Greg, Grant,

OK, I got the tank drained, the sump tank drained and removed, all the hose connectors off, the filler neck off. I won't even try to describe the gunk found in the sump tank. Vinegar is making good progress on the sump tank.


I tried to pull the main tank out but it won't budge. what am I missing?

 

The main tank is pretty firmly wedged in at each side by a rather stiff sort of foam padding. As long as all the many tubes going into the tank are disconnected, you have to pull/lever/wriggle/work it out VERY carefully. Use wooden levers, not metal ones. It will gradually loosen with up and down, side to side and pulling a bit each end to work it loose.
Greg

 

I was waiting for that post, mongrel that I am.

Greg has nailed it.

My first one took 2 days, 4 bottles of JD, wife and kids on shopping detail, the language was BAD.

They are sitting on a foam matting, and age, etc, has glued them to each other. PLEASE take your time, that tank is easily punctured if nasty stuff is used.

 

ahhh......, I see now who I am dealing with. True SOB. LOL. Let a guy hit a landmine and then tell him to watch his step.

I'll take my time and get a couple of paint stirring sticks. Maybe use some dish soap to put down between the tank and the side spacers to free things up.

I am pretty confident that my process to clean and seal the tank will work out well. I don't see that perfection is required but it will definitely be MUCH better than where it is now and should give me another 30 years (haha) of trouble free service.

Step 1: Muriatic acid. 50/50% solution, 2 gallons, rotate and let sit on all sides of the tank 30-60 minutes each, baking soda to neutralize, drain, rinse

Step 2: Vinegar. 80/20% solution, 2 gallons, rotate and let sit on all sides of the tank 1-2 hours, drain, rinse

Step 3: Power washer spray to remove any remaining scale, rinse with soap and water, Re-rinse with water only

Step 4: Dry thoroughly with hair dryer

Step 5: Acetone swishing to make sure all film or oily residue is removed.

Step 6: Tank sealant poured in, tank rotated to get on all surfaces, drain out excess, dry thoroughly. Let sit 3-4 days to cure completely.

Re-install tank with new filters, hoses, fuel pump, etc....

Now, what about the fuel rail and pressure regulators? I assume I should drain the fuel out of them as well to minimize the amount of old fuel going through the injectors.

 

Good move on that tank, just remember to keep YOUR fluids up mate.

For the fuel rail, I would remove both FPR's (tag them Left and Right) and simply blow the rail out, taking note of any loose crud, which I seriously doubt there will be, as the main filter is FINE medium, and basically nothing passes through it but fuel.
Then only fit the LH FPR, and by-pass the RH unit, as it is NOT needed.

I would then also blow out the supply line, tank to engine bay, and the return line, engine bay to tank. The supply is the RH side line.

 

Tank is out!!!! Took about an hour. Used wooden paint stir sticks and liquid dish soap. Some rust on the bottom pad. Used a big rope around the filler neck for a little extra leverage to break it loose. Doubt I would have had success without the soap and stick method.

Ordered Eastwoods gas tank sealant kit. $60.00. I was concerned about needing to etch the metal for the tank sealant to adhere to. Their kit comes with a bottle of stuff that does that. I was concerned that the muriatic acid or vinegar method would not do that. If the metal is not etched I thought the tank sealant would or could just peel off.

Tomorrow I blow out the fuel lines from the fuel rail back to the tank connectors.

New fuel sending unit with new gaskets seals is on order as well.

Hope to have her on the road for a test drive by the end of the month. Took the free shipping option so Eastwood kit won't be delivered for 7-10 days. I t may show earlier which would be a nice bonus.

 

Cleaned the sump tank with vinegar and the used a pressure washer on it. clean bare metal now. Eastwood's Tank Sealant Kit is supposed to arrive tomorrow so I'll do the muriatic acid process on it again before doing the sealing process. Fuel sending unit arrived from Welsh Jaguar in Ohio. Won't have time to work on it this week due to work but next weekend should have everything cleaned, sealed and re-assembled. A couple of gallons of new good gas and I should be road worthy again soon.

 

Eastwood Kit arrived today. Read all the instructions. Will need to do the entire process in one session and need weather to cooperate and be above 60 degrees.

 

Update.

I got the tanks pulled, bought a new sending unit, fuel pump and filter, bought the Eastwood Tank Sealer Kit. Today the weather cooperated and I was not at work. I followed the directions in the Sealing Kit. I began by using the metal wash then went to the muratic acid rinse ( I got this at the hardware store)(wear heavy rubber gloves and be in a well ventilated area). I wasn't able to get ALL the rust out but there is much less than before. Next was the metal etch followed by the Acetone rinse (that gets rid of any residual water in the tanks). The last step was to pour the tank sealer in and then rotate them to coat the entire inner surface before turning on its end to drain out the excess. I had a total of approximately 4-5 oz's excess from the two 16 oz bottles. Both tanks are now air drying for the next several days to fully cure. I hope to get everything re-assembled next weekend and get the car started again with fresh gas in the tank.

What did I learn? You need to run a more concentrated mixture of muratic acid and water than the sealer kit recommends. Just don't leave it in there too long. Second, give the sealant time to run down each side before turning the tank. It's fairly thick stuff so it needs some time. Third, the filler neck nozzle spring door comes out pretty easy. Unscrew both screws and turn the discs on the sides to fit thru the notches. drop them in a concentrated muratic acid bath to clean them up. I coated them with sealer as well. Last, duct tape works perfectly fine to seal up all the tank openings while you input the various formulas in to slosh around or coat.

Overall I am pleased with the kit. The inside of the tanks were a mess. Given the age of these cars I would recommend all owners at the very least consider cleaning and sealing the sump tank and replacing your main fuel filter.

On to the headliner replacement. Looks like my only options to maintain look or originality is to get one shipped from England, either Jagheadliners.com Kent, England) or SNG Barrett. Either way it's going to cost a small fortune to have it shipped here. There is NO supplier of this item here in the states that I have found.

 

My XJS memory might be failing but isn't the headliner just a formed backing board with foam-backed fabric glued on?

If the backing board is still good you can just get it recovered at your local upholstery shop, or even DIY. The material Jag used is not particularly unique. The local trim shops have always been in able to get it for my various Jags

Cheers
DD

 

Unfortunately using the original backing board is not an option. I got it out of the car with no problem but it began literally falling apart every time I touched it. We tried hard to salvage it but it was not to be. The pressed fibre board does not hold up well due to age and humidity.

 

Good for you Brad, sounds a very decent job. I have a headliner from the Kent people, it is on a fibreglass shell and works and fitted fine. Like your, my old one just fell to dust when I touched it. If you do get a fibreglass one, it is a good idea to glue a 1/4 inch layer of foam to the inside of the roof before fitting, as otherwise the new shell can bong when the doors are shut or you go over a bump.
Greg

 

Greg, thanks for the tip on the headliner padding. You said the board you got is made from fiberglass. The one thru SNG Barrett comes from another company in England but he didn't know who exactly. He did say it was made with GRP (glass reinforced plastic). I don't what that is. Any ideas?

 

Hi Brad, impressed with your work on the tanks.

GRP is what others know as fibre glass

 

Hi Brad

According to 'Jaguar Folklore' there either should or could be a 'Rivet' sticking up under the Tank, for no apparent good reason whatsoever.

If that's true then over time it could puncture a hole in your Fuel Tank.

So before you put the Tank back, have a feel around to try and find it.

If its not there then its 'Folklore'

But if you happen to find it, I'll leave it to Greg and Grant to confirm that it would be OK to grind it off.

 

Thanks, That sounds like it would be similar to the original one. If that's the case I'll likely go with the one from JagHeadliners.com as an upgrade over the original material.

Anyone have any friends who are airline pilots and would be willing to get a headliner carton from England to DC for me? LOL The shipping is going to be 170% of the cost of the headliner. Total cost is going to be about $500.00 and I am worried how to deal with insurance on this. I don't want to get stuck with the cost of shipping it back to them if it is damaged in transit.

 

Thanks, I'll feel around for it and let you know. If I can remove the foam pad without damaging it I'll do that.

When I got the tank out the foam pad on the bottom stayed attached to the body panel. There was some surface rust on the bottom side of the tank and that was what caused the tank to "fuse' to the pad making it so difficult to remove. I wire brushed all the rust off and sprayed painted it with several coats of RustOleum to seal the metal from further corrosion. I am thinking about putting a light coat of axle grease on the bottom of the tank when I re-install it.

 

Hi Brad

Check out these guys

https://www.headlinerexpress.com/imp...guar-c-449_52/

 

Thanks, I have called the guy repeatedly but can't get a return call since late September. He always had some kind of personal crisis going on the 2-3 times I spoke with him. I don't think he is in business anymore. Very frustrating.