Good Morning and thanks for the valuable lesson that I learn from you here on the forum.

First, please allow me to give you a little background for this post. We have owned our ’95 XJS Convertible (AJ16) for two years now. We bought it with 87,000 miles and have put 3,000 additional miles on it since then. The car was only driven 8,000 miles in the last 10 years before we bought it, but it runs great and with no problems whatsoever. This summer we plan on taking it on a road trip from New York to Nova Scotia, so I want to make it is really road ready.

So as I start into my preventative maintenance program, I realize that all the hoses and belts appear to be the originals, with the date code on the fan belt confirming that fact. Also, the lower radiator hose still has the molded-in cold weather plug-in heating element! But they all still look pretty good. How can this be???

Anyway, as I start in to replacing the hoses, I have two issues that I seek your advice on.

First is the oil residue in the throttle body intake tube elbow (see the picture below). This is right where the crankcase breather tube joins. It runs and accelerates incredibly well for a 6 cylinder and there is no visible exhaust smoke on either acceleration on deceleration. Accepting that she is 22 years old and a little blow-by is to be expected, I am thinking that this is not a major concern. What are your thoughts on this?

Second is the radiator. After taking off the fan and clutch (I'm replacing the water pump, thermostat and alternator while I am in there), I find what seems to be red and green corrosion on the back side of the radiator (see the picture below). Is this the first sign of bad things to come? Should I have it serviced or should I save the radiator shop’s service fees and replace it?

Again, thanks for your input. You are greatly appreciated!

Scott

 

Scott,

It's not unusual to see some oil residue in the throttle body intake as a result of the breather. If it were me, I would clean it all out but not worry about it.

As regards the rad, it doesn't look awaful but it does seem that it is starting to suffer from the usual XJS rad problem of deteriorating lower fins. You notice whe this has got quite bad if the temp gauge rises with aircon on and the car stuck in traffic. It starts to need airflow through the rad to comepnsate for the cooling capability of teh fins. I've seen a lot worse than yours, and if teh temp gauyge holds fine in hot standstill traffic, personally I wouldn't worry. But, if not, you might want to think soon about getting the rad recored.

As a a complete aside, I'd love to see a few pics of your lower rad pipe with the heating element installed, when it's convenient I tried unsuccessfully for a few years to find an owner who had one of these fitted and could show me some pics. I've now installed one in my UK car but still don't know what the original orientation of the unit was on the NA cars that had them fitted.

Cheers

Paul

 

Paul, Thanks for your comments.

Here is a top view picture of the hose, still installed. I'm ordering a new one but it wont have the heater. And I might decide to poke a hole in this hose to drain the coolant. I am thinking about inserting a smaller hose into it to create a more controlled release with less splatter.

BTW, I talked to SNG Barratt today and they admitted that factory hoses they sell for the car are probably about the same age as my car. He said they also sell URO Parts hoses. When I questioned the URO quality, he told me that when it comes to rubber products they were fine.

Guess I'm going with URO unless someone has a better suggestion.

Scott

 

So far I have found factory hoses to be superior to anything aftermarket I have put on. If the factory hoses are not leaking or bulging I would leave them on as long as you can.

 

Scott,

Tks very much for that pic! I've been trying for 4 years to find an owner who could provide that!

Just a word of warning about that bottom hose. Jaguar don't have any of that type with the heater element and haven't had for some years. And the hose without the heater is about £200 from Jaguar! In the UK, there are no other suppliers of that bottom hose because of its unusual construction. So make sure you've got a new hose before you start puncturing the old one!

Cheers

Paul

 

Paul:

Your point is well taken. I will make sure I have a new hose before damaging the old.

Jagboi64:

Now you have me in a quandary. I am not sure which way I will go on the hoses, Jaguar old stock or URO. I will pull the hose and radiator before I make that decision tonight.

I once got my wife and I stuck with a dead motorcycle, 70 miles out into the hot desert. That memory is why I am trying to hedge my bet for an uneventful trip this summer.

But then again, I read in a motorcycle magazine years ago that its the uneventful trips that we forget the quickest. Eventful trip memories stay with us much longer. May be some truth there...

Thanks again gentlemen.

Scott

 

Hi Scott

Last year I got a New OEM Bottom Radiator Hose from my Jaguar Main Dealer, which was NOT made in the UK.

It doesn't feel as good as the Original and it won't stop dripping, even though its fastened with a Top of the Range Hose Clip.

It seems just a Fraction Too Wide, so I'm Seriously thinking of putting the Original back on.