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Allex
If you find that the H/B cable is too short, ask Madamoiselle to work the lever up and down, button pressed IN all the time, while you pull on the cable at the axle end with a pair of grips. For some reason the cable/handbrake mechanism often seems to reset itself once undone from the cage; this puts it back as it should be.
And remember to mate the prop back to the diff flange in exactly the same position as per the marks you made. Otherwise its very likely you'll end up with vibration from prop imbalance.
I marked the Propshaft like you said, so I'll just have to hope its ok
Putting the Exhaust System back together looks like Fun (not!) especially since I have lost one of the Donut Sealing Rings
And and you better sit down for this, I decided to defer to the Superior knowledge of 'Grant' 'Greg' and 'Yourself' and got rid of those Covers on the Drive Shaft!
Last edited by orangeblossom; 04-29-2021 at 12:50 AM.
I was really excited after reading your adventure with taking the factory radio out of the XJS. When I took the two knobs out I didn’t see the copper nut in your picture. Instead I have another steel ring with two slots ( I am assuming there is a special tool to rotate this ring). I tired the rotating it with flat head but it won’t budge.
I am actually trying to take the center console out so I can replace the old with a new leather the sides.
Originally Posted by orangeblossom
Hi Winston
Its not really me that needs to know but another Forum Member who was inquiring.
I've always known that my Car is 'Regency Red' and so I didn't need to know the Paint Code but all the same that's useful to know, so Thanks.
No Special Tools required, just a pair of long nose pointed Pliers
Put one prong in each of those slots on that steel washer, then hold it tight and twist it, maybe with the aid of a screwdriver on the handle of the pliers
It should be a piece of cake to undo but if not get a pair of long nosed pliers with curved prongs
I will grab a pair of long nose pointed pliers and see if I can get that steel washer out.
I am redoing the floor and need to remove the center console. It looks like in order to remove the center console I have to remove the faceplate on the radio.
thanks
Originally Posted by orangeblossom
Hi Singhb
No Special Tools required, just a pair of long nose pointed Pliers
Put one prong in each of those slots on that steel washer, then hold it tight and twist it, maybe with the aid of a screwdriver on the handle of the pliers
It should be a piece of cake to undo but if not get a pair of long nosed pliers with curved prongs
Got loads and loads of stuff done today but got so filthy dirty rolling round under the Car that the GF wouldn't let me have a proper bath until I'd had a shower first, which was understandable really as I looked as though I'd been living in a skip
But when I finally did get a bath I stayed there for 3 hours! which was really well deserved after all the stuff I've had to do
Lots of really enjoyable fun but with a dirt floor in my Shop getting dirty cannot be avoided, although I think the worst is over now
One of the Jobs I had to do was to reconnect the Handbrake Cable, which seems a very simple job but also one where it can really drive you up the wall, trying to pull those forks together to slot in the Cable
Been there done that and don't want to do it again!
So in order to make this deceptively simple job simple, I knocked up the perfect tool for the job with the Angle Grinder and a Piece of Steel in just five minutes and while a Pictures worth a Thousand Words, what I did was to cut a Slot in a piece of 5mm Steel Strip
There's really nothing more that I can say, except in my head this device is so good I'm beginning to think that I just reinvented the Wheel!
Basically all you have to do is put the end steel ferrule of the Handbrake Cable in the slot, then hold it at an angle so it is over the metal block with the Slot that the Handbrake Cable goes into, then simply lever one against the other, until the Handbrake Cable is stretched enough to go over the length of the Slot
Then push the Handbrake Cable out of the Fork in the Handbrake Lever device and into the Slot in the Metal Block and then 'Bosh' the Cable is in, which only took me all of 30 Seconds but if the Block with the Slot for the Handbrake Cable starts to turn, there is also plenty of room to jam a Screwdriver in to hold it Steady
Its really just a piece of Steel with a Slot Cut in it, that could easily save you from climbing the walls of frustration
Use the device as a lever to stretch the Handbrake Cable as you lever it against the Block with the Slot that holds the Handbrake Cable and then just push Cable into the Block with the Slot, where the Screwdriver just prevents the Block with the Slot from Pivoting
Yesterday I Walked Into A Nightmare Situation Of My Own Creation
So Please Don't Make The Same Mistake As Me
It was all going so well that I though I might even have her running for a Test Drive on the 1st of May but Yesterday I walked into a Nightmare Situation Of My Own Creation through a very Simple error on my part, that at the time in question seemed that it was almost something of a non-event
As the one thing I forgot to do was to put on my Two New Handbrake Lever Return Springs, these are the Two quite long Springs that pull the Handbrake Levers back in the Cage, where one end goes on the Lever while the other end is Secured to the Cage by being hooked through the eye of a small piece of metal
I mean how hard can it be to put these on later, after the Cage has been put back in the Car?
Trust me when I tell you, that you Never want to have to find this out!
As this is an almost impossible job that can drive you to drink and quickly reduce you to tears in no time at all, as I'm not exaggerating when I have to say that these two little Springs took over 4 hours to put on and left me feeling like I had just run a Marathon
One of the Problems being that although my Car was jacked up high, you can't see what you are doing as the Handbrake Levers in question are hidden behind the diff or at least one of them is and on top of all that you have to find a tiny hole in the lever that you can't even see and almost have to do by feel alone
Though when you eventually manage to hook one end of the Spring through that hole, it really isn't over as your problems are only just about to begin, as the next thing that you have to do, is to hook the free end of this through a tiny little hole about the size of a needle into a small metal tag
One of the problems being is that you have to hold the hook in a pair of long nose pliers and then twist it at an almost impossible angle to try and get the hook of the Spring to locate in the hole in the small metal tag
Where any sort of twisting of the Spring while doing this, then makes the Spring shorter and increases the Tension in the Spring to such an impossible level that you could really do with someone like 'Arnie' to help you pull this Spring back to try and locate it into a hole that you can't even see!
As if you try and use both hands to try and pull this Spring back, the other hand completely obscures your Vision, which simply puts this Nightmare Job on another level altogether, so do yourself a favour and fit the Springs before you put the Cage back!
Meanwhile back at 'Orange Blossom Towers' its the 1st of May and a Brand New Day with really only 4 Jobs left to do
(1) Fit the Wheel Speed Sensors (should be fairly easy)
(2) Bleed the Brakes (may or may not be a Nightmare and really depends if the reservoir ran dry even though I tried to blank the brake pipe off after disconnection)
(3) Refit the Exhaust which I took to pieces before refitting the Cage (this is a bit of an unknown may be easy or maybe not we will have to see)
(4) Refitting the Trailing Arms (again a bit of an unknown as I can't find the Bolts that hold the securing 'Keep' they must be around somewhere!)
That is it for the moment, unless I think of something else that I may have forgotten and while I am not banking on a Test Drive today or even being able to drive her out of the Garage, after all this time I really am that close though mostly hampered by some Freezing Cold Weather and a desire to try and do the job as well as I can
Amazing Accidental Discovery Gravity Bleeding The Rear Calipers Of My XJS V12
Could All Of Our Brake Bleeding Problems Finally Be Over?
And a very good morning to you Sir what can I get you?
'5 Litres of your finest DOT4 Brake Fluid'
That seems rather a lot Sir how many Cars are you doing?
'Just the one'
In that case Sir a couple of Pints should be more than enough, one Pint to fill the System and another Pint to Bleed it
'But its a Jaaaag!'
5 Litres it is then Sir, come back if you need any more!
'Thanks I might just do that (lol)'
To say I was feeling excited was a bit of an understatement! with just 4 Jobs left to do on the Jag who knows I might have her running at sometime later Today
Well I suppose there's no harm in dreaming and Bleeding the Brakes on my XJS after reinstalling the Cage was one of those 4 Jobs to get out of the way, so while the GF did Breakfast, I took my fully Charged Battery and 5 Litres of DOT4 down to my Garage
Where I was hoping and praying that the Reservoir was still full, as I had clamped the Rear Flexy just before I put a New one on, so job number one was to connect the Battery, where low and behold all the lights lit up, which was a sight I hadn't seen since 'Lockdown' had first started about a year ago
Battery Connected and Lights are Flickering Houston 'We have Lift off'
Well sort of anyway!
'Wowzer!' That's a sight I haven't seen for over a Year now!
Dot4 at the ready it was time to have a look under the Bonnet/Hood
Oh No! The Brake Fluid Reservoir was completely dry!
Although I filled her up with DOT4 the Brake Problems had only just begun, because as the Brake Fluid Reservoir had been empty, I would have to first Bleed the Low Pressure Side of the System, or I'd end up chasing Rainbows for more than ever more
This was far from simple job on any day of the week but today it was almost impossible, as I had the Car Jacked up at a very high angle from when I put back the Cage
This also left me with a sort of Double Catch 22, as I needed the Car much lower in order to Bleed the Low Pressure side of the System to do the Brakes, while also needing her high as she was to put the exhaust system back
So as she was already up high, I thought I would leave the Brakes and do the Exhaust, which may not have taken as long as it did, as the OCD kicked in and I decided to paint it, which took me about an hour to do and another hour to dry!
Which was very fortunate as unbeknown to me, 'The Jaguar Gods' were busy working their Magic!
It was really just Surface Rust but when OCD kicks in what can you do!
That looks a little bit better, as I would like my MOT Tester Guy to see all the hard work I put in
Yass! that looks much more like it
Once the Paint had finally dried, it was time to re-fit the Exhaust, which took a lot longer than I was expecting being 4 hours later, when suddenly out of nowhere something happened that I was not expecting, as a drop of Water fell from under the Cage onto my hand!
Except this wasn't Water!
This was DOT4 Brake Fluid! that seemed to be dripping out of one of the Rear Calipers near to where I was working on the Exhaust
But where exactly was this dripping from?
Could it have come from the New Pistons and Seals I had put in the Calipers and if so had I screwed up in some way! where to be quite honest I was dreading the worst but then on Closer Inspection I could see that this Brake Fluid, was dripping out of one of the Bleed Screws that I had left accidentally open
What the heck was going on! could it possibly be that this Caliper was now in the process of Gravity Bleeding, which of course is not supposed to happen, as when you Bleed the Rear Brakes you have to do with the Ignition ON
Although I am steeling myself to say, maybe not anymore!
So just to prove at least to myself that this wasn't a Fluke! I opened the other Rear Caliper Bleed Nipple where exactly the same thing happened and DOT4 came dripping out OMG!
At no time did I even put the Key in the Ignition or attempt to turn on the Brake Pump or even attempt at Bleeding the Low Pressure Side of the System
All I did was fill the Reservoir with Brake Fluid and accidentally leave one of the Rear Bleed Nipples open
As the System was completely dry, this Accidental Gravity Bleeding took about 4 Hours while I was busy doing the Exhaust and while I can't actually say for sure if this Gravity Feeding has actually Bled the Rear Brakes, to they extent that they would work when you then Turn the Brake Pump on with the Key
We will have to wait until Tomorrow to find out, as it was so Freezing Cold I decided to call it a day at 7pm
Though in the event that a Miracle happens! then this could be the end of a chore that most of us hate with a passion!
No more Bleeding the Low Pressure Side or relying on 'Sketchy' assistants who don't know what they are doing
As this could be the 'Magic Bullet' we've been looking for!
Although until Tomorrow we will have to wait and see!
Virtually All Done Now & She's Almost Ready To Go For A Drive Round 'Orange Blossom Towers' Before Being Taxed For The Road
Put the Exhaust System back today and also the 'Trailing Arms' which just need bolting back in place once the Jack-stands are out of the way and then make sure the Brakes work before I attempt to back her out of the Garage and that's it!
As far as Summer is concerned it hasn't happened yet, as Today was so cold that I thought it was going to Snow, so hopefully lots of Sunny days to look forward to as I haven't been out in my XJS since 'Lockdown' started almost a year ago
Exhaust back on
Trailing Arms ready to connect once I've got the Jack Stands out of the way
Great job OB.
Your going to have a big grin when you back the car out and everything works perfectly.
I have been waiting for winter to hit and we just seem to have a never ending summer at the moment...LOL had a nice day out in the Jag yesterday. No hand brake at this point.
But soooon I will be put them back in.... Once i know I will not be driving it for a while the pain will begin.
As regards the gravity bleeding. Sadly, I don't think you can ever rely on that. The need to bleed the Teves brakes properly is because of that complexity of a pumped fluid flow being taken into the rear chamber of the accumulator and then pumped through from that chamber to the rear brakes. I'm sure that gravity will mean that some fluid can drip flow through the rear chamber and hence to the rear brakes. But I don't believe it can ensure that chamber and all of the circuit is air-free. I definitely wouldn't rely on it. Although with only that rear line disturbed, it won't be a problem for you to bleed those rear circuits, you're very experienced at that after all!
Everything had been going so well that I sort of thought that it was much too good to last and I was right, as all day long we've been battered by Storms and Freezing Rain and tonight it is blowing a 'Hoolie' enough to rattle the Windows and the Doors
But its a typical British Summer so not much use complaining and as the GF said to me, 'one day we are going to really miss days like these' and she is right except today of all days, it's all gone horribly wrong
As I cannot for the life of me, get the Big end of the Trailing Arms back on their Spigots, though as far as suggestions on how to fix it goes, Greg's appeared to be one of the best, as he suggested putting the back wheels back on, in the hope some movement might result in the Trailing Arms going back in
The first thing on the Agenda was to move all the Tools and other Stuff out of the way
Having cleared a bit of space I put a block under the Trailing Arm to prevent it digging in the ground
So near and yet so far but it won't go in! So time to try 'Greg's' suggestion and put the rear Wheels on, except I went further than that as my other Car 'Cherry Blossom' was only a couple of feet from '50 Shades' which then gave me an idea!
As 'Cherry Blossom' also needs to have her Cage refurbished with New Calipers and Rotors, so just in case you're losing count of all the work in progress, this is going to be Cage Number (3)
So what I did was to take the Rear Wheels off 'Cherry Blossom' and then transfer them onto '50 Shades' absolutely 'Shattered' after having had to do that especially in a Storm with Freezing Rain, where it was so Cold and Wet I couldn't feel my fingers so good job it isn't Winter or I'd really be in trouble
Although the upshot is that '50 Shades' is sitting on Four Wheels and so if She starts I might be able to move her, though not sure that I ought to while the Trailing Arms are still disconnected
As for 'Cherry Blossom' what I plant to do, is to follow my own advice and swap the old Bolts for New ones, whenever I get any time do that when I refurb this Cage, the Bolts will all be finger tight and easily dismantled when I'm ready
Though with the best will in the World, I just did not have the time to try out 'Greg's' suggestion and maybe not even Tomorrow, if this Storm continues to blow like it is, although I will keep going till I get there
Thinking that Gravity Bleeding is going to solve all the problems is probably 'Wishful Thinking' on my part and so I'm glad as always that you 'chipped in' to help to keep me grounded but then again you never know it might just work and so I'm excited to try it just in case it does, or helps to make it easier in some way
Didn't get much Sleep last night, as a Storm was raging and rattling the Windows of our House with double glazing and even now the Wind still blows like crazy, as last night all I could think about was how to get those Trailing Arms back on there Spigots as they were a mile out and didn't want to budge
Where to make matters worse I was shattered, not with working on the Cage but having to transfer those big heavy wheels from 'Cherry Blossom' to '50 Shades' and that was a really hard job for me I can tell you, so I won't be quitting my day job for tyre fitting anytime soon!
'Killing two birds with one Stone, Swapping the Tyres from 'Cherry Blossom' onto '50 Shades' as I am also going to rebuild the Cage on 'Cherry Blossom'
That was a mega hard job to do, which left me so 'Shattered' that I decided to call it a day and go and have Tea but left her on the Jack with a Chock on each Wheel
At 6 o'clock this morning with the Wind still howling its head off in the way its still doing right now, I decided to get up early and sort those Trailing Arms out once and for all, where looking underneath the Car I really couldn't believe what I was seeing
As for reasons that cannot be explained my Trolley Jack decided to go down at sometime during the Night, where with the Chocs I put under the Wheels must have been enough to Roll her forward, to such an extent that the Trailing Arms were so perfectly lined up, that all I had to do was to screw in the Bolts from underneath
Jaguar Gods at work or what! this is how I found the Car this Morning, with both of those 'Trailing Arms' perfectly lined up, so all I had to do was bolt them up!
04-28-2021, 03:55 PM
