Hi all,
Some Jaguar days are worse than others!
Now the purpose of this forum is to provide mutual support, advise and the sharing of information and anecdotes amongst a cohort of like-minded people who share an interest in Jaguar cars. The strength of the forum relies in the diversity of experience and knowledge that various contributors have to offer. The assistance I have received by the more knowledgeable is wonderful and is indispensable to me.
It follows that as enthusiasts we tend to concentrate on the positive aspects of our wonderful cars. I can wax lyrical over their beauty, style and performance. The 'elephant in the room' however is that our cars do have significant failings both through design, materials and shoddy workmanship. In my opinion the nadir of the Jaguar is the Series 2 with it's numerous faults, so profound that it relegated arguably the greatest driving saloon in the world into the butte of jokes and (partially) contributed to the demise of one of the great automotive conglomerates ( I know this is not strictly correct as the Jaguar's problems were largely the result of, not the cause of Leyland's collapse).
I find the history of car companies and the various influences that have combined to make a car what it is almost as interesting as the car itself and with the Jaguar marque there is indeed a very rich tapestry that contribute to the highs and lows of the various models. This post is taking a look at one of the particularly loose threads, the steering wheel trim.
With a high performance and complex car such as an XJ12 (Daimler) it is reasonable to expect some tasks to be quite complex and difficult to perform, particularly when all that engineering is packed into a sleek and sculptured body.
For us home mechanics with professional qualifications a million miles removed from the service department of an automobile manufacturer it is also reasonable to expect that we do encounter frustrating puzzles in keeping our cars in fine fettle. I can hardly blame William Lyons for finding the cams to be a bit of a head scratcher.
What really gets to me is when tasks that should be simple, involving components of no great engineering marvel turn out to be far more difficult than first inspection would indicate.
The two clam shell plastic shroud molding that surrounds the steering wheel column from which the indicator and wiper switch protrude are just such items. The bottom piece is only held in place by 3 screws but to get it back on drove me to distraction. The nasty hazard warning switch seemed to defy any logic being partially built into the shroud. It has all the quality and durability of Christmas Bon Bon toy.
Just when I thought it was all together I found my blinkers didn't function, a brass threaded insert was rotating in the plastic and the wiper lever failed to stay engaged in it's various detents. They worked before disassembly! To add insult to injury, I hadn't even touched these components. My neck hurt, my back was out and my mental stress levels through the roof. What was really frustrating was the component were clearly visible and seemingly easily accessible. How did they manage to make such a straight forward item so complex and difficult to replace.
If there are any tips when working around the steering wheel, please let me know.
As an aside, my 1979 MGB, which is generally robust and easy to work on , shares exactly the same problems around it's steering column. Must be a Leyland thing!
Anyway, enough whinging from me, I'm sure we all have repair jobs we hate but having just reassembled the engine I didn't expect to baulk over a piece of trim
regards all
Al

 

the trick is to lower the entire steering column complete with upper and lower nacelles by loosening the two 13mm bolts under it. I have two Jags and the formula is the same in both, even though they are two decades apart.

this does not mean there are no risks, because as soon as you loosen those two bolts the spacer shims will fall off and you will never know why there are 5 shims and not 6. I still don't know. I gave up. Nobody knows, everybody guesses, well I can guess too.

 

Al, these old Jags have some disappointments, no doubt about it. But there's plenty to love....so we soldier on

Over the years I've found it helpful to simply look at things through rose colored glasses. Thus, I've decided that there are no design faults on a Jaguar. If something has the appearance of a design fault it is, in fact, simply "an interesting engineering feature"

Cheers
DD

 

And then there's the question of Why we continue to put up with cars so illogical??
For me it's simple. The car looks good on me and makes me look good.
It's my most important fashion accessory at the moment.

Well, and it makes me feel uncharacteristically like a lady.
(';')

 

DAMN.

My actual list of "quirks" is tooooo long.

BUT

Like Doug, my Rose coloured glasses, began life as Brown Beer Bottles, of the Stubbie version.

Once the fluid is consumed, the view through the bottom of bottle clears up soooooo many quirks, its basically NORMAL.

1) Steering arm shims is my pet, and its so bloody hard to explain, and then convince someone with a "fiddled" car to start at the beginning, and set it up as designed.

2) Then the V12's that have 10 NEW spark plugs, I still see this today, 1A & 1B simply do not exist to some owners, and those charged with maintaining the beast.

 

Great thread. Got a good chuckle to brighten my day. I like to think logical people who drive dependable cars are the boring people of the world. In the early years of the 1900s there were rich playboys that drove race cars and were known as "Gentlemen Racers". I like to think of myself as a "Gentleman Mechanic".

Jeff

 

[chuckle] I'm among the many who, not knowing about the shims beforehand, took the calipers off and wondered why-the-hell shims were falling to the floor and where do they go ? . Ahhh, that was so many years ago.

These shims illustrate perfectly the whole Jaguar paradox. On one hand one might say it was clever and good that Jaguar used shims so that the gap could be taken up exactly and properly. On the other hand, why didn't Jaguar use components that were more carefully made for a proper fit, eliminating the need for shims?

On the other, other hand I've become convinced that every brand of car has its foibles, failings, disappointments, and mysterious. I was recently working on a 1970 Mercedes 280SL. There's lots to admire but even it shows signs of weird thinking. Who the heck mounts a main "+" voltage junction box down low at the front of the engine, directly exposed to road water and filth? Mercedes, that's who!

No matter. That little Mercedes is a delight to drive. I can easily see why they've remained so desirable over the decades.

And when I slide behind the wheel of my Series III V12 and glide down the road, there's that feeling......and any thoughts of steering arm shims disappear from consciousness as quickly as a pricked balloon.

Cheers
DD

 

It's all about what stirs your soul.

If you want simple and robust, buy a 1970's pickup truck. Nothing like lifting the hood (bonnet) CLIMBING INTO the engine bay and changing sparkplugs.

But then again it is a truck, a farm implement (back before they became chic).

The taut body lines, handling dynamics, and dynamo smooth powertrain of the Jag keep me involved as I skin my knuckles to get at an alternator....

 

OTH!!!

Swapping spark plugs in the DOHC 6 could not be easier. Inline OHV six's included...

When I dropped the scuttle and naceles to replace the ignition switch, I did have some fun. I sub'd in ling Allen head screws on replacement for the slotted ones. I detest slotted screws!!

Alas, some of the brass imbedded nuts broke free in the plastic nacelle. JB or some glue fixed one.
Gorilla?? A bit of black tape, that only I know of fixed the other...

I did happen upon a method of extracting the 'breakaway" bolts that secured the lock. A small wire nut fits the shoulder just right. I drilled a hole in the side of the nut for inserting s nail for leverage and it did just right.. The break away torque seems slight... That fixed a lot of things!!

And, most recently, an added ground cable. Wing wall to alternator mount .
whee, a weird collection of "stuff" got fixed... My down under chassis ground seems good, but must not be... It was one of Doug's "interesting engineering" bits./..

Carl

 

Alternatively, you can remove the wooden dashboard from its mounts to get the top plastic steering column surround off.

 

What I find amazing is getting the lower clam shell off is super easy! It practically falls into your hands. Why doesn't it go back up the same way?? Beats me. I just did that job three days ago; funny this post should happen right after.

 

in my '84 there is a screw fastening the top half of the nacelle to a bracket. Whenever the top and bottom covers are removed, this screw is left out because of the diffficulty in screwing it back.

bu I have learned to do it correctly and mine has that screw fitted.

the trick is to apply hot glue to the flathead screwdriver blade and to the head of the screw so it doesn't fall when you are trying to insert it vertically. Hot glue comes off the screw head easily after the screw is tightened.

sure most people don't want to bother with the dammed screw, but it is there for a reason so back it goes.

 

I must have a completely different setup than you guys, my plastics come off or go on in under a minute, assuming the dashboard is out or the steering column loosened a little bit to get the top off ( if you want it off ).

 

Good tip, Jose. I use a 2" piece of electrical tape. Hold the screw and puncture the center of the tape from the sticky side. Put the screw firmly on the tip of the screwdriver and then stick the ends of the tape to the sides of the screwdriver blade. Install the screw and tighten, the tape will break loose, just grab the end and pull it off.

Also, use a tiny screwdriver or nail to line up one of the holes and then the first screw hole is all lined up.

Jeff

 

I still prefer my use of Allen head fasteners. My HF sourced "T' head drivers make it much easier than a "normal" screw driver.

Not going in there again, I hope!!

Carl

 

Not quite on topic , but for a few years I had BMWs and I learnt that if I was having trouble with anything fitting or not going back together it was just me. There is the German way and there is No way. I replaced the shifter handle on a car and couldnt work out why the previous owner had sawn a centimetre of the bottom of the one I took off. Then I tried to put the other one back on, and found there was a precise sequence pushing, turning, button pushing to go through before you put the allen key back in. Seems like it will never go in , but once its clear it takes 10 seconds.

 

Thanks Jose for the hot glue trick, it worked a treat
al

 

you're welcome! I also use hot glue over bolt heads when the bolt falls off the socket when using a socket and ratchet in difficult places. It sticks just enough to hold the bolt inside the socket.

 

I just checked the status of my old 1980 XJ Series 3 that I owned for 14 years, and it is still registered but shown as 'off-road". The MOT (UK roadworthiness test), only expired last month, so somebody has it and uses it. I spent far too much on that car.