I shared the story of how I came to buy my 1989 XJS convertible on another thread. I decided to start a new thread which will chronicle my efforts to restore my car back to full helath and vigor. I hope my car will be in pretty good shape overall but there are numerous challenges ahead. The battery in my car appeared to be a fairly new Interstate, but it was dead and the cells were kind of dry exposing the plates. I added distilled water and charged it at two amps off and on, for a couple of days. The battery regained some charge but wouldn't hold it under load. I decided that I would replace it with a reconditioned battery from a shop I know in San Jose for 30.00.

The next problem was that the turn signals were not working. The hazard flashers were. I searched this forum and learned that the turn signals were wired through the hazard flasher switch. I heeded the advice to vigorously exercise the switch at least one hundred times, with no improvement. I had learned the location of the flasher and removed and re-seated it with no improvement. I didn't see any visible corrosion at any of the relay and fuse connections.

I decided to pull the hazard switch to take a look at the wiring, plug, and the switch itself. I could not find a post describing just how to remove the switch so I improvised. As I tried to remove the switch I saw that the wood fascia panel began to pull away. I slipped a slim pick with a 90 degree bend behind the panel and carefully worked it out. Luckily only minor damage was done to the switch. I tried jumping two of the top connections as I had determined that one was constant "hot." I still couldn't see any improvement. I took the switch into the house and started checking various combinations of pins with a battery continuity light. I saw that the switch responded to different combinations and figured that the switch was probably okay. I also didn't see any signs of corrosion.

I took a close look at all the fuses and didn't see anything wrong except that someone had replaced the 10 amp flasher fuse with a 25 amp fuse. I pulled that, and switched it with a spare 7.5 amp fuse that was there. better to have it blow the lower rated fuse than to possibly damage the wiring.

Now, I didn't have a wiring diagram so I started to search the forum and the web. I was lucky to find a 53 page factory wiring diagram for my specific car that was a downloadable pdf file. I not only downloaded it, I printed it out. What a beautiful publication, there was a locator and line drawing of the component and that was followed by a schematic. really nice to see a picture of the actual component and the drawing was clearer than a photo would have been. I checked the wiring from the hazard flasher plug to the flasher socket. These were fine. I then thought that the flasher was probably bad, but being a Euro replacement I figured it would probably be expensive so I decided to check the flasher. using the diagram I hooked up some jumper wire s and a test light and was rewarded with a familiar clicking and flashing.

Okay, now what? I guess I had better check the turn signal switch itself, I removed the panel and located the plug. I tried the different wires while operating the switch, with my multimeter with no results. I jumped some of the wires on the harness plug and was rewarded by the dash flasher indicators and outside lights blinking at me. I now knew that the problem was most likely in the turn signal switch itself.

I looked a the switch and saw some corrosion on the metal parts of the switch housing and on the head light dimmer switch plunger. I had already tried exercising the signal mechanism repeatedly but there wasn't any results. I figured that I was going to need a new signal switch. I had replaced one on my 1970 Mustang and that was 150.00. I would guess that one for this Jag would be plenty more. Well no guts no glory, I grabbed a can of WD40 and held a rag under the switch. I sprayed the heck out of inside of the switch then worked the switch repeatedly. After it quit dripping I reconnected the plugs. I hooked up the battery and gave it a try. The lights began flashing, I check the outside lights and they were all operating! Success! Who knows how long they will work, but I will take what I can get.

Note to moderator. If this post is too long feel free to delete it. My writing style is kind of wordy, and if this type of post is not beneficial to the forum I will try to keep my posts shorter, Thanks.

 

Sounds good to me. I like, fine, details.

Rob.

 

Hey Rivguy, you'll get used to the Prince of Darkness pretty soon. Here's a couple of products I find indispensable when dealing with Mr Lucas:
Hosa Cable D5S6 Deoxit Contact Cleaner Spray https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006LVEU/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_UV69vb79GHJSC

Power Probe PP3LS01 Power Probe III Circuit Tester with PPLS01 Lead Set Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007QV0R7W/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_UY69vbNW3K42V

And a couple of small files (I stole wife's) and steel wool.

Good luck on the resto

BTW, it was a toss up between a 65 Riviera and a Series 3 V12 for me, the latter came by earlier in my search. Still looking for a Riv, what are some good forums for the Riv?

 

A good source of info. is on the Riviera Owners Association site. They didn't have an open forum when I was a member. There may have been some changes over the years. They have a good club magazine. Well worth membership. Early Rivs are very cool cars. I love that Nailhead engine. After the first gen they became decontented and lost a lot of their unique qualities. Early second gen cars, 1966 through 1969 still had a lot of personality. I had two '66s, a 67, and a '71.

I am glad that my post was well received. I'll keep the updates coming.

 

Hi,

I am working on my 2nd parts car and have some great parts for both an 89 xjs convert (same as mine) and an 89 xjs coupe. Will be advertising parts this winter on ebay. Don't have much in engine parts left. but have lots of other stuff inside an out.

Send a list of what you might want and I will take some pics and send back.

Ken in WV

 

For me, one of the things I've always loved about Jags, is the opportunity to find success in tinkering with it, finding the problem, and fixing it. Even more rewarding when its done economically. I have gone so far as rebuilding(?) repairing the lumbar supports on my 89. My first XJS was a 79, and it was really a challenge! Good luck, and keep us posted!!

 

Beautiful. I looked for a coupe but couldn't find one without a v8 swap.

 

The battery in your trunk should be a sealed type. Otherwise, fumes will cause the trunk lid to rust along the rear bottom edge. I use and recommend the Optima sealed.

 

the battery needs to be the proper sealed top with vent hoses directed outside the boot directly below the battery, most outlets carry the proper size/configuration. The bottom boot edge corrodes because water is not channeled away but just down the face and is allowed to wick up the backside to the folded edge which wicks it in in spots. If battery gasses were the culprit there would be rust in more places then just there. NAPA carries the correct battery with vent tubes for under $150. YMMY.

 

Thanks for the info. I was aware of the need for the vented battery from Kirby's book. The battery I obtained is the proper vented type. I 'm going to use this battery until I have my car sorted out a bit. If it last six months I'll have gotten my moneys worth. I'll be looking for a new replacement later.

 

I've accomplished quite a bit in the last couple of days. I removed the window switches , especially to check the function of the driver's side window which doesn't move at all. The switches checked out okay so I'll have to pull the door panel and check the motor soon. The rt.side window will go up and down with a little help. The top works fine.

I had searched the forum about the banging sound going over bumps and was directed to check the upper front shock mounts. I found that they were loose because there wasn't any rubber left in either mount. I had read that I could use almost any rubber bushing that fit. The Ford rear shock lower bushing was suggested. I bought two packages of the Dorman "Help" Ford bushings for 3.99 a piece. They fit fine. I discovered that there was no real need to even remove the front wheels to change these. I did remove them because I wanted to check the brake rotor and pads. I found that if you tuned the wheels fully in one direction then jacked up the car using the front jacking point and let the wheel hang down a bit it will expose the lower pair of bushings. It was easier to pull down the shock rod without the wheel in place. On the left side I left the wheel on and had no real problem.

I followed advice to take a section of 2x4 and drill a one inch hole that will accommodate the pin of the jacking point. I then used my hydraulic scissor jack without a problem. I put a jackstand under the front crossmember for safety. I could see that the original bushings were like a closed cell foam of some type. It must have been pretty firm when new but it had "melted away" almost completely.

I had removed the air cleaner covers and filters to gain a little more working room. I love those two protruding snorkels with the little rubber tips! I found that I'll be ordering some new air filters and will have to replace the grommet that the distributor vent fits into in the rt.side air cleaner.

I took the car on an approx. 10 mile test drive around my neighborhood. First off to the gas station as I had only put in maybe a gallon and a half of from a can since I brought it home. Premium Gas, I haven't bought that since I had my early Northstar Cadillac.

On my test drive I discovered the following:

The banging noise in the front was gone.
There was still a curious sound from under the tranny tunnel which might be a bad tranny mount.
There was a lesser noise from the rear which I figure might be from an IRS cradle mount.
The trans seems to slip when taking off in drive. When taking off in First then manually shifted into second I didn't notice this. When I shifted manually into drive and accelerated I noticed the problem again. I don't know if the tranny is just gummed up a bit from sitting for probably almost a year. Still it's just a GM Turbohydramatic 400 like I had in my big old Caddies before.
The instrument lights are pretty dim. Is there a rheostat switch somewhere?

I noticed that the delayed interior lights started working, I wonder if the ECM has to do some relearning every time the battery is connected? I have been unplugging it after the after- run fan stops. I might stop doing that but I didn't know if there is an unknown drain that would kill my bargain battery.

I know I will have to check the advance mechanism in the distributor as per Kirby's book soon. The car runs cool per the temp gauge even in this hot spell we're having. I've got plenty of work ahead of me. I learned something else too. I love driving this car!

I have found so much helpful info searching this forum. Thanks to all that have posted in the past.

 

Previous owners of my car were using the standard lead acid batteries. The rust I had to repair along the trunk rear led me to believe the batteries were the cause. I could be wrong. I still like the Optima battery for peace of mind and reliability. I hate spending money like the next guy, but think the money was well spent. Just my opinion.

 

In the days of my youth with non-sealed batteries or leaky lead acid batts corrosion would show directly below on the battery tray and directly above the battery where the "fumes/vapor" would concentrate, it'd be odd for the boot lid lip to corrode and not areas directly adjacent to the battery. The XJS trunk lip is a known place for corrosion but not due to the battery.

 

At this point JT, I agree with you. I think the rust was caused by water. The cause of my rust is not the real point. Wrong battery type will cause rust and is dangerous.
This is from Kirby Palm's book:
Michael Neal recommends an Optima battery (see page 707). This is a lead-acid unit but uses six separate coils instead
of plates; it uses a gel electrolyte and is sealed, no vent required. “So far they have proven nearly indestructible.” The
Optima is not cheap, but reports are unanimous that it is worth the money -- it lasts so much longer than a conventional
battery that its real cost is comparable.
David Littlefield elaborates: “Optima only sells two batteries for passenger cars, one with side posts (800U) and one
without (800S). Either will work fine in the Jag, since the one with side posts also has top posts. These batteries are
both red-topped; Optima also sells a yellow top battery that is designed for deep-cycle operation, such as in electric golf
carts. You don't want the yellow ones.” Optima also makes blue-topped marine batteries.

 

Battery acid and fumes can do a lot of damage. Every older car I've had has always had the battery under the hood where their fumes were supposed to be dispersed as the under hood air was pushed out from under the car. Most of my old cars had some damage from acid, especially the battery tray and fender well. I don't have any disagreement with using the proper type battery, in fact I am using the proper type. I will be proceeding slowly as my funds are limited and my preference is to keep costs down as much as possible. I'm trying to evaluate what my car needs done immediately to be returned to useful service and it will have to pass the smog test soon to be registered. After I sell off my old Mustang I will have a bit of cash to invest in my Cat.

 

I pulled the distributor cap to check the advance mechanism as was advised by Kirby's book. I found that the mechanism worked fine and it was easy to remove the rotor. I hope this is a sign that this car was maintained properly by the previous owner. I put the cap and some other parts in a box and placed it in the trunk. Today I went to unlock the trunk and it wouldn't open. The lock turned properly and the release lever worked like normal but the latch wouldn't release. There was some play in the trunk so I pushed down on it while I operated the release. I sprayed some penetrating spray into the lock cylinder and even struck the lock (gently) with a rubber mallet hoping to free up the release. No luck. It was working fine until today. Has anyone else had this problem? Is there any work around? I don't see a way to get into the trunk through the passenger compartment. Any ideas?

 

If your central locking is working properly then using the key to lock the drivers side door should also lock the passenger door and the trunk. Unlocking works the same way.
Have you tried to unlock the door and allow the central locking to unlock the trunk?

 

I disconnected the battery before I started working under the hood, so that won't work. I'm thinking that the lock has to go "over center" so that the release mechanism will be "cocked" kind of like a trigger. I'm going to try slamming it down a bit, there is some looseness. I can pull up the decklid a tiny bit, so I'll try to slam it down. Maybe while banging on the lock with the rubber hammer. Once I get it open I can check the operation of the linkage and striker. Gotta get it open first though. Thanks. Can I hook up another battery through a connection under the hood? Like to the hot wire on the starter and a ground?

 

I did another search and found that there were others that had a similar problem. I guess that I must have locked the doors and trunk with the trunk open using the power lock. Then I disconnected the battery then closed the trunk. Since the power lock over rides the manual trunk key I've been out of luck. Tomorrow I will supply power through the cigar lighter or firewall terminals and see if I can unlock the trunk. If not then I'll try the wire through the license plate mounting hole. What a wealth of info is available on this forum.

 

Today I tried to power up the car using the cigar lighter with no luck. I then tried to find the firewall terminals. I found a terminal on each side covered with a red painted screw-on cap. I checked these with my multimeter and found that they were both ground. I looked around some more and found a 90 degree rubber boot behind the trans dip stick. I checked it with the meter and it wasn’t grounded. there was also a red cover on some big connector lug. I managed to get a slim alligator clip under the boot and was able to power up the car. I found that I could lock and unlock the doors and I could hear the truck lock solenoid engage with a clunk. I could operate the release lever but it didn’t seem to trip the release mechanism. Believe me I tried numerous times, starting with an unlocked trunk, then a locked trunk. Still the same result. I’m thinking that the mechanism is stuck by a rag or paper towel or damaged by being slammed shut when it was missing the support struts, though it was working fine after I installed the new struts. Maybe the linkage rod came off. I tried to use a wire through the license plate bolt holes but didn’t have an idea what I was doing. I found a nice diagram of the trunk lock mechanism on the Jaguar Heritage website. This will give me a better idea of how to trip the lock. Funny how this holding up my progress. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.