Ok two things went terribly wrong this week to my 89 VDP. I'll start with the simpler one first. As I was tightening the belt on the engine block my arm slipped off the wrench and broke off the top radiator barb that goes to the expansion tank. Is there any way to fix this and what is the best way to do it, if I do have to take it to a radiator shop are there any good ones in Jacksonville?

My second problem is MUCH more severe. As I was driving the other day I heard a pop and my oil pressure started to act all weird and my idle was not consistent at all, so I got it back home and drove extremely gingerly. I did a compression check and as I pulled the spark plug out of number two I noticed I had huge problems. The wire end of the spark plug was gone, only the part that was left was the part that goes straight up, the curved part was gone. All of the cylinders had good compression but number 2, as in 0 compression. I took my flashlight and noticed there is a hole in the top of the piston. My heart sank and my stomach has been upset ever since. What options do I have?

Any and all advice is weclomed and greatly aprreciated in advance.

 

A good used motor shouldn't be too hard to find and would probably be pretty cheap. A marathon session over the course of a weekend to install it and you could be back on the road....

Or, depending on the rest of the car, this may be a perfect excuse to get a different Jag

Cheers
DD

 

Your choices on the motor are limited to three options.

1. Is rebuild the current motor.
2. Is pick up a good used motor.
3. Buy a new to you XJ40 and use your's for parts or part yours out.

The radiator may be able to be repaired by a good radiator shop, I would call a few or better yet take a pic or two and stop by to see what they have to say. Of course this only matters if your planing on repairing your motor or replacing it.

 

if you need to fix yer radiator, here's a couple of ways that have worked for me.
get a male air line coupling , then drill and tap the rad to suit. put some thread sealant on the coupling and screw it in using just even force to ensure a good seal. its better to be a bit slack then re tighten if need be.
or as i did on my xj40. just re-attach the broken bit with some aradite

 

WOW, this the first time I've heard of an AJ6/16 failure. Wonder what in world cause a hole in the piston?

 

I have no idea what caused it but this is what the spark plug looks like in #2. Sorry for the delayed response for some reason it took my subscription off....

 

The car is in pretty good shape otherwise. If I was to just sell it as it is is, what would I be able to get out of it any ideas? Here it is really dirty, sorry, and it would not come with these rims.

 

Truth is these cars are not worth much even when they are running.

Yours looks pretty nice though, and it would be a shame to just dump it, IMHO. Get a good used engine, or another XJ40 with a good engine, and swap it in.

Good luck
DD

 

How did you make out with your car?

 

Well I just got it home today, because I am now on spring break. Unfortunately, things have gone wrong with my dad's health so any plans that we had to fix the car during this time are now on hold because his health is far more important to me.

 

Best wishes for your Dad.

 

Thank you very much!