Car revival question
 

New to the forum, new to Jags, but jumping right in.

I turn 40 this year and for my midlife crisis I would like to learn to work on cars some. It seems that the smart thing to start with would be an old Beetle or Mustang but sometimes you follow your heart instead of your head.

So I am bringing this home an 89 XJS today (on a trailer) that has not run in about 3 years (or more). I looked at it yesterday and it would almost turn over (a new battery is one of my first plans).

This is going to be a learning process and I am definitely willing to take advice where anyone is willing to give it.

Does anyone know of a good thread or link or book or advice on how to basically begin getting this guy ready to get back on the road?

My first thought is try to take the old gas out, change the oil, change the transmission fluid, brake fluid, and any other fluid I can find in the car.

I downloaded a massive online book called Help for the Jaguar XJS owner as a start.

I did try searching but I did not really hit much on my search for "sat for a while". I don't have a better idea of what to search for.

Any help would be appreciated.

erik

Welcome to the forum, great decision. The book you have downloaded is excellent, but there are many equally and more knowledgable people on this forum who will gladly help. I suggest you read the book in its entirety as a starting point. There is nothing in principle more difficult in an XJS than any other older car; but knowing what you have to do is essential before diving in. After that it is only bravery, decent tools, an dry workspace, methodical working and patience that is required.

100% correct, but there are quite a few other things too, maybe the tranny fluid can wait, as long as it is not a burnt brown colour.

MOST IMPORTANT: please post (and add to your signature) which model you have, V12 or straight 6. The essential maintenance you must do and how to do it is very model dependent. Once we have that, there will be loads of guys on here only too glad to suggest stuff.

Greg

Download Kirby Palms book. " experience in a book". Read all of it. A MUST.
Pete

thank you-

I think I have changed my signature but just in case it did not work it's a 1989 XJS v12

"Experience in a Book" is excellent. There's a gargantuan PDF out there, and there's a version out there on the web that I like to use (because hyperlinks are extremely useful.)

I've been wrenching for awhile, mostly Ford products, and just bought my first Jaguar two weeks ago. This board's been a wealth of information and chock-full of helpful, friendly people (although I may have ruffled some feathers when I called it "my first foreign car...")

use related key words to search on the forum. There have been multiple "first startup" threads that will give you some good info.

When I did mine (sitting for 13 years) I cleaned all the gas out, changed the fluids, new battery, coolant, and inspected the hell out of everything. Try to give all the vacuum lines a good going over.

Got it started with a bit of starting fluid (keep an extinguisher nearby at first startup in case the fuel system leaks) and took about 30 minutes of playing with the throttle to get it to settle down and idle. Took a bit of starting to get the new gas through it.

I've had to change fuel filters a good bit since getting it from gunk in the tank from it sitting.

Are you located in Carrboro, NC? If so you should come down to Pittsboro and stop in to Dias Automotive. Friendly folks and lots-o-Jags. I'm there most every day. Currently working on rebuilding a '77 CJ7.

I am in Carrboro! The next few weeks for me are really busy but I have Thursdays off so if I can get Sterling (christened over dinner tonight) running I will try to bring him down. If not I will stop by anyway.

Thank you for the reference!

Congratulations on your new toy, and welcome to the forum. It sound like you are on the right track, replace the battery and the fluids and see where you stand. I would also look at the tires, they probably have a date code, and the rubber brake hoses, to see if you want to replace them before driving too far.

Stargazer XJS-

would you happen to have a link to the online version of the "Experience in a Book" book? I found the pdf download but not the online version.

As requested!

Googling it just returns a bunch of hits for the PDF, you basically have to stumble on it through blind google searches.

Sterling, eh? Solid name.

it also depends on your browser options, you can usually view pdfs within your browser if you set it up to

question- I came across Jim Isbell's xj6 book.

What is the difference between the xj6 and the xjs?

Does his book basically apply to the xjs v12 too?

confused a little.

I still say, that a compression test would be my first order of business. That way, you can find out if there is any need whatsoever in going any further. I have seen a lot of money thrown at these cars, just to find out exactly why it was parked in the first place. Do the compression test, then go from there. Even if you don't have a compression gauge, go to your local auto parts store, and most will sell it to you, then give you 100% of your money back upon return. Tool rental they call it, lol.

different
 

There are a lot of differences between the XJ6 and the XJS. The suspension and brakes are about the same, not a lot else.

There's some good info here too.


http://bernardembden.com/xjs/

Update-a friend came over today to try to get him started. Removed old gas, new fuel filter, new battery. He removed the air filter covers and injected engine starter fluid into the whole opened by the round rotary thing at the top (throttle?).

Almost started (backfired and caught the starter fluid on fire actually).


Fuel pump easy to hear for a couple of seconds with the key in position 2.


We undid the nut at the beginning of both fuel rails and even pressure out of both.




Any ideas? My plan was to try to start a couple of times a day and maybe try the fuel starter again.

I really feel you are wasting time and energy. I attempted starting a V12 Jag that had been sitting at least 2 years. Once I did get it to start, it skipped very badly. Did a compression test. Low compression on several cylinders. I bet the rings were stuck on several cylinders due to this crap we call ethenol. It will gum up everything. Also had 5 injectors not working at all. My fix(?) was to use a bypass fuel system, totally eliminating the factory set up, by using a EFI fuel pump, and a supply and return hose. I took the injector rail off, and using carb cleaner, I flushed all of the injectors, and pulsed them using a AA battery. Got all of them working pretty good. I filled the cylinders about up, through the plug holes with PB Blaster. Bumped the starter a few times, put more PB in. Let it sit for a day or two, spun the engine over a good bit to eject as much of the PB Blaster as I could. Did another compression test. Compression up dramatically on all but one cylinder. Put fresh plugs in. The car literally fired up immediately. It had a very minor miss, but very hard to detect. After several full temps cycle/cool downs, I felt very comfortable taking the engine out, as my transplant for my 89. The engine is a 94 6.0 liter.

This cars can be finicky with regular maintinance. To think it can sit, be started like a old mower that has sat awhile, is most likely futile.

I bought my XJS in 2010.
It had a license plate on it from 1996.
Cleaned the fuel tank and replaced the battery. Fresh fuel and some revving to clean it out and get it to idle and voila

Got my 1968 MGB in 2012 and had a 1974 registration on it.
put some mmo in it to free it up, fiddled around a bit with the fuel pump and drove it around the block (engine ran but everything else was scary)


Two years is nothing

Not my experience at all. I've owned at least 10 V12 Jaguars, too many triumphs, mgs to almost count. In my experience, if one uses ethenol, even a mower may not start after sitting up over the winter.