1989 XJ6

Can someone please give me some advice on my brake issue?

The pedal is hard and I've been trying to figure it out but cant. I know for sure the accumulator sphere has been taken out I found it in the trunk. It's saying low brake pressure antilock failure.

I've been trying to find anything I can about it online but nothing. Can someone please help me out a little.

thank you

 

Welcome to the forum Joestumbo6877,

I've moved your question from New Member Area - Intro a MUST to XJ40 forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Graham

 

Welcome!

88 and 89 cars use a hydraulic boost setup,pump on the front of the engine supplies power to run the rear shocks,and brake boost.

Shove a blunt object into your accumulator ball,there is a diaphragm inside to store pressure for the brakes.Resistance felt?Yes =good,no=bad.

Re-install the thing,good or bad,fill the supply tank with HSMO,hydraulic system mineral oil,special stuff,start the engine,and see what happens.

You may find that you get a soft pedal back,or you might find the system has leaks.

Your setup was made by Girling,parts are getting hard to find these days,in fact,brake system parts for all the XJ40 cars seem to be getting scarce and pricey.

Search waaay back on the threads,I think someone came up with a vacume boost setup awhile back.

Good Luck,hope this helps,Jim.

 

Hi Joestumbo6877,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums!

First of all, when you say "the accumulator sphere has been taken out," do you mean there is no accumulator currently installed on your car, or the accumulator in the trunk is the old one and a new one has been installed? If the accumulator was simply uninstalled, all the hydraulic system mineral oil would leak out of the port on the valve body the accumulator threads to.

There is a mountain of information on the XJ40 brake systems on this forum, the Jag-Lovers.org forum, and in the Jaguar Workshop Manual and Haynes XJ40 manual. You can download the Haynes manual from this forum - look in the 'HOW TO' quick links on the home page of this forum.

From your symptoms, I would suspect a faulty accumulator or hydraulic pump.

Accumulators have become expensive, but do your research - it is possible that your car uses the same GM accumulator as the Buick Reatta, AC Delco part number 25528382. If so, you may find a reasonable price if you shop around.

I seem to recall that on your '89 the valve body/accumulator/pump are mounted ahead of the front right wheel, behind the wheel arch liner.

Here's an exploded parts diagram:




This diagram is from this link:

Accumulator and Pump - Parts For XJ6 (2.9, 3.2, 3.6, 4.0) from (V)500001 to (V)667828 | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK

jaguarclassicparts.com is a great place to look up part diagrams and part numbers.

Please keep us informed and we'll do our best to help.

Cheers,

Don

 

 

The accumulator sphere has been taken out and never replaced and lines spliced I tried to post pics but I don't know if it worked yet but there is no accumulator sphere on the car at all and thank you all for your help so far greatly appreciated

 

Wow!,Has the valve assbly under the fender been spliced around?I can't see how that could possibly work.

The system works by taking fluid from the tank,to the pump,then under pressure where it splits into the valve on the inside of the fender well,and to the valve on the fender under the hood.

Under the hood,that valve meters pressure to the rear shocks,then back to the tank.
Under the fender,by the wheel,that valve meters pressure,and stores that pressure in reserve,to be used by the brake system master cyl. as reqd,when you push on the brake pedal for assist.,and back to the tank.

The valve under the hood you could splice around,but not the one by the wheel.

It sounds as if someone tried to get around a bad "brake ball"and try to make it work somehow.

That setup was only used on 88 and 89 cars,not many left alive around these parts.Cars that came after were Teves Mk II,and they are a costly fix!

You could try calling around,find a source of used parts?I suppose you could cap off the pressure line to the valve under the hood,but you need the pressure to a working valve by the wheel.

Hopefully someone else will pipe up with some other ideas,Good Luck,Jim.

 

Hopefully they didn't modify the threads where the accumulator mounts or you'll have to replace the entire valve body too. Search this forum to see if the AC Delco accumulator I mentioned earlier will fit your car. If you don't find any information at this forum, try the archives at Jag-Lovers.org. I know there's a lot of info there.

Cheers,

Don

 

You need to read the 1988 sedan intro and the S73 Power Hydraulics Guides I uploaded to the large file area!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the info you need is in those publications.

bob gauff

 

that drawing is not for an 88-89 XJ6...That drawing looks like a later model , ABS TEVES ...definitely not the Girling accumulator assy. for an 88-89.
I know the accumulator with switches and sphere you need. I got rid of two of them on EBay. I converted over to vacuum brakes.

 

Hello Grey kitty
Just bought my first jag....and along with it the hydraulic fluid has a leak. What was your costs and any difficulties by switching over to a vacuuming system. The vehicle only has 64000km on it, should I keep it hydraulic. Thanks

 

Hi WEWILLBFREE,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

It will help others give you accurate replies if you include your Jag's year, model and engine in your posts. Many XJ40 systems were revised over the years, so it's important to know specifically which year and engine you have. For example, 1987-89 3.6L, 1990-92 4.0L, 1993-94 4.0L or late 1994 4.0L. There are significant differences between those models. It's easiest if you just add the relevant info to your signature line in your Control Panel. Hover your cursor over your user name in the upper right corner of this page, and in the dropdown menu click on User CP. In your Control Panel, find Edit Signature in the left column under Settings & Options. Add your car info to your signature and save it, and you'll never have to type that info again.

Also, since we're a friendly group, please visit the New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum and post an introduction so we can give you a proper welcome and learn something about you and your Jaguar.

Enjoy the forum!

Cheers,

Don