Hi All,

Very pleased to see such an active forum!!

I have a few questions as I am a very "new" owner and really trying to work out the landscape that my very recent purchase has placed me in.
It will be apparent in my questions that I perhaps did not do as much research as I could have done prior to "jumping in" and making the XJS aquisition...

Question 1

Is it possible to get a new parts for the main "wear and tear items" on the 1994 XJs - I am talking steering assemblies, eg lower steering column..in fact putting it another way, what do we know is HARD or IMPOSSIBLE to get in the way of NEW essential spare parts?

Question 2

Doing some reading and understanding that there can be major issues with the Marelli ignition (Which I believe my car is graced with) how should I think about this and what can be done to mitigate the risk of having a catastrophic event

Question 3

I have been told that the main "cat" may not be fully there - what is the implication of this and could it damage the engine if left in its damaged state (Been told it seems that someone tried to "knock it out" (???)

 

Regear,

Congrats on your purchase - great choice!

I'm sure others can advise you better re the Marelli ignition. However, as regards the parts situation, it's really easy to see what is available new. Jaguar's parts system for the XJS is online and you can see availability, prices or even order online. See here:

http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk/jaguar-xjs-v179737-v226645-parts

I'm not sure if you're in the UK, US or elsewhere. If you're in the UK or US, ordering parts via your local Jaguar Dealer incurs no shipping charges to you.

Enjoy the car!

Paul

 

OK, my 2 cents worth.

#1 ask Doug or Bill at JagDaim in Melbourne. Google the number.
#2 Lots of threads on this subject, and it is certainly not the end of the world. Also a huge FREE, repeat FREE, download of a book called "Experience in a book" by K Palm. It is USA related, but once all the LHD, and other oddities are filtered, it is a wealth of knowledge.
#3. Depending on if they succeded in getting it knnocked out. Not hard so maybe they did. Not sure on the 6ltr down here, but if its got 4 O2 sensors (2 each side) there may be some hissy stuff until the computers sort their info. I dont think you got emission testing in Vic??????, so no biggy. Again, JagDaim should have the bits if you really do need them. Couple of cars in the family have had the knock out, and are as sweet as.

Also look at the Forum sponsors, who are outside OZ, as they have most anything, BUT the shipping costs can kill the deal sometimes.

 

Thanks Paul,

Great info - much appreciated

I am in Australia so would need to consider shipping

 

Thanks Grant,

I will definitely follow up on all those suggestions - I am already in touch with Brian at JagDaim...

...and I will follow up and download that book you have mentioned

Thinking of you guys over there and hoping the the fires are getting under control!

Thanks again

Al

 

Al,

I'm pretty sure that Jaguar don't charge shipping charges to Australia either if ordered via a Jaguar Dealer for collection.

Paul

 

The fact that you are *aware* of the situation is 50% of the battle.

In a nutshell, back in the day nobody was aware of the dangers of a Marelli failure so there was obviously no urgency to proactively prevent one.

Worn out parts caused a lot of problems. High resistance from worn spark plugs, plug wires, dist cap, rotor would cause rotor meltdown and the dreaded loss of one bank of cylinders. The 'fix' here, obviously, is to simply stay on top of routine inspection replacement of these parts. Trimming the rotor and adding a dab of silicone under it are also considered good preventative measures.

There is still the possibility of a module or coil failure which gives the same results: one bank of cylinders shuts down. There is no way to anticipate such a failure. But, you are *aware* that it may happen and therefore know to stop driving if you feel a sudden loss of power--- the telltale clue!

Some convert to Lucas distributor. Not an entire Lucas ignition system, just the distributor itself. That's a viable choice but I don't think it's necessary, personally.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug,

Very re-assuring points.
Am I right in thinking that converting to a Lucas distributor would not remove the possibility of a module or coil failure?
how often should a distributor/rotor be replaced...or putting it another way..how would one know when to replace a distributor and rotor which was prone to failure?

 

Correct




The distributor cap and rotor should be replaced as needed, as a result of periodic inspection. You'd be looking for excessively worn contacts or any sign of burning/charring.

I'd replace spark plugs every 30k miles, max. Plug wires every few years....or you can check each one individually for excessive resistance.

Cheers
DD

 

I bravely disagree with Doug. I would replace the plugs every 10,000 max, or every 2 years.

Greg

 

For a technical reason or a 'feel good' reason? Just wondering


Either way I say......Can't hurt, can't hurt!

I think if we go back years and years and look at the Marelli meltdowns we'll find that plugs and wires were way, way, wayyyyy overdue for replacement....like 50-60-70k miles. Cooked wires with high resistance and plugs so worn that the gap had really opened up a lot.

A key thing is that the plug gap be kept at .025"


Cheers
DD

 

“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

I love that saying. So true

 

Doug, after 15,000 in my car the plugs look pretty shot at the electrode ends. Also, if the plugs are not changed every 18 months to 2 years at most, my experience has been that they are far harder to remove.

Every time I change them, the car runs noticeably better than before. Also, I bought the ebay bargain of a lifetime about 5 years ago, 80 plugs for 10 UKPs !

Greg

 

When I was running straight six 4.2 Jaguars with a 12k to 15k plug change interval, I used to sandblast and regap them at around 5k. Used to be able to buy a neat little machine to do this but I expect the Health & Safety mafia have killed these off nowadays. This definitely improved running and extended plug life. I did the same for the one and only time I dabbled with a V12 until the fuel bills got to be too much.

On the current series engines with 100k plug changes, it amazes me how clean they stay and how well they hold the gap.

Graham

 

Welcome to the forum

these are a bunch of great guys here! They are very helpful.

oh, I have had mine 3 months...

What plugs do you guys recommend...?

Jonathan

 

NGK BR7EFS. Gap to 25 thou.

Greg

 

Nope, you can still buy 'em....in the USA at least.




Starting in the mid-70s as high-energy/solid state/no breaker point ignition systems and fuel injection rather than carburetors became increasingly common, and better piston sealing for far less oil burning, spark plugs started lasting longer and longer.

Cheers
DD

 

these
BR 7 EF / 3346