My new/old Jaguar XJS and the drive from Las Vegas to Dallas
 

Hello all,

Never thought I would ever own a Jaguar but I am now a proud owner of a 1995 XJS convertible. I had some top issues when I went to pick it up that were quickly solved on this forum. Thank you!

I had some work done at Desert Oasis European Auto Service in Las Vegas and was very happy with their work and integrity. If you need service in Las Vegas I would recommend them. To test drive the car before I took off for Dallas I drove it up to Mount Charleston. It's about a 30-45 minute drive from North Las Vegas with a a top elevation of 7500 feet. The drive was perfect so I left that afternoon. I had an engine light that was on that could not be diagnosed in Vegas so I left with it on. Before I left I put two cans of Sea Foam in my fuel tank. I use that product often with my boat to clean the injectors and remove moisture from my fuel system. The engine light went out about halfway to Dallas and has not come back on. I made the entire drive with the top down, it rained a few times but at 70 MPH I stayed dry. It was light rain.

I still have a couple of issues with the car, the Anti-Lock caution light is on and the brake light. I'm looking for a good service center in Dallas. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! I also need someone that does upholstery, I found a company that makes seat covers called lseat.com at a reasonable price bout found some bad reviews. I need someone local.

While driving cross country the temp stayed at normal the entire way. Driving it in Dallas traffic with high outside temps it creeps between normal and hot. This is getting me a bit nervous. Anyone have any luck with electric cooling fans? I found one on ebay but I'm still looking and would like some recommendations.

Again thank you for all of your help with my other issues!

Regards,

Tom G

Congrats...

Hi Thomas, congrats on that fine machine. I am assuming it’s a AJ16 powered car, like mine. This is a very easy car to work on yourself, and with the space in the engine bay you find yourself wanting to do so.

We we have discussed the temperature issue on the facelift and specifically the AJ16 cars here several times, you are welcome to do a search of the forum, but In a nutshell, there are going to be several maintenance things you will want to do, but the temperatures in these cars will go above N at times. It’s a pain, specially for those of us in 100 degree heat (I am in Houston) because the A/C stops performing and you know how that can be around these parts. You are going to want to rod/boil that radiator out, get a new fan clutch, make sure your aux fan in working, potentially buy a lower temp switch, also wire the same aid fan to come on with the A/C compressor as prescribed by Jaguar.

Any pics of your road trip? Details of the cruise, what you saw on the way, etc? That would be nice to see/read about.

If you decide to go with electric fans I suggest Spal and nothing else.

Spikepaga,

Thank you for your reply! I have the car in the shop right now and they are checking the block temperature to see if it exceeds what is recommended by Jaguar. I'm just concerned because I'm not used to seeing temps that stray towards hot. It only stays halfway between normal and hot so it might be ok. It has not touched the red or neared the red so it might be normal in traffic. Once I start driving it goes right back to the top of normal, otherwise it runts great. The only other issue being checked today is the Anti-Lock light that is on and when breaking it pulls to one side. I'm sure a break job will take care of this problem.

Once I get the mechanical issues fixed I need to work on the upholstery and possibly body repairs to get rid of some annoying small dents. One step at a time.

Here's a few picks
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...9cbd404cdc.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...b76ed6e8ef.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...09d8a090a0.jpg

Hi Thomas-

The gauge in the vehicle is designed to go beyond N under certain circumstances, but I would suggest you search for the archives and figure out what you can change yourself, as far as cooling is concerned. Lots of genuine parts are available from jaguarclassicparts.com in the UK and are really not that pricy when compared to the prices some folks in the US are trying to sell them for. I have a list of must do items on a AJ16 engine that some may or may not consider overkill, but I tend to be a perfectionist with my cars.

The brake situation may be or or may not be more serious. It may be pulling to the side due to mechanical reasons, or it could be the ABS block has perished which will be more challenging to fix, but doable. It has all been done and we can help getting the car in perfect condition.

I think it's important to remember that the bang-on-middle where the N is is ideal, but the areas to both sides are still officially "normal" areas. The final facelifts dropped the whole "N" bar in the middle in favour of a whole normal zone. And a few degrees difference can make the needle move noticeably.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.jag...6268ef038e.jpg
Note the temperature gauge. No central "N" mark at all, just an "N" zone.

That said, yes, you should do the normal stuff--clean rad, new hoses, stats, fan, etc. When I got mine, she was reading warm, so I replaced everything (save the fan clutch and the electric sub-fan) with new stuff. Once all the leaks in the hose joints were sealed (one managed to develop), she has behaved well since. I rarely need to top her up these days. At the moment....

And thanks for the pics. Looks like great country for an XJS....

you didnt say if its a 6 cylinder or V12 ,, 6 is half a 12 cylinder so maybe 1/2 as much heat produced!

but great trip,, did you use Interstate 40 most of the way, nice fast easy cruising!
ron

Thanks for the info. I had the block temperature taken and it is ok when it is between normal and hot. Just have to get used to it.

Ron,

It's a 6 cylinder. I took I-40. Really enjoyed the trip!

A six-cylinder? What happened to the other half of the engine? ;)