Leigh makes me look like a Piker when it comes to wrenching.
You should see some of the nightmares this guy has fixed.
This one however, puts him way above anything I would even attempt.
This is a 1986 Jaguar XJ6 that hasn’t run since 1998.
BEGONE PRINCE OF DARKNESS!
“BFYTW“..
Outfuckingstanding sir
My hat is off to you.
He had all kinds of troubles getting this thing going, including finding out some “Lucas” module was in fact a repackaged GM product, and that Jag had some really funky fuel injectors.
Yes sir, his membership is set.
For life.
Fuckin’ WordPress, what a pain in the ass.
I tried to upload that video SIX TIMES.
I had to convert it from an MP4 file.
WordPress won’t load MP4files.
I converted it four times before I hit the winning conversion.
The video isn’t there.
Try now.
How the fuck did you get the MP4 vid to load? Leigh sent me the same email and I tried to make a post
Thanks, Guys!
The oldest nephew got it at an estate sale last Fall. The body is fairly decent and the interior is mint. We replaced the fuel lines and electric pump, but couldn’t seem to get too far with it. Being completely foreign to us, literally, it was nothing like anything we had worked on before. We also lacked any documentation. That in itself made diagnosing things almost impossible.
Last Friday, he came over after doing a bunch of research. I also had a Haynes manual that had wiring diagrams. We cleaned the contacts of the 4 pin HEI module hidden in the “amplifier” housing. Yes, it was a GM branded module. That got the spark working again, but the EFI computer was still in-op. Today after pouring over the wiring schematics, I finally managed to get power to the ECU.
I started cranking it and it sputtered a couple times, but still wouldn’t light. I swapped to the other fuel tank, XJ6’s have two tanks, and it sputtered a little harder. Pumping the throttle, it kept picking up little by little until it fully caught.
It is a little rough right now, but what do you expect after sitting for 20+ years. It was carrying 60psi of oil pressure at idle. I’m think it may need a few Sea Foam treatments, both fuel and oil, before it clears up and smooths out. Running will be the best thing for it, at this point.
Another feather in my cap, as it were. Now I have a 8V92T two-stroke Detroit Diesel that needs a rebuild, on deck. IF, it isn’t beyond repair. We’ll see once the other head is off.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
That voice, I love that voice, ha ha ha ha ha
No. Just no. The best thing to do with that engine and alleged electrical system is to pull it and sell it for scrap. There was a guy in Tyler, Texas that pulled them from the XJ6 and replaced it with a Corvette V8 with a automatic transmission and a custom wiring harness.. That was a real piece of work that made that car worth driving places. A local doctor drove his to Vegas and back. When he got home he sold his new 300 series MB and bought another one from the guy. That guy was a master engineer. Me? I am a dumb ass. I rebuilt a Fiat three fucking times from my Spyder. Drove it a total of 2 miles (I did get laid in it once, while it was in my shop out back). After the third, I sold it to a kid whose father owned a shop. Dad put a Pontiac Sunfire engine/trans in it. That would suck having to drive it like that so I was happy with it.
My first inclination was to go full Roadkill on it and remake the Draguar, but he insisted it stay stock.
I also had wanted to put a Ford 289 in his Studebaker. Instead he had me rebuild the old flathead six.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
The video is there now, and that’s a noisy bitch of an engine, is that the injectors or is the valve train about to grenade?
Excellent work, Sir.
That is valve train noise, mostly. The exhaust could use some work as well. I imagine that the cam followers are a bit varnished up, and haven’t pumped up yet. Hence why I think some Sea Foam is in its future.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
Three treatments with oil changes and fuel filters each time will do wonders.
A non-running Jag? No F’ing way I would touch it. I would own BMW’s and English cars only while they were in factory warranty.
A Triumph Spitfire back in the 80’s convinced me I wanted no part of an English car. I spent the better part of 2 years rebuilding everything and rewiring that car to get it reliable enough to sell it. Ten years ago I had forgotten that lessen and bought a Mini Cooper C. The Mini had a 5 year warranty and the month it ran out electronics starting failing. I spent $6K in 8 months on the Mini that had less than 60K miles. Once I got it reliable I sold it to some sucker.
Does it require BS tools?
Most of my work was done with a 8mm and 13mm wrench and sockets. Didn’t get too deep into it, otherwise. It doesn’t seem to employ Whitworth.
Leigh
Whitehall, NY
1989, I acquired a 1987 Jaguar XJS theft-recovery insurance-salvage in a swap.
1,700 (seventeen hundred) miles on the odo.
Much of the electronics were removed by the thieves.
Naturally, I donated the V-12 and factory-stock TH400 3-speed to a flying chum with an independent Jaguar shop.
.
I used a (at least third-generation) photocopy of a transplant manual to fabricate engine and tranny mounts, and linkages for each.
.
Did you know a cast-iron carbureted Chevrolet 350 V-8 weighs about 300# less than the aluminum V-12… and the Jag is 326ci compared to the GM 350ci?
.
With a 700R4 transmission — low first, high fourth — acceleration improved by (YeeHaw!) while top-end improved by [redacted], and fuel mileage doubled… about 10mpg combined to 20mpg+.
.
Why must they complicate things.
To impress the snobs, and be impressed themselves… only someone that never works on one can be so clueless.
Everything I have ever read or watched about the Jaguars convinced me that every last damned component on them was complicated. The fuel system was complex. The coolant had to be just so-so. The valve clearance was a bitch to set. The ignition was hell, but what do expect for Lucas? (God said, “let there be light! And Lucas said, wait a minute!”) The V12 engines were notorious for low oil pressure. When everything worked they were great. But they didn’t last very long. The best thing to have if you owned one was a great Jag mechanic for a brother in law that owed you money.
AC Delco module in drag