My new to me car is a 5.3 V-12 with 84k miles. It runs ok but idles a tad "lumpy". I have changed

1) Oil with valveoline VR-1 20w50
2) Oil Filter
3) Fuel filter in trunk
4) both air cleaners
5) removed/cleaned swirl tank (small gas tank under battery) Had lots of rust debris in that tank. cleaned screen etc.
6) old owner replaced battery
7) old owner installed new plug wires...Bosch wires
8) coolant looks nice and green...I added 3/4 of a bottle of Water Wetter. Temp never goes to even bottom of "N" on temp gauge

Id like advise on what distributor cap brand is best (i have a Lucas Ignition) and what rotor brand is best? (i prefer to get parts at Orielys but can order etc if one brand is better than others?)

I got with the car 12 new Bosch part number 4457 spark plugs...has anyone used these? these are the four prong type. I know some say stay with "factory" everything but these are free and seem like really nice plugs...that said changing plugs doesnt look like fun so if they are complete crap id just assume not install them. First hand experiance?

I will look at fuel hoses on rail...the short pieces that go to injectors. If hard i will just pull injectors and everything to change o rings on injectors etc etc. Should I have a pro clean injectors at 84k miles? Seems like $470 is pretty steep to clean and replace hoses and orings but I know of no local places to test injectors. How much are new ones? Seems $17.50 to clean old ones is steep compared to new injector prices on other cars...maybe these injectors are very costly?

Should i change coolant hoses...if so what kit is best (several complete hose kits are offered on E-bay etc but im wondering if quaility is good or bad or better on some than others?

Should i change thermostats since mine seem to be cooling great now? I see the Dayco DT18A or Tridon TT228-180 are the thermostats of choice. If going to all the trouble of new coolant hoses and thermostats i would think pulling radiator and having cleaned by radiator shop would be in order? along with ensureing the AC and Trans cooler etc look clean of course. (i wouldnt pull them just clean in place with radiator removed.)

Any other must do items? Car looks to have been lady owned, garage kept etc until 2007...then sat for awhile outside unfortunately. Ive replaced all 4 tires and done the above work so far. Car had only 150-200 miles since 2007- Oct 2016. I have driven it almost 1000 trouble free miles now.

 

My bet is the lumpy comes from the injector seals are shot. I had the same issue. While the car is idling push down on the fuel rail. If the lumpy clears up you will know for sure its the seals. I'm 95% sure it is.It is a decent amount of work and looking at the motor and all that's attached to can seem intimidating. V12 performance sells a nice kit with all of the injector seals and hoses already cut to length for the fuel rail. If you take your time and be patient it's not a hard job. I would stick with the recommended NGK plugs and make sure to gap them right. Get new plug wires as well (mag core). I used Rock Auto online for a lot of my items and chose the premium brand which usually is Beck Arntley and so far I like the quality. I'm going through this same maintenance process now. It's daunting and satisfying at the same time. Your injectors should be fine and a new set will be costly. Check the water rails on the side of the heads for corrosion and leakage. Maybe do intake and cam cover gaskets. Since it's a good amount of work to get to the injectors you may as well do as much as possible at the same time.

Download Kirby Palms "Experiance in a book". It's free and over 700 pages of the most valuable information you will ever want to know abut the XJS.

 

Good tip !


Cheers
DD

 

Ok I want to change the fuel lines in fuel rail...can someone recommend a kit that they believe is good quaility based on actual use please.

Is there a test setup for testing your own and cleaning your own injectors? I see on eBay there is a add for a set of reman injectors with new hoses and all seals etc for $465. Jaguar injectors (or whatever the name is) wants $17.50 just to clean them then add parts etc etc. $470 or close to send in my rail and get back ready to install. But not painted etc. I'm leaning towards just replacing seals and hoses myself and testing if there is a way to once removed. OR buying the set off eBay (the kit to change seals and hoses is over $120 so it's actually only $340 for the parts over what it cost to do mine....then I'd have a extra set I could sell I'd assume or keep for spares.). Car has 85k miles or close to it. Runs good but idle is a little lumpy and I want everything correct...and NO fires.

On radiator what should I do? It's fine now but I've been told it's a real problem area. I'm assuming it needs hoses before one blows from old age. Based on actual use is there a lot you'd use or buy from jag dealer (please only real world advise on stuff You have used. No "is use dealer parts" because it's a jaguar. )

On plugs ...has anyone actually uses the Bosch 4457 plugs? I'd like to hear good or bad from someone who has actually used these...not generic "I'd use what the book says". (Remember these weren't around when the car was made folks)

On distrib cap and rotor is there a brand to stay away from? These aren't rocket science. Plastic with metal molded in I'd assume would be hard to mess up but is there any brand NOT to use. I have seen some brands for as low as $21 on eBay to as high as over $100 for a "Lucas" one. I haven't checked to see if dealer still offers the cap or rotor or checked price. Has anyone else recently?

No disrespect intended but trying to find out actual experience on parts not just "follow the book" type advise. I use to work at a GM dealer in parts and a lot of aftermarket parts are better or exactly the same. You just have to know what is worth the premium deal cost or what is ok or better to buy cheaper alternatives.

Thanks to all.

 

No 'kit' needed. Just buy some 5/16" fuel injection grade hose at the local parts house. Dayco, Gates, whatever. Any name brand will be fine. The only type I've had trouble with is the Goodyear hose with the blue inner sleeve. Not even sure if Goodyear still sells it.

Cur of the little cups at the end of the hoses, slice old hose so it can be wriggled off, press on new hose with new cups. That's it. try to avoid nicking the hose barbs. I squirt of your favorite aerosol lubricant helps when installing the hoses.

While you're at it do the fuel feed and return hoses as well. Same process.

Lots of DIY testing/cleaning set-ups can be seen on You Tube...although DIY 'testing' doesn't usually get into flow volume, flow rate, etc.


Since you're chasing a lumpy idle it would be very helpful to know which, if any, injectors are sub-par. This usually requires professional equipment as the difference can be subtle....but have a big influence on idle quality. If you have a couple that are sub-par after cleaning (not unusual), Jaguar Fuel Injector service will work with you (at a price, naturally) so you'll end up with a balanced set.

Do the hoses yourself and save money there.




To play it safe you should remove it to clean out the debris that (I can almost promise) is clogging the cooling fins. Very common. But, if you go thru the effort of removing it I'd just take it to the local radiator shop for professional cleaning inside and out

Lots of 'the usual jag vendors' sell hose kits. I'm not aware of any particular problems wit any of them.

There was a time when the true OEM Jaguar hoses were known to be high grade....but I'm not so sure if it's still true.

Don't forget to change all the small diameter steam hoses as well. And clean out the small diameter pipes, too....and the hose from the coolant tank on the inner fender that goes to the catch bottle behind the front wheel



Never used 'em so no comment


Not sure what to stay away from. I've had good luck with Lucas, Intermotor, Beck Arnley. I think Jaguar is selling Intermotor these days but can't swear to it. NAPA's "Echlin" line is usually good; might be worth checking.



Cheers
DD

 

I'd replace 'em but unless you get *exactly* the right ones you do more harm than good.

You won't find the thermostats you've mentioned in the USA

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...please-172392/

And with all this cooling system work you must *properly* bleed the system. This is very important.

And don't forget to check the fan clutch. Replace if any doubt.

And use a hand held infra red thermometer to get a feel for actual coolant temperature. The gauges are often flakey and can't be trusted until you checked.


How far you wanna go?

Very common fault areas:

- injector harness brittle and insulation falling off
- throttle bushings rotted away
- dirty throttle bores and linkage not synchronized
- distributor mechanical advance stuck
- distributor vacuum advance inoperative

Post back for details on anything that interests you.

If you're up to it the best approach on these issues is "do it all, do it once, do it right". Virtually every old V12 needs attention in these areas. You can prolong the agony by picking away bit by bit, or do it all and put it all behind you... and forget about it for years.

You're already on the right track with what you've mentioned so far.

Cheers
DD

 

I can tell you (although my car isn't back on the road yet) I literally spent days researching parts, availability, cost, etc, and this was recent. I can assure you every gasket, seal, and part I got are of equal or higher quality than factory or I would not have bought them. Mostly these parts were acquired because I read through the threads on this page. You probably won't find all the parts you need from one place. Since I've invested lots of time and this is as recent as a month ago I thought it should apply well to your situation.

Your about to take on a large amount of work if you do it yourself. If you have someone else do it plan on it being costly. Truthfully I think most good mechanics still won't invest the time and effort into the XJS that it needs to be done right. Your car is a few years older than mine with similar mileage. I'm pretty sure it can use a similar tune up as I am currently doing. Here's what I did and finishing.

Radiator~ pulled and brought to a radiator shop to be tested and cleaned. Cost me $60
Fans~ removed factory shroud and fan housing on block. Swapping out for dual electric 14" fans.
Thermostats~ after searching high and low for the Dayco brand (we cannot get them in the states) I bought Motorad high flow stats. After testing against factory ones they open faster and allow more coolant to flow.
Dist cap, rotor, plug wires~ Rock Auto, Beck Arnly brand. Made in Italy, just like it should be
Intake gaskets, cam cover gaskets~ Rock Auto, Beck Arnly clearly of HIGHER quality than factory.
Plugs~ Advanced Auto NGK (the specific plug recommended) reading through all of the threads nobody recommended a different plug. Nothing fancy and with the ignition issues these cars are prone to I wouldn't mess around. Just my opinion.
Coils~ 2 new ones Rock Auto Beck Arnly
Fuel hoses and injector seals~ V12 Performance. Comes with the metal caps, everything you need. These are of higher quality than factory. The rubber on these cars are just that. 100% rubber. The aftermarket brand is more composite and will hold up better, for longer. Again I researched that quite extensively right here on Jag Forums.

I have never used ORielly auto parts but I would assume they will be carrying the same brands of aftermarket parts. URO, Beck Arnley, AC Delco and that pretty much so it for available parts. Out of everything you mentioned I would advise paying the most attention to the distributor cap and rotor. I can't tell you a brand there because you have a Lucas system and I have Marelli.i do know there is a page in Kirbys book about the vacuum advance in the Lucas distributor. Take the time to research it and follow it. It may prevent your work going up in flames. Literally.

You have a great car. It just needs a little love.

 

My lumpy came from.....
old bad coils!
now I keep 2 in stock... ok under my receive in the living room but still in stock