OKay, so had the car for a little over a month now and is used as a daily driver.
Work Done:
Headliner re-fitted.
Stereo / Interior lighting issues sorted (thanks for the help)
Steering rack bushing re-fitted (huge improvement)
Windscreen wiper park position changed and new pumps fitted.
Door and boot seals fitted.
Interior cleaned.
Front grill fixed and front bumper chrome re-positions so they fit better.

Jobs to do:
Rear bumper LH crome piece to replace (have bought a part - need picking up).
Front left lower valance to replace.
Rear window de-mist to sort.

AND - (the one I need help on)

Water leak onto kick plates near front speakers (both sides)
Have tested and found that it is not coming from the door but from the a-pillar. Have read that there are some windscreen drains but where exactly? I have had the stainless cover trim off and although the rubber looks a little dry, doesn't seem so bad (and no rust).

Also noticed last night that my left foot was getting a little wet whilst driving. A/C drain problems?

Need to sort this before I re-make my door cards.

Thanks

 

I need to know how to reverse the windscreen wipers so that they remain parked on the passengers side, instead of the drivers side. That would be american drivers side. How do I do this?

As for the water, I had a similar problem where the water was in fact coming in through the door. It would come in at the point in front of the window and sneak in under the rubber material at that point on top of the door. (Only visible when the door is open)

I'll send you a picture of the part if you don't know what I'm looking for. I ended up sealing the underside and adding something to build up the inner edge to keep water from rolling into the car and down to the sillplate.

 

On your 1996 with the Electrolux motor with the external drive linkage, remove the wiper arms, pull the wiper assembly, then loosen and rotate the linkage arm on the motor 180 degrees. Reinstall and run the motor and park it. Re-install the arms on the other side.

Earlier cars with the cable drive require you to open the drive case and reverse the cable linkage there.

The only issue is if the arms have bend in them to accomodate the park angle. It will be bent the wrong way now, but with a propane torch and a vise you can bend them the other way. Repaint them afterward, of course.

 

Vee, if you need the wipers down more as to be less in the way when parked, I solved that by bending the driver side arm down by heating it and taking the arms off and positioning them lower and installing 14" left and 16" right blades. Works very well and my 5'1" wife can see over them now.

Mefoote, My car leaks like a sieve when taking it through a car wash. The rubber seals at the top of the door glass have cracks in them. If you have aleady replaced them then that is not the problem. luck
RagJag

 

Water on the left foot could be from the heater box; I think that the drains from under the wipers get blocked causing the water to run into the heater. The trick seems to be to drill a hole in the box to let the water out.

 

I am pretty sure the water is coming through around the a-pillars. Various threads I have read say that this should be sealed under the trim at roof level to stop water going down there in the first place.

 

The drains in the wiper box are about 1.25" in diameter. Not likely to be blocked. Easy to check though. Did you probe or blow out the drain tubes coming from the AC unit? Mine were blocked and soaking the carpet.
RagJag.

 

The drains are large, but they can get blocked. Down here in Central FL the live oaks shed skinny little leaves that make their way into the drain somehow and will clog you up pretty quickly.

It's easy to pull the rubber hose boots in the engine compartment to clean them out.

 

So, checked all drains - free and clear. (and no rust anywhere that I have checked so far - am amazed).
Went about rebuilding passenger (LH) side door card over the weekend. strip all the bits of the rottern old card, bought some new hard board, made a stencil, fit and replace - perfick!

Whilst thecard was off decided tolook in earnest for this pesky leak.
Seems that at the side of the dash there is a plastic channel held in by one screw. Remved that, A-frame cover and set about looking. Finally it seems that the joint between the A-Frame, body, bonnet (hood) an everything else seeps slightly.. So. Plenty of sealent and voila - success.. Next weekend - drivers door card and sealent.

 

Water leaks are tricky. So often the entry point and the dripping point are some distance apart.....because the water meanders this way and that.

I've generally had good luck finding leaks by removing relevent trim pieces, curling myself into the suspect area, and having a helper spray the car with a garden hose.

As for A-pillar leaks.....

When you open the door you'll observe a 3/8" wide "ledge" of sheet metal in the door jamb....it's maybe 6 inches long....in the area just below the A-pillar. I recall that this functions as a water deflector of some sort. I think the idea is to direct water to the "weather" side of the rubber door seal versus the "cabin" side.

Or something like that.

The details are very foggy in my brain but I'll wager Kirby's book covers it.

Just thought I'd throw it out there. Might be worth a bit of investigation.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug,
Seen that, and seems to do it's job as the original riverted plastic molding is still there and none looks damaged. This particular piece seems as though jaguar knew about the issue and decided to put a plastic drain channel in. have read Kirbys book regarding this issue, and the xj-s seems to have a very complex way off shifting water around! Anyway, will take a closer look at the base of the A frame or windscreen seal (which looks new) to fine where the start point is.

 

Okay, quick update.
Removed all chrome trim from around windscreen. Car is in great shape, no rust as far as i can see.
All drains clear so far.
Check A/C drains, all clear, so i guess the residual water was hanging around in trim sections with sponge, as i haven't had any tell-tale puddles recently.

Replaced speakers with some decent 3-ways, sounds great now. Still waiting for a chrome bumper trim piece to finish the back end.

Will be giving a full service end of the month. With limited access to the enferneath - any tips would be welcome.

PS, after playing around, looking for leaks cleaned up some pipes and filters now A/C and centre vent works a treat.
Will clean her up and gets some pics soon.