SO...I learned something new yesterday. A little back ground first. the previous owner of my 87 xj6, the coolest car in the world, had put a battery in that has the side cable attach points, no big deal. However, the bolt to attach the negative (earth) cable was too long and they just kept tightening, obviously until they saw the lead move.
NOW...I had to work on my headlights. I disconnected the positive and ground cable, and the ground simply broke the lead out of the battery...crap...

While cleaning this and that, tighening wires here and there, finally I was done. Off to the autoparts store for a battery. I put it in, try the lights...TA DAH! they work. I go to start the car and TA...uh oh, nothing. try again, nothing, take it in and out of part....nothing...crap.
I look under the hood and visually follow the wires. APPARENTLY, with all the jiggling and cleaning and what not, when I put the new battery in, I moved some wires, and the wire from the ignition relay and slid off....slid....off. It was a good discovery though.

For those of you, like me before yesterday, who don't know where your ignition relay is located on your 1987 XJ6, it is pretty much dead center and at the top of the fire wall, directly behind the engine. It looks very similar to the headlight relay, and with Jaguars "interesting" way of doing things, all the wires plug upwards onto it. Yes...the wires were loose and like I said, the wire to the starter slid off.

Why the long story just to describe where it is? Because everyone knows that with Jaguars, there is a "magic string" that is like a spider web connecting everything. Work on one thing, and something else completely unrelated just might...stop working...

 

That would be the White wire with the Red stripe, mmmm.

Follow that wire down toward the starter a little, and there will be a male/female spade joiner, covered with a British non-metallic substance, that will require some attention also.

There is NO "may" to the spider web, it is WILL.

 

Heh heh, this is what's known as "the fiddle factor".

Sometimes things go on the fritz due to the fiddle factor. Other times we inadvertantly fix things with the fiddle factor.

Taking every opportunity to remove-clean-tighten connections and grounds will pre-emptively solve most of the much-ballyhooed Lucas problems. Do a few at a time or spend a long Saturday going from bumper-to-bumper. Repeat every 15 years.

Don't forget to clean the fuses as well!

Cheers
DD

 

Interesting find.
I learned from my Owners' Handbook that my car was originally equipped with an AC delco maintenance -free battery with side terminals.
Well, that's what it says, although it had a battery with conventional top terminal posts when I got it, and the cables don't appear to be any kind of replacement.
hummm...

 

Jaguar switched back-n-forth a couple times over the years.

I'll add that back then Jaguar was rather....um....non-chalant about updating owners manuals, service manuals, etc. The parts catalogs are usually pretty detailed about changes, though.

Cheers
DD

 

hahahaha! fidle factor! I like that SOOOOOO true!

 

That's considered good design when dealing with relays. It is to ensure that water does not follow along the wire into the relay itself.

 

That actually makes sense...bravo Jaguar....bravo indeed.

 

Thank you for that description. I believe the same thing has happened to me. I did an engine wash and since then, the car sometimes just 'click'... no crank.

I think it's time to follow the remove-clean-tighten advice on the electricals. Somehow I though my SIII would be immune to Lucas.

 

But not immune to water, apparently :-)

Cheers
DD