Joy has been wrenched from my happy life. I spent last couple months doing all sorts of engine cleanup and replaced my rack and P/S pump with ones from Coventry West. All went well and I have been driving her for a month .. very happy. Then I noticed that full L/R lock led to a banshee screech. Quick research and causes usually low fluid or loose belt. Checked fluid and OK and (new) belt was a bit loose. So I snugger her up just a bit... nothing heavy handed. Drove her around that day and next morning a puddle of P/S fluid in my driveway.

I have not gotten her on stands yet or removed air cleaner, etc... but as best I can tell, the hoses are NOT leaking and the shaft behind the pulley seems dry. It is not pushing out the cap either, that is dry... but the bottom of the P/S unit is soaked and dripping just sitting there.. engine not on!!

So WTF? I called Coventry and explained as above but they replied "Try loosening the belt and see if that helps!" I will try that, but wondering if anyone has a clue? My two guesses are that the extra torque on the P/S shaft seal is causing it to leak... or... the extra torque cracked the case/unit where the bolts connect it to the pivoting block mount. Bryan at Coventry said he has never heard of either.

So alas.. I have to tear things apart again and figure it out

Randy

 

Coventry West has never heard of anything. Any customer will always be the first to report a deffective part. That is why I would never buy anything from them again. You need to buy parts from reputable suppliers like EverydayXJ who stand behind what they sell and don't come at you with "loosen the belt and see if that helps"..
If it leaks, it's bad, period.

what year is your XJ-6 ?

 

Hi Jose

She's an '86. I thought CW had a good rep but maybe this will change my mind. To make this adventure even worse Fedex lost the core I sent back and are not doing much to find it or compensate me

Thanks - Randy

 

yes that is fedex for you. Don't use them again, ship UPS or post office. I lost a vintage guitar to fedex and they did everything in their power to not pay.

I have a spare Saginaw XJ-6 pump you can have free. just help me with the mailing cost. Send your address to my inbox.

 

Several leak possibilities.

The pressure union o-ring and reservoir-to-body o-ring stand out in my mind. Either could have improperly installed; both would be fairly easy DIY fixes if it came down to that.

The reservoir body is just tin and is easily distorted....which could compromise the body-to-reservoir sealing.

Cheers
DD

 

Rockauto have them, decent price.

 

My understanding from previous post on this Forum is that the pressure valve is adjustable with spacing washers. And that they are hard to find. And it must be adjusted with a pressure meter of some sort. Someone chime in to correct me?

Bill

 

Bill I don't know but the pump in my 1984 has not leaked since I bought the car. I know that when they leak is usually at the pressure hose fitting just like Ford pumps do. So you may be right.

 

The first time I reinstalled my PS pump in 2015 I had to put copper washers under the high pressure fitting (I don't remember how many but more than one), and then put a LOT of torque on that fitting (at one point I was afraid I'd break something) to Finally make it stop leaking all over the floor just as Randy describes.


It's so tight right now that I went to Great lengths NOT to loosen that fitting (and therefore the pump) when replacing the crossmember recently.

It's doubtless a Kludge way of doing it, but ya can't argue with success, and the pump/fitting does not leak to this very day.
(';')

 

Just a thought: Where the pressure hose with its annular captive nut goes into the pump body, the metal pipe the nut is on, the one that sticks into the pump pressure outlet, has a raised circular metal "ring" pressed into it that the nut pushes against when you do the nut up to fix the hose into the pump. This raised ring MUST have an O ring pushed onto it on the PUMP side of it. Thus the captive nut pushes the hose into the pump and the O ring seals against the pump body and the raised "ring" in the pipe.
Maybe this ring is missing, or split?

 

Thanks all and Jose I will PM you for generous offer.

Regarding HP hose O-ring I feel it is OK since hose fittings are not source of leak. It is either body issue or shaft seal.

Once my initial depression fades I will reluctantly start pulling parts off so I can extract pump

Randy

 

Go to my shtekler site on this forum you will find all the answers for your problem or if you want to call me let me know

 

Not sure what you mean "go to your shtekler site" ?? But very intrigued...

 

Also forgot ask all you lads and lassies.. this failure happened in my town home parking lot and I cannot work on the car here. I need to get it to my storage unit but pride fights me from calling the flatbed. I don't care about the pump any more, but is there any concern about damaging the new rack if I drive the car a few miles with no fluid in the system??

Thanks

 

Sorry will try to find the info for you or it will be easier for me to call you if you want

 

If the pump runs low on fluid and self destructs, metal shards will get in the high pressure line and probably end up in the rack. Flat bed it.

 

Thanks!! Great advice.... just frustrated to the max right now... keep throwing $$ at it, right !!

 

Randy,
We have ALL gone through the, Throw Some More $$$ At It, phase with these cars, and probably Every One of us have been in the hole you're in (I wanted to stuff a rag in the gas tank and light it off more than once). But we'll also tell you that it does end in resolution eventually if you keep chipping away at it.

Then you'll look back on these threads of yours and say, "WOW, that was a lot of work!!" as you stroll out to the garage, get into your now Perfectly Working Jaguar and drive off into the sunset without a second thought if something will break before you get back.

It took me nearly 7 years to get to that point. You'll get there too, probably in a lot less time!
(';')

 

SO true, LnR. Took me 10 years to get it exactly to that.

 

Don't flatbed it. Dump a bottle of cheap ATF in the pump and drive it where you need to go. Don't worry about leaks as long as you have some fluid in it. Cheaper than a rollback.