I have a 1972 Jaguar XJ-6, which I purchased here in Greece (I'm stationed here in the military). I have been working on getting the engine squared away, and by "working" I mean I have been taking it to local shops in the area for people to work on, as I am not a mechanic by any means (I have a basic understanding I suppose). Anyway, there is a huge language barrier between me and the gentleman who has been working on my carburetors.

I initially took it to him because the carburetors were POURING gas out while it was running... something like a liter every mile or so. Anyway, I got new needles and he installed them and cleaned the carbs up and it fixed the problem completely. He also said that I needed to get new carb jets, which I ordered from SNGBarrat, but they have been lost in the mail....

ANYWAY, the current state of the engine is... if started cold, I have to keep playing with the gas for the first 10 minutes or so before the engine will actually stay running while idling without intervention. Once it hits that magic point it runs great. My question is, what do I need to do to be able to start the Jaguar and it just run without that 10 minute warm-up period?

 

Do you have SU's or Strombergs?

Bill

 

SU HD-8's if I'm not mistaken

 

My 75 has Strombergs, so someone else with experience with SU's will have to chime in. Sorry, I can't help. Good luck. You'll find this Forum is INVALUABLE!

 

My 72 has the Strombergs as well. So while you're waiting for someone here to chime in, may I suggest "Living With A Classic" on YouTube. He has great information on the SU carbs, particularly the cold start function. Good luck!

Jeff H.

 

I will chime in here as I have some experience with Series 1 cars. If your car is a 1972 series 1, then it will have HS8 carbs fitted. Plus if original, it will have an AED device to help cold starting. So the first thing we need to know is the AED still fitted and functional (or trying to function)?
If a manual choke has been fitted what type is it? There are two types of manual choke, the first type does away with the AED altogether and lowers the mains jets to allow more fuel through on startup. The second type controls the AED on/off function.
My initial thoughts are your jets are not set correctly. The jet must be set slightly lower than the carb bridge, if too high, you will experience rough idling and the engine stalling until fully warm.

 

Go Back Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum > Jaguar Models ( Classics ) > XJ6 & XJ12 Series I, II & III
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"Be you devils"?. "Nah,we are but SU"s"

Have a read, there is a word doc and PDF buried in there somewhere with pics of how to tune them.
The link above should take you to the thread.

 

Excellent and welcomed feedback everyone, thank you. Like I said I am new to the classic car scene and learning as I go - would a picture of the carb setup help with identifying the AED and choke type?

 

You bet. Also some pics of the car itself.
We love lots of pics. We are a gready lot.

Pete