My car was partly dismantled before I got to work on it, so a lot is puzzling. RIght now trying to figure out the wires that go to the ignition coil, distributor and ballast resistor and the wire colors aren't super clear. I am not getting a spark but the old coil measures OK, and I can get spark at the plugs with a bodged generic coil hooked up directly to 12v.
There is a white/black wire that runs from coil (-) to the distributor. Then there is another, black/white (or is it white with a black stripe? Or was it once yellow/black or pink/black? Hard to tell) that I havent figured out where it comes from or to which terminal it goes. The wiring schematic doesnt show the ballast at all. If anyone has clear photos of the factory wiring around the ignition coil on a Series 1 XJ6, please post them here. Thanks!

Edit: Scratch that, I now have spark. (And extensive backfiring, but that is another can of worms.) I would still need to know where the extra black/white cable needs to go, so I am leaving the posting in place.

 

Hi Martin,

My schematic for the S1 shows a white/blue wire from the ballast resistor to the starter solenoid relay. A white/yellow wire from ballast resistor to coil. and a white wire from ballast resistor to tacho. Hope that helps.

http://www.jaguar-wiring-schematics.info/ is where I got my color coded schematics.

Jeff H.

 

Thanks! I got the engine running now, so all the important wires are apparently in their right places. Unrelated to this thread, but I had assembled the distributor 180 degrees off, and correcting it made the engine start on first try. My first Jag, and someone else had taken it half apart before me, so not a simple task to find out where everything goes. Next steps are cooling and clutch, and then it will hopefully move on its own power for the first time in over a decade. Current puzzle: Finding out what thread for the screws that hold the radiator and the top piece in place. It doesnt seem to be UNF or UNC standard. Anyone?