I'm looking at a 1988 XJS that looks to be in beautiful condition. It has been stored for the past 10 years, but they now have it up and running with fresh gas and some fuel cleaner.

This car is 1200 miles away from me right now. I would love to have a bit of an adventure and drive this car home. Realistically, what systems/hoses/etc. do I likely need to replace (aside from tires) in order to do so?

The car is a pretty good price (I think--I'm really not sure what's considered a good price on these) so I don't mind putting some money into it to flush the radiator, replace hoses, etc., I'm just not sure what all will need to be done as I've never owned a jaguar before. (But have owned cars that have been stored for long periods before--mainly Jeeps and Volvos.)

Any thoughts? Am I crazy for even attempting to drive this home? Thanks.

 

The list will be HUGE, and that HUGE will depend on your mechanical ability, which seems OK.

FUEL HOSES, that is a MUST DO. The V12 WILL catch fire if those hoses are left as they are.

The V12 weak point is the cooling system. It is quite capable of doing what it should, but 10 years is a looooong time, so I suggest a GOOD flush, even take the radiator out, clean the gunk out of the exterior gaps (well documented), clean the atmospheric plastic tank, the metal header tank, and 2 new rad caps, and ALL, and I mean ALL the hoses with new clamps.

Replace ALL the belts, 4 on that year.

Power steer fluid change, simple task.

Oil leaks may appear, shrunk o/rings, some may take up, most will not.

An oil and filter change.

Trans fluid change. Then beware of the governor gear failing, they tend to do that after storage, common GM item, PAIN to fit on the side of the road.

Grease the beast, about 21 grease points.

That is my list whilst consuming my first coffee of the day.

The fact it apparently up and running is a good sign, and obvious care at time of storage.

Add to that list due to 1200 miles.

Fuel pump and filter renew, cheap enough, and just gives that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Brake fluid flush, mandatory in my opinion.

Thats 2 coffees gone, and I reckon enough to get you home in the car. Since you are heading for your Summer, think carefully about many items.

 

So the translation from Australian would be "Better to put it on a trailer"?

 

That all sounds doable by myself if I had it at home, but I wouldn't have a place to work on it where I'm buying it from so I'd have to have someone else do the work. How expensive are the components would you say? The cost of shipping it or driving down there with a Tahoe and trailering it home would be probably be about US $1000 or more. Do you think I could get all of this work done for under $1000, or are the Jags crazy expensive to work on? (Plus once I had it home I'd have to spend the money on parts anyway, so that something else to take into account.)

What would you pay for a car like this that has a body in very good shape (seats need some repair), seems to run fine, but has been stored for 10 years and will need these maintenance repairs?

Thanks again.

 

Some sage advice from Grant, as usual. Do some of the 88s also have Marelli ignition? If so, do the Kirby Palm mod before driving it home.

If you don't have to worry about emissions testing, I would have a muffler shop remove the cats and a set of resonators too.

- Buy AAA.
- bring a credit card with a couple grand free
- bring sense of adventure
- outline your proposed route, some listers may be able to help if you run into trouble.
- pics or GTFO

 

I'd prefer to just fix it before taking off, lol. I don't mind adventure but don't want to damage the engine because I wasn't smart enough to do a little preventative maintenance beforehand. If something else should happen to break then so be it--I just don't want it to be from something stupid I could have fixed.

I'm on an iPad right now so I can't attach pics, but will add some once I'm back on a computer.

 

With that many years sitting, don't expect there to be any refrigerant left in the a/c...

Cheers,

- Will

 

Yep, thanks. I'm a bit more concerned about critical mechanical systems though. Plus (I haven't mentioned it yet) it's a convertible so I'm not too concerned about AC.

Also, for the person asking about my route I'll basically be going from Atlanta, Georgia to Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

 

Ah, well an '88 convertible will be a Hess & Eisenhardt. The H&E convertibles have the a/c set to always run, although there is a pressure switch to shut it off with no refrigerant. Theory behind having the a/c always engaged is to ensure the fuel cooler runs even when the top is down, preventing vapor lock in very hot weather, when presumably a coupe's driver would have engaged the a/c... Won't be an issue this time of year (or probably any time of year in Minnesota).

I would top the gas *all* the way up, let it sit, and ensure there isn't any fuel weeping out anywhere. All mid-to-late 80's XJ-Ss had a fuel pressure relief system prone to failure (and in some cases plumbed wrong). The H&E's have an overly complex fuel system (cost of having the magnificent low stack) with 2 independent fuel tanks, leaving more possibilities for fuel leaks to develop if the system is allowed to overpressurize. You may have a lingering fuel vapor smell in the cabin or the trunk when the car is allowed to sit in the sun full of gas, which isn't the end of the world in my opinion... I ended up running my fuel vent line to atmosphere as a temporary fix and haven't had any fuel odors since...

Don't expect the fuel gauge to be reliable... most H&E owners (myself included) use either the electric odometer on the trip computer or the mechanical one on the dash and guess when they are running low on gas. Trip computer will also tell you fuel consumption (roughly).

Convertible top system is fairly robust... the hydraulic lines crack over time and dump the fluid to turn your trunk carpet bright red, but the pump seems bulletproof and once the lines are repaired and system topped back up should give you no issues. Easy to lower and raise by hand in the meantime with the bypass valve opened.

The distributor is frozen unless someone overhauled it. If frozen car will still get you home 1200 miles, but the engine will be boggy, fuel consumption truly terrible, and engine prone to overheating when summer rolls around.

Here's a thread I started about some of the history of the H&E:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ertible-75595/
Good luck!

Cheers,

- Will

 

As for the cosmetics, "Leatherique" will bring the seats back to feeling soft like a baby's behind. To clean and protect the cloth top, I use "303 Fabric Convertible Top Kit (don't spray use a sponge roller". "TR3 Resin Glaze" will help if it is oxidized, read warnings about paint types...

Good luck,

~Tim

 

Jaguar Heaven in Stockton, CA sell the all the Coolant hoses in a kit. They all come in a big bag so no need to hunt down individual hoses.

http://jaguarheaven.com/

 

Yes, it is a Hess & Eisenhardt. I'll admit I know nearly nothing about these (or any jags). I did know that it has two fuel tanks with two fuel pumps that seem to be more prone to failure, and I've been told about the gas smell before. Not sure if this car has it or not, but I've been told that if you contact Jaguar in New Jersey they still fix/repair this issue.

I feel that if this car was near me I'd have no problem bringing it home and getting everything working well, but I'm growing more and more hesitant to try driving it as is. It also looks as if I shop around I can get hoses, etc., for reasonable prices but I have a feeling a dealer/mechanic would charge quite a bit for the same parts. Still, as I said before it would probably cost $700-1000 to ship the car home (or drive down with a trailer and get it) so if I could get all of the repairs done for less than that it would probably make sense to do so. That way my only expense to get it home is gas money, and then I get to enjoy taking it out on the road.

 

Here are a couple of pics of the car. Unfortunately I don't have any interior shots. They're asking $2500. Is this reasonable for a car that has been stored for 10 years and may require some significant maintenance?

 

Reading ALL that a few times, even my sense of adventure and sense of humor would be tested.

Having ANYBODY you simply do not know doing that "get home" list will cost heaps, and you will have NO idea if anything is done correctly.

I would do as suggested, trailer it home, do the work yourself, buy the parts responsibly, save a HEAP, and know exactly what is good or bad.

Sadly there are very few "mechanics" who even want to do any of that list on any car, let alone a V12 Jaguar, and if pushed would take way too many short cuts for my liking.

 

It may be cheaper to trailer it home.

When you quote the cost with the Tahoe, you are forgetting to also compare the cost of fuel for the XJS to make it on its own. The Tahoe probably gets better mileage than the XJS if all accounts are correct.

Then there is the flight down to get to the XJS if you are not driving the Tahoe.

By the time you add it all up, the Tahoe is likely cheaper.

You might also check with auto transporters. You might be surprised.

 

I'd be tempted to find a half decent local mechanic near the car and ask them do do a full service including a good brake fluid flush.
Many of those hoses MAY be about to let go, but they may also be adequate for the trip home. I'd just buy the bag of replacement hoses and throw it in the car with a basic tool kit and head off with trepidation.
Car transport companies are definitely worth a look in, especially if the car is near a major population centre and a transport company has a depot near you. Even if the depot is 1-200 miles away, it's a much less risky trip than you are proposing!
Personally, I wouldn't trust "running great" on fresh fuel and fuel system cleaner, I bet there's a mountain of crud/water in those tanks just waiting for the first stop light to fill the fuel pump and filter.

 

$2500 is not worth it. Let me contact the seller and take this problem off your hands

She looks gorgeous - DO eeeeet!!!!!

 

Rightfully so



Sounds about right but you might wanna try:
uShip - The Online Shipping Marketplace - Ship Freight, Furniture, Cars or Moves

I have good luck using this resource but the usual caveats apply.

If you can be flexible on pick-up and delivery times quite a bit of money can often be saved.



Replace cooling and fuel hoses, change engine and trans oil, flush brake system......at today's labor rates I doubt that you can get this done for less than $1000. And what if the radiator is clogged, a couple calipers are seized, etc? Lots more money. And, as Grant says, you'd want someone who knows about XJSs doing the work....and such a person might not be in the area.

Heh heh, I'm not at all adverse to a bit of adventure but, IMHO, the stack-up of risks in this particular "drive it home" scenario would be a bit too much for me. I'd have visions of being stuck in BFE and my Visa card bill suddenly skyrocketing!

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for the tip on uship. My dad buys classics (mainly Studebakers and Packards) from all over the country and shipping them back to Minnesota always seems to be the hardest/most expensive part for him. Using that website I see I could ship it to MN for a reasonable $575. That may be the way to go, but I think I want to see it in person before buying. A plane ticket down there is under $100, and rental car would be under $30. I've found a nice Jeep Wrangler I could buy down there and sell up here for a profit (people in MN go crazy for old Jeeps--the resale value up here is insane) that would most likely cover all of my expenses, and then some.

I will try to negotiate on price a bit with the guy, but I really don't know what's fair for this XJS. Someone else mentioned they bought their XJS for $1800 with under 70,000 miles. This one has just under 70,000 as well. Am I out of line offering the guy $1500 for it and hoping to get it for somewhere under $2000?

 

Don't forget that if you do drive it all that way you will need a new set of tyres (tires); after standing for 10 years they will be absolutely useless.