Hello everyone,

With the paintwork around the windshield now addressed and the screens back in am looking towards the future on what the next job would be on the car, my mind turns to the exhaust system which i have been able to patch here and there for many years, however even after a clean and a re-paint etc it really is starting to look pretty poor, no real huge leaks yet but i really don't want to get to the stage of it falling off..

So the idea of a Stainless system is very appealing, i see many vendors who sell them and the Bell system seems to be the most prevalent.

The issue i have is the center catalytic converter i currently have on the car, no stainless manufacturer supply their system with the cat installed which i can kind of understand, however i am in California and am concerned that if i fit the system without a center cat and rely solely on the downpipes cat this might be problematic when the time comes to smog the car.

I was wondering if there were any other members out there in California who have removed the center cat for one reason or another and were able to pass the test.

The other option i have is to get the stainless system and then graft a catalyst into it (not ideal)

Thanks

Russell

Russell:

1. if the SMOG inspector sticks to the letter of the law, your car will fail the visual inspection. reason, emmisio tampered.

2.. The cat must be a CARB approved unit No other, even if just as effective or even the same unit, but sans the CARB number is tampering!! Gee, CARB marked units cost a hell of a lot more!!!

3. Not all inspectors are that precise.

4. I see little reason that the original cat can not be neatly welded in place.

Carl

the total lack of emission testing standards in the US from one state to the other is as laughable as donald trump.

Why would a Series 3 XJ-6 up to 1987 be still subject to emissions testing in California is simply absurd. These cars are ANTIQUES by any definition you want to throw on them.

In Tennessee my 1984 XJ-6 is licensed as ANTIQUE AUTO. Permanent plate, does not need to be renewed ever again. I paid my dues. AND it is exempt from emissions testing forever. But not California of course.

However, when my car was subject to emissions testing, ( I will have owned it for 31 years come September 2020), it passed inspections without catalytic converters. That is how good these cars are at emissions. They were over-designed to comply with US emissions regulations.

Try it. If it fails testing, what do you have to lose?

Here's the tricks:
1) remove the down catalytic, open it up, remove the honeycomb garbage inside it. Clean the insides good. Reweld it, pressure test it for leaks, reinstall it with new onion seals at both ends. Use gloves and mask while removing honeycomb bag.

2) do the same with the ."balancer" catalytic at the Y pipe, which is a source of heat under the driver's floor. ( In my car I installed a European Y pipe, got rid of the factory Y pipe with "balancer" cat )

Just for kicks, I took my car one day to get it checked for emissions. They went through all the b.s. and IT PASSED. No catalytics, zero, nada. "Thank you, bye!" I told them. Never went back.

I installed a complete stainless steel Bell Exhausts system in my 1965 S type, piece by piece, all by myself. The quality is amazing, everything was polished like a mirror.
Identical system design to the XJ-6 exhaust system, but no cats. You won't find better than a Bell Exhausts system.

Good luck!



.

Not every state / region is the same. For example in CA weather patterns and topology creates conditions that leads to smog. In most parts of flat and breezy Florida I'm sure that's not a concern. It's also not an issue here in NY and Andrew Cuomo is a car guy so NY has slightly more liberal auto emission laws for older cars. CA still has a smog problem, albiet much improved, even though they have the most stringent auto emissions laws. LA also has little public transport and a large contingent of people that would drive older, unmaintained, and smog belching cars if they could, and I'm sure some find a way. CA should do what's best for them and other states can do the same to a point. There are minimum federal emission standards that the EPA has.

Polution travels to some degree. I grew up on a main road and there was a bus that stopped in from of my house, some buses were not well maintained and I could see and smell the diesel soot as they pulled away a few yards from my bedroom window. Thankfully those days are over.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west...n-los-angeles-

Appreciate the responses, however i'm still no closer to making a decision on this.

You mentioned Jose on what i have to lose, well the cost of a Bell system would be quite a lot if it failed to pass.
Knowing you have such a system on your S-Type, i am interested to know if there is a change in the noise level, i would hope it would remain the same as the std system but in the past when i have fitted aftermarket systems they always seem to be louder than factory, not something i am looking for.

Rfarmery,

first: the 3.8 liter engine is louder than the 4.2 liter in the XJ-6.

second: they say that stainless steel sounds different but the XJ-6 came from the factory with stainless steel over-the-axle pipes and Y pipe. Mufflers are mufflers no matter what they're made of.

So the answer is: The Bell exhaust system quieted the S type instead of making it sound louder, but the S type is louder than the XJ.

I ordered the Bell system from SNG Barrat USA store. It came with 8 stainless steel U clamps which I don't use because they crimp the pipes where they join with a muffler or pipe making it impossible to separate parts later, I ordered s.s. Band clamps from another supplier, Band clamps do not crimp the exhaust parts.

Also, Jaguar never welded exhaust parts, all parts were Band clamped using an adhesive called "Firegum" which is not available in the US. Auto parts stores sell exhaust adhesives which are more or less similar. These adhesives are more like a sealer and not much is needed.

For the XJ i found new original rear resonators by British Leyland.
For the two mufflers under the rear seat I took the old ones to Advance Auto parts and they matched them with standard mufflers.
I reused the over-the axle pipes, they were like new, and replaced the Y pipe. The XJ was easy to do.

I hope this helps.

I strongly suspect it'll come down to doing just that. And it's not big of a deal for any neighbor hood muffler shop. Make sure get a California approved converter !

Cheers
DD

Rfarmery:

here's the Bell stainless system I installed in my '65 S type.

The XJ system is essentially identical, 20 years apart but with catalytics.

This helps a great deal thank you.... i think the way forward will be to purchase the Bell system and perhaps install as is and take it to the SMOG station when due to see what they say, i will keep the original center catalyst and if necessary graft it into the system if i receive a fail. i was thinking of just using a sleeve as opposed to welding it in place, at least this way if and when it is deemed a failed part it should be easy to put another in.

i do like the idea of the band clamps, i think Barrat sells them now.

Thank you also for your take on the noise levels, there is no denying that hearing an exhaust note on some cars is wonderful, the XJ however for me needs to remain it's quiet self, that is part of the joy for me, wafting along in total silence.

Russell

[QUOTE=rfarmery;2262811 Thank you also for your take on the noise levels, there is no denying that hearing an exhaust note on some cars is wonderful, the XJ however for me needs to remain it's quiet self, that is part of the joy for me, wafting along in total silence. Russell[/QUOTE]

I agree, the XJ-6 is a silent luxury car. Removing the center Y cat and emptying the down cat made no difference in the exhaust sound of my car, but the engine responds better.

Fortunately in the states where I live or lived, Florida & Tennessee, I can get away with no cats or inspections, but if the car were to be emissions inspected, it would pass.

Tip: when you take your car for inspection, drive it for at least 1 hour at highway speeds before taking it to the inspection station, (30 minutes 1 way, 30 minutes back), so the cooling system ( the thermostat) goes through its open and close cycles and then settles in its normal temp. A cold engine usually fails inspections. This also helps "normalize" the engine of accumulated noxious gases and whatever they measure at the station. It works. The car will pass inspection.

Another thing they check is the Rubber Seals at the two chromed gas filler caps. Easy to replace, available at SNG Barrat too.

Hey all, this is Andrew from Jaguar Specialties. While I am of course not any sort of expert on the Jag drivetrains, what I am very familiar with is the California smog laws. I would be very careful about removing the center cat from your system, new or not. The process of passing emissions tests in this state is not just a matter of what comes out of the tailpipe. There is a visual inspection that you have to pass as well- everything needs to be there as original or any changes need to be California BAR approved.

While I don't think replacing your old exhaust with a new stainless version will be an issue, any smog test technician worth his salt (and doing his job right) will get down and look under your car to see that everything that needs to be there is there. If he doesn't see that cat, the car will/should be failed for tampering (parts missing), regardless of what the actual sniffer tests show.

The way around this problem is to install your main cat in the new exhaust just as it was before, and in the same position. That is legal and accepted and you should have no issue.

I deal with these laws all the time so I'm up to speed. In fact, I'm prepping our 97 XK8 with Pontiac G8 LS2 engine right now for inspection/testing to be California approved. The rules are tough, but they do serve a purpose and we have clean air as a result. Anyone who remembers LA from the 80's compared to now will agree. My area (Northern California- San Francisco/Silicon Valley) saw the same results

I hope that helps

Andrew
Jaguar Specialties

PS- if you have any questions on any of that, feel free to contact me off-list

Seems like good info.

Dave

Thanks Andrew, a good amount of information, much appreciated.

I have been able to find a CARB compliant center cat from Magnaflow for less than $200 which is pretty good, perhaps it's worth getting it and installing with the new system to make sure all is up to snuff...

Russell