Yikes, my otherwise pristine '84 needs:

Leaking VCG
Bent transmission pan (no clue how that happened)
Exhaust valve retainer clips
Rear rotors below spec and axle seals leaking (you know what that entails)
All ball joints bad
Aerial relay

Sorry to vent, this is going to cost near what the car is worth. Other than the relay, this just isn't stuff I can do. Still love the car though!

Cheers.

 

It really doesn't get any easier than VCG on these cars. I assume you're talking about the tappet stakedown kit when saying exhaust valve retainer clips. A little scary because you're drilling into the cylinder head but very straight forward and simple repair. Personally, I'd get a second opinion on the ball joints and see how bad they really are before spending the money on it. They should be serviceable (ie have a grease fitting). If there's no major play to speak of in them I wouldn't replace them. In my experience with many different brands the aftermarket ones you get will be garbage and won't give a 1/4 the life the factory ones did, anyways. How bad are the axle seals leaking? Also, they may be below spec but if the rear brakes aren't shaking from being warped I wouldn't worry about it. My rear rotors are questionable looking and the axle seals leak a little, when I'm ready to drop the whole rear and rebuild the whole thing I'll worry about, until then not worth it. The fronts are where all the stopping power comes from, anyways.

Bottom line though, with any car this old, if you're unable or unwilling to take the plunge and learn to do much of the maintenance you WILL spend many times what the car's worth to keep driving it regularly and keep it going. It's par for the course and it's not just Jaguars by any stretch of the imagination. To me it sounds like you've got some fairly basic and simple repairs on your hands and some bigger ones I'd be willing to bet can be addressed later.....great opportunity to learn some new things, get your hands dirty and save a boat load of money.

 

back in the 1990's I replaced the front lower ball joints and front shocks using the Factory Manual as a guide, not an easy job but not so hard either, you need to have the tools needed and follow the steps, torquing, and precautions. They are still on the car, no issues other than the shocks have sagged but what the heck, they were El Cheapo Boge shocks. (not cheap anymore my friends). yes I installed the ball joints with grease fittings, no problems since.

 

Just MHO, for any classic car, you can either spend a boatload of cash and restore it, or as per ^ live with issues, and decide where priorities lie.

Never having owned a new car, I always look at what I paid for the car, how long can I drive it W/O major repair (normal service stuff excluded).

Set my budget for acceptable repairs, anything major will not be repaired, and go from there.

I've had some great cheap cars, but the end of my ownership is generally a collection to the scrapyard.

An old car can not be run W/O either low expectations or great DIY skills, or a large cheque book.

Experience also helps, when buying.

Before embarking on the above repairs, I would advise getting the car fully inspected.

It might cost a few $ but you would then have a report about what to expect down the line, and thus be able to make an informed decision.

Impossible to own an old car that does not or will not need something.

 

Well, here in the UK, you'd fail our MOT test, (a mandatory roadworthiness test) on worn ball joints and probably bad rear brakes and handbrake. Much depends on the condition of the rest of the car. YOU say its pristine, so if it was me, I'd spend the money if I intend to keep the car.

I am not sure what you mean by "leaking VCG " ?

Rear brakes and diff seals really needs the subframe to come out complete so the job can be done in comfort.

Tranny pan will need taking off and "adjusting" back to shape. You may have hit a rock or something. Does it leak ?

Loose exhaust tappet guides is reasonably simple and is a failry easy DIY job if you have the tools.

For ball joints, change them for the Lemforder ones fitted to the XJ40 cars, they last for ever, (or almost !), and are very cheap. Make sure you knock out the lower bearing rings in the hub upright before putting the new ones on, as the Lemforder ones don't use them.

Aerial relay - a very minor job. Sure it isnt the aerial is stuck or jammed ?

 

leaking Valve Cover Gasket.

 

great tip! I will remember it for my own use.

 

I assume you guys are aware that the original ball joints do have some built in adjustment to them, just by removing shims. ?????

In addition when changing the upper ball joint the replacement will be in Metric sizes while the old one is in Inches. To make it fit properly metric bolts should be used in place of the old English bolts and the arms of the wishbone will have to be drilled out to take the metric bolts. If this is not done the upper ball joint can slop around on the old bolts messing up your alignment down the road.

 

[QUOTE]In addition when changing the upper ball joint the replacement will be in Metric sizes while the old one is in Inches. To make it fit properly metric bolts should be used in place of the old
English bolts and the arms of the wishbone will have to be drilled out to take
the metric bolts. If this is not done the upper ball joint can slop around on
the old bolts messing up your alignment down the road.[[QUOTE]

Hmm... I never had any trouble at all after I swapped over to Lemforder units top and bottom, but it was so long ago, I've forgotten what bolts I used, but I don't think the difference in bolt diameter is as significant as claimed.

It is really quite pointless adjusting the old-type lower ball joints for wear, they are pretty useless really as they wear so quickly with modern cars and tyres. The design was for the Mark 1 saloon of 1955, the later ones are far, far, better, lasting longer, and by the time you've done all the dismantling and reassembly, you might as well fit the later XJ40 type. I

Actually, I think the last of the Series 3 cars, the V12s up to 1993, used the same balljoints as the XJ40 made alongside them.

Oh, forgot about the leaking cam covers ! If the stakedown kit is being done, obviously these have to come off. Leakage also occurs at the securing nuts, the copper washers eventually let a bit past. The old copper washers could be annealed, (resoftened), but I think much thinner ones were eventually used. Annealing is done by heating washers to red-heat then dropping in a bucket of water. Its opposite to steel which hardens instead.
I always used to use a bit of Hylomar on the VCGs to make them seal better. If you can get new half-moon plugs for the rear of the cam chamber, use them, as they eventually squash down from the heat.

 

[QUOTE=Fraser Mitchell;662229][QUOTE]In addition when changing the upper ball joint the replacement will be in Metric sizes while the old one is in Inches. To make it fit properly metric bolts should be used in place of the old
English bolts and the arms of the wishbone will have to be drilled out to take
the metric bolts. If this is not done the upper ball joint can slop around on
the old bolts messing up your alignment down the road.[






The slop allowed when using the old bolts is a little over .010 inch, the same as removing a shim. If that does not worry you then so be it. However it would bother me to some extent.

The adjustment allowed on the lower joints has been quite satisfactory to me in thepast in fact I believe it to be a far more substantial joint than the newer ones. But again I understand and accept that some people do not agree with me.

Thought I would just throw it in there for each to accept or reject.

 

Thanks everyone for the help and guidance. Went to visit the car in the "hospital", and got an update today from the shop owner. Indeed, the 'leaking VCG's are cam covers. It was only during the replacement of these that the cracked and chipped tappets were discovered. The stakedown kit was previously installed over the bad tappets. I'm looking through old receipts now to see if I can find out who did that - not that it matters at this point.

I was close to some serious engine damage if they disintegrated further, so I guess I'm grateful for the leak. The ball joints are indeed being replaced with the Lemforder XJ40 units. The tranny pan is fine after all.

Only one side has a leaking caliper and axle seal, so it might turn out to be not as big a job. The brake pads are fine - the original rotors are too thin and wouldn't pass UK MOT, so they do need replacing.

A word about me - My mechanical skills are fairly limited to fluid, brake and spark plug changes. This car has not quite 41k on it and I'm just the third owner. I didn't have it checked out, since the second owner was a friend, and I went with her when she bought it from the first owner. Quite a stack of receipts came along with it, so I was lulled into thinking it didn't need much. I know that in order to happily own these cars, I'll have to be ready for these kinds of (hopefully infrequent) types of repairs. To keep this car in fine shape, I'm (almost) happy to do it. I was just venting in my original post. After this, I'll mount my newly found Series II wheels on her.

Thanks again!

 

 

usgpru27..... I have a box of those in my shop that I got from a buyout of parts from a dealer. I'm inclined to think they were installed on new cars as a means to prevent battery leak down during transport, and were to be removed by the dealership at delivery...

David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

david55838 .... At 41K miles the repairs that you need sound kind of crazy... I can see the ball joints and VCGs... but the tappets and brake rotor seems like they should have held up.... The caliper and axle seal were just as likely from age and lack of use.
Through the years I've seen some low mileage XJs that looked horrible and some high mileage ~150k + ~ that looked totally fresh... Recently read about a 350K mile car that was being looked over as a means to keep it in the family...
I've come to the conclusion that these cars like to be driven and used, and then maintained.... Sitting kills them.. So get it back from the mechanics and drive the heck out of it.. Enjoy it like it was built to be enjoyed... And it should probably be a stellar auto for you...
Cheers
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

David:

I'm with David.

41 K is not even broken in!! I surely do not want to criticize the guy that measured the rotors, but, it just doesn't sound right.

Same kid of thinking as to the ball joints. All four wore out at 41K on the clock?

Unless, of course, it is really not 41K, but much more.

I know of a guy that unhooked the speedo on his big Dodge .pickup to keep the miles down??

My son has it now. Over 300 on the clock and still pulling like a good Cummins should...

Naah, go for it drive it. See an LnrB post for more guidance!!

Carl

 

Neat to hear from Pefddler bob and Everydayxj David again.

Carl

 

 

No worries... If you ever find a good use for them let me know. I've got a few different types, and can't stand to just discard them... Sure would like to put them to good use...

David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

Carl...
I still stop by from time to time... Hopefully more in the next year... I've missed chatting with you guys...
I know you all have it handled over here, so most of the time I've just been stopping by to see what I can learn...
Cheers
David
shop.EverydayXJ.com

 

David:

And from us, we are glad that you seem to have things handled in your part of the country. Massive storms. Not only to your home and shop, but to the other business that you are in., Roofs !!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Carl.