. The bulkhead in the engine bay, passenger side, to the left of the shock tower (looking at it while standing at the passenger side, front wheel) should be a small black rubber boot. Lift that boot up, clean and tighten that cable and the one on the other side of that bulkhead wall.

 

Congrats!

 

Another example of why this forum is so good. I will give this a go and report back! Thank you!

 

Black on Black is my personal favourite. I know you'll enjoy owning a saloon legend.

 

Sean, I agree on the BOB. My “core” jag memory and what started my fascination with these cars was going to a dealership with my dad circa 2003, to purchase a Land Rover, and him being pitched an XJR 100 for $10,000 off sticker, which he declined. The moment I saw that car (all black everything, except the piping!), I was hooked. Now if only I could find a good way to black out the chrome on the greenhouse, I would be halfway there!

 

Euro cars had blacked out trim, maybe you scan source from there. Alternatively, not impossible to paint them black.

Almost a twin to my car (i have oatmeal interior). Have you checked for the common issues (tensioners, under supercharger coolant leaks, etc.)?

Congrats and enjoy it.

 

I have an appointment with a jag specialist when she’s all the way home to Colorado. Tensioners were done about 20,000 miles ago, so good there. As to the valley hoses, and the possibility of a new water pump, thermometer, head gaskets, sparks, and a transmission flush, time will tell! We replaced the shock mounts today, and fixed the cupholder. Much improved all around.

 

If you ever have to get the head gaskets replaced, make sure they send the heads out to the machine shop and let them go through them. It’ll cost you but, the power difference is definitely noticeable and it’s peace of mind having fresh valve stem oil seals. Also insist that you want the later mls head gaskets.

 

Great car and great story!
You are MILES ahead because of the transmission rebuild and the tensioners being done already! Those are multi-thousand dollar repairs and only a caring owner would invest that much in a 100K+ mile car. I think you were wise to wait and keep shopping until the right car came along!

If blacking out the trim I recommend vinyl wrapping it. If done properly it looks great and most importantly it usually is installed without removing the trim. Unless necessary I would try to avoid removing any of it because refitting it will be a pain. Plus if damaged or you change your mind. No problem in removing all of it.

Note you have already found the value of this forum I think from your story? I have posted several times if not for this forum I would have left the Jaguar world a long time ago.
.
.
.

 

So, I suppose I will turn this into an ownership thread. Yesterday I was able to take some time and do some wrenching on the car.

First task was to replace the air filter. I think this was probably not hugely necessary, given the condition the existing one was in, but having done it, I suppose that's one less item to worry about.

Second was to replace the shock mounts. Purchased from parts geek (P/N W0133-1656826 (left) and W0133-1656828 (right). Nonsensically, the left was five dollars more than the right, though the parts appear identical. The mounts for some reason were actually a different plate-size than the ones we removed, though the bolts aligned properly, and the fit was correct. Interestingly, the lower bushing was in fine shape on the ones we removed, in spite of the condition of the tops. We began on the driver's side (left, for this car). The power steering reservoir was relatively easily displaced apart from the bushings had fused themselves to some degree with the body. Started by lifting the car slightly, loosening the bolt on the shock in the middle of the plate, then the five security bolts, and replaced with the new. Two issues - the shock spun about 3/4 turn, and when we reinstalled the reservoir, it appeared to have a little waggle (i.e. it did not sit tightly on the frame). I am not certain if that is normal? The fuel pump has a similar set-up with the same style bushings and was similarly un-tight (secure, but not without some slight movement), so we took that as an endorsement.

I suppose we should have checked for security of fitment before we removed it. It sits securely in the harness, etc., but it is not immoveable. It wiggles a bit on the bushings. The passenger side mount was much more difficult, as the bolt on the shock was effectively welded together. After much cajoling we removed it, but the shock rotated a lot more than we would've liked. Again, hopefully not an issue. Replacement there was a bit more complicated due to fussy bolts. We installed the plates first, then lowered the car so the shocks would seat themselves into the bushings, and reinstalled the shock bolt in the center. This would have been much more difficult absent lifting the car to some degree. We used the factory spare-tire jack to do this. Quite a novel ratchet they designed to go with that. Was once again surprised by the car's condition - after 24 years she still has the plastic covers that slide into the jack-points, underbody.

We took her for a ride after the filter and mounts were done, and it was *measurably* different in terms of ride quality. My co-pilot commented that the new mounts "took the "old" out of it." I had not a lot of expectation for a difference but was hugely impressed. It rides smoothly now as I imagine it did when it rolled off the factory line. This is a repair 100% worth doing for the 90 minutes and $80 worth of time.

One note - we had taken the spare out to get to the jack-kit. I think I will leave it out for the time being, because the power without that weight was HUGE. I was laughing maniacally when we took her out to test it. These cars make enormous power, even by today's standards. We hadn't tried that too much on the highway out of concern for blowing something hundreds of miles from home. Opening her up for the first time, truly, I was flabbergasted. I did get a lone "Transmission Temperature" warning once parked, but it immediately cleared itself. Took it easy from there, and I think I will get a flush done, just to instill some confidence.

Then, to the cupholder. This, to be honest, was a nightmare. Bought the Uro piece (part number GNA7692AB). The operation was to 1. Remove the arm from the bolster to the storage underneath. 2. Remove the storage box itself (where the CDs and tapes are kept). This includes removal of the plastic clip to which the bolster secures, just behind the ash-tray. That box is screwed over-top of the arm-rest, so once you have removed it, the armrest comes out with it. Then 3., remove the 631,230 screws that secure the leather bolster to the plastic sub-frame. The cupholder attaches to the leather bolster, so we removed that. This was both phillips and hex screws. 4. After separating the bolster and sub-frame, the latch to close the cupholder has a screw which secures the whole mechanism in place. Remove that screw, then 5. slide the cupholder out. 6. Further screws secure the leather fascia on the cupholder itself. Remove the screws, and slide the fascia piece upwards (I nearly broke it trying to just crank it off, but apparently it slides into position). 7. Reinstall fascia on the new piece, and 8. reinstall the cupholder to the bolster, then 9., the subframe, then 10., under the CD box, and bingo. That took about the same amount of time as the shock mounts. A completely bonkers piece of engineering, that.

We washed her and put her under her cover until the shippers can retrieve her next week to get her the next 900 miles to my door. Photos of the old bushings and the happy cat, below.

 

Nice story and nice car. The acquisition phase reminds me of the searching I did before catching sight of
the Duchess. She was owned and maintained by a mechanic in a Jaguar dealership and after just one drive
in her, I knew she was the one.

 

Love seeing another old girl getting her due and some well earned care, appreciation and above all, a floored throttle. Keep the stories and updates coming please as you do things, its fun to read.

When you get the chance, hook up your OBDII reader and check for live data. Look for the throttle reading and floor the gas pedal to see how close you are to 100%. I bet that despite the power you're loving right now, that you're not getting a wide open throttle with the pedal floored. When I bought mine, I did this after reading someone else's post about it and sure enough, I was at about 72% wot with my foot on the floor. Adjusted it and holy smoke did it wake up that car!

 

Dumb question - how did you adjust it?

 

There's a good write up in this thread:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...estored-38663/

Its easy to do and odds are good your car has had the throttle cable stretch over the years.

 

An update: She arrived yesterday in Denver. I am officially a convert to enclosed shipping - I am not sure if they dragged this car through a cow pasture or some other similar device, but it was filthy. Absolutely filthy. No matter - I am scheduled for a complete paint restoration and ceramic next weekend with my detailer.

Having the car finally touched home base, it was time to get it registered. When we drove her from MD to IL, we used a bill of sale in the rear window - in Colorado we need the vehicle present to get tags, to do a VIN verification, so I could not get legal until she was across the border. Unfortunately, the DMV I go to (in a county that does not require emissions) is at 9,500' (give or take 2900 meters) above sea level. That's about 4,000 feet of elevation gain from Denver, but figured we would give it a try. Made it up the hill no problem.

As I was about to head back, I got the dreaded check engine light. Drove it about three miles to the at-altitude AutoZone and had the codes scanned. P0174 and P0171. Figured it had to be altitude related, so I set off downhill. A bit sluggish getting up to our maximum altitude of 11,158' (3,400 meters), but it is mostly downhill to Denver from there, and cruised along at 80 mostly, averaging about 27 MPG.

Parked it at home, and immediately got restricted performance. Sigh. Fortunately I had been planning on cleaning the throttle body and MAF, and already had the requisite sprays and tools. I followed @Sean B 's guide, here: https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...le-body-62202/ (post #2).

I will confess I did two things differently - I removed the full-load breather tube from the engine rather than the intake duct. Not sure why, just felt right. I cleaned that out with a lint-free towel. Fortunately, nothing was brittle enough to break. I also skipped the step of doing the part-load breather tube because it seemed terrifying. Maybe for another day. Disconnected and reconnected the negative terminal cable on the battery, and she started right up.

This was an awesome guide, so thanks to Sean for that. Tomorrow I will attack the brake pedal switch (LJB6420BB*) as it arrived from SNG Barratt last evening.

I was astonished it started, after taking that much apart, let alone that it did so without any warning lamps. No more check engine or restricted performance. Took her out for a spin at varying speeds from 20-90 mph. Mint. Fingers crossed that holds. Will not, I think, bring her back up to that altitude any time soon.

Plates should arrive in three to four weeks. "9 L1VES," indeed.

 

Altitude should have no effect on a fuel injected car. P0171 and 0174 are lean codes, so that's more air not less, so unlikely to be altitude related. These are common codes which tend to be related to vac leaks. It may also take a few drive cycles to pop back on if it isn't fixed yet.

The sorting process can take some time but it's rewarding