XJS ( X27 ) 1975 - 1996 3.6 4.0 5.3 6.0

Electrical System

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Old Aug 4, 2018 | 03:40 PM
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Crackerbuzz's Avatar
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Default Electrical System

hi all

As a newbie to the xjs I am keen to learn which part of the electrical components are likely to give problems on a 34 year old 5.3 HE V12.

should I be purchasing spare parts for the ready or are they reliable enough? (Fuel pumps, ignition, distributor parts etc)

thanks
 
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Old Aug 4, 2018 | 04:36 PM
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Start at the front and slowly work your way to the rear.
That should cover all the bases.
There is nothing electrical in an XJS that cannot go wrong
Not sure where you are but check out this and many more articles about Lucas,The Prince of Darkness.

https://jalopnik.com/399791/joe-luca...l-system-jokes
 
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Old Aug 4, 2018 | 10:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Crackerbuzz
hi all

As a newbie to the xjs I am keen to learn which part of the electrical components are likely to give problems on a 34 year old 5.3 HE V12.

should I be purchasing spare parts for the ready or are they reliable enough? (Fuel pumps, ignition, distributor parts etc)

thanks


I wouldn't spend much money on spare parts, personally. If something fails just order it as needed. Maybe keep a couple spare relays on hand.

Better (IMO) to spend a long weekend removing and cleaning every electrical connection and ground point you can lay your hands on. In so doing you will preemptively fix about 80% of the much ballyhooed Lucas electrical problems.

When a problem does develop, always begin by checking wires and connectors first.

Engine wiring is often baked to a crisp. Plan on spending extra time there.

Replacing the injector harness is a good idea. No point in waiting for it to give you trouble. It's almost guaranteed that it will. Most owners make their own.

Cheers
DD
 
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Old Aug 4, 2018 | 10:23 PM
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as stated in other post, go thru the wiring starting under the hood/bonnet. Check and clean or replace connectors as needed. As for me, I replaced my distributor cap and the rotor, rebuilt my injector harness,(not really hard to do) and moved it up out of the valley. I did take my time, about 3 years and not only cleaned and/or replaced what needed, I uncovered the wiring and checked every inch/cm of it and repaired as needed. My wiring was in good shape, only had a couple of cracks in the insulation that only need taping up, and some connectors replaced. I have pictures in my profile area of the process I took.
 
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Old Aug 6, 2018 | 03:01 AM
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Hey all thanks for your info...

Unbelievably today my distributor cap decided to literally split clean in half down the middle! (I am guessing because she has been in storage for almost 14 years and will have hardened through age and not handled the recent heat).

The funny thing is that it still ran on 11 cylinders even though there was a 10mm gap between the both side. I was dumbfounded and amazed she still ran at all!

New cap ordered for the morning so no worries.

I hope nothing else like that goes but I am expecting a few more now

Cheers for your replies!
 
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