We will be driving our newly acquired, 1994 6.0 V12 convertible XJS, back home next week, a trip of 600 miles. Illinois to central Nebraska.

We will have tools and cell phone and cash on hand; my girlfriend will be providing support in our 2006 X Type Sport Wagon.

It has 28,000 miles on it and is in near mint condition and has all service records, has been run regularly and everything works on it.

Should I replace the Marelli rotor before setting out? Where do you recommend I get one from? If no obvious "heat/burning" issues with rotor/dist cap should I be OK, till we get her home?

The original,1994 reviews/test reports, I have read, all state they run on "regular" gas, so what is the 2014 equivalent of 1994 "regular" gas?....Any recommendations on what octane gas to use? 10% ethanol OK? Most of our driving is done between 2,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level.

Our 1987 XJ6 seems to run fine on 10% ethanol (owner's manual says 87 octane and 10% E OK).....I'll ask the PO what he has been using but would appreciate the collective wisdom of the forum on this issue.

Anything else?

Will post photos of the trip, and maybe a few problems/questions, on return.

Thanks,

Rob.
2006 X Type Sport Wagon
1987 XJ6 Daily driver.

 

Rob,
Have a great enjoyable trip. I am sure that you'll be fine!
Jomo

 

I care a lot about aesthetical items because I find those are the most expensive to fix. Proper paint will cost more than an engine or transmission rebuild.

If the body and paint are mint, I would use some of those removable clear shields in the bonnet and bumper and other places that rocks may hit from the highway.

 

I think just because it costs almost nothing, putting silicone under the rotor button would be very cheap insurance. I just took apart a 94 6.0, and it has 129,000 miles on it, and looks like it has never been in any trouble at all. But guess what was inside the rotor?

 

Yes, I'm going to do the silicone mod as soon as I get it back home....I'm just a bit unsure about doing it on the PO's driveway !!!!

Oh...forgot to mention, I'm taking the fire retardant/extinguisher from my 1987 XJ6.

Should I also invest in a spare coil?

Thanks,

Rob.

 

I believe you will thoroughly enjoy the trip. My XJS went 165,000K's before the rotor went. I did use silicone on the new one but still was able to use the original Dist cap, as I stopped right away. Main thing is , if you see smoke coming out, immediately pull over and give any flame a quick shot with the extinguisher. Do not drive the car until new rotor is installed as gas will be pumped into the dead bank. Check along the exhaust pipe near cat converter as that is where the unburned fuel settles. This all happened to me but was quickly put out with no damage to anything other than replacing the rotor. I have since put 10 thousand more K's and no prob. For next years driving, I will carry a spare rotor/dist cap/and spare coils when I go on a long trip from home. All the best on your pleasurable rendezvous with a fine automobile.

 

I am with you 100%. Now that I have done it once, it would take 30-40 minutes max to do it on any Marelli V12 - and I certainly would do it in the driveway, or a nearby parking lot, before embarking on a long journey.

Small sample size, anecdotal evidence, maybe... but Marelli failure happened to both my twins, and it's just too easy to avoid. Never again.

Yes, I am extremely gun-shy regarding this issue - but if you see smoke, it just might be too late. An ounce of prevention, and all that...

Good luck, and...

 

Here are some photos.

I'm just a little concerned about the silicone mod before we set out.....grinding the, hexagonal?, locating stud, to a state of just protruding, with my Dremel...I'll take the Dremel and a hand vac.

So what can you recommend brand/type wise for the silicone?

Still? Anyone any recommendations on gas to use?

Thanks to all,

Rob.

 

I would use premium only, the V12 does not have knock sensors to adjust the timing as does the 4.0 I6.

 

Thanks.

Did not know about the knock sensors.

What is the modern octane rating of "premium" fuel?

Probably need to carry octane boster?

Rob.

 

Thanks for the pics - nice ride! What is that protruding from the passenger headlight? And wow, I never realized rear seat legroom was so tight in the convertibles. I see why folks do the storage / subwoofer conversion.

For what it's worth, I did not have to (and would not have) ground anything down. I don't recall the brand of silicone, but it was obvious once I found the right isle at the hardware store.

Ditto on premium fuel.

[edit] in Houston we have 93 everywhere. Never had any problems with 91 when I'm on the road though. A bottle of booster is cheap insurance if you have any long stretched through rural areas.

 

Protruding from under the pass headlight? That would be the heated power headlight washers.....bit difficult to see on the drivers side in the photo.

Fitted as standard on the V12s from 1992 on (the winter package option on 4.0 I6...headlight washers/heated seats/heated door mirrors).

Photos of a couple of '92s (5.3 V12s) show them more clearly.....the burgundy one was one we really wanted to buy....no rear seats..really wanted the storage here....not too concerned about the inboard brakes....couldn't come to a deal with the owner.....love both the burgundy or the green though.

Only 87 octane (with or without ethanol) here in the village !

We are also looking at a 1990 Oyster color, in great shape with 120,000 plus on it....if the price is right we would like this for an everyday ( well most dry days) use, because of the storage aspect.

Rob.

 

I agree. Now that I have done it once....

When first looking at the engine and contemplating the work, I was very intimidated. Not having much automotive mechanical experience didn't help. I don't know what your level of expertise is but, me being a novice, here are a few things I ran into.

The Top Cover. Specifically the fasteners that keep it in place. The previous owner had replaced them with plastic Fir Tree type fasteners. I found three of the originals deep inside the "Vee". My guess is they pop out and are easy to drop and loose.

Cruise Control Bellows and Linkage. This will have to be moved/removed to get access. Have tools handy. A set of small metric wrenches (don't drop 'em) will help.

Spark Plug Wires. Will (of course) have to be taken off the Cap. Make sure they are marked.

Cap Removal. Straight forward. Phillips screwdriver if I recall correctly.

Rotor Removal. Should have been straight forward removal with an Allen Key. No so easy on one side. I needed to cut a slot in the head to get a screwdriver in there to get it out.

Cutting the Stud. Cant miss it. It's maybe an inch tall, 3/4" in diameter. Cutting it does make a bit of a mess and a hand vac might not be good enough. Cover as much of the area as possible to catch the filings.

Like all else with these cars, access to your work area will be the biggest problem. I was expecting to open up the hood, pull of a few spark plug wires and have at it. Not the case.

In the pictures you'll see the exposed Cap (I was doing other work at the time). And then the exposed Rotor.

All this work is very doable. I've done it, anybody can.

Enjoy the car and don't loose sleep about the Marelli thing. And certainly don't let it distract you from a thoroughly awesome car



P.S. Regarding the octane. On my car, just at the bottom of the instrument cluster, on the left side, there is a note. "Premium Fuel Only". I believe there is also one by the gas cap.

 

1100, the car you want is the twin of mine! Love it!

The gas gage and fuel cap both say "Premium Fuel Only," and the Manual says Minimum 92 Octane. Went full service once, and he put in Plus, 89. In the coastal flats, it knocked 6 miles to Auto Zone for Outlaw Octane Boost, then knocked for 6-8 more miles before it smoothed out.

YMMV and all that . . .

 

Bill C, nice shots of the working area. If I recall, I read and reread Kirby's instructions about 100 times in the preceding days, then I saved the relevant section on laptop or iPad, and went down to the garage to tackle it. Took pictures EVERY. SINGLE. STEP. My wires were labeled and matched the markings on the distributor.

Removed the cruise control bellows, and loosened the AC compressor just enough to tilt it out of the way.

I really wanted to clean the V while I was in there, but frankly was too chicken

It all went back together smoothly and fired right up. After a minute or so of white smoke billowing from the passenger exhaust, I took her for a vigorous spin, and all was well.

My level of mechanical expertise? Absolutely zero, as in none at all. Must say I was quite pleased with myself afterwards

 

Beautiful car you have there. My wife loves that I have a Jag because Im all ways offering to do all the running around town just so I can go for another drive. You'll love the drive and handling.
Don't you just love the way Jaguar designed the front seat to touch the back seat. Just like my coupe. I might remove my back seats and install the storage compartment from my 89 convertible. I Just don't know how it would look.

 

Same here. The process was...Stick a label on something, take a picture, take it apart, take a picture....Decide what to take apart next, read ROM, read "The Book", check resources online, stick a label on the part, take a picture....etc.

No wonder it took me nearly 3 months to do Water Rail, Cam Covers, Cap, Rotor, Plugs, Coils, Plug Wires and a whole lot of cleaning. Yes, work and life got in the way as well but still!



Same here. Pretty much none. And I was also quite pleased when it was all buttoned up and running. I wonder if we ought to have a section here for complete beginners? Kind of like a "Kiddie Corner" for wannabe Jag mechanics (Kitty Corner??).