Packing Up The Calipers For 'The Ice Princess'

Packing up the Old Calipers for 'The Ice Princess' to send off for rebuilding

Where the only reason for the delay was in not having a Strong enough Box to Post them

Except that today when I went to get some Anti Splatter Spray for my Mig which the GF's Father gifted me

I also found the perfect Box in the Dumpster of this Car Accessory Shop which they said I could have

And so tonight we have been busy packing them up although unusually I haven't got a price yet

The ones I got for 'Cherry' my Red XJS were New! for which I only paid £100

So if I can get anywhere near that then I will be happy enough with the Rebuilt ones



Packing up the Calipers off 'The Ice Princess' to be Rebuilt

and managed to find a Box just the right size!



I hope they come back a bit better looking than this



Lucky I had lots of Bubble Wrap



Bubble Wrapped and ready to go in the Box



The Box was just the right size and very Strong



Topped up the Box from the Shredder



Topped off the Packing with Foam



These were the 'New Calipers' I put on 'Cherry Blossom'

Cleaning The Brake Reservoir On 'The Ice Princess'

The Weather hasn't been the best for making meaningful progress so a few days ago I cleaned out the 'Brake Reservoir'

This was a full on clean inside and out and has since been in the Airing Cupboard thoroughly drying out



Cleaning the 'Goo' off the outside of the 'Brake Reservoir'



Getting there! She looks much Cleaner now



Looking almost like new and now drying off inside our Airing Cupboard

Refitting The Master Cylinder Actuator
To 'The Ice Princess'

The last time I drove 'The Ice Princess' which was too long ago to remember

I was sailing along in 'The Sunshine' with hardly a care in the World until that is I had to jam the Brakes on

When someone pulled out of a side road right in front of me!

As far as Braking is concerned an XJS can stop much quicker than most people think and really give those 'tailgater's' a scare

Except to day I felt my Car could well be trying to kill me because at the moment I hit the Brakes Hard

She suddenly took a sharp dive to the 'Right' and tried to ****** the Wheel out of my hand

So I just eased off the Foot-brake and got her back under control

'Having been there more than once' I instantly knew what was wrong

The possible cause was either a blockage in one of the Valves in the Valve Block of 'The Master Cylinder Actuator'

Or else a broken ribbon in it's Valve Block

At which point a 'Big Shout Out' to Forum Member 'Dave Dental' who showed me what to do and how to fix it

Providing the Valves in the Valve Block look in good condition and not red with rust like this one in this Photo



The Valves in this Valve Block of the Brake Master Cylinder Actuator
have gone red with rust



Something tells me this Valve 'may' be beyond repair

This rust was almost certainly caused by not changing the 'Brake Fluid' on a regular Basis

Repairing it is a fairly simple process and though it can't be guaranteed the success rate seems to be quite high

So after making a diagram of what wire goes where then you can carefully take the Valves out

And remove their little gauze filter with a pin or small screwdriver

And have them cleaned in an Ultrasonic Cleaner and preferable an industrial one

As used by Dentists or Jewelers as some of the DIY ones are not quite up to the job

Then once having done so rewire it with High Temp Silicon Wire

If you are not Trained in Soldering then don't do this yourself

Instead take it along to your Radio Shop and let them do it for you which shouldn't cost you more than $25-$50

Just don't lose the 'O' rings or the little rubber strip that goes inside underneath the electric plug



Don't lose these 'O' rings if you need to reuse them

'I think that 'Daim' may know a place where you can get some new ones that are square cut and made of special material

Then when it comes back from rewiring give it a Test with a Battery

So you can hear all the Valves 'Clicking'

Which is also a test that you can do before you take 'The Brake Master Cylinder Actuator' out of the Car or do a 'bench test' when you have


Where then providing it all Checks out then you can put it back in the Car

Just be Very Careful NOT to Spill Brake Fluid on the Paint Work as other wise it will Strip the Paint in an instant

So Cover all Exposed Paint Work including the Engine Bay

Because to all intents and purposes it's going to make a mess

So have lots of Rag and Water Handy to mop up any spills

Refitting 'The Brake Master Cylinder Actuator'

Is a fairly easy job which can all be done from Inside the Bonnet/Hood so no real need to stand on your head underneath the Dashboard

Just make sure when refitting it that you don't go and Break the 'Brake Light Switch'



Fitting 'The Brake Master Cylinder Actuator' in 'The Ice Princess'

Fitting it is an easy job that can all be done from underneath the Bonnet/Hood

The Curse Of The In-Tank Fuel Pump Strikes Again!

Just when I was thinking that it was 'safe to go back in the Water'

The Curse of the In-Tank Fuel Pump Strikes Again!

As if I haven't already got enough to do with getting 'The Ice Princess' back on the road

The Fuel Pump has gone on 'Hot Choco' My 1995 4.0L Morocco Red Celebration Convertible

She is a real Stunner in Morocco Red with Cream Connelly Hide with FMDSH and on 25,000 Miles on the Clock

So first of all apologies for the Photo as I bought this Car so long ago that multi mega pixels

Were the stuff that dreams were made of so I didn't really take that many Photos



Sorry about the poor Photo but at the time I took it Multi Megapixels were no more than a Pipedream

And about as much of a 'Pipedream' as ever getting my hands on this Wonderful Car

To say that I got lucky was a bit of an understatement as in the ad in the paper She was described as an XJS

With almost nothing in the way of description having been bought as a Firms Car

With no mention of her being a Celebration Model which was certainly not reflected in the price

As basically She was advertised as being open to offers so I had to go along and take a look

She was sitting in the Car Park looking suitably drop dead gorgeous in a 'Love at first sight' sort of way

Where the people who were selling her didn't seem to have much they could tell me and as such indicated

To take a look and 'Make of her what I will' and then make them an offer if I was interested

'Let me think about that for a Second'

Course I was!

As I slowly walked towards her the Sun Shone off the Gold Badge on the Bonnet

Like a blinding Flash from an Arc Welder

OMG!

I never saw that coming!

Could this be a 'Celebration Model'?

At which point I felt my Heart Stop Beating when I saw the Wood and Leather Steering Wheel

Harmon Kardon Stereo and Embossed Leather Seats

I'd already seen enough in just 20 Seconds

To have me knowing this Car would be mine and so I headed straight back to their Office

Where my opening gambit was to make what I considered to be a low offer

And where to my amazement they said Yes!

On a Car on which I'd never heard the engine run or even taken her out for a Test Drive!

On reflection I was bonkers but sometimes 'you just know!'

And so I handed them 'The Plastic' and they handed me the Keys and off we went!

Make no mistake this Car was Amazing! and almost too good to take on the road

But sadly not my Favorite Car as that accolade has to be bestowed on my V12

Consequently I very seldom took 'Hot Choco' out where after a Year of Ownership the Fuel Pump packed up

And since this was an 'In-Tank Pump' putting in a New one was 'The Job From Hell'

To a Non Mechanic with very little experience of working on Cars like myself

As you have to pull the Tank out far enough to do the job which is hidden behind a Steel Baffle

Having first disconnected the Fuel lines which are up inside the IRS Cage in a very awkward place to get to

Its was certainly not 'a walk in the Park' to put in a new pump

As well as being something that I didn't ever really want to do again

Except when I went to Start her today She didn't want to know and having gone through all the Tests

It turns out that the Fuel Pump is on the 'blink' again and needs replacing

Certainly not my Favorite Job but no surprise that some Shops

Can charge £500 plus the parts if you want them to this for you

But since I won't let a Garage go anywhere near my Car

As soon as the Weather gets better

Then I will do it myself

Taking Out The Fuel Tank
Of
'Hot Choco'

My 1995 XJS 4.0L Celebration Convertible

Having replaced the Fuel Pump just a Couple of Years ago this is a PIA Job if ever their was one

As its quite a lot more difficult than having to change the Fuel Pump on an XJS V12

Which only takes about an hour to do

The major difference being that my 4.0L Celebration Convertible has an In-Tank Fuel Pump

Which means that in order to change it the Fuel Tank has to come out

Or at least be pulled back far enough to take the Fuel Pump out which was the way that I decided to do it

Which ever way you want to go its not what you would call 'A Walk in the Park'

So maybe not surprising that some Shops would want to charge you £500 plus the Parts for doing this

But as this job is so much agro some might well consider that a Bargain!

The Fuel Pump sits in the Top of the Tank which is behind a Steel Baffle with lots of awkward Nuts and Bolts to undo

And if that isn't bad enough in the Case of a Convertible

The Hydraulic Pump to lower the Soft Top is also right in the way

Before you even start this job almost every piece of Trim has to be removed

Which on my Car included the CD Player

After which you then need to get under the Car to disconnect the Fuel Pipes one for Flow and the other for Return

In order to disconnect these pipes you need to 'push and twist' them with a Special Tool I didn't have

As in order to get to these pipes you have to reach right through the IRS Cage to 'push and twist' these fittings

Since I didn't have this 'Special Tool' I had to improvise by using a pair of Blacksmiths Tongs

Which I got in a Car Boot Sale



I used this pair of 'Blacksmiths Tongs' to 'push and twist' the fittings on the Fuel Pipes

Once you've got the Baffle Plate out and the Pump that operates the 'Soft Top' with the Fuel Pipes disconnected

You can disconnect the Filler Tube and the Breather Pipes and then pull the Tank out

There are no other Bolts to be undone as the Tank is tightly wedged in place with some rubber wedges on each side

'Although it feels like its been Welded in!'

Once the Tank is out of the Car the Locking Ring can be removed underneath which is the Fuel Pump

Which can be removed and replaced with a New one

Where while you are about it then it would make a lot of sense to also fit the Tank with a New Sender

After which its just a case of bolting it all back together the way it came out

Although it may be a good idea to see if the Engine runs before replacing the Baffle
Warning!

Disconnect The Battery

And Take It Right Out Of The Car Before You Start


DO NOT ATTEMPT TO USE THE BATTERY

AS A SUPPORT TO REST THE TANK ON WHEN YOU PULL THE TANK OUT

OR YOU AND YOUR CAR WILL BE TOAST!

Siphon out all the Fuel from the Tank before you remove it

Although I've done this Job before it has taken me Two Days just to get the Tank out

Though maybe you might do it a bit quicker



The Fuel Tank on a 'Face Lift' XJS Convertible with an In-Tank Fuel Pump which is the Smaller Rusty one of the Two

Laid Side by Side with the Fuel Pump from an XJS V12
which does look a lot smaller by comparison




Apart from the Fuel Tank Filler and one or two breather Pipes these Fuel Pipe Connectors are all that holds the Tank in apart from the fact its wedged in tight with rubber blocks on each side

Next Job is to order a New Fuel Pump and Sender then put it all back together and hope that She runs