I recently purchased a 2001 XJR, it is my second X308 chassis Jag, having owned a 2000 XJ8 a number of years ago.

One of the "quirks" my 2000 had (among many!) was that the analog clock ran very slow, losing about 5 minutes per hour. I chalked it up to a bad clock, and never got around to researching a fix. Then something shiny caught my eye and I sold the car.

Flash forward to now, and my nostalgia has put me back in the game with a 2001 XJR. So far, car has been great, with a few little things that I have already repaired like broken hood latch handle, and a nonworking third brake light. BUT, dammit, the clock is slow in this car as well. Actually much worse, it loses 15-20 minutes per hour.

In the big scheme of things, I know this is not a giant deal. But it is right there in the middle of the dash in a prominent place. If there is a fix, I would love to fix.

• Is there a fix for the clock? Has anyone repaired the OEM clock to keep accurate time?
• Is there a replacement, or substitute clock that someone has fitted?

Thanks in advance for your help. Obligatory photo of car attached for no particular reason!

 

Usually, there is not much we can do to fix a clock. Thankfully, they are not
terribly expensive to replace. Nice car...by the way.

 

I have seen replacement used clocks on eBay going for very little. But isn't there a good chance they will be inaccurate as well? Replacing a 20 year old clock with a 20 year old clock seems like I'm not gaining much. Clock pun intended there!

 

Drive slower. By Einstein’s theory of special relativity time slows as you approach the speed of light.
Seriously I have one from my parts car. What ever price on eBay I’ll beat. PM if interested.

 

If you can rig up a mounting solution, something like a vdo or autometer clock might fit

 

@pcolapacker I should have checked back here before ordering one from eBay, dang it.

Actually I ordered two from eBay, one for the X308 series, but also one from the next series, the X350. Based on photos and measurements, they look close to identical, and the one from the x350 series looks a little nicer. If it doesn't easily fit, I have 30 days to return it. Everyone is telling me that the clocks are very reliable, and that I just had a streak of bad luck in owning two XJs with unreliable examples.

 

I think you may have poor fortune in your clocks. The one in the Duchess
is spot on and is only reset for Daylight savings time.....which is close.

 

The one in my 01 is very accurate. Just bought a used Aston Martin clock from a member here that I'll be installing in the XJR whenever I get around to it, hopefully its as accurate.

 

It probably wouldn’t hurt to check the power and ground at the clock to make sure that’s all good first. Yes, I know it moves but, a high resistance ground could make it turn at a slower pace.

 

Will do, time to break out the multimeter.

 

Update, and maybe some helpful information for future searchers.

I ordered two clocks from eBay, one that was designated for the X308, and one that was from an X350 chassis. They are the same size and shape, and I have read that they are swappable. My plan was to fit whichever one worked best, and return the other. When I removed my existing vent and clock assembly, upon unplugging the clock, I noted that I had a 6 wire connection on the back of the clock. My two possible replacement clocks were indeed different. The one that was SUPPOSED to fit my car had a 4 wire connector. The one from the X350 had a 6 wire. I installed the X350 clock and reassembled the dash. Now, over 12 hours later, it is still keeping perfect time. Success!

Here are two pics of the backs of the two clocks. Note the wire connection, and the designation AA versus AB in the part number.


X308 chassis clock

X350 chassis clock

X350 clock installed in 2001 XJR

 

Just swapped my clock yesterday and had a look at my original. Its a 6 pin, AA part number. I wonder if the AB variant is an early x308, like a 98 or 99? Does the face fave numbers or hash marks for hours?

 

The 4 pin version just had the hash marks. 👍🏼

 

I took the plain numbered one out of my 03’ and swapped in a 98’ with the hash marks. Also a white led bulb certainly woke it up too.