Everything was AOK until I Changed the Battery, at which point the Speedometer Needle suddenly flicked right over to 150mph and having done so stayed there and then would not go back

It must have been an Electrical Spike or something like that and though I'm told this doesn't happen often, I have also been told it's 'The Nature Of The Beast'

And the only way to fix it is to take the Instrument Binnacle out of the Dashboard and then sort of revolve it till the Needle on the 'Speedo' drops right back where it should be

But while the thought of removing the Binnacle can freak some people out, trust me when I tell you its a very easy job, that a 'Shop' might want to charge you a couple of hundred bucks for them to do

I did this job at Sundown when I could hardly see what I was doing, hence the 'not so good Photos' that accompany this 'Saga' so the first thing that you need to do, is remove the inner plastic trim that surrounds the Binnacle on the inside

3 Phillips Screws are holding this in but best to do the top one first before the one either side

See Photo:




You should recognize this piece of Trim that sits inside the Binnacle and there are 2 of these joined in the middle

Take a look at the Furry bit that goes at the bottom, as once having removed the Screws you have to carefully 'Jiggle' it out, using the round end of a blunt kitchen knife, or you might break the Plastic surround as that would be really bad news

Once that Plastic Trim is removed, get a very sharp knife and Carefully prize out the plastic Indicator Covers, these come out very easily as they are just snapped into position

There is one on each side of the 'Speedo Binnacle' and underneath those little plastic Covers are 2 Phillips Screws (one each side)

Once those 2 Phillips Screws are removed, you are almost there!




Just above the Battery Charge Indicator you can see a hole where I have prized out one of those plastic covers near the Indicator, behind which are 2 Phillips Screws (one screw either side) they only need a little 'Flick' they practically fall out

Now for the Fun Part: Taking the Binnacle out

Very easypeasy but you do need to be Careful and use a very 'Light Touch'

First off lower the Steering Wheel, or else pull it forward as far as it will go, then take hold of the Top of the Binnacle and gently pull it forward, so the 'Speedo' faces down

Then as you look into the Cavity, you will see a couple of Multi Plugs, that plug into the back of the Binnacle and these need to be disconnected

Very Small hands would be a massive advantage but even so its not that difficult, though just make sure that you do not damage the Printed Circuit on the back (or trust me that would really spoil your day!)

Then once those Plugs were disconnected, I could very gently slide the Binnacle out from between the Dash and my 'Uber Swanky' Wood and Leather Steering Wheel




Gently does it! Sliding the Instrument Binnacle out between the Dash and the Steering Wheel

Having done that, all I then did was to turn the Binnacle end over end until the Speedo Needle fell back in position




Nearly there, as the Speedo Needle falls back into position




Job done! Speedo Needle is now back in position where it should be

Leaving a great big hole in the Dash for when I put it back in




Don't damage the Printed Circuit, or it will spoil your day!




I'm not planning to put it back just yet, I want to put on a New Battery first just in case it happens again




All wrapped up and ready for when I put it back

This is a 'Walk in the Park' job if ever there was, also the same on the Pre-Facelift

While going through some Videos I made some time ago, I came across this one for Testing The Valves in the ABS Valve Block of the Teves Mk111 Master Cylinder Actuator which somehow got left out of my 'Cherry Blossom' Restoration Thread

And so I thought I would include now, so I would know where to find it should I ever need it in the future

As a Broken Ribbon Connector in the Valve Block, can cause all sorts of problems, including having your XJS take a sudden and Violent dive to the side of the road

Which is a very easy and inexpensive Fix, which involves re-wiring the Valves with high temperature silicone wire which in the interests of Safety should only be attempted by a Professional Soldering Shop




After over 20 Years of Heat and Vibration, the Ribbon Connectors in the ABS Valve Block can go 'Crispy' and break off, where even the weight of one of those Valves if it fell out of the Valve Block could be more than enough to break a Ribbon Connector

Can't believe its that time of the Year once again, where Summer had finally faded away and Christmas has come out of nowhere but it is what it is, so now is the time to get my Cars ready for Winter and look forward to the Spring

Where with 'Carmen' my 1995 XJS 4.0L nearly done and dusted and ready to go and get her MOT, the only thing left to fix on her is the CD Player, that got put on the back burner because of the Fire but more about that later

As my pride and Joy 'The Ice Princess' will be spending the Winter out doors, as at the moment She is on the Lifter, waiting for me to psyche myself up to drop the rear cage, so that I can then remove a broken brake bleed nipple on the rear Caliper

Which is a job that I will now be leaving till the Spring, as She cannot be moved at the moment because of that and the fact that She needs a new Brake Pump and so I wanted to make sure that She would be able to survive throughout those Winter months

Where job Number One was to run a check on her Antifreeze and then if possible Start her up, as She hasn't run for quite sometime, to keep her fresh and avoid any possibility of having blocked Injectors

And so in order to do all that stuff, I decided to lift the Bonnet/Hood up as high as it would go, which meant undoing the Bonnet/Hood Struts and tying it up in the air



Since I keep the Strut Nuts greased, removing them was easy



I but the bolster there in case the Bonnet/Hood fell while I was tying it up



Lots more room to work now, just make sure that you don't crush the grill



The Antifreeze was good for -20c but in the UK the Coldest Weather we get is around -5c



'The Ice Princess' looks a bit of a 'Bobby Dazzler' especially with those nearly new Wheels that I got from a Scrap Yard for £150!






Inside 'The Ice Princess'



All the Lights are flickering but I'm wondering if She will Start?

To be Continued............

Amazon

Amazon

Winterizing 'The Ice Princess' Continued

My 1990 XJS V12 'The Ice Princess'

The one thing I need to do on this Car is to drop the rear Cage because I have got to remove a broken Bleed Nipple and its also a job that I've been putting off for what I happened to feel is a very good reason

As from what I've been reading on here, one of the biggest problems seems to revolve around removing the Speedo Sensor which is in the rear axle, which looks seductively easy to take out except that its not

And so before I start on this Job, I need to find how to unplug it from inside the Boot/Trunk, as although I'm pretty sure the plug is in there somewhere, I think that I am going to need a 'Mirror on a stick to try and find it' as it seems to be hidden away

But since the Weather is not ideal for crawling under the Car, this is a job that I am also putting on the 'back burner' until Spring, as I've also got to get 'Carmen' ready for her MOT my 1995 4.0L XJS Convertible

Where now with these two excuses in hand, I am feeling better already but I want to get all of my 'Ducks in a row' before I even take a Spanner to her, or I have a very good feeling that I could get in one hell of a mess

Although the one thing that I did do was to remove one of the Mufflers, so that I could have a try at getting that broken bleed nipple out, which has been spectacularly unsuccessful at this present time

And so with Winter drawing near, I went and checked her Antifreeze and then I thought I'd try and Start her up, as She hasn't run for quite sometime

Where having connected the Battery, I turned on the Ignition and all the lights lit up, where to my surprise She started on the button! and although just a little bit noisy with that rear muffler missing

She was ticking over very nice and smooth and also had instant Oil Pressure which went right up to 60psi, where after running her right up to operating temperature, I then switched her off and Covered her up for the Winter

Having first made a short Video, of her Engine running

One of the most useful Tools that I have ever bought was this little Mini Sander which can get into places other Sanders cannot go

And so I decided to 'Mod' it and turn it into something to Polish those hard to reach places in the Engine Compartment, with a 'Scotch Bright' type Pad

Where although you can buy these Polishing Pads for Mini Sanders like mine, they can be quite expensive so I thought that I would try and make my own

So first I got a 'Scotch Bright' type Pad and a pair of Scissors




Making a Polishing Pad for my 'Mini Sander' with a 'Scotch Bright' type pad



A 'Scotch Bright' type pad and 'worn out sanding disc' with the all important 'Hook and Loop'



And my trusty Glue Gun! 'What's that for?'



Next I glued the old Sanding Disc onto the 'Scotch Bright' type pad and cut it out



With the 'Hook and Loop' uppermost, I could put it straight onto the Sander



This worked so well that I also made one with the Pad the other way up for some of those more aggressive cleaning jobs



Too dark in my Garage to get some decent photo's but the results were so outstanding, that I made dozens of these

Not recommended for Bodywork: except maybe under the Spoiler, as my reason for making this was to Clean and Polish the Engine Compartment