I'm checking out a clean 85 XJS on a car classified site I go on. It's white, looks great in the pics and has some good looking wheels (in my opinion any aftermarket wheel is an upgrade in looks). The guy apparently has a small car lot and it was a trade in. He had it looked over by a shop in their town and it needs a manifold gasket, but not whether it's intake or exhaust. He says it runs but as soon as you start to drive it, it dies. I'm thinking about getting it as a 2nd car, just something fun to play with. Would be nice if a simple gasket fixed it, and could drive it around until the v12 died and SBC it but just curious if you guys knew if he sounded right, or was full of it.

 

Intake gasket leaks are not unusual. Sometimes just tightening the nuts wil do the trick.

Can't say for sure but my gut feeling is that leaking intake gaskets is not the cause of the problem ...but details are lacking.

If you keep a V12 cool it'll never die...so don't get excited about a SBC yet :-)

Cheers
DD

 

Well the guy's lot is just over 200 miles away so I better get some GOOD details before I make a trek up there to check it out.

I wouldn't imagine a leaky intake or exhaust gasket would cause it to die when under load either, but figured maybe the British had some wacky setup lol

 

It'll cost you more in time, money, and aggravation to do a SBC swap than to sort the V12.

 

i havent even gotten mine totally sorted out yet and i can say that, yes, in fact it is easier to just sort it out. why anyone would want to put a less efficient, lower compression, less powerful engine in place of a V12 is beyond me.

 

Die, SBC, die!!!!!

 

I have to bring this up because...well, I just have to!
I've been a die hard SBC man for 30+ years. But after fixing the V12 in mine I wouldn't even consider changing it to a SBC, I'd sell the car for scrap first.

Since I put the car on the road, I've lost count how many times people have pulled up beside me to rubber-neck at it. I've been late getting home because someone met me in the parking lot to see under the hood of the car. Just a couple days ago, I had to pop the hood for someone in the pouring rain so he could see that V12! I have never, ever had a car that generated this much attention, and I've had some very nice automobiles over the years. This V12 draws people like moths to a flame. If I dropped a 350 in there, the mystique would evaporate like $5 gas fumes.

 

^^ This.

- mechanics wipe their hands with shop rags whilst gazing in quiet appreciation of its magnificence
- small children flee in terror
- dogs don't chase it down the street
- chicks dig it
- even non gear heads ask in hushed tones, "is that a V12"?

 

Well, I'm not a purist by any means. I'm a Datsun Z guy by nature and though I love the sound of an inline 6 running Triple Weber carburetors at wide open throttle, I'd put a 327 in a 240Z w/o thinking twice about it if mine blew up and couldn't find a replacement anywhere close. While it would be totally sweet to have a purring v12, if something on it blew up or broke and couldn't easily fix it, I wouldn't have any problems with dropping a different engine in, but can we please get back on topic?

I haven't even heard back from the guy since early yesterday morning, so perhaps he doesn't even wanna sell it to someone who's asking him questions about the problem because perhaps they'll find something he's not mentioning before the ol' green switches hands.

 

On Topic:

Non-running 85 XJS. If the body and interior are in great shape, offer him $1000. $1500 if it's in exceptional condition other than the non-running part. This thing could be a money pit, and you can find nice 85s all day long for $3k.

If you have some high res pics, post them up - you'd be surprised how much information we can glean after owning one of these for a while.

 

https://www.bawolfepowersports.com/p...85-jaguar-saj/

Knock the wheels if you like, like I said I'm not a purist and I think they look better than stockers

Anywho, the car is listed on the classifieds site I use for much less than the $3500 he's asking there. Unfortunately he hasn't gotten back with me on a request for interior or motor shots that I sent last night, so perhaps the interior is total trash and that's why he hasn't written back.

 

Ok :-)

I think the wheels don't look right on a Jag at all!



From the pics that ARE posted it looks like a more-than-decent XJS. Worth investigating further, yes.

Cheers
DD

 

Looks great from the exterior. Absolutely worth hounding them for interior / engine shots. I'd run a car fax too.

You can find 5.3 V12 engines for a couple $hundred all day long, but if the interior is ratty, run away. Connolly leather ain't cheap.

For $3500, I would expect the interior to be on par with the exterior shots we've seen, AND for the vehicle to be running. Even so, a diligent search would net you an 89 with half the mileage for the same price.

 

Are you trying to say you have an 89 with half the miles for that price? lol That's his site's price, he's asking $1500 firm on the classifieds site, or trade for stuff. I think he's desperate to get that thing off his car lot.

 

I'm saying I have an obsession with these cars and I spend an inordinate amount of time scouring the internet for bargains

If you're mechanically inclined, and the interior / engine bay are commensurate with the exterior pics, AND the car fax checks out, I'd (shamelessly) show up with $500 and see what he says. I'd happily pay a grand, then get rid of those wheels as soon as it's running

 

I'm fairly mechanically inclined, as long as there's a way to actually GET to the parts needing fixing...that's why I pay my mechanic to do all the work on my 300ZX twin turbo, because I can reach the dipstick and that's about it lol

 

A V12 Jag might not be the car for you then :-)


Cheers
DD

 

I haven't seen a v12 engine bay up close but I would imagine 1985 technology with an engine that was around for a while before then would be a little easier to turn wrenches on than a DOHC Japanese engine with a HUGE plenum covering up everything. I guess I'll have to wait to see if the guy ever writes me back and shows more pics so I can see if the car is worth the drive up there to check it out. THEN I'll be able to get a goooood look at it

 

It's only 200 miles away - where's your sense of adventure

And yes, unfortunately a lot of accessories need to be removed for even the most basic tasks - AC compressor, cruise control, throttle post, air & fuel rails, I'm looking at you.

Once you've done it, not bad at all... but for a neophyte like me, pretty daunting at first. Thank heavens for youtube & laptops.

 

Once you resign yourself to going slow-n-easy and removing lots of "stuff" to reach want you wanna reach, it's not bad at all :-). Try to take shortcuts or hurry and the car will fight back every inch of the way.

Cheers
DD