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In the past I've gloated about how reliable my Jag has been as as daily driver. Again the fates are punishing me. . I'm wondering how long this will continue.
The car has been performing very well but seems to have ...um....sprung a leak. I have not investigated the cause yet.
One upside is that it happened not 10 feet from my workshop door !
Hoping for an easy fix, of course. Radiator, water pump, hoses are all about 5 years old.
Sorry to hear that Doug. My suspicion has been that once the fates catch wind that your car has become injured in any way, they will poke at you with a sharp stick until most of car has been repaired or replaced. Then they will leave you alone for a few years. But that might just be me.
Doug,
That's what you get for getting cocky. This is your car's way of Humbling you.
As you say, at least it didn't let go in a parking lot 200 miles from home.
Here's hoping it's an easy fix.
(';')
The location of the trail under the car was a red herring. The floor simply has a slight slope in that area.
As long as I have the system opened up I'll replace the thermostats in a effort to make the engine run a bit hotter, sooner. It seems to take forever for the temp gauge to reach the normal zone.
I’m sure you have everything sorted by now, Doug but I wanted to add this to the posting. My car always ran way on the cool side; slow to warm up and even on the hottest days only got up to touch the green part of the gauge. So I finally got around to changing the thermostat. Once I had the old one out and the new one I checked them both using the pan of water on the stove method. Both opened correctly at exactly the right temperature so I figure the gauge or sender or wiring. The wiring was fine and since I have Smith’s gauges I didn’t want to replace that so I called Moss Motors to order a temperature sending unit. They ask me if I wanted the “earlier” one or the “later” one. I asked them what the years were for each and they didn’t know. Since they were less than $10 I said give me one of each and I’ll figure it out. Turns out the “later” one worked just like the old one I had (reading low) and the “earlier” one worked perfectly. So my theory is the “earlier” were for the Smith’s gauges and the “later” were for the later Veglia gauges used from 82 or 83 on. Keep in mind Moss sells parts for MG, Austin, etc as well as Jaguar so I suspect they were just British Leyland generic parts. I hope this helps someone down the road.
My first clue came over the winter when I needed the heater. I'd have to drive the car 20 minutes before I got any real heat...with the temp needle moving upwards very slowly. So, in my case, I think I'm on the right track with thermostats. We'll know in a week or so.
However.....
I've long been suspicious of replacement sending units. Jaguar lists the same number (DAC2583) for a very wide range of cars spanning decades. The only 'old' number I've been able to come with is C40106....which seems to be for 1970-older cars although I'm not 100% sure on that point.
Over the years I've used the 2583 on various Jags and it always seemed OK...but, still, I wonder.
The two Moss Motors offerings for our oldie Jags show as being applicable for various MGs and Triumphs as well. Hmmmmm. Really? Again I wonder if several original part numbers have been condensed into a single replacement part that works fairly well on a wide variety of cars but not perfectly well on any of them
I've come across this on oldie Corvettes, Mustangs, etc. as well. The present day replacements are not correctly calibrated for the older gauges.
As for the Veglia-v-Smiths, I've never come across unique part numbers for them. Just the DAC2583.
Do you recall what Moss number worked well for you?
I had a problem with my car coming up to temp. The thermostat had a little plastic ball used for allowing air to escape and it had broken off over the years allowing water to never be shut off regardless of the working Thermostat (which it still was). I found that little ball broken off in the thermostat housing when I went to replace my thermostat. Didn't know what it was at first. You can see the little plastic ball I am talking about in this link. Same type of Thermostat I had to replace. New Thermostat and it works perfectly.
Here are the sensor numbers I ordered. Moss has a $10 minimum order so I just ordered both. The first one is the one that worked perfectly on my 1979 XJ6 series III Smith's gauge.
760-270 SENDING UNIT, WATER TEMP $7.29
XJ6 to 1L.56176 (12/70)
071-241 SENDER, TEMPERATURE $7.29
XJ6 from 1L.56177 (12/70); XJS 5.3 to 179736 (1991)
Started on w/pump replacement today. All's well, nothing bad happened.
As it happens there's a bit of a silver lining to this. The lower radiator hose and a couple others need replacing; I probably wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have to remove the pump. Much easier to do now, while everything is apart, as opposed to later....by the side of the road . What happened is the the hoses have absorbed enough engine to become all gooey and spongey. My nonchalance about oil leaks has consequences!
I've attached two pics for anyone who might be interested in seeing what the job entails. The first pic shows the front of the engine ready for the new pump. Getting to this point took about 4.5 leisurely hours, including cleaning removed parts and floor mopping. On a V12, a "leisurely" pace is the only way to work. The car will fight you every inch of the way if you rush. Then you start losing stuff and breaking things !
Anyhow, when the new pump arrives, everything is set to go. I'll be able to hit the ground running, as the saying goes.
The second pic merely shows the car as a parts storage rack
My first clue came over the winter when I needed the heater. I'd have to drive the car 20 minutes before I got any real heat...with the temp needle moving upwards very slowly. So, in my case, I think I'm on the right track with thermostats. We'll know in a week or so.
Both thermostats are not fully closing. The two pics show the thermostats at room temperature (about 75ºF in this case) and is plain to see they are partially open!
Those stats are NOT what you wanted to find, but a GOOD find all the same.
Why is a no answer I suppose.
I also have a few do that, and never really tried to work it, just fitted 2 new and moved one.
The X300 was the worst for that, I reckon I did 3 in the 5 years I had it, NO heat was the clue there also.
All done, all's well. Waited a week for the lower radiator hose and then, by the time it arrived, I had difficulty finding time to do the job!
Anyhow, nothing remarkable to report; no problems occurred. Engine runs fine, no leaks, warms up more quickly with the new thermostats. It's a big job but not difficult if you just proceed one step at a time and don't rush
I'm 99% sure it was the gasket leaking and not the pump itself. Of course the gasket broke apart when I took the pump off but my clue of gasket failure was that several of the bolts on the RH side of the pump (it's a rather long pump, by the way) were a bit loose compared to all the others. The loose-ish bolts would've allowed the gasket to blow out.
A few tidbits that might help a first-timer:
-The fan clutch nuts and washers are always tricky. Have extras on hand to keep topside while you work. When you drop a couple (and you will!) just grab your news ones and carry on. Much easier than groveling about on the floor looking for the ones you dropped.
-Clean the and lube threads of all fasteners. It's not fun having to struggle with corroded or gunky fasteners...especially in the tight confines of a V12 engine bay. Use grease or anti-seize on the pump bolts.
- The belt adjuster rods are also much easier to contend with if you clean and lube the threads
- Take good notes or pics of the water pump bolts and locations. Saves head scratching later
-Plan your parts purchases ahead of time and don't forget new copper washers for the banjo fitting. Get extras of these in case you loose some. They're very thin; you probably won't be able to find them locally
-When replacing/refitting hoses give consideration of how you orient the hose clamps, bearing in mind that the next time you need to loosen a clamp the front of the fully assembled engine is gonna be a lot more restrictive than it is when you have so much stuff removed
-Label the belts. Another time saver.
-Lightly lube hoses for an easier fit on the nipples. Much easier to push 'em home and position them correctly. I use WD 40 or SilGlyde...but whatever you like.
-Be careful around the radiator. Watch your wrenches and screwdrivers. A holed radiator will really ruin your day.
-Raise the car a few inches so you don't have to stoop so low over the fenders. Even still, if you're of a certain age, be prepared for a hot soak in the tub with Epsom salts
Oh, by the way, I tried Grant's engine-not-running method of bleeding the system. It works! And no mess !
Continued comeuppance/coolant leak
. I'm wondering how long this will continue.
