Hi everyone!
Question about the tailpipes, straight vs “S”.

My wife’s 1971, original xj6 has the straight tips, but…. We have the “smell” in the interior, running or not. It is a burnt oil/non catalytic/old smell that sticks to your clothes.
Will switching the tips to the “s” ones make a
difference? The exhaust itself has no leaks. The cowbell sound from recirculating flaps are in full song, and I plan on addressing that.
Also, is there a difference between the series 1, 2, and 3 “s” tips?
Thanks!

 

not really. I would say the smell described comes from the engine compartment, not the exhaust. Check the bonnet seal and the firewall for any open holes, and the cowl drains.

remove all the floor coverings and check for any missing drain plugs.

I had 1988 XJ40 straight tips in my 1984 XJ-6 for a few years and never had any issue with exhaust odors being absorbed into the cabin through the rear vents.

 

I agree with Jose.
You can throw all the money you want at your exhaust system and it will be wasted until you address the leaking, burning oil from the engine.

While it might be true that "all Jags leak oil," that oil doesn't usually leak onto the exhaust system in the engine compartment, and That's where your problem is.
(';')

 

The original Series 1 pipes were straight, and the 'S' bend on the exhaust was a modification made shortly after production started, due to fumes getting into the cabin. This is told in Paul Skilleter's book on Jaguar saloon cars. Apparently air flow around the car caused a front draught of some sort. All the original XJ designers are, of course, now dead !

 

Straight tips vs curved tips. naah, I have strong doubts as to any effect on exhaust in the cabin. Style issue in my view.

tons of other critters use straight tips with o exhaust in cabin issue., Early on, puttig duals on my 37 was the beginning. Straight tips. No exhaust in the cabin... engine fues, another story...

Carl.

 

Actually, I was wrong on the origin of the story about the XJ6 curved exhaust pipes. It wasn't in Paul Skilleter's book but the book on the XJ saloons by Nigel Thorley, that I once had, and maybe still have, but I can't find it. We have a lot of books in our house, mostly my wife's !!

As for whether the curved tips vary between the Series, I don't know, but I do know they are of stainless steel on the Series 3s, because my car had them, and there was a lovely fixing one could buy, also in stainless steel, that secured them to the rear box outlet pipes.

 

stainless steel is correct, the fixings as you call them are band clamps with a hex setscrew, Very nice indeed. Stainless also. I have them in my 1984.

Here's my collection of Jaguar stainless steel tips:

 

Thanks everyone! And that collection of tips is great!
We purchased the car in 2015 and it was parked/garages in 1979 with just 35k on the odometer. The smell has always been there, in the cabin and the trunk.
Slowly going through all the possibilities:
exhaust
exhaust tips
recirculation flaps
body plugs
weatherstrip and seals
oil leaks
gas leaks in the trunk
etc…

The smell also seems to be constantly in the car even when parked and not running. Actually thought about asking a buddy at the fire department to use their “sniffer” to see what it might be. But when we drive her, we smell when we get out. Not good, and not healthy.

 

I am not sure if the Series 1 fuel system is carryover from the 1966 thru 1968 Jaguar 420.
If it is, then it is a simpler system than in the Series 2 and Series 3.

Do you have a Series 1 Factory Service Manual?
That is where I would start, with a diagram of the car's fuel system.

The smell must be coming from the steel line that runs from the trunk into the cabin. That line runs behind the rear seat's Back wall. Remove the rear seat, then remove the rear seat's Back or "squab". Run the sniffer in the passenger side, there is a fuel line fitting there where two vertical fuel lines connect.

 

I do have the parts books and some of the service manuals. I will start tracing everything.

So far, oil leaks are no biggie, typical any car of the 70’s era valve/cam cover minimal type. We had the exhaust partially replaced, the resonators and tips were fine, new mufflers and pipes. No leaks there. The recirculating flaps in the trunk well/lip/area are shot and we have the “cowbell”. I am a percussionist professor and cowbell is great, but not in this situation. No visible gas leaks. That is it this far.

Will blocking off/taping the trunk vents be of any help in the clue department?

Carl, Jose, Fraser, and LnrB, big thank you!

 

My bet is the fuel lines in the trunk compartment. You need to renew everything, hoses clips etc. Check the fuel filter bowl (if fitted) for any weeping.
Leaking fuel will dissolve paint & body sealer, and smell disgusting.
Also check seals on saddle tank sender units, or tanks themselves for perforations. Also the feeder pipes from the tanks into the trunk pumps. These suffer from road gravel being "machine-gunned" from the rear wheels.
And over filling the tanks does not help, if they are the vented type (at the top). I replaced my Series 1 tanks with Series 2, not realising this. Series 2 has a convoluted series of pipes for these vents.
Plenty of things to go wrong with these cars, but we still love 'em.
My nickles worth.

 

What is the routing of the vent pipes from the gas tanks to the charcoal canister?

 

Update....
Lots of candidates lol! But not really lol....

In the trunk, it smells like stale gas: the non-original fuel pump was a tad wet at both the inlet and outlet, but no visible leaking when powered on.

The recirculation "flapper" doors are in full cowbell, with the fabric as dry as a desert.

Valve cover oil leaks (but not onto the exhaust): typical 70's any car, nothing major.

Tailpipes: series 1 straight, and they are almost even with the bumper, but do not go past it.

The fuel system vent tubes are all connected, and appear to be intact.

The interior always smells, and always has. It is the factory original leather, and the car did sit in a garage for 30 years.

The plan, everything! Fuel leak is done, "S" tailpipe finishers just came in, I have new rubber seals for the recirculation flappers, etc...
But, the interior smell. I have used multiple cleaners, protectors, etc... on the leather, and it is great shape. How do you remove odor? Has anyone tried the "ozone" stuff?
Thanks again!

 

Even ONE drop of gasoline will smell up an entire garage let alone an enclosed space like a trunk.
"A tad wet" is NOT acceptable for any fuel connections.
Those connections that seem "a tad wet" is an excellent place to start replacing fuel hose.

Hydrocarbon smell is notoriously hard to remove as the molecules are so small (this is also why it leaks so easily). I have just opened the trunk to the sun on a warm day and let it set for a while... like maybe 2 or 3 days.

But this will work ONLY if you have fixed those leaks.
(';')

 

to remedy the cowbell noise:
Go to a Joann Fabrics store, Crafts dept., and get 2 stick-on 1/8" thick foam sheets. They come in many colors but don't use Pink. I used black but bright yellow would have been nice.
scrape the metal flaps clean and stick the rubber foam to them, trim the edges. To do a perfect job you need to remove the pan from the trunk. A pain to do but a great learning experience. You can also wash and coat the entire inside of the pan with truck bed coating to waterproof it. It is a maintenance job. someone's got to do it every 30 years.

Tips:
they should not go pass the edge of the rear bumper, otherwise you will hurt your legs.

Fuel smell:
remove the front and rear floor mats AND any foam pads underneath the mats. Put them under the sun for a few days, turning them around every now and then in the heat of day. Vent the interior with a table fan, leaving it running for a few days. Spray Fabreze or Lysol every now and then.

 

I am with Peter (red triangle) on this one. Late last year I had a smell of petrol in the car. Turned out to be one of the fuel lines from the tank to the pump was "weeping" - nothing spilling but the fuel line was slightly damp with petrol. Replaced both lines and much better. Despite going through all the items you have looked at (recirc flaps, exhaust (I have curved pipes) etc, I still occaisonally have a slight petrol smell. Now my tank caps are original as are the gaskets - 48 years old, and I believe these are now the cause. I will be looking to replace these gaskets very soon.

 

Hi John, I need to replace the cap gaskets too. Let me know where you source them.
Clarke

 

Quoting this ^^^^ for emphasis !

100% correct.

I'll add that sometimes the fuel pump body itself will leak at the seams or crimps.

When replacing the hoses I recommend marine grade ultra low permeability hose. Using this hose made a huge difference for me. Fuel odor in trunk about 98% eliminated versus typical automotive grade fuel injection hose.

What you want is "SAE J1527 Barrier Hose". This standard has several rating levels. I went with A1-15 and A1-10 hose. "Ultra Low" permeability (the "10" and "15") and high fire resistance (the "A1"). It is rated for a working pressure of 100 psi and burst pressure of 400 psi. The idea is to keep the boat bilge as vapor-free as possible. You can Google for more technical info.

I noticed right away that the hose is obviously thicker-walled than automotive hose, due, presumably, to the additional barrier layers. I also vaguely recall the the original Jaguar hose was thick-walled as well, although the J1527 didn't exist in the 80s.

Cheers
DD

 

I always loved the unique "S" shaped tips on the XJ6 and privately questioned the originality of the straight tips on this '72 model. However, Bill Long has been winning his class in JCNA sanctioned concours for years so I guess he knows what he's doing!