Although the Weather was Windy, there was plenty of Sunshine today and so we decided to go out for Lunch at one of our favourite Pubs

Which also gave me a chance to try out some new Video editing software, which is so much smoother than what I was using before as well as much better Sound Quality

The only downside being its a massive learning curve, which is going to take some getting used to, so all I need now is a really decent dashcam to go with it

The date shown on the dashcam is also wrong, as the battery inside is on the way out, so probably time for a new one

 

there seems to be a problem with your car. It was overtaken by at least two nissan micras. The pedal on the right needs to be pushed down a bit more

just an observation

 

Hi Leo

Although it pains me to say this it gets worse, as on another day Trip I got overtaken by a 'Smart Car!'

It was absolutely hilarious, as I was doing a double take while feigning a look of astonishment, while the owner of the 'Smart Car' had sort of Self Inducted himself into some sort of 'Hall of Fame'

I'm sure he'll be dining out on that for many years to come and had probably put up a 'Plaque' outside his house

 

 

 

As days go this one started off in a blaze of Sunshine, where the predicted rain clouds failed to gather so what better day could there possibly be to get 'Cherry Blossom' out of Mothballs, after being wrapped up for the Winter

The question being would She Start, as I had left the Battery on her with my trusty Battery Discarnect which has never ever let me down

So having removed her Cover and as dusty as She was, I was simply awestruck by her beauty at which point I was thinking that if only She was Taxed we could go out Tripping for the first run of the Summer

Although unfortunately it wasn't to be and was probably just as well, as I could have never guessed what was about to happen when I slid myself on to that Connolly hide and put the key in the ignition for the first time since the Winter

Where after first doing the 'pre-flight checks' where I added 6 Litres of Coolant and found that the Power Steering had run dry, I then slipped the Key in the Ignition and have never been more thrilled to see all those lovely lights come on

Then waited 40 Seconds for the Brake Pump to build pressure, after which I turned the Key and heard the Engine whirring like a turbine, where after just one spin She fired and Started on the Button

Where with 50lbs Oil Pressure and all the lights gone out, that V12 was now purring like a Technicolor dream machine, as I backed her out of the Garage and took her for a little drive round 'Orange Blossom Towers'

What on earth could possibly go wrong?

How about Brake Failure for a Start!

As the ABS Light and Brake Light came on, followed by the Pedal going right down to the Floor, with only just enough left to bring her to a halt but having been there more times that I can remember

I did have a gut feeling that the problem could have been, a worn out Brake Pump Accumulator where for the benefit of anyone who may not be familiar with this Part, is the 'Black Ball' Thingy on the Brake Pump

Not exactly 'el cheapo' at around £200 a pop but as I wasn't exactly sure just what the problem was, I took the Accumulator off 'The Ice Princess' as the Brake Pump on that Car had since burnt out

Taking off that 'Black Ball' wasn't exactly what you might call a bit of a 'Walk in the Park' although it had a big Allen Key hole in the Top but as the Allen Key rounded off, a more Specialized Tool was required in the form of a 2ft long pair of Stillsons!



No dice with the Allen Key a more Specialized tool was required!



The only was to undo it, was by using a massive great pair of Stillsons!

Having removed the Accumulator from the old Brake Pump, the next move was to remove the one on 'Cherry Blossom'

Although before I did so, I had to make sure that there was no pressure in the System, which I did by cracking the High Pressure pipe from the Brake Pump



Before removing the Brake Pump Accumulator, I cracked this pipe on the High Pressure side of the Brake Pump

Once again I couldn't undo the Brake Pump Accumulator with an Allen Key and so again I had to use that massive pair of Stillsons



Having to use the Stillsons to remove the Accumulator on my Car 'Cherry Blossom'

Once having done that, I then swapped the Black Ball for the one that I removed from 'The Ice Princess'



Having Swapped the Black Ball over, I tightened it up with a Strap Wrench rather than use the Stillsons although the 'Strap Wrench' wasn't man enough to undo it

This was a situation where my Home Made Servicing Bonnet/Hood Struts really came into their own, as unlike the Stock ones, these Home Made Struts provided me with Full Open Access under the Bonnet/Hood

And also made sure that the Bonnet/Hood couldn't accidentally fall while I was working, after which it was time to give the Swapped out Accumulator a Test to see if it cured the problem



Homemade Servicing Bonnet/Hood Struts Provide Full Access To The Engine Room Which Hold The Bonnet/Hood Up In The Air Until It's Almost Vertical

So turning on the Ignition, I counted the Seconds as I waited for the Pressure in the Brake Pump to build up, taking care not to run the Brake Pump for more than 30 Seconds without letting it rest for 2 Minutes

In between ON/OFF Actuation's of the Ignition Key

After 30 Seconds the ABS and the Brake Light both went out (which was really good news!) but just a word of Warning here, the Brake Pump can sometimes continue to run After those Lights have gone out!

So if it is still running after 30 Seconds, even if those lights have gone out, Switch off the Ignition and let the Pump rest for Two Minutes, before you try again

Once the Brake Pump had reached working Pressure, I then 'Cracked' the fitting on the High Pressure Pipe from the Brake Pump, to let any Air Bubbles Bleed out, except there wasn't any to be seen

Which was really good but also a bit unexpected, though do be really Careful here and put some rag over the top of the fitting just in case Brake Fluid may start Squirting out and if that gets on the Paintwork it will strip it in an instant

Don't let any Brake Fluid get anywhere near the Paint so cover all the Paintwork with Towels or some Rag just in case



Once the new Accumulator Ball had been put on, I 'Cracked' the fitting on the High Pressure side of the Brake Pump in order that I could let any Air Bubbles out

I did this with the Ignition OFF with an old piece of Rag put over the Top just in case any Brake Fluid should start squirting out and in the Photo you can see the Brake Fluid 'Pooling' round that fitting

Don't Forget to tighten it up before you switch the Ignition back on, as if its loose Brake Fluid would be very likely to Squirt out

Having re-tightened the Pipe on the Brake Pump and made sure that the Accumulator Ball was tightened down, it was now all done and dusted and ready for a Test

This time the Brake Pump built up pressure in well under 30 Seconds but what was interesting, was that the Brake Pedal was also feeling very nice and solid and just as hard as you would want it to be

Although it is still 'Early Doors' the Test Drive was just perfect and the Brakes were working a Treat and even after 50 Continuous Pumps of the Pedal, the ABS Light as well as the Brake light both stayed out

So I am Cautiously Optimistic that I have managed to Fix it but I'll need a few more Test drives before we go out 'Tripping' just to be sure

Just as a bit of a side note, providing that I was able to unscrew the Accumulator and had a Spare one with me, this is a Job I could do by the side of the Road, as I didn't have to Bleed the Brakes

Although I'll be doing that anyway, as I'm going to change the Brake Fluid

 

I can relate to that, I had a 32' Regal sports cruiser with twin V8 Mercruisers, cruised at 100L/h and to fill it up I had to take up the river which used 100L and the tanks held 700L fuel. the wife and I had a saying with expenses "Just another thousand" $$ that is.

Great videos BTW and keep up the cruising. All that hard work getting her up to snuff is now paying off.

 

Hi Warrjon

Was that a Regal Commodore?

They are really nice, although you won't need me to tell you that owning a Boat is one of the most expensive hobbies you could ever have and makes the Fuel Consumption of an XJS seem positively frugal!

Ask me how I know, or rather don't!

I've just put together a Video Diary of The Restoration Of 'Cherry Blossom' with before and after Photos, which sort of gives a flavour of progress so far

Though gradually I'm getting there and She looks quite nice now, or at least a lot better than She did when I started

 

 

Cool video - show what you have done, and I have lots of questions... need to re-read your thread about some things.

 

Hi Duke

If you've got any Questions by all means 'ask away' as a lot of the Photos I put on my Posts seem to have disappeared!

As a non mechanic myself but more a person willing to try and see what I could do, none of this would have been possible without the help of Forum Legends 'Greg and Grant' 'Electrical Genius Warrjon' PTJS-Daim-Doug

As well as numerous others, too numerous to mention!

'Greg and Grant' showed me what to do and all I really did was hold the Spanners, so 'Cherry Blossom's' still a work in Progress, while 'Someday Someday' has inspired me to try and take better Photo's

That is 'Really' a Work in progress!

As trying to get anywhere near 'Someday's' Photographic Skills, is going to take an awful lot of practice, even though I've got a decent Camera!

 

Well I guess its that time of the Year again, April was a 'washout' but its now May and Summers nearly here! where according to the Weather Forecast its going to Rain To-day

Except with Blue Clouds everywhere, its clearly going to Not!

Though while the Sun is not exactly Shining and it most certainly isn't the time for 'T' Shirts and 'Shades' it really isn't all that bad so with the MOT coming up, then what better time could there possibly be for a 'Shakedown Run'

Maybe just down to the Garage to top up with Petrol and back, which in total is about 10 miles, though just before we get to that its time to take off the Covers that I'd put on for the Winter and then do the 'Pre-Flight' Checks

Which included topping up the Radiator with Coolant, where blissfully She hardly needed any and then Checked the Power Steering which was also up to the mark

As too was the Oil which I will be Changing, just as soon as the Weather gets a bit warmer, although before I Started her up, I glugged a pint of fresh Oil down the Filler, just to lube the Chain as it looked a bit dry

At which point I then slid in and whanged the Starter over, where She made that Turbine noise that we all know and love, then backed her out of the Garage where I picked up the GF and we were off

Well sort of anyway, for as we were travelling down the road 50% of the other Cars still had their lights on, which seemed a little crazy as this was in broad daylight with excellent visibility all round but there you go

And if 50% of the Traffic has their lights on, then you are obliged to do the same and no I really do not know why either but there you go again

Except it was a good job that we did as then we encountered a problem of the MOT failure kind or maybe not? as the 'Dashboard Lights On Warning Bulb'

The Yellow Bulb looking 'Thingy' with the X on stayed illuminated and wouldn't go out

Where arriving back at 'Orange Blossom Towers' we checked all the Lights and indicators but the Warning Light wouldn't go out, except She was fine when we put her away for the Winter

The Mystery Continues, I wonder what it is that's causing that Bulb to stay on?

As for the 'Shakedown Drive' well that was epic and absolutely amazing to get behind the Wheel again, where She drove as smooth as Silk and just like riding on a Magic Carpet!

(As soon as I tried to load Photos, all the Text disappears! and so I'll try to add those on later)



Extra Warmth for the Winter and now a New Battery



Looking Good just got to take the Top down



A Pint of Oil to Lubricate the Chain before Starting up



I think we've got a problem! The Bulb Warning Light won't go out



Apart from that 50 Shades looked really cozy and warm even with the Top Down, so just got to update our Playlist and then we'll be ready to Rock!

 

Have you checked the number plate bulbs? They are also being checked I think you will find. If there are definitely no bulbs ‘out’ then it cold just be slight corrosion from sitting over winter. That means taking every bulb out to check

 

First of all a massive 'Shout Out' to Robman25 who saved me from almost Certain MOT Failure, although 50 Shades My Grey XJS is booked in for an MOT this Thursday

Who correctly identified the cause of the Bulb Warning Light Staying on, as a Blown Festoon Bulb in one of the Number Plate Lights, which as it turned out was not what you'd call that obvious to me

Although if you don't check them it can be a nice little earner for an MOT Shop as I found out the hard way with one of my other Cars which was the Merc

As when it comes to replacing Bulbs, Mercedes Cars seem to have this down to a fine art, where you can access the rear cluster in a Nano Second

So when they found a Bulb had blown although I know I checked them all before I took her in, rather than have my Car fail they kindly put a Bulb in and that cost me Six Quid!

Still having Sleepless Nights about that, as that's almost enough to buy me a Gallon of Petrol!

Anyway back to the Jag, as although I have got a load of Bulbs for things like Tail Lights, Spare Festoon Bulbs are something that I have never had and so I had to rob one out of 'Cherry' my Red XJS

And in fact I took them both out just in case one of them happened to blow at the time of the MOT Test and later on I went out and bought a Couple of New ones for 'Cherry' to replace them



Bulb Warning Light Wouldn't Go Out



This turned out to be a Failure of one of the Number Plate Lights



As I didn't have a Spare Festoon Bulb I borrowed one out of 'Cherry' my Red XJS



For reasons which cannot be explained I treated myself to a couple of very long Screwdrivers which just happened to be ideal to do this job



Problem Solved: The Bulb Warning Light now goes out!

 

The Last time 50 Shades Of Grey had an MOT the Tester said that one of the Caliper Bolts needed rewiring, as I had put one of the Locking Wires on the Wrong Side of the Brake Pipe by mistake

And although I'm not making excuses, with the limited visibility on the back of the Rotor Dust Shield, that can be an easy mistake to make and although it wouldn't cause the Car to fail the MOT

Over the years that I've had 50 Shades I've built up a very good rapport with the MOT Tester, where he will point out certain things that may need some attention in the future, which he will trust me to get on and fix

Where as such I didn't want to neglect these little things, which could cause or contribute to an MOT fail, so since the MOT was due and the Weather was fine, I decided to get on and fix it

Rewiring the Lock Nuts is a fairly easy job and since it seemed I'd only Screwed up on one side of the Car, this was going to be a 'Walk in the Park'

What on earth could possibly go wrong! as I had all the Tools to do the Job including a low profile Trolley Jack, which makes Jacking up the Front of the Car a Breeze!

So once the Front Wheels were up of the ground, I took the Wheel off the Passenger Side, so that I could get to the back of the Caliper

Where since these Wheels were nearly Brand New, which I wheeled and dealed for a Song from my Favourite 'Scrap Yard' I put a set of Special Lock Nuts on them to try and prevent them being Stolen

Although in Truth a Set Consists of One Lock Nut per Wheel, where you need a Special Socket to undo them and have to say, they that they are well worth having if for nothing else but piece of mind



The Locking Nut and Special Socket required to undo the Lock Nut

Just don't forget to take it off the Wheel when you are done, as if it comes off while you're driving, it could throw a nasty scratch all down the side of your Car



With the Special Socket in Place you then undo the Lock Nut by using a Normal Socket on Top of that

Then having undone all the Wheel Nuts I took off the Wheel



The Wheels on This Car also had Dust Covers, which I dusted with some Powder 'borrowed' from the GF, as that prevents the Dust Covers from Sticking and is also cleaner than Grease, just in case you need to change a Wheel by the side of the Road



You can never trust a Jack and so I blocked the Car up Just In Case The Worst Should Happen And It Did!

But just before the worst happened! I wired the Bolts on the Calipers with some Stainless Steel Wire, to Lock them In Place



You do get Prizes for Neatness and so an obvious Talent going to waste!

Then once that job was out of the way, I removed the Safety Blocks that I had put under the Car and then all that I had to do was to lower the Trolley Jack just a little bit, so that it would be easier to put the Wheel Back on

Except there was a problem! As the Trolley Jack wouldn't go down, as you have to turn its long handle Anti Clockwise and just a little fraction at a time

The problem being that the Handle was Stuck! which has never ever happened before and so I had to Twist it, a lot harder than I wanted to

At which point the Handle suddenly twisted and the Car just dropped on the Ground! which had thankfully happened on Grass, so it was a fairly Soft Landing, so in that respect I think that I got lucky!



OMG! Fifty Shades Of Grey Just fell from Grace!

Which then left me with an ever Bigger Problem, as because the Trolley Jack was down as far as it would go, I couldn't move the handle up and down to Jack her up

And neither could I even get my smaller Trolley Jack underneath to lift her

There was only one thing for it and that was to use the Scissor Jack that came with the Car, which I'd never had to use before and it was only just low enough to go under the Jacking Point

Then having got the Jack in Place, there was another problem, as the handle that comes with it is nothing more than a nightmare to have to try and use

Where in my case I was thinking that I was going to need the Muscles of 'Arnie' to try and turn the Handle of this Jack and was such a PIA to use that in the end I put a Socket over the end of the Jack Screw

And then use a long handled Wrench on the end of that and even then it wasn't exactly an easy job to do (see photo above)

Though I'm please to say that eventually '50 Shades' was back on Four Wheels again with no damage done

But Changing a Wheel by the side of the road with the Scissor Jack supplied is nowhere near as easy as you may think, as while the Jack itself is great an also very Stable, its the design of the handle that can make it difficult to use

And so from now on, as well as the Jack I'll always carry a Socket and a long Wrench to go on the end of the Screw!

 

50 Shades my Grey XJS was due for an MOT but this time I decided to use a different Garage that was 20 miles out of Town and as I wasn't planning to be more than a couple of hours, didn't even bother to tell the GF where I was going

Which was Big Mistake Number one

'Do you know what' I said to myself perhaps I am being Paranoid carrying all those Tools around, which included my Brand New Socket Set and almost every Spanner known to Man

'I've never had to use them yet, so why don't I clear out the Boot/Trunk and leave them all at Home'

This was not just a Massive Mistake but one of Epic Proportions!

On Thursday the day of the MOT Test, the Sun was Shining out of an Azure Blue Sky unlike that same day in Years gone by when it has always started to rain and so nice was the Weather that I even put the Top down just before I set off

Which of course was Massive Mistake Number Three! as almost as soon as I'd done so, the Sky clouded over and it had started to rain! so having put the Top back up I headed down the Highway to the MOT Testing Station

Where by this time it was chucking it down, so hard and fast it turned the road into a River so bad that the Windscreen Wipers were turned up to the max and although I was taking it easy, some of the other drivers were going hell for leather

Which was absolutely crazy with the Weather as bad as it was and so in order to keep out the way, apart from passing one or two Cars and Container Lorries, I kept on the inside lane as much as I could

As this was a fast dual carriageway you didn't want to mess with, especially on a day just like to day!

Then suddenly out of nowhere a Warning Light came up on the Dash and the Alternator Stopped Charging and while that wasn't exactly good news, nothing could prepare me for what would happen next

As without any Warning, the engine just cut out!

So seeing a side road to my left, I got off this 'mad hatters highway' as quickly as I could and turned into a deserted Industrial Estate, where I opened the Bonnet/Hood to see what was wrong

Where in doing so what I could see was a Broken Alternator Belt, although what I was unable to see until I had my head under the Car, was that the rest of this Rubber Belt has Shredded like Candy Floss

Where it must have cut the Signal from the Crank Position Sensor, which just switched the Engine Off and in the event that I had been overtaking a Truck at the moment this happened, I very much doubt if I would have been alive to tell the Tale

'The Jaguar Gods' clearly saved me that day but how was I to get home?

It was already getting dark and I didn't have a Single Spanner with me and Certainly no Spare Belts but in order to replace it, from what I was able to see in the light of a very small Torch, it seemed that you had to take all the others off first!

Next: 'Changing all the drive belts by the side of the Road'

It can be done and I did it but was so impossibly hard to do that from the Sheer Exhaustion there were many moments that I thought I was going to die



Makeshift Tools that I bought from a Superstore which I used to Change the drive belts and had to Sleep in the Car for a couple of nights

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

 

You poor *******, changing the belts on the side of the road....legend.
I would have had the car towed home for sure.

 

Hi Duke

Cheers! but even after suffering Two nights in the pouring rain, She still wouldn't Start and so in the end I just had enough battery left on the Phone to send a Text to the GF and then my Phone went dead

And so at that point I didn't know if She got my message or not

Which was find someone with a Trailer to get me out of here!

As an aside: The XJS is very, very, Comfortable to Sleep in, although in this Situation I was trapped inside a living Nightmare and my face was covered in Grit and Grime from laying underneath the Car to try and remove those drive belts

Which only took 8 Hours to do! because I had convinced myself that I was Paranoid and really didn't need to carry as many Tools around as I usually did

And since I was only going to be gone for a Couple of hours! I didn't have any Tools with me at all, not even a blinking Screwdriver let alone any Spanners

Dirty and unshaven, I looked like the Vagrant from Hell and even Scared myself when I looked in the Mirror and then while I was sitting inside the Jag, pondering my next move I heard a Tap on the Window

Where this Woman who was Standing there handed me a Five Pound note and told me to go and get myself something to eat!

I was so shocked by her kind thought that I didn't know what to say, She may have thought I was sleeping rough or something, or even maybe watching me laying underneath the Jag in the Wet and Cold and felt sorry for me

Although you may be pleased to know, that I have already passed that on to someone who could do with that a lot more than me but as for the Jag its so Comfortable that I might even put her out on AirBNB for the Ultimate Breakdown Experience!

You've lived the Dream, now you can live the Nightmare!

 

Hey OB, your posts are a true inspiration. You aren't afraid to tackle anything, and you do have your share of issues with all the cars you keep running.
Your posts read like Agatha Christy novel; very entertaining. Yet you take it all in stride and never seem to get frustrated. Anyway, I was hoping you might help me Christen my White 90 convert with a name. As opposed to my having to tell my wife we are taking "The Convertible" out. Or whenever I salvage a part off the 89 coupe or 92 coupe (also both white) I have to be specific as to which one yielded the golden nugget part. So; "Snow White" seems lame and with all the troubles I've had, she's not pure as the driven snow and I've resorted to calling her "The Primadonna" . Mull it over if you will and Christen my car please.

 

Hi Steve

Within a Nano Second of reading that 'Chrystal' popped into my head

But choosing a name for a Car is a personal thing, a bit like choosing a Tie even though I can't remember the last time I wore one of those

So why not throw it open to the Forum

As for doing Stuff on the XJS its not like I've got any choice

'When life gives you Lemons make Lemonade' and try and see the funny side of Life