Got the car a week ago and though it looks and runs great I have a few issues I'd really appreciate some help with. I sold my van and got a small loan through my wife for the Jaguar so it's my only vehicle and running out of money fast. The car has set for a year and a half before I got it. The known issues with it were a rotten coolant recovery tank and a flat battery. Both of which I replaced. On the 3 mile drive to my home, no brake lights, no turn signals, oil pressure gauge occasionally worked, eng temp shot up. Almost all fluids were low or empty. Didn't care, it was a good running XJS!

1. The engine runs 3/4 hot on the temp sensor. No steam out the exhaust and no mixing of fluids. The electric cooling fan kicks on but doesn't kick off. I let it run for an hour before I unplugged it. I suspect the water pump may be failing and the blue fan relay needs replaced. Heard a rumor the head gaskets could be failing as well.

2. Looking for the following parts to get her street legal in West Virginia.
A: Wiper Motor
B: License Plate Light assemblies
C: Water Pump or rebuild parts? (see 1
D: Fog lamps if aftermarket will not work.

3: My speedometer occasionally thinks it's a tachometer. With all of the other projects on this car I haven't figured out if the speedo is electric or cable.

 

Regarding 1: do the thermostats open/work? Is the radiator clean inside? Is it clogged up outside? Does the hydraulic fan work properly? Has the system been blead correctly?

Regarding 2: can't help... Don't live anywhere in the near

Regarding 3: The car has an electrical tachometer and speedometer. No cables just wires.

 

I have a spare wiper motor

 

The normal operating temperature range for your motor is on the right hand side of the "N" on the temp gage. You really shouldn't drive it until the temp issue is resolved. If it overheats or runs too hot for too long you will drop valve seats.


I would start with a complete rehab of the cooling system including either a new radiator or at the very least a recore of the original.


The coolant passages in V-12 engines will "silt up" with aluminum oxide if the system is not properly maintained and correct coolant and DISTILLED water used. Flush the block with a garden hose and clean water then use radiator flush. Rebuild the system with all new components (W/P, thermostats, hoses and the like).


USE THERMOSTATS WITH THE BLEED HOLE AND JIGGLE PIN!
The hole and pin are installed at the TOP of the thermostat.


Don't go cheap on correcting the cooling system or take any half measures. Do it all the first time and and do it correctly and completely; otherwise this will get very expensive very quickly.


It looks like a very nice car with lots of potential. Congratulations!

 

what would you like for the wiper motor?

 

Tested thermostats. Crack open at about 210 degrees. One closes faster than the other so i'm just going to replace them since they're already out of the car. They had no jiggle pins. When filling the radiator and using the bleed bolt in top, is the car to be running or not running?

 

The thermostats without bleed holes and jiggle pins is part of your problem. I think opening at 210 degrees is too hot, my memory tells me that the V12 cooling system operates at 185 degrees others can correct me if I'm wrong. Replace the thermostats with the correct type available from any Jaguar parts supplier. The chain stores (Advance, Autozone, etc.)don't sell the correct type. Don't waste your time looking for cheaper alternatives. Open the bleeder at the top and let the coolant bleed through. I always did this with engine running. Don't waste your time before you replace the thermostats with the correct type.

I wouldn't drive the car until the cooling system is corrected. If this engine overheats or runs too hot you will be in a world of s**t!

 

Thought 210 was a little high for 12 combustion chambers. Looking into the thermostats, gaskets, water pump rebuild kit and a good chemical radiator flush. (along with the wiper motor) Removed the hoses to peer inside. Can't see much except the side tanks. Try flush first and hope for the best. It's hard to convince my wife that these are great cars when i'm under the bonnet every day LOL.

 

Bleeding the system to get rid of ALL air pcokets is essential. Here's a cut-n-paste, from and older posting, of the method I use




V12 cooling system bleeding:

There are different opinions on what works for filling and bleeding but most owners follow the same basic procedure. Here's the process I used on my '88 XJS V12 and a few others. It's not difficult, just messy.

Elevate the front of the car about 8" and then elevate the left front another 2-3" beyond that. Set the climate control for max heat so the heater valve opens.

Remove the bleeder plug from the left radiator tank. You'll see an access hole in the radiator upper mounting panel. The plug is some arcane size but you'll find something in your toolbox that fits.

Remove the caps from the expansion/header tank and from the filler pipe at the front of the engine....up there by the A/C compressor.

Add coolant/water to via the filler pipe until it reaches the bottom of the pipe. Start engine, set heater control to max heat. Let it run at idle until it warms up. Peek inside the filler pipe every minute or so and top up as needed.

When the engine gets warm increase the idle to about 1000-1200 rpm (a helper is helpful here...or just wedge a little something in the throttle linkage to hold it slightly open for a high idle.

Let 'er run and run. Give the upper radiator hoses a few squeezes now and again. Keep checking your coolant level in the filler pipe and top off as needed. Eventually you'll see some coolant coming out of the bleeder. That's good. Wait a while longer and (hopefully) you'll see coolant *really* pouring out of the bleeder. (How much? It's one of those "you'll know it when you see it" things..very messy)

When it's *really* pouring out of the bleeder hole, put the plug back in. Wear some gloves so you don't get scalded. If you can't get the plug back in thru all the gushing, shut off the engine and do it....but I like to leave the engine running if I can. Not worth getting burned, though.

Top off the coolant in the filler pipe...I go right to the top but some fill just to the bottom of the neck... add a quart or so to the expansion tank if you suspect it might be low, button everything up, and yer off to the races. If you've overfilled the excess will be pushed into the atmospheric tank mounted inside the fenderwell. If you've *really* overfilled the excess will exit the atmospheric tank and end up on the ground.

Lower the car and clean the driveway :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Look at it this way; you're preparing a very nice 25 year old personal luxury coupe to be a reliable and durable daily driver.

Get those thermostats!

Good luck; we're here to help. Don't take offense if we give you advice or direction you may not want to hear. The XJS is a terrific car and perfectly reliable as a daily driver but owning one is not inexpensive. Like I said, if you nickel and dime your car you will be in a world of s**t.

 

What would you like for it?

 

You don't see those every day - nice!

 

Thermos with jiggle pins & gaskets ordered from Jagbits. When they arrive I'll do a chemical Rad flush since there are no more radiator service shops left around here. Next up I noticed a Water Pump Rebuild appears to be possible, impeller and bearing. Might hit that up if i can avoid a machine shop. Around here they're pretty slow about getting to common peoples' work.

 

The correct thermostats and radiator flush will surely help your problem.
Keep us informed of your progress!

 

Absolutely. Found some mystery disconnected parts while snooping through the rest of the car. I'll take pics and if i can't figure it out on my own I'll post them. I really appreciate the quick advice and help here. :-)

 

OK .... I guess you're never too old to learn. I changed the thermostats to the ones with jiggle pins, flushed the radiator as well as hosing out between the condenser and the oil cooler. Filled the radiator as instructed below. Test drive yielded the exact same result, running 3/4 hot. Today after test driving again I noticed pressure still in the hoses that i assumed was excessive considering it's only a 15 Lb. system. I also learned there was another overflow tank in the fender well itself that bled excess antifreeze out to the ground. I removed the wheel ... low and behold, there it was. I removed it and blew through the metal overflow pipe. Clogged! Unclogged that, checked the tank and that part was OK. Figured I'd check the rubber hose from the cap to the inner fender tank. It too was clogged. The rubber hose was clogged as well as the metal pipe union. In fact, I had to get a drill and drill it out ... it was that bad! Wish I had taken pictures during the process but who the hell would have thought clogged overflow hose!? So my engine had essentially been a pressure cooker. The drive afterward was very gratifying. Temp never even got to "N" during the 25 mile test run! When your wife says "check the hoses"... you damn well better check ALL of them :-)