Last week, Mike90 made the comment on a post, that doing a brake job on the inboard rear brakes of the XJS is a "rite of passage" for those of us crazy enough to do our own work on these cars. That term resonated in my mind as my son and I "played" with the exhaust system on SpeedDemon over this past weekend; particularly while we were removing the downpipes. THAT, gentlemen, is definitely a rite of passage for any owner of a V12 XJS.

In my 14 years of XJS ownership, I've experienced many rites of passage with regard to these cars, and I'm certain other longtime owners have as well. I thought it might be fun, and informative to start a list of such chores, and have everyone chime in with whatever was their rite of passage with their XJS. My personal experience is with the 5.3 V12, but, I'm sure AJ6, AJ16, and 6.0 versions have their own particulars, and are more than welcome on this list, as well as any general XJS task, which has a high enough degree of difficulty/frustration so as to qualify it as a rite of passage.

I'll start the list with a few of the most common (in no particular order), and I look forward to reading everyone's contribution to the list.

1). Changing spark plugs and wires on the V12

2). Replacing the half moon seals on the cam towers of the V12

3). Removing & replacing the downpipes and related heat shields on the V12

 

I like the idea Scott. I will add a few :

* Rebuilding the cooling system on an overheating car (either by restoring the original parts or going twin electric fan)

* ('89 and up) Having a Marelli cat fire. Saving the car from the cat fire.

 

Funny you should mention that. I had that particular pleasure while solo test-driving a friend's 89 Marelli car. I had to put the fire out on the side of the road by turning the front wheels to have access to the burning cat, and throwing sand on it through the wheelwell till the fire was out. Once my adrenaline levels began to subside, I quickly discovered that the sand came from a bed of fire ants. I'm lucky that I wasn't arrested for stripping off my clothes on the side of the road. You should have seen the owner's face when I finally returned to his house driving his shiny black convertible in nothing more than my underwear

 

heater core replacement on cars with the Delanair MkII system !


Cheers
DD

 

Good one, Doug. I haven't had that pleasure yet, but, I'm sure it's in the making.

 

Constantly filling it up with petrol?

 

Perhaps not so much for those of us in the states, but, at the prices you pay for the stuff there, I'd say that it makes the list for anyone in the UK, and perhaps anywhere on the European continent as well.

I pay roughly $3.80 per 9/10 of a gallon of the good stuff here in Mississippi (don't ask me why they don't round it up to a full gallon. Perhaps they think they're fooling someone).

What are the prices there, and in what units is it sold (gallons, liters, etc)?

 

I'm still trying to find a petrol (gas) station north of Orlando that doesn't put 10% water, Sorry.... that methanol **** into my tank.

 

FYI it is definitely not water, that would be very bad for the engine. It is ethanol, ie moonshine. It does allow for a higher octane fuel, as it is higher than gasoline and helps lower cost of higher octane gas. However the specific energy is slightly lower than gasoline, thus the slight decline in fuel economy. I personally am in favor of it if it was not for the the corrosive side effect.

I have a few gas station that sell 100% gas around me, however they are always 30-45 cents more per gallon on regular and sometimes up to 50 cents higher on premium, ouch!!!

 

+1 changing out the water coolant rails and seals.

I am right in the middle of it, however my engine is out of the car. So I can't say I have done this the hard way.

 

"Ouch" is right ! Not worth it, IMHO!



Cheers
DD

 

My first post!

Buying a beautiful looking XJS; driving it home and watching a succession of warning lights pop up while the seat keeps motoring back; trying to find which 'blue relay' does what...

 

Andy,
Be sure to create a new post describing the problems you're having, as well as the year of your XJS, and which motor it has. Many members include that info in their signature, so that it posts automatically. We have a pretty knowledgeable group here, and I'm sure someone here has been through the same problems, and can offer you some assistance.

Also, be sure to check out the two sticky posts at the top of this XJS forum, and, if you haven't done so already, you'll want to download Kirby Palm's excellent (and free) ebook, which details many of the most common problems people have had with their XJS, and the solutions to those problems. You can download it here:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/xj-s/book/XJS_help.pdf

 

Many come to mind.

Top of the list at the moment:

1) Removing and reinstalling the starter motor on a RHD car. Rack off, cradle lowered, so as to clear the top rack mounting bolt bracket (welded to the cradle).

2) That stupid collision bracket fiasco on the transmission mount, so the pan is a PAIN to remove.

3) Stripped banjo bolt threads in the tappet blocks. 1" more forward of that engine and a snap of a task.

3) 1A and 1B spark plugs with the "Black monster" compressor.

 

Man, it has been fun reading this list of 'rites', as I have done most mentioned, and can readily agree.


I think that starter replacement deserves special mention for LHD cars, too. That *)@#E##$#$% top bolt is a good reason to develop a drinking habit.


A couple more for your pleasure: replacing the expansion valve and the heater valve are also quite fun.


And, the perennial favorite for me as well: replacing the fuel hoses on the rail.


And another: tracking down all of the fuel filters and replacing them and doing a surge tank cleanout.


Are we having fun yet?


-M

 

For me it was replacing the steering rack bushings followed closely by new radius arm bushings. Both jobs done in my garage - no lift. It was not a fun job!

 

I completely forgot what a pleasant job it is to try getting those front radius arm bushings out. I've done the job a few times, and I'm about to do it again. I've used butane torches, drills, hack saws, and sledge hammers. None of them work well for this.

 

I recently changed the exhaust manifold gaskets on my 89. I'm still wondering why I own this car, lol

 

Guys:


I have been LFMAO reading this thread...seems like an operational definition for masochism!


Someone mentioned the steering rack: I have had three fun intersection points with this item: getting the steering coupling back on the pinion, replacing the OEM bushes with poly (for an anointed few, this evidently is not bad, but in my case, that took hours with a torch, hacksaw blade and chisel- the two-socket method failed miserably, resulting in stripped threads of the drive screw, which meant THAT had to be hacksawed off...hours into that job). And my last favorite: getting the hose connections tightened on the rack itself (I had to replace the high pressure hose due to leaks). What a bitch. A triply-jointed midget circus contortionist might have been able to do these operations easily enough, but I had more fun than I should have been allowed.


Why is it, again, we do all this? Oh, yeah....


-M

 

I forgot one, now normal for me.

Just replaced the front sway bar "D" rubbers on the Black S Type (I know its NOT an XJ-S, not even close), but to do that task the heater tap has to come out, TRUE, and that is about the same as the V12 starter motor task.

This reminded me of doing the "D" rubbers on the XJ-S with the engine and radiator in situ. HAHAHA. The oil cooler pipes are in the way, the radiator is in the way, and the engine is just, well, THERE. That took me near ALL day back then, and this task today took 4 hours, but I stopped counting when the JD kicked in, it was cold in the shed.