OB,

As Thorsen has endorsed, please lacquer them! Those are diamond-cut alloys (hence all the concentric circles) and there are plenty of air slots with 90-degree edges. Both of those are reasons why the UK weather will tarnish those wheels quicker than a V12 accelerates. And the damage that would happen as brake dust attacks the uncoated surface of an alloy on the inner surface of the wheel will make you cry! You've seen what happens when the lacquer coat deteriorates! Your only alternative will be to take the wheels off every week and repolish all the inner and outer surfaces.

And then use Collinite 845 wax on them. And for your vehicles not being used over winter, get a good coat of Collinite 845 on wheels and other areas and leave it unbuffed. Great product!

Trust me on this one!

Paul

 

Hi Paul

Wowser what a find!

That Collinite 845 really looks the business and I've just been Watching the Video all about it on YouTube, so I am definitely going to get some for the Car and also to try it out on the Wheels, as I'm very hands on with my Car and always Wash and Polish her after every trip

The problem at the moment is getting rid of every trace of the old lacquer, as even the smallest trace of this interferes with the Buffing as it melts and leaves a mark which I have to remove but once that's all done maintaining the Shine should be easy/easier

Though even in the Summer she is always kept in the Garage and is never left outside

 

Hi Thorsen

I already have a couple of Tins of Spray Lacquer, so I may be persuaded to give it a try although I'd like to try the Polished option first

 

OB if you try to simply keep them polished. You're in for a lot of work and you'll wish you hadn't. Just my Thoughts. Much easier to clear them with some very High Quality Clear. Then they should stay beautiful for several years.

Jack

 

OB
Paul and jack are right! You must lacquer them, or by the end of the winter, for instance, they will be guastly. As Paul said, you really have a mountain-range micro-surface, however polished they are, and particles of stuff that ruins the wheels will get in there and stay there, only they will be covered by polish or whatever, and eat away at the alloy, ruin and grief will result.

 

Hi Greg

You and Paul (ptjs) are right as usual and so I lacquered them

 

Yesterday was a disaster!

As soon as I got the equipment out of the Garage to Polish the Wheels it started to rain, then as soon as I put it away it decided to stop!

Although today was different as it was so freezing cold I thought it would Snow but then around midday it really started to warm up, so no time to loose with the Polishing before the Weather changes for the worse

Polishing Wheels once the Lacquer has started to peel off, is nowhere near as easy as I though it would be, as like many other jobs on an XJS there is a knack rather like doing the Calipers which seemed to take forever and they did, so better luck next time on those as I have another pair to do

Though as for the Wheels this can be a bit of a Nightmare to get the Gun Metal Finish I was after, not too dull and also not too shiny but something that just seems to look just right, what with beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all that

Where one of the first mistakes I made was in applying too much buffing soap, as what you put on also has to come off to hopefully leave you with the perfect finish or something close to

It wasn't as if I hadn't got all the equipment, as I had everything I'd ever need to do the job, except that when I had a go at polishing these Wheels, I have to say I hadn't got the skill which only comes with lots and lots of practice and so I had to do the best I could which also involved an awful lot of hand polishing

Which if nothing else was keeping me warm, although I thing I managed to get the look I was after at the end, though when I say end, there are still two more Wheels to do, so hopefully I will not be making those same mistakes next time



Nearly but not quite the look I wanted



So So Close!



Yass! That will do for me!



Can't resist a little bit more Buffing to give me the 'Gun Metal Grey Look' that I was after

Next Job: The other two Wheels and then start taking Cage Number 3 out of 'Cherry Blossom' and if the Sun decides to Shine for longer than 5 minutes, then who knows I may even find the time to Road Test '50 Shades' My Grey XJS having refurbished and then refitted her Cage

 

Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water!

While waiting until June 1st to Road Tax '50 Shades' My Grey XJS, I've been working on an IRS Rebuild for 'The Ice Princess' that I took out of the Car about a couple of years ago, which ended up on the 'Back Burner' because of other stuff I had to do

During the course of this rebuild, I had to roll the IRS Diff over on its back, supporting it on Blocks of Wood, so that it didn't get damaged when placed in that position where I left it for a while while I was putting the IRS Cage back on '50 Shades'

During which time I noticed that there was a pool of Oil underneath the IRS Diff spreading out on the Garage Floor



Oil leaking out of the IRS Diff all over the Garage Floor about 250ML

I've no idea where its leaking from except to say that it isn't from the Oil Seal where it would connect to the Propshaft, although I may be able to hazard a couple of guesses unless anyone thinks that they may know the Answer



Where is that Oil Coming from I wonder



At first I thought the Oil Leak was coming from the Sensor that goes in the back of the Diff, until I happened to notice another Plug above it with a Plastic Cover on, which the IRS Diff on '50 Shades' didn't have

No idea what that 'Plug Thingy' is that is over the Sensor and am wondering if Oil Could be leaking from there, when the Diff is laying on its back with the Fins pointing downwards

Does anybody know what that Plug is for and would it be normal for Oil to leak out with the Diff in that position?

 

That looks like the vent. My MGB has one that looks the exact same. It allows air to expand out when the diff warms up in operation and allows air back in when it cools off. Otherwise you would put a lot of pressure on the seals.

 

Hi Thorsen

The Diff on my other XJS doesn't have one, so wondering if the Oil was leaking from there and if so how do I refill the Diff and what Oil should I use?

 

OB
That is the breather; your other diff will have one too, even if it looks different. As the diff heats up the expansion of the oil and any vapour needs an outlet, or it will blow out of the seals. When you turned the diff upside down, oil ran out of the breather.
Just drain and refill - you did do that to the other one, didn't you??!!

 

Hi Greg

Cheers!

And No! I didn't do that to the other one, as it wasn't leaking though with the benefit of hindsight perhaps I should have done

 

And, although it's not so important when the cage is out of the car, remember the rule is NEVER drain the diff before you've verified that you can undo the fill plug!

Good luck

Paul

 

Hi Paul

That is interesting and quite possibly the reason why I didn't drain and refill the Oil in the diff, as I sort of remember thinking, that getting that fill plug out of that Alloy Cover could be a bit dodgy, especially if I had to Tap the 'undoing spanner' with a FBH which is why I think I decided to let well alone at least for now in case I broke it

Is there a possibility that this could happen? and would the cost of a new Cover be about the same as a private island in the Pacific, or maybe not available at all!

Because if so I need to be careful when removing the Filler Plug on the Cage I'm rebuilding for 'The Ice Princess' My Blue XJS

Though just for a moment getting back to my original question, do you think that the Oil that was leaking out, came from that pressure relief valve breather, when I had the diff turned over with the Finns upside down?

Not long to go for the Test Drive of '50 Shades' My Grey XJS on Tuesday June 1st (Weather Permitting!) and I am not just counting the days but also the minutes as well! though also glad that I didn't waste a Months Road Tax by Taxing her on May 1st, which was apparently the Wettest May in the UK for around 25 Years!

During which time I'm also getting Propshaft Paranoia, in case the locking Profshaft nuts decide to come loose, or the Exhaust Hoop decides to fall over onto the Drive Shaft, plus 101 other things that I can imagine going wrong

Although I'll also put up a Post on the Test Drive If/When it occurs, which will start with some trips round the Block before I venture further afield on a short road trip, as for the Modified Handbrake Pads, which were designed by 'Greg' I'm pleased to say that the Handbrake actually Works!

In as much as it holds on at 1000 RPM which may not be quite enough for the MOT Test on the Rolling Road and so might have to tighten up the Cable once I know that its all bedded in, as the only time that I will ever use it, is for the MOT where the Rolling Road can easily Rip OEM Brake Pads to pieces

During the long 28 days that I have been waiting to 'Test Drive' '50 Shades' I have somehow managed to resist the Temptation of just Starting her up, as besides not being great for the Engine, what I really want to see is if the Brake Pump and ABS Lights, all 'Boot Up' and go OFF in only 15 Seconds as they did before

And though I don't want to give those a 'by' if they take a little bit longer, since She has been standing a Month I wouldn't be Surprised though a bit disappointed though really only one way, to find out for sure

Cheers Paul! (ptjs)

Alex

 

28 Days Later!

Hard to believe but that's how long I've been waiting to Test drive '50 Shades' My Grey XJS since removing and rebuilding and then refitting the IRS Cage, which was mainly due to the fact that the Split Rim Rotors needed replacing with Solid Discs

Though having taken the Cage out, it wasn't just the Rotors as one of the Rear Calipers was leaking and the Handbrake Brake Pads, had been torn from their mountings on the 'Rolling Road' during her Annual MOT Test and Inspection

So while taking the Cage out was easy, replacing the Discs and Calipers as well as the Hand Brake Pads with 'Gregs' New Design, were the things that really took the time, although because of the Weather one of the Coldest and Wettest May's we've had for 25 Years, I wasn't really in much of a rush and took my time

As this is the kind of job I like to do alone, because I've had mates help me and it just hasn't worked out, as instead of spending a couple of hours planning my next move when I have someone helping me, sitting around is something that they just don't want to do which can somehow put you under pressure to make something happen

Or else they could start feeling that you have wasted their time in calling them round, though if you feel under pressure and try and rush the job, then that's the moment that mistakes can happen and so I prefer to take my time and work alone

Putting the Cage back in the Car was also very easy, providing you let the Trolley Jacks and Levers do all the hard work and don't try lifting up or dragging heavy IRS Cages under the Car

In fact the way I did it was to set small achievable targets every day, so you can under deliver and hopefully over perform, although besides unlimited Cups of Tea and Chocolate Cake, the thing that kept me going was my passion as well as many friends of mine who said I'd never do it on my own

And so of course I had to prove them wrong!

Having put the Cage back, including rebuilding the Calipers with new Pistons and Rubbers and Bleed Nipples, I found I'd made a very big mistake which turned out to be a Fortunate one!

As one of the things I was dreading was 'Bleeding the Brakes' (everyone's favourite Job how hard can it be?) Well either you get lucky or it can quickly turn into a Nightmare of Epic Proportions, or at least it seems to always be that way for me

So I was absolutely desperate to make sure when replacing the Cage the Reservoir never ran dry, especially when replacing the Rear Flexy Brake Pipe and was daft enough to think that I had succeeded!

And as such probably would have done had I not accidentally left one of the New Rear Brake Bleed Nipples open, which I only noticed while I was adjusting the Handbrake and felt Brake Fluid dripping onto my Hand!

At first I started to think the worst and thought that one of the Caliper Seals was leaking, though thankfully that turned out not the case, as on closer inspection it was only dripping out of one of the Rear Bleed Nipples, which I didn't think was possible unless you pushed the Pedal with the ignition on

Although I had done neither of these things!

So out of curiosity, more than anything else I then undid the Bleed Nipple on the other Rear Caliper, where about 10 minutes later Brake Fluid started dripping out of that one as well

And so the next thing that I did was tighten up both Bleed Nipples and then crawl out from underneath in order to check the Brake Fluid and then Top Up the Reservoir, where to my shock horror! I found that the Brake Reservoir had run dry at which point I topped it up again

Where once having done so and nothing to lose, I decided to turn on the ignition in the hope the Brake Pump my find enough fluid from somewhere, although I was only planning to run the Brake Pump for no more than 30 Seconds, or the Brake Pump could burn out and Yes I've had that happen on one of my other Cars

And so I very nervously turned on the ignition without touching the Brake Pedal, where what happened next just blew my mind!

As the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light both went out in 5 Seconds and 10 Seconds later the Brake Pump also cut out, which all happened so quickly I thought I'd blown a Fuse or melted some wiring! OMG!

At this point I felt physically sick and even on a day so Cold I couldn't feel my fingers, although what I could really feel were beads of sweat cascading down my face. where although at this point I hadn't attempted to Start the Engine, since I'd already got this far I thought I would try the Brake Pedal

Which I was convinced would now go to the floor at the Speed of a plummeting lift!

Except that didn't happen!

As instead the Pedal was perfect! more perfect than I'd ever known on any one of my other Cars including this one!

The only problem being that the Brake Pump started running again after only a couple of presses and so in order to fix this, I had to bleed the Low Pressure side of the System under the Bonnet/Hood, which is not very difficult to do

When once having done so, that small problem was eliminated, as now the Brakes were absolutely perfect, to the point where I felt confident enough to back her out of the Garage without her running away and hitting something

That was 28 days ago during which time I resisted the Temptation to Start the Engine, as because of all the bad Weather, decided to Road Tax her for Tuesday June 1st where I'm not only counting the hours but the minutes and seconds as well, at which point I'll be able to take her on the road for a Test Drive

Although having to wait that long has got me feeling Paranoid, just in case it all goes wrong and bits start coming apart or falling off, so as of now I've bought the Road Tax and am ready to Test Drive her on Tuesday June 1st which cannot come soon enough for me

Although Tomorrow Monday May 31st is more the day I'm interested in, as what I really want to know is what is going to happen when I turn on the Ignition again this time

Will the Brakes still be as perfect as they were when I tried them, some 28 days ago and will the ABS and Brake Warning Lights still go out in 5 Seconds and the Brake Pump Stop running 10 Seconds later, which as I say has never happened before

And while I am Temped to forgive her if it takes a little longer after Standing for 28 days, depending on how long it takes, my heart will either be filled with joy or not for the first time, I'll be crying a river of tears and so Tomorrow I will let you know which way it goes

 

GEEEZZZZ OB quit being so melodramatic, and turn the damn key! It will either work, or it won't! You're driving yourself crazy.

Jack

 

Hi Jack

Its ok for you Seasoned Pro's who are used to building Hot Rods and all that sort of stuff (Lol)

But as for me I've never done any sort of Car repairs on this scale before and so the Weight of Expectation was really off the Charts, especially since I hadn't been out in an XJS for a Year! what with all the Lockdown Stuff, Bad Weather and Cage Rebuild

Where having finally managed to rebuild the Cage and put it back, self doubt started creeping in which had me feeling nervous, just in case I had messed up and forgotten to put in a Bolt or something like that

And so Today, just now in fact it was time to Start her up and try the Brakes, which 28 days ago were working perfect, with the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light both going out in 5 Seconds, with the Brake Pump cutting out 10 Seconds later

Since this had never happened on any XJS I've ever owned, even I would admit that it did seem to good to be true but since it had never stopped raining in May where everyday the Weather Forecast would depress the heck out of you, Taxing my Grey XJS for the Road just did not seem worth it, so instead I Taxed her for June 1st

Where since June 1st is Tomorrow, at the time of writing, I thought that I would Turn the Key and Start her up, in order to see if those perfect Brakes were still working every bit as good as they were when I tested them out about 28 days ago, as that is how long She has now been Standing

So having tried them out just now, I've also done a Short Video to show exactly what happened when I turned the Key this time, the results of which will be in my next update, which I'm going to put up once I've put some Polish on the Car

The results of which were quite surprising!

 

The last time I started '50 Shades' My Grey XJS was 28 days ago, after I accidentally Gravity Bled the Rear Calipers by leaving one of the Rear Bleed Nipples Open, which not only got any Air out that may have been in them but when I then decided to open the Bleed Nipple on the other one, it got all the Air out of there too!

During which time I never touched the Brake Pedal or even turned the Ignition on until the whole process was completed, after which I made a live Video of what exactly happened when I did

Where the results of my accidental Gravity Bleeding were Astonishing! with the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light both going out in 5 Seconds and then just 10 Seconds later the Brake Pump also shut off, making a Total of 15 Seconds in all


Though while these results were Amazing I also then hit a small, snag as while the Brake Pedal Felt Perfect for the First Time Ever! the Brake Pump then kept Cutting In at every Two or Three Presses of the Pedal

And that's where the 'Training Kicked In' (Thanks to Paul ptjs) who many Moons ago now, drummed into me the Importance of having to Bleed the Low Pressure Side of the System, which once having done so, that Brake Pump cutting in problem was very easy solved

As you can imagine I was thrilled to bits! and stayed that way right up until Today, where 28 Days Later on 31st of May, I did that same experiment again, by Turning on the Ignition and then waiting to see what happened

Where the only Question was after 28 days of Standing would the Lights and Brake Pump still turn off in 15 Seconds as in that Video or would everything just fall to pieces with maybe the Brake Pedal going right down to the Floor

There was only one way to find out and that was to turn the Ignition on and this is exactly what happened as shown in this Video I made, where the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light both went out in 33 Seconds and The Brake Pump Cut Out just 12 Seconds Later

Initially I felt quite disappointed up until I really thought it through, as it used to take 45 Seconds for the ABS and Brake Warning Lights to go out and then when you consider that She was Standing for 28 days, maybe 33 Seconds was really not that bad with the Brake Pump Cutting out just 12 Seconds later

But Best of all the Pedal just felt Perfect as well as just as Solid as a Rock


This time it took a bit longer for the ABS and Brake Warning Lights to go out, although a big improvement, when considering that this Car had been Switched off and left Standing for 28 days

Except its never over till its over! as though I decided to Polish the Car for a Road Test Tomorrow June 1st when my New Road Tax is Valid, instead of that I decided to rebuild the Calipers for IRS Cage No 2 'The Ice Princess' though before I could rebuild them, OCD kicked in and I decided to clean all the old Paint off

Where once having done that, we went Shopping 'as you do' and by the time that we got back and had our Tea, the light was starting to fade and so because of that I thought I'd leave the Caliper rebuild until another day when I had more time to do the job properly

Also by about that time '50 Shades' had been Standing for over 8 hours, so just before I Started her up to put her away in the Garage, I decided I would make another Brake Warning Light Video, just to see if anything had changed

Where standing back in shocked amazement! the ABS and Brake Warning Lights were right back to where they were 28 days ago, with the ABS and Brake Warning Light both going out in 5 Seconds, with the Brake Pump cutting out just 10 Seconds later, exactly the same as before (although the Video seems to run on a bit longer)

And the Pedal just felt Perfect as before


As for Tomorrow June 1st I'm hoping to do a Road Test, to see if everything works after Rebuilding the IRS Cage

 

Well I guess today just wasn't to be for My Grey XJS, all Taxed and Insured With MOT and ready to go for a Test Drive, as when I was Starting her up today, instead of a 'Purr' She was Roaring, though not in a very good way as at the end of the downpipe there was a big hole at the side of the joint where it flares

In one of those awkward places that's difficult to Weld and so I ordered a repair piece that I found on ebay that should hopefully do the Job

Meanwhile back at 'Blossom Towers' I found a lot of other Stuff to do, including another Short Video on my Adventures with Gravity Bleeding the Teves Brakes on My XJS

So let me start by saying that while I have heard of some people being able to 'Gravity Bleed' a Conventional Brake System, I for one just didn't know you could also Gravity Bleed the 'Teves' as well which I accidentally did with some Amazing Results!

And so I will do a quick recap of exactly what I did, if only to remind myself when I do the same thing to my other XJS in the near future

(1) No Assistant Required but handy to have someone making sure the Reservoir stays Topped up

(2) The Only Materials Required are Brake Fluid and a couple of Feet of Plastic Tubing, with a Jar to Catch the Fluid as it drips out of the Caliper with the Plastic Tube on

(3) Don't touch the Brake Pedal or Switch on the Ignition, until the whole process is completed

(4) Start with the Rear Caliper furthest away from the Master Cylinder Actuator and once that is done do the other Rear Caliper next to it leaving the fronts until last

(5) Attach the Plastic Tube to the Bleed Nipple and drop the other end into the Jar (no need for a non-return valve or any of that stuff) as while Brake Fluid is dripping out, then no Air can get in!

(6) Gravity Bleeding can take time so get yourself a Coffee while you're waiting

(7) Bleed out 250ml from each Caliper though may be more or less depending on how much Air there could be in the System

(8) When all the Air has been Bled out then do up the Brake Bleed Nipple

(9) Turn on the Ignition where hopefully you are going to find that the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light all go out in a fraction of the time they used to although the Brake Pump may still be running a bit longer after that but don't let it run for longer than 30 Seconds as if it does then something else is wrong

(10) At this point the Brake Pedal should feel Perfect, if the one on my own Car is anything to go by

(11) If you find the Brake Pump keeps recycling after just a few presses of the Brake Pedal, then you may have to Bleed the low Pressure side of the System in order to fix it, like I had to myself

The results I got on my own Car were amazing! where instead of 45 Seconds for the ABS and Brake Warning Lights to go off, it took just 5 Seconds!

Even after leaving my Car Standing unused for 28 days it only took 33 Seconds for these Lights to go out

Then 8 hours after being Started the Lights were back to going out in 5 Seconds!

So having left the Car overnight without being Started for 24 hours I decided to do a short Video to see how long it would take for the ABS Light and Brake Warning Light to go out

Once again with Amazing Results!

With The ABS Light and Brake Warning Light both going out in 8 Seconds and the Brake Pump 10 Seconds later (At the point where I turned the Ignition off)


One of the Next Jobs on my list are refurbishing the Calipers for the IRS Cage of 'The Ice Princess' which is also undergoing a Rebuild

 

How many XJS's do you have?!