Hi All

Have just picked up a cheap XJ40 - Minimal rust (all surface) and engine/gearbox seem good

Just had a couple of questions about some warnings in the VCM and about the doors -

The VCM warns me that:

1. I have a bulb failure (no big deal, im sure I can figure that out)
2. I am not wearing a seatbelt (which I was)
3. The brake pads are low (will replace those soon)
4. The brake pressure is low (brakes need to bleed I think)

In regards to the seatbelt and brake pressure warning, is there anything I need to check/do to resolve them?

My next question is the doors, which seem to be a common complaint on pre 90's XJ40's - mine are incredibly difficult to open, it feels like I am going to rip the handle off just doing that - they all open fine from the inside however - is there anything I can do to make it a little easier? - (I had an 89 Peugeot recently that was the same and I had to superglue a wedge into the door to keep the cable stretched, but it was not a long term fix...)

Thanks

 

Hi

The problems you report are all fairly common and may or may not be straight forward.

The Brake pressure warning will not be cured by bleeding the brakes. The pressure that the warning refers to is the hydraulic boost system which is completely separate from the brake fluid. There is a reservoir for fluid (Jaguar/Castrol HSMO ONLY), a pump on front of engine, a booster at master cylinder, an actuation valve/solenoid on inner wing and an accumulator with 2 pressure switches on front underside (follow the pipes) - that's assuming you don't have self levelling suspension which uses the same hydraulics. All of these can give problems (but pump rarely). First thing to do is check fluid level (red indicator on reservoir) and for leaks.

Bulb failure warnings were the bane of life for early XJ40's. Usually bad solder joints in the bulb fail modules (one on each corner).

Your other issues seem more straight forward.

Try searching for your symptoms on this site and others - you will find lots.