I have all but given up on wipers on all our cars. Rain-X is one of my staples, like washer fluid, power steering fluid, and motor oil.

It's just so much better, except for low speeds in city driving.
But out on the road, it beats wipers hands down.
(';')

 

windshield washer fluid?? Agua with alcohol and food coloring. Biggest ripoff in the automotive industry. The Owner's Handbook of my '65 Jaguar S type shows you how to make it: 1 teaspoon of alcohol to a full container of water. A Jar actually, a giant glass JAR. The famous Lucas 5-SJ Windscreen Washer System.

 

Wow! Where am I going to hang all of those relays!

 

yes, 3 nice shiny relays! I just took a look at the available real estate near the wiper motor and found NONE !

 

But, Jose, it looks so Pretty in the tank! LOL

Actually, that fluid lasts a loooooooong time in a car around here, because I prefer Real window cleaner in a spray bottle, and a long handled squeegee every morning on Start-Up. Washer fluid only encourages scratches on the windshield as the wipers Always come on too soon.
(';')

 

Elinor, you and the millions who love that delicious blue turquoise liquid!

 

This is what happens when you go to do one stupid little job (like remove the windshield wiper mechanisms) and then... you decide to change out the wood dash (I've had this gorgeous new one for over 15 years in storage), pull all the plugs and clean the contacts, pull all the fuses and trace back all that's not working and get them working, check all the vacuum lines under the dash, change out the broken defrost plenums (thank you David at Everyday XJ), lubricate all the A/C moving parts, pull the directional signal light assembly to install a new Hazard warning switch (thank you SNG Barratt), etc.

 

No one can dispute what a fun time you are having with your car.
I had that amount of fun and more once when I had to replace the evaporator and blower motors on one of my Jags. I still have some scars to prove it. After having all the fun, I regretfully sold the car only to find out later on this forum that the car combination was hard to find. Original Black with OEM Black interior. I tried to buy it back to no avail.

 

Not sure if you are using "fun" sarcastically or not. I suspect not. And yes i am having fun, but also a real sense of satisfaction and accomplishments. At 70 years old I just hope I live long enough to enjoy it when I m done. Oh that's right, I'll never be done!

 

@ yacthmanbuttson:
OH NO! NO offense intended. No sarcarsm here.
I assume that you and I, as many others on this forum do not do this for a living. We just happen to have some mechanical skill and a lot of common sense and when we are not sure about something help is always a keystroke away.
I thrive on every mental and physical trauma these Jags throw at me. I consider it a challenge.
I am not far behind you. I will be turning 69 in December. I do this just to keep me busy since I retired.
Presently, my two projects are almost complete and I am already thinking ahead to my next project.
I have never worked on a Jaguar V12 so that is the direction I am going. (Wife permitting lol)

 

"Fun" is a relative term when working on these cars as you well know. I love to watch car fix-it shows and auctions on TV. I'm not at their level both tool-wise and knowledge-wise but it is FUN to work on my cars. I owned a 1990 XJ40 when I lived up in CT 20 years ago, but my 1975 XJ6C is much more fun. Here's to us old folks who love our cars and know how to work on them (and have fun doing it).

 

I agree, Series 2 and 3 Jags are much more fun to work on than the XJ40.

 

I'm fully convinced, that it's the Pure, Unadulterated FUN of tearing these cars apart and (successfully) putting them back together, only to have Everything WORK CORRECTLY, that keeps these lovely old cars on the road, for the pleasure off all who see them.
(';')

 

Thank You for this Post! I am rewiring my car from scratch and I plan on incorporating this!

Rusty

 

@Sanchez and @yachtmanbuttson:



I am a few years behind you (I'm 45) and I too am enjoying the fun of restoring and maintaining my SIII V12. Luckily the car was in decent mechanical shape when I bought it. So until now, mechanically I only had to fight a seized sunroof motor (totally rusted on the inside, but now working like a charm again), 12 sparkplugs (of which 3 had never been changed before), a cracked distributor cover (completely broken in two pieces with a 2mm crack, but car still running), a dead starter motor (fully reconditioned now), a Delanair MKII airconditioning unit that decided to go to full heating in mid-summer at will, and a non functioning speedo and sender unit.

That's just the technical part.....getting it back in shape optically was a whole different ball game (pics in my restauration post).....but I'm enjoying every minute of it, often wondering about the extremely logical and inventive ways the blokes at Jaguar Motors have built this car.....

 

OFF TOPIC A BIT>
This is why its fun for me:
I grew up with British cars around me, hence my love for them.
Austin, Morris, Mini (BLMC) Anglias,Consul, Cosairs, Cortina,Zephyr, Zodiac (Ford) Hilman, Vauxhall and so on, The others being Holden, Valiant (Aus) and Acadian (GM Canada). Jaguars of course, I am sure I am missing a few.
The first car I bought was a Ford Anglia at age 16.
How so? I was born in the West Indies(British Colony) and got my formal education O and A levels in England.
I was taught that if a man made it a man can fix it. I do not have any formal mechanical education, but I sure know how to pull a wrench.
I never owned a Jaguar until I migrated to the USA.
11 of them to be exact. I purchased my first Jaguar in 1986 and I have bought, fixed and sold them ever since.
Some of them were real bummers mechanically. I have never bought one that had a thrashed interior or body and never will. A good condition non runner is and always be my cup of tea.

 

I also was born in the West Indies, but grew up all over the world. Which of Her Majesties protectorates did you hail from - Don't say British Guiana!

 

@IRAMPHAL: Born T&T. 12 years in England; 8 years in Canada, (Winnipeg, Alberta and Yellowknife, working for the Can Fed Govt with the Dene' and Inuit peoples. Furthest North was Fort Resolution above the 60th parallel). Spent 2 years in your country working as a statistician with Caricom Diplomatic Corp. Rest of my life USA. (T&T Embassy Wash. DC and NYC). Retired (political) at the ripe old age of 60. Have been ENJOYING life ever since culminating with writing about me on a Windshield Wiper Mechanism post lol.

 

I just found a site that sells the raised edge oval washers for under the windshield wiper eschions! It's for an XKE, but I'll bet it fits our XJ6's. I ordered four, two for the outside and two for the inside (just in case I need two for the inside - if not then I'll have spares. At $2.50 each that's a deal).

Order Page

 

Have you tried a potato instead? Supposedly works just as well, but won't last as long. Slice open potato and smear it on. Instant glass wax. Potato on windshield

Yacht, please keep us up to date if the eschions fit.