I hear these are pretty common issues. My car takes on water...bad. It seems like it is coming through the firewall or bottom of the windshield. What should my approach be on fixing that? the very top of my windshield leaks a bit also. I dont want to pull the windshield to fix the seal, but I don't see a way around it other than trying to goop it up. Not really what I want to do either. It's been a while since i looked at it. Is it one of those reusable seals, or is it a tar?
The electrical: My wipers don't work most of the time, unless there is some serious moisture in the car, then sometimes they work. my horn doesn't work (not getting power to the steering wheel) my fog lights don't work, my dash lights don't work and my heater controls do not work. I've checked the fuses and all is good. I noticed that everything that doesnt work is on one circuit. There is not a lot of room to crawl around under the dash to trace wires. I can not find a book on the xjs with a wiring diagram either. I would LOVE to get these issues fixed. Oh yea, my speedometer doesnt work either. Is it electronic or a cable? Anyone have suggestions on my approach to these issues? I have a lot of projects so this one has been shoved aside for some time. Ive been avoiding it

 

Get a new window seal/rubber, and get it fixed once and properly. The seal in there is possibly the original and 24 years old, and NO it is NOT a tar type seal. Address any RUST that may be in that aperture once the window is out, leave the rust it WILL leak again.

Whilst the wiper motor assembly is out to do the window, unplug the electrical socket and clean the gunk from the pins, that may fix your wipers.

Look inside that opening (plenum chamber) and see if there are any rust HOLES that is allowing water inside the cabin, and/or the drain tubes (one each side) are not blocked, which will allow the chamber to fill with water and flow inside via the heater unit.

The rest is electrical gremlins, and systematic diagnosis is required, one at atime, but may be linked to the cabin flooding.

The speedo is electrical.

 

I agree with Francis on all points....and, yes, get a new seal for the windshield. Any decent glass guy can do the job. Nothing exotic on the XJS as far as the windshield goes.

Most Jag electrical problems are caused by dirty/loose/corroded connections and grounds. In your case, since the cabin is wet, you'll probably find lots of corroded electrics under the dash. Clean and tighten all the connections one by one, starting by removing the fuses and cleaning the corrosion off the end caps and the cradle clips. The move on to the engine bay and do the same, etc.

For the climate control make sure to check the fuses behind the console "cheek panels".

You have an electric speedo. The transducer often fails but the contacts at the back of the instrument cluster also get corroded and cause problems. Remove the cluster to clean the contacts....not all that hard. But...you may have a a transducer problem. It's on the left side of the trans. Make sure the wires are not touching the exhaust pipe. A new transducer, if needed, is about $100 I think

Manuals in book or CD form are readily available from JDHT, most Jag parts vendors, and even on Ebay. You won't have any trouble finding them.

Cheers
DD

 

Good wiring diagrams:

http://www.captainjaguarscathouse.co...ec%20Guide.pdf


Go to page 57. What comes before page 57 is for the Ser III sedan, not the XJS.

These are the diagrams that you'll find on the Jaguar repair CDs from JDHT...Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks guys! I'll get down in the shop tomorrow and see if I can get these issues solved. I'm trying to sell it (not desperately, just kind of throwing it out there to see what kind of trades I can get) So it would be great to have these issues fixed. If I get it all solved, I will have pretty much a perfect car, minus a few interior flaws.
Oh yea... I knew i was forgetting something major. My electric fan is on that same circuit and it doesnt work. The clutch fan is shot also, so it gets hot if you don't keep her moving. I REALLY need to fix that.