Hi - I have recently purchased a 1985 xjs 3.6. After a big clean up exercise I am now looking at the engine with the help of a good mechanic. It has been in a garage for 20 years plus - driven once a year for an MOT. I am going to need parts - can anyone recommend a good parts supplier or perhaps any pointers to expected problems after a long garage rest?
Any help appreciated.

 

David Manners for parts. If you ask they will point you to OEM parts but not in Jaguar boxes which are much cheaper but of the same quality.
Renew:
All coolant hoses - do not forget the one under the inlet manifold - new antifreeze
Pull radiator and clean out the space between it and the aircon condenser, blow through the fins with compressed air. The rad maybe shot, so if in doubt renew
All suspension rubber components
Steering rack bushes unless Jaguar Sport ones.
Check shock absorbers for function, they will almost certainly need renewing
Drain petrol tank and sump tank (under battery), blow through fuel lines
Change all fluids: engine, gearbox, differential
Renew coolant thermostat
New plugs, HT leads
As a precaution I would renew the crank position sensor at the front of the engine.
Get a specialist to check out the aircon (Fenaire are good and know XJSs). You will probably be looking at least at a regas and a new compressor, as the seals in the old one will have dried out.
New brake pads and fluid, sensible to fit new brake flexibles (2 front one rear).
New tyres!

Electrical: Clean all earth points
Mechanical: the engine will be fine. The rear axle will need greasing (10 places!).
Check the front stub axles/wheel hubs for play, of any, adjust the bearings.

After all that, you will maybe have electrical gremlins in the instrument pack aircon control modules, but there should be nothing serious. But be aware that things like fuel pumps can fail suddenly after long periods of inactivity.

 

welcome. If it passed MOT once a year can't be in that bad a shape.

 

I like David Manners as well. Normally free postage. SNG Barratt peed me off a bit with their ridiculous postage charges.
Rob.

 

Rescue, don't you believe it!

 

Lol well reading some other threads of stuff they missed on MOTs you are right I don't haha.

I hope I pass my safety when the time comes. Only need to do it once. After that doesn't matter.

 

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum.

Good move joining as this is the best place I have found to get information and help in 5 years ownership of my 1990, 3.6 manual.

I have had good service from both David Manners and SNG. Postage can add a lot to small items so plan ahead and bulk buy. There are also others out there e.g., Britparts, Rimmer, and JustXJS (really useful website). Don't forget Jaguar Heritage. I bought a new clutch master cylinder from them last year - price was reasonable and it was delivered to my local Jaguar main dealer within 24 hours and no postage costs.

Sometimes you have to get inventive. I discovered that the remote gear change bushes on the XJS are the same as a TR7 which are cheaper and more easily available. Most XJSs were exported to North America so that can be a source of parts especially if you holiday or have friends there.

After a long layup I would change all the fluids and suspension bushes (the ones at the top of the front shock absorbers deteriorate quickly and give rise to an annoying knock over bumps - grab the shocker absorber in the wheel arch and shake). Rust will be your biggest threat (see JustXJS website) but if the car has been garaged for so long it may not be so bad (mine had a similar history).

Good luck with the car and let us know how you get on.

Cheers,
LeeP

 

Hi Greg. Thank you very much for your response. This really helpful. I can already relate to many of the items you listed. Ive moved from a 1931 650CC Austin 7 to a 3.6 xjs, so its quite a different beast. I must say I drove it down from cumbria - the first 20 miles I thought it wasnt going to make it, suddenly the cobwebs blew away and it was a beautiful drive down the M6. After many hours cleaning the interior I found the brown seats were actually champagne!
Any way thanks for the pointers, I think I have a few jobs to do.

 

Thanks Rob - I think Ive seen him on Car SOS

 

Hi Lee
Many thanks - good advice. Ive done all fluids, belts, plugs, ht leads etc. Took it to a garage (the owner of which is a real mechanic) and he has given it a detailed inspection and in his words - youve got a really nice car here. Passed its MOT no issues. Needs a ne clutch and suspension bushes (as you mentioned) and the oil level monitor is leaking oil. Also need a new heater thermostat as it is stuck on hot.. The car runs really well and is a joy to drive.

Rust isnt bad - underneath there are 2 areas at the bottom of the shocks and on the body a few blister, one previous filling and 1 wheel arch needing sorting. One of the reasons I snapped this up was the lack of rust. The interior was awful, the leather took me all winter to clean and I eventually found a wonderful cleaner that managed to get the ingrained black out of the cream leather. Ive put new headlining on the roof panels, just needs new carpet. Looking forward to a few nice trips (to a country pub now) with the top off and a fitting 1980s cassette playing.
Many thanks
Nik

 

Nik
What was the leather cleaner brand?

 

Hi Greg
Its not a leather cleaner - I bought it to clean the canvas roof and some dripped on the seat unknown to me. The next day I had a big bright drip down the seat (I had been trying everything to clean these seats). SO I tried a patch and it worked like and now Ive done everything with it. It cleans everything. Its called IOSSO mold and mildew cleaner - I got it from amazon. very caustic and very expensive, but very effective.
Nik