I know we are getting way of topic here, but I like the look of the my E V12 and the XK engines. I think an engine should have a rugged, industrial look to it, and at the same time be inviting for a man to work on (kind of like Angelina Jolie??).... Engines on new cars are so prissy looking with their plastic covers and all, it make me feel lost in there and makes me want to ask my mom to come over and decorate it. My modern appliance daily driver gets serviced by others. I think I am going to pull Ms. Daisy out of there if I try.

But we digress...

Any 93/94 AJ6 owners that can help Brycycle with the idiosyncrasies, typical failure modes etc of their cars???

 

I agree with the plastic cover argument...but I think Jag could have been well served both from an appearance and a durability standpoint to move a bunch of the crap out of the vee area and reroute some of the other vacuum / emissions / HVAC crap lying right on top of the engine so you could actually see the intakes, cam covers, etc.

 

I agree with the durability argument. As far as aesthetics are concerned I am pleased, but durability is another issue. You just don't put wires anywhere near a V that's practically on fire all the time. That I agree with

Still calling Aj6 owners??

 

yes, AJ6 input still very much appreciated.

i've found something that has caught my attention, a '94 w/ the AJ16. has what i would call as close to classic as can be found on these later xjs': black on black w a pin stripe, wire wheels and a 'leaper'. and on the subject of looks, are the mono unit stock headlights of the facelift models interchangeable w/ the older 2 light models?

 

Bry:

No 94 came with an AJ16 except in England where the registration/sale year is different. If someone in the US thinks they have a 94 AJ16 I would be very worried about the upkeep of the car since they do not even know what engine is in it.

Also, the mono lamp design was universal from the cars debut in 1975 except for the US where the regulations required Jaguar to create the quad design, until 1992 when regulations allowed the single lamp design to be incorporated into the facelift. The car was designed for the single lamp design.

 

The car is at a dealership that specialize in vintage cars, namely American muscle. They seem to have a good reputation.

Either they have the year, or the engine wrong. I've requested further info, we'll see what comes of it.

 

If you want a British car with American iron, I'd suggest a Jensen Intercepter. They show up pretty frequently on Ebay for comparable money.

 

Great cars and, like the XJS, just a bit on the odd side of things, style-wise :-)


Cheers
DD

 

'94 AJ6 owner checking in. Mine has been flawless. The HVAC drove me to distraction for a bit but the engine has been very sound. Not much maintenance had been done I fear from the second owner (I'm #3) which had owned it for about 8 years IIRC. Did a general tune-up. Even before that and with original plug wires etc it never failed to start. Did a 9 hour trip from KC to Denver last summer and it handled it well.

Not a super mechanic but if there's any other questions you want to know about my experience with the AJ6 then let me know.

BTW, there's a pretty good discussion/history of the AJ6 on the AJ6 engineering website from over in GB.

 

Honestly? My opinion may be a little unpopular, but since you're not keen on the jag v12 (dont blame you), just keep it Jaguar. Don't put a corvette engine in there. Find a stock AJ16 4 litre or an AJ6 4 litre in there, preferably from the most mechanically sound X300 you can find ( a 1997 XJR supercharged engine, if you have to ) and slam it in the nicest coupe you can find. I'm sure someone else with a lot more patience is gonna want that V12 for an XJ or another XJS and you're probably gonna get better horsepower out of one of the AJ's, anyway. Especially when you get done with some quick mods.

You get things just right and it -OUGHT- to give V12 XJS's (And a lot of other cars) a world of grief.