So I had my first crank no start a couple of months ago in my XJ6. I now know that it was due to a clogged fuel filter and water in the tanks, the car had also been harder starting so was probably trying to warn me.
So because the issue was fairly new to me at the time I had a local shop diagnose it. They siphoned the tanks off, cleaned all the lines and replaced the fuel filter. The car was fine again for maybe 6 weeks, then... crank no start. Knowing the issue this time around I drained both tanks from the bottom and cleaned the pick-ups ETC.
So this time around instead of replacing the stock fuel filter, I installed a marine water separator fuel filter. These units have a 10-micron spin-on fuel filter canister (so easily replaced) with a clear bowl below it. The beauty of this, is that the bowl has a drain in it, so you can monitor the condition of the fuel and drain the water out of the filter when necessary.

my car has now been running trouble free, and I have only drained a little more water out of the filter. This may be of more use to people who lay their car up for longer periods of time.

Hope this helps some people with repeated fuel issues out.

 

Good work !


Cheers
DD

 

Can you post a picture of your set-up?

 

Ahabiam, have a look here...very simple....


Installing a Fuel/Water Separator | Boating Magazine

 

Thank you sir.

 

Just a little more anecdotal evidence as to why it's good to have a water separator in the fuel line. I had a similar problem with my 73 XJ6 but I found that a stupid previous owner had neglected to install the big gasket under the fuel filler cover assembly. A few days of rain later (car lived outside) and the tank I run off of had a good amount of water in it. Car died entering a bank parking lot and wouldn't restart. Fun. Thank goodness Jags have a tank drain.

I also installed a water separator just in case but never had a problem after I fixed the gasket. Water separators are still a great idea because the fuel available nowadays can really be a bit iffy. Bought 5 gallons from a little mom and pop store for a generator before Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane hit, power went down and generator wouldn't start. I came to find that the brand new gas in the brand new sealed gas can had water in it! The big companies like Shell, Exxon etc... monitor the amount of water in their underground tanks but not everyone does. Yep, water separators are almost a must-have accessory these days. Incidentally that little mom and pop place no longer sells gas.

 

Is there anything you can add to the gas that will absorb the water? I remember hearing that some of the cold-weather fuel treatment stuff does something to prevent or remove water, but I honestly don't know much about it.

 

Well that fuel drier stuff is just alcohol (methanol) that allows the water to be burned but it won't work if you have alot. Plus in a carburetted car, if it gets into the bowl and there's enough of it, it ain't going nowhere til you get it out. Fuel stabilizer like Stabil is really good if you don't drive the car often... but if you already have water in there it won't help either.

If you've got water in the tank in an XJ6 you can drain it out the bottom. The water will separate from the gas and it will be on the bottom. Drain some into a glass container. Clean gas looks clear and sort of gold colored - if it's contaminated with water it has a milky and colorless look. You can just keep draining and checking til it's clear if you suspect that there's alot in there.

 

Get rid of the water ? Good ol' methylated spirits. (alcohol). A litre in each tank once or twice a year. Oh and the tanks don't rust out.

Mike