Looks great with the red leather!
Here's a few photos of mine.

 

looking good

interesting to see the differences between the european market and US market requirements
( low speed impact bumpers, larger side markers , twin headlights ) as well as putting the steering wheel on the wrong side, lol



BB

 

The Euro-spec cars look much sleeker.
I'm planning on swapping out the sealed beam headlights for some Hella H4's.

 

Any tips/tricks to replacing the heater hose?

 

get someone else to do it while you drink beer



always works for me

BB

 

I'm not aware of any tricks.

Like many things on a V12 XJS, access can be limited and space is tight.

Patience and Perseverance are the order of the day.

Give yourself plenty of time. The work is not complicated but it can take a while to complete.

Mark

 

Brilliant!

 

Guess that's part of the "charm" of owning a Jag right?

 

You're probably after #22 or #24 in this illustration

http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk...ipes-5-3-litre


As mentioned, access is tight. Removing the balance tube makes a world of difference....although that in itself isn't always easy, depending on the condition of the connector hoses.

Long screwdrivers can be helpful. Or use 1/4" drive sockets on the hose clamps with a couple extensions.

Best to slice the old hose in a couple places @ the nipple....if you can reach in there with something sharp.....rather than trying to twist it off or pull it off.

Do you know the correct bleed procedure? That's very important on a V12.

Cheers
DD

 

after the beer has run out, and the other person has given up and gone home, now is the time to have a go , lol

seriously though , it is very tricky , and the reason they are probably original pipes

as said above, the crossover pipe is easy to come out, and gives you some room , but not a lot , i would remove the heater valve from the bulkhead, this will also give you a chance to inspect it carefully , the spindle can move, but the valve can still be stuck ,

once the valve is out its time to offer up the new hose sections, and then remove the worst one first, this is the one going to the matrix pipe in the bulkhead , i would also recommend replacing the return pipe , as it won't be in any better condition ,

i had to fashion a ' hooked bar ' to assist in pulling on the matrix spout pipe , this allowed me to move the pipe up and down while applying pressure for it to go over the spout end , but its a case of whatever works to be honest, as its a royal PITA to do , but patience is the key

good luck

BB

 

I've heard the bleed procedure is important (Kirby's book) but I cannot find info on how it's actually performed. Advice?

 

V12 cooling system bleeding:

There are different opinions on what works for filling and bleeding but most owners follow the same basic procedure. Here's the process I used on my '88 XJS V12 and a few others. It's not difficult, just messy.

Elevate the front of the car about 8" and then elevate the left front another 2-3" beyond that. Set the climate control for max heat so the heater valve opens.

Remove the bleeder plug from the left radiator tank. You'll see an access hole in the radiator upper mounting panel. The plug is some arcane size but you'll find something in your toolbox that fits.

Remove the caps from the expansion/header tank and from the filler pipe at the front of the engine....up there by the A/C compressor.

Add coolant/water to via the filler pipe until it reaches the bottom of the pipe. Start engine, set heater control to max heat. Let it run at idle until it warms up. Peek inside the filler pipe every minute or so and top up as needed.

When the engine gets warm increase the idle to about 1000-1200 rpm (a helper is helpful here...or just wedge a little something in the throttle linkage to hold it slightly open for a high idle.

Let 'er run and run. Give the upper radiator hoses a few squeezes now and again. Keep checking your coolant level in the filler pipe and top off as needed. Eventually you'll see some coolant coming out of the bleeder. That's good. Wait a while longer and (hopefully) you'll see coolant *really* pouring out of the bleeder. (How much? It's one of those "you'll know it when you see it" things..very messy)

When it's *really* pouring out of the bleeder hole, put the plug back in. Wear some gloves so you don't get scalded. If you can't get the plug back in thru all the gushing, shut off the engine and do it....but I like to leave the engine running if I can. Not worth getting burned, though.

Top off the coolant in the filler pipe...I go right to the top but some fill just to the bottom of the neck... add a quart or so to the expansion tank if you suspect it might be low, button everything up, and yer off to the races. If you've overfilled the excess will be pushed into the atmospheric tank mounted inside the fenderwell. If you've *really* overfilled the excess will exit the atmospheric tank and end up on the ground.

Lower the car and clean the driveway :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug!

 

Update: Got the heater hose installed over the weekend. Thanks to all for your help!
Let her run for a while to check for leaks. Good to go on the hoses but now coolant is coming out of the weep hole on the water pump. Looks like I'll be replacing the pump next.

 

Any tips on removing/replacing the water pump? I've replaced numerous pumps on Ford's and Chevy's but Jag's are new to me.

 

good news


the water pump on the v12 is a fairly simple design , but can be a pig to remove and repair

space as at the back is limited, and lots of pipework needs to come off to be able to get it off, some bolts and some nut on studs hold on the pump along with the viscous fitting fan

lots of info on the net, best bet is a picture search of V12 water pump, as ever , a single pic can speak a thousand words

refurbished pumps may be better than trying to get a bearing and seal, its up to you though


BB

 

Thanks BB

 

Note that one of the lower bolts (#17 in the illustration) is actually a very large posi-drive.

Water Pump Assembly-5.3 Litre - Parts For XJS from (V)139052 to (V)179736 | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK



Also note that a couple of the water pump bolts are behind the cooling fan drive, #10 in this illustration, so it must be removed as well

Cooling Fan and Drive Unit-5.3 Litre - Parts For XJS from (V)139052 to (V)179736 | Jaguar Heritage Parts UK


The best shortcut is to acknowledge that there are no shortcuts. Resign yourself to being slow and methodical, and to removing lots of stuff. One thing about working on these v12s: if you try to go fast the engine will fight you every inch of the way. Take it easy, enjoy the work, and you'll have smooth sailing....and the engine will reward you. Ask anyone here....they'll all agree :-)

Remember, there are no design flaws on a Jaguar. Anything that looks like a design flaw is actually "an interesting engineering feature".




cheers
DD

 

So true, Doug, so true. Also, if your cooling system is not known to have been fettled recently, there is a great deal to be said for removing the radiator before you start on the water pump. This will both give you a chance to clean out all the fins in the rad stack, check the rad condition properly; but more importantly make it MUCH easier to work on the pump.


If I remember correctly, in addition to Doug's important points about removing the fan boss, you also will have to loosen off the tension adjuster mechanism of the power steering pump at both ends, and one of these water pump fixings at this end of the casting is a stud that has to be unscrewed from the block to remove the pump.
Finally, when mounting the new pump, use plenty of Loctite on all the studs and bolts, very embarrassingly, my replaced pump came loose the first time and water shot out of the thing!
Greg

 

Thanks again gentlemen for all your help!
I may just bite the bullet and have it repaired by a shop more versed in Jaguar "idiosyncrasies".