I remember taking them off my facelift car and nearly lost one. I also remember refitting the pipes and one fell straight back out. The clip hadn’t entered the slot properly. After that I made double sure, and when their in their in. Surely one of the breakers will post you a couple.?

Chapter 93

Fixing 'Carmen's' Fuel Pump

I've Just Found A Needle in A Haystack!!!!

Having fitted the Fuel Tank with a New In-Tank Fuel Pump and put it back in 'Carmen' which was a Total PITA to do, there was just one small problem left to overcome, which was that I'd somehow lost the pair of the Fuel Pipe Clips

That lock the the Flow and Return Pipes into the Fuel Tank.

As they are so awkward to get to, I had to flick them off with a Screwdriver where the pair of them went 'Ping' into the 'Wide Blue Yonder' and were never seen again

Which didn't seem a problem, as I could pick up some new ones from my local Jaguar Dealer or even get some off ebay, except that unbeknownst to me one of those vital clips was NLA!

Where I was thinking OMG! what do I do now, as though I tried to make some, the whole thing very nearly ended in disaster with gallons of petrol flooding out under the car

As such I was at a bit of a loss as to know what to do and contacted one or two breakers in the hope that they might have some secondhand ones but they are as rare as 'rocking horse teeth' and just about impossible to get hold of

So yesterday (Saturday) I took a step back from 'Carmen' and we went out 'Tripping' instead, on one of the most perfect days that you can imagine in my V12 'Cherry Blossom'

It was Jeans and 'T' Shirt weather but not as blazing hot as it had been and as for 'Cherry Blossom' She didn't disappoint and Started on the button, with that familiar turbine Whoosh and Whir, which left us in no doubt that She was just raring to go!

As having first reversed her out of 'Orange Blossom Towers' we headed out down to the Countryside on one of my favourite drives which had it all

From sweeping bends to single and dual carriageways, which is the kind of day out that 'Cherry Blossom' loves as much as we do, then into the Woods for a Picnic in the Forest

The whole day was amazing and was just picture perfect in every single way, with 'Cherry's Temps' just below the Normal, right where they want to be

In total contrast with today which was very overcast and gloomy and not a very good day to go out, so while the GF did some washing and hung it on the line, I thought I'd jack up 'Carmen' so that I could try out my home made axle stands

Which weren't really home made in the true sense of the word but more a couple of old Steel Wheels that I took off my Merc, when I put a set of Alloys on

They seemed perfect for the job and did feel a lot safer that using axle stands but as I didn't need much height, I used them with the deep dish facing upwards, which made the car feel that much more secure

As since I hadn't got the Fuel Pipe Clips, I thought I'd treat the underside with Waxoyl



I always like to Waxoyl the underside using a brush, as that way you can make sure you don't miss anything and then do the Wheel Arches with a sprayer

Where just as I was brushing some Waxoyl on the chassis just over the Top of the Exhaust, the Fuel Pipe Clips that I had thought were gone and lost forever, then tumbled down onto the floor beside me

Not just one but both of them, which included the one that was NLA!

I don't know how I missed them, as when they 'pinged off' I looked everywhere, except of course there!

So all I can say is praise be to the Jaguar Gods



I'm so Paranoid about losing these now, that I am going to surround the car with something like old sheets, so that they can't fly off into the 'Wide Blue Yonder' anymore!

By some unexpected 'Miracle' I managed to find the Clips, which I thought were lost and gone forever, where to make matters worse I couldn't buy any new ones, as they were NLA

Except that yesterday it seemed 'The Jaguar Gods' were on my side when I somehow found them laying on the top of one of the Silencers and I could even swear that I'd looked there

Though with the benefit of hindsight, nowhere near enough!

But now that I had found them I was quite determined to never let them go, as these little Clips were like 'gold dust'

Where I'm not ashamed to say that Paranoia started to take over, as my quest to never let them go out of my eye sight then turned into some sort of obsession

As I tethered them together like you would Pets on a lead, where overnight I kept them by our bedside



You two are going nowhere near the 'Wide Blue Yonder' this time you're both going on my Car!

While 'Clipping' the Fuel Pipes to the Tank might seem like a 5 Minute Job, the reality is a bit different, as the Fuel Pipes on my Car were only just long enough

Which maybe why you need a Special Tool to put them on but as I hadn't got one I had to make my own, which only took Ten Minutes and was made out of a piece of Copper Pipe



Homemade Tool to put the Fuel Pipes on

In truth its a PITA Job, as the Flow and Return Tubes that stick out of the Tank, poke through a small hole near the Cage, which is positioned high up in the Air and is 'almost' big enough for you to put your hand through

Where if you can or when you do blocks out all your Vision so you can't see anything, which means you have to do it all by feel



Using my Homemade Tool to push the Pipes on, as the Fuel Pipes only seem to be just long enough

With the Fuel Pipes in position, you then revolve the Clips to lock them on



Hopefully these Clips will lock the Fuel Pipes to the Tank but there is only one way to find out



I decided to leave the 'Tether' that I made attached to the Clips, as that way if one did fall out. then I might be able to retrieve it

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

Having got the Fuel Tank in complete with a New In-Tank Fuel Pump. 'Carmen' has decided that She doesn't want to Start and this is really bad news, because although I know a little bit about fixing my V12

My knowledge of trying to fix a 'Six' is nothing more than Zero and so to be quite honest I just don't know where to start or maybe I do, as 'Greg' suggested I cleaned the Plugs of the ECU

As apparently dirty plugs can be the cause of a 'No Start' Problem. which of course I'd love to do if only I could find it as its apparently hidden away underneath the Carpet on the Passenger Side (UK Car)

But I just can't see it for looking! Although I'm sure it must be there somewhere and so I start by taking out the mat that covers the mat that covers the mat that covers the Carpet, which looks in Showroom Condition and that is probably why

I'm now down to the metal floor, which is obviously showing Zero signs of rust, as myself and the previous owner, really looked after this Car but still there is no sign of the ECU

But hang on a 'mo' what's that bulge by the side of the door jamb?

And though it took some finding, I have found it! although it seems that I am only on the 'Nursery Slopes' as in order to get to it, I've somehow got to take out some leather trim, which is locked in place by the Finisher/Seal 'Thingy'

Which of course does not want to come out!

Life is never easy and this engineering excellence is already starting to make my head spin, so the next thing to do is to remove the emergency fuel pump cut-out, which is screwed to the leading edge of the front door pillar

Where once that is off and out of the way, I can carefully pull the leather trim piece out of the way and then once having done so can then pull back the side carpet, to reveal the ECU, which is very securely bolted to the side of the footwell

But before I undo the Bolts I have to take off the Plugs, which are locked onto the Sockets of the ECU with the customary spring loaded plastic tabs

Anyway an hour later or maybe it was two, I'm finally holding the ECU in my hot sticky hand and now all that I have to do is clean off any Corrosion that I may find on those plugs

Except its not as easy as it looks, mainly because there are 3 rows of 'tangs' which are a bit of a PIA to get into and clean, so this time two hours later, or maybe it was three! I really did the best I could to make them clean and shiny

But even after all that work and meticulous cleaning, I can't say I was really satisfied with the result, at which point I had an idea!

As I have got a gadget, which is a bit like a 'Dremel' that takes a small wire brush the same as a 'Dremel' does and so I very carefully gave that plug a thorough clean with that and it came up like new!



I knew that ECU was in there somewhere!



Once I'd got the Plugs off it was out with the ECU



Cleaning that Plug by hand took me an hour!



Same again for this one its quite a fiddly job



Even after all of that I wasn't satisfied with the result and so I gave it a careful clean with a rotary wire brush



After Cleaning up those Plugs I put the ECU back in the Car, then turned the key and guess what She still wouldn't Start!!

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