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had some coolant weeping from the bypass hose, so ordered a replacement along with a new cross-over since the installed unit seemed to have been the original and I'm at 180000 miles so why not do a bit of pre-emptive repair. Good thing I ordered a new reservoir cap with the crossover and bypass as the NEW cap I just replaced a few weeks ago came apart!!!!! Also noticed vvt seals leaking so new ones in
unfortunately - yesterday's good fix led to bad issue today . Noticed a little bit of coolant under the car this morning so jacked it up to check to make sure nothing more than drippage from the draining process yesterday. Not the case as there was weeping around the drain plug. Tried to tighten and this was the result. Now to wait on a new $20 drain plug and figure out how to remove the old one
Finally resolved the lean fuel mixture codes that have been haunting me ever since I replaced the O2 sensors. (probably was running lean the whole time).
Found out that the prior owner went the cheap route and fixed the part-load breather pipe with a dollop of epoxy. I replaced the whole pipe, and now the fuel trims are back in line.
Replaced coolant reservoir tank. Got a "low coolant" warning so I did a pressure test. Would not hold 15 psi. Replaced the tank with one I got from RockAuto. Refilled and pressure tested. All is good.
If you have a moment, can you detail the re-painting of the calipers (primer, coats, clear) as well as the new Jaguar decals? Thanks.
I would caution everyone painting their own calipers to do some extensive research regarding the paint they're intending on using. Most paint, including many labeled "for calipers" is too thick or has heat insulating properties which make it unsuitable for use on calipers, which are needing to dissipate heat rapidly, not retain it.
I've used goldline brakes for many high end high performance classic cars needing caliper restoration, or just needing a new caliper finish. The polymer finish the year use is only a few microns thick, extremely durable, and has no heat retention.
Continuing with the fallout from the ABS module fix and have the front struts ready to drop out tomorrow for new upper & lower mounts. I still have around 15.5 in. of clearance but no point in putting the old uppers back. Brake pads, new flexible hoses and clean & paint the calipers 'while I'm in there'.
@smoggy: Good work - is that a MK2 Zodiac in the background?
Screwed in a shift knob to replace the original bland one (from Jaguar XK8 and XKR Elm Wood Gear Knob). Entertainingly, the elm matches the interior better than the aftermarket walnut.
In Bahrain, replaced front license plate with smaller one
This is definitely one of those jobs, that fall into the category “While you’re in there...”
Recently I hit a tyre carcass on the highway that damaged the front of the car. Same day some bast£&d rubbed the corner of my front bumper in a car park. Pic below.
So while I had some rust fixed by my local mechanic, I resprayed the front bumper. We have to have a front license plate in Bahrain, issued only by the traffic police, but it ruined the look of the front, so..... time to do something about it.
In Bahrain, motorbikes and certain cars are allowed to have a smaller font sized number plate, so my local mechanic persuaded the local traffic police to make me one. Looks a lot better now don’t you think?
DCR came good with the chrome surround for the J Gate. Instructions are clear and easy fit but a Bit of fiddling to notch the veneer panel to clear the new switch bracket underneath.
If anyone needs the bits from the previous bezel please PM me. Free to a good home.
Well, not strictly today as just back from France but first opportunity for a drive after upper/lower front shock bush replacement and brake refurb. No real ride height increase (15.5) although we should now be good for a few more years. I went OEM as I'm not a great fan of poly.
The lower bushes were OK but the rubber seals had disintegrated. I copied RaceDiagnostics' tip to use the old outer shells to push the new bushes as it's not necessary to completely remove the seal. Just removing the outer circlip and pulling the top of the seal over the end of the bearing allows the old shell to slide over the top. They were a tight fit even after spending a day in the freezer.
Fixed front dash squeaks due to defroster vents rubbing windscreen
With the blazing sun here in Bahrain, and relentless heat, my defroster vents started rubbing/squeaking against the windscreen. This forum has good info on this problem with Keith Westra having the definitive fix. Link below.
The battery that came with the car when I bought it finally died on me overnight. Thought about recharging it (from 7V!), but the idea of experiencing a flat battery away from home sounded worse than getting a replacement. Original battery was conventional, "low maintenance" stamped OCT and 3 (2013, right? Can't possibly be 2003). Took a bit of wisdom from the list and chased down a Bosch AGM Group 49. Ended up with a bit of a drive to get it, but it was a perfect fit. Even came with the proper fitting for the H2 vent tube.
FWIW, the net effect is unexpectedly better than I imagined, besides much faster startup. Disconnecting the battery cleared the learned trims (but not the OBD monitors, somehow), which, in combination with the new air flow meter from a few weeks back, ended up improving the feel of the engine. As the trims are now reset to zero and the air flow meter provides more accurate readings, the engine torque was greatly improved, a lot more fun to drive. Depressing the gas pedal a bit just produces immediate torque, not that short flat spot anymore. New car feel at the cost of a battery. Not bad.
Well done. And yes, a new battery improves so many electrical functions that we take for granted. I experienced this feeling once again after having to replace the original factory battery in my 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R last month....
Well, my day was not nearly as ambitious as most of yours.. Wash, clay bar and wax, oil change and rotated the tires. However, when this God awful humidity in Houston tapers down late this fall, my project list is long!
Both fuel pumps replaced to new ones (as primary pump failed) through subwoofer hole without moving tank. Had to work mostly by hand feel inside tank but overall not too difficult task.
This is definitely one of those jobs, that fall into the category “While you’re in there...”
Recently I hit a tyre carcass on the highway that damaged the front of the car. Same day some bast£&d rubbed the corner of my front bumper in a car park. Pic below.
So while I had some rust fixed by my local mechanic, I resprayed the front bumper. We have to have a front license plate in Bahrain, issued only by the traffic police, but it ruined the look of the front, so..... time to do something about it.
In Bahrain, motorbikes and certain cars are allowed to have a smaller font sized number plate, so my local mechanic persuaded the local traffic police to make me one. Looks a lot better now don’t you think?
I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
I'm in a similar situation now, although it was my fault (tried to get around a Toyota Tundra, but it had some kind of tow hook horizontal bar extension that I couldn't see. Did you paint yourself, or did the shop do it? If the former, where did you get the paint? I'm a little worried about color matching.
Didn’t do the paint myself. Had it done in a professional paint booth, at the same time as another job, as bodywork was needed to fix rusty holes on the right hand side. I don’t have the kit necessary in my garage
I’ve taken the front bumper off twice - easy enough and it’s plastic. With the rest of the car metal, older paint, and the angles of the car, there’s always be a slightly different visual colour effect from a newly sprayed bumper. But no biggie!
. Noticed a little bit of coolant under the car this morning so jacked it up to check to make sure nothing more than drippage from the draining process yesterday. Not the case as there was weeping around the drain plug. Tried to tighten and this was the result. Now to wait on a new $20 drain plug and figure out how to remove the old one
