I have a 1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas . It has been garaged and not registered for a few years. I take it out once or twice a month and drive it around my neighborhood secluded street. I check all the electrical components, turn the radio on and off making sure the antenna raises and lowers, switch the gas tanks, raise and lower the windows just checking stuff and recently noticed a smell after applying the brakes. There doesnt appear to be any fluid where I park it . The pedal does not go to the floor if i apply pressure and the brakes work albeit a little soft. Although I am careful not to stress the system. I have not bled the system and am worried I may have a seal problem in the master cylinder.
What are some of the reasons that I detect a burning brake smell after driving a short distance?
I still drive it slowly and use the lower gears decelerating the car so I am as careful as I can be when I stop it. I am either going to restore it next year or sell it. Our family is the original owner with 96,000 miles so I am still very much attached to this hunk of metal.

 

Hi D442

I suspect you have a seized piston in one of the brake calipers. With a mileage of 96k I am not very surprised as I had similar on a 1980 Series 3 I once owned. At the moment you are just tootling around town, so will probably not get to the really alarming symptom of a stuck piston, (that I once ignored, being thick and stupid - another story !!). This is a sudden sinking of the brake pedal to the floor when braking, due to the fluid boiling from the excessive heat. Eventually the heat will fry a caliper piston seal, and fluid will leak out.

The usual suspect for a stuck piston is one or more of the rear calipers that are inboard and tend not to get very much maintenance attention.

The other candidate may be the handbrake calipers, also at the rear and part of the main calipers.

 

My money's with Fraser. You likely have a dragging caliper.

Cheers
DD

 

Nice Jag, by the way


Cheers
DD

 

I *Personally* think it would be a shame to sell this car (Unless you find someone who will care for it properly and drive it in the manner it was intended to be driven) when your family has owned it originally and you are still attached to it.

In my experience, if you're not *REALLY* ready to part with it, you'll kick yourself forever if you do.

As others have said, Brakes are not that big a deal if the body and all else is in good condition, and it sounds like that's the case.

If this was my car in these circumstances (if this was my car it would never have been in the garage this long, but I understand I don't know the whole story), I would get myself in a situation (on your secluded streets) where I could lock up the brakes completely in a 'panic stop'. I have known this to free up a seized piston; at least let you know which wheel has the problem.

It might be a good idea to do this not too far from the garage in case the seized piston refuses to release after this attempted attitude adjustment.
(';')

 

The short story is my wife inherited a 560SL and commandeered the garage. My jag has been out in the Georgia sun for six months and I have to make a decision soon. Thanks for the great tips and I think I'll try the panic stop solution and will report back on the outcome . Thanks again

 

That is really a nice car. Do you have room for a plastic garage?

Deserted parking lots have been my place to test for decades.

Pulling the pads and excercising the pistons is a lot of work, but quite doable. You just might decide it's time to treat it to a new and good set of pads. Good time to clean and lube or replace the pins and scrape and lightly lube the ways as well.

Carl