What have I done.... (offer accepted on a 1997 XJ8)
Discussion
Orcadian said:
Although batteries do give rise to numerous and often erroneous fault messages, I wouldn't think this was the case here, especially when it starts fine after a bit of fiddling. As you say, there are many sensors involved, most, if not all give error messages but some give rise to restricted performance, which yours did not. I would be looking at gear selector microswitches ( known trouble area) and perhaps the 2 switches on the brake pedal, one of which should cause that click behind the glove box before a gear can be selected.
Yes, earthing points can also cause problems, but how do they miraculously cure themselves 5 minutes later?
In my 'war chest' fund for my Daimler I budgeted for an icarsoft code reader and it has already paid for itself on the one occasion it went on to 7 cylinders - the reader identified exactly which coil was at fault. The dealer would have charged far more than my reader plus a pair ( one spare) of coils from eBay.
If you are able to fit those parts you have ordered yourself, then I'm sure you can find your way around a scanner menu and although you may not be able to cure a fault, you should be pretty confident in knowing where it lies.
Ian
Thanks Ian, much appreciated. In fact I do have a code reader due to arrive any day soon which hopefully is of some help, though its a cheap one, designed to connect to a laptop/tablet app so possibly not so useful. At very least it might be able to help me identify and clear the errors on my wife's mini cooper which is always flashing up some light or another.Yes, earthing points can also cause problems, but how do they miraculously cure themselves 5 minutes later?
In my 'war chest' fund for my Daimler I budgeted for an icarsoft code reader and it has already paid for itself on the one occasion it went on to 7 cylinders - the reader identified exactly which coil was at fault. The dealer would have charged far more than my reader plus a pair ( one spare) of coils from eBay.
If you are able to fit those parts you have ordered yourself, then I'm sure you can find your way around a scanner menu and although you may not be able to cure a fault, you should be pretty confident in knowing where it lies.
Ian
Little update on my x308 ownership to daten (sorry it has turned into a big one, apologies!).
Was a nice surprise to see a red XJ8 on top Gear last night (always the same, get a new car and you suddenly see them everywhere!), with some complimentary words from Chris Evans, it was strange to see him sitting in what for me is now a very familiar driving seat. It looks like the car managed to get to Venice though the Alps without any issues either. (That got me thinking...road trip planning for another time maybe...)
I was also really glad they didn't trash the cars like they have done in other series. Interesting (in my biased opinion) that lined up against a similar aged A8, the Jaguar looked pretty smart, just like a classic old XJ should, but the Audi with its aftermarket 20' wheels just looked, well, dated, and the interior looked pretty sad compared to the XJ8.
Back to my car, it went into a local Jaguar independent (Powerbell in Taplow) this Friday for a check over and some new tyres fitted.
Luckily it didn't have to stay in for any emergency repairs, and a quick check of the main bits returned nothing too terminal (rear driver side bearing has excessive play probably the most serious issue, plus rear suspension stops are missing/degraded, which doesn't seem to be too bad a job). In summary, the engineer Graham said it clearly had regular maintenance in early life which reflected in service record.
I asked to have the cam covers off and tensioners inspected. A couple of bolts possibly have been overtightened and have broken so were needed to be specially removed, and we'll need new gaskets and possibly one bent cover replaced, although they seem to have at least temporarily stopped the oil smell coming into the cabin, which is nice, even if it's just a temporary fix.
Then on to the tensioners themselves: This raises a dilemma. Graham said they were in pretty good condition, no cracking or wear and all parts and pieces all in place. He reckons they have been replaced at some point in the car's life as they seemed in such good condition (and with the cam covers being taken off) but unfortunately not the later metal versions. Interestingly though, in his experience he also said he'd not be too concerned in getting them replaced immediately based on what he saw.
So in contrary to my initial thoughts this was a "must change immediately for peace of mind" job, I'm swinging a little to not doing these right away, or even not at all if I'm selling the car in a few months. I'll have a think while they prepare a quote for the work that needs doing.
I'm not discounting the work entirely, as from what I have read online, a visual check may not show up some serious degradation or cracking and these should be replaced as a matter of course, plus it would be a good selling point.
On another positive note, I had new tyres fitted (Kumho Excta HM KH31 bought at £71 a tyre - I've had these before and they always seemed a good balance of value/performance), and the wheels were balanced when fitting (nice new chunky 40gm weights on the rears). Resulted in the wobble at 60-70mph completely disappearing, and a welcome to the comfy smooth ride I was expecting!
I've also sorted out the rear center brake light with new bulbs and epoxy'd the clips to the rear screen. It's holding OK for now, as the design seems to put the fixing points under a lot of unnecessary stress - hency why I used epoxy, not foam adhesive pads of previous attempts. Replacing the broken lower front fog was not so easy, I think putting the car on a ramps or even taking off the bumper is the best approach, but I did it myself lying flat half under the car, arms coming in from two angles, and doing it by feel. Eventually a combination of the smallest ratchet I had, with a mid size extender, and very bent arms and fingertips, I managed to get the socket to grip and a couple of clicks of turn for the final nut to be removed. A 10 minute job that turned into 90, then ended with me gripping a torch between my teeth as it had got dark in the process, ending up with me sweaty and dirty, but ultimately victorious!
Next up will be to receive a full quote for the outstanding work. I'll probably put the car in for an MOT during July and whetever is a failure sorted out. I will also get the boot and side mirrors repainted to make the bodywork look as perfect as possible and ready for its big outing in August with my Mum & Dad's anniversary.
As a treat for me and the car, we all took a drive round to Kent yesterday to visit my father-in-law. A very smooth and trouble free experience for me and the family. At one point the rest of the family had all gone to sleep!
I also went round to my father-in-law's father-in-laws to pick them up for lunch, they used to have an old XJ40 when they lived in the US (so loved, they imported it back home they moved back). They were delighted to have a ride in the back for old time's sake, so this old girl is certainly earning its keep.
It's also nice to get onto the motorway, and get the MPG into the mid to high 20's, even so, used pretty much half a tank (75 l) to go 150 miles!
I'm still having a little trouble with gear selector, moving from D to R. It does seem to be a sensor/switch as it gets there after a couple of goes. Also after an initial flurry, I've only had one instance of the car not starting - solved, it seems, by a firm push on the brake and a waggle of the gear lever. After driving it a while it hasn't got any worse, so will see if it degrades further, plus I'll do a bit of dismantling and switch lubing when I get a chance (guaranteed to break it forever then!)
So, all in all, I'm very happy with this old beast. I love the V8 rumble, and the bungee type acceleration, especially in Sport mode. Lots of comfort, and a very surprising amount of things seem good on the 20 year old car. A lot of people love it, as do I. My poor Audi A6 estate has not had a look in in the last three weeks (even picked up a bootful of spare turf at the weekend). I'm not sure how long I can really keep it for though. It's a 19 year old car that is only going to get older.
Was a nice surprise to see a red XJ8 on top Gear last night (always the same, get a new car and you suddenly see them everywhere!), with some complimentary words from Chris Evans, it was strange to see him sitting in what for me is now a very familiar driving seat. It looks like the car managed to get to Venice though the Alps without any issues either. (That got me thinking...road trip planning for another time maybe...)
I was also really glad they didn't trash the cars like they have done in other series. Interesting (in my biased opinion) that lined up against a similar aged A8, the Jaguar looked pretty smart, just like a classic old XJ should, but the Audi with its aftermarket 20' wheels just looked, well, dated, and the interior looked pretty sad compared to the XJ8.
Back to my car, it went into a local Jaguar independent (Powerbell in Taplow) this Friday for a check over and some new tyres fitted.
Luckily it didn't have to stay in for any emergency repairs, and a quick check of the main bits returned nothing too terminal (rear driver side bearing has excessive play probably the most serious issue, plus rear suspension stops are missing/degraded, which doesn't seem to be too bad a job). In summary, the engineer Graham said it clearly had regular maintenance in early life which reflected in service record.
I asked to have the cam covers off and tensioners inspected. A couple of bolts possibly have been overtightened and have broken so were needed to be specially removed, and we'll need new gaskets and possibly one bent cover replaced, although they seem to have at least temporarily stopped the oil smell coming into the cabin, which is nice, even if it's just a temporary fix.
Then on to the tensioners themselves: This raises a dilemma. Graham said they were in pretty good condition, no cracking or wear and all parts and pieces all in place. He reckons they have been replaced at some point in the car's life as they seemed in such good condition (and with the cam covers being taken off) but unfortunately not the later metal versions. Interestingly though, in his experience he also said he'd not be too concerned in getting them replaced immediately based on what he saw.
So in contrary to my initial thoughts this was a "must change immediately for peace of mind" job, I'm swinging a little to not doing these right away, or even not at all if I'm selling the car in a few months. I'll have a think while they prepare a quote for the work that needs doing.
I'm not discounting the work entirely, as from what I have read online, a visual check may not show up some serious degradation or cracking and these should be replaced as a matter of course, plus it would be a good selling point.
On another positive note, I had new tyres fitted (Kumho Excta HM KH31 bought at £71 a tyre - I've had these before and they always seemed a good balance of value/performance), and the wheels were balanced when fitting (nice new chunky 40gm weights on the rears). Resulted in the wobble at 60-70mph completely disappearing, and a welcome to the comfy smooth ride I was expecting!
I've also sorted out the rear center brake light with new bulbs and epoxy'd the clips to the rear screen. It's holding OK for now, as the design seems to put the fixing points under a lot of unnecessary stress - hency why I used epoxy, not foam adhesive pads of previous attempts. Replacing the broken lower front fog was not so easy, I think putting the car on a ramps or even taking off the bumper is the best approach, but I did it myself lying flat half under the car, arms coming in from two angles, and doing it by feel. Eventually a combination of the smallest ratchet I had, with a mid size extender, and very bent arms and fingertips, I managed to get the socket to grip and a couple of clicks of turn for the final nut to be removed. A 10 minute job that turned into 90, then ended with me gripping a torch between my teeth as it had got dark in the process, ending up with me sweaty and dirty, but ultimately victorious!
Next up will be to receive a full quote for the outstanding work. I'll probably put the car in for an MOT during July and whetever is a failure sorted out. I will also get the boot and side mirrors repainted to make the bodywork look as perfect as possible and ready for its big outing in August with my Mum & Dad's anniversary.
As a treat for me and the car, we all took a drive round to Kent yesterday to visit my father-in-law. A very smooth and trouble free experience for me and the family. At one point the rest of the family had all gone to sleep!
I also went round to my father-in-law's father-in-laws to pick them up for lunch, they used to have an old XJ40 when they lived in the US (so loved, they imported it back home they moved back). They were delighted to have a ride in the back for old time's sake, so this old girl is certainly earning its keep.
It's also nice to get onto the motorway, and get the MPG into the mid to high 20's, even so, used pretty much half a tank (75 l) to go 150 miles!
I'm still having a little trouble with gear selector, moving from D to R. It does seem to be a sensor/switch as it gets there after a couple of goes. Also after an initial flurry, I've only had one instance of the car not starting - solved, it seems, by a firm push on the brake and a waggle of the gear lever. After driving it a while it hasn't got any worse, so will see if it degrades further, plus I'll do a bit of dismantling and switch lubing when I get a chance (guaranteed to break it forever then!)
So, all in all, I'm very happy with this old beast. I love the V8 rumble, and the bungee type acceleration, especially in Sport mode. Lots of comfort, and a very surprising amount of things seem good on the 20 year old car. A lot of people love it, as do I. My poor Audi A6 estate has not had a look in in the last three weeks (even picked up a bootful of spare turf at the weekend). I'm not sure how long I can really keep it for though. It's a 19 year old car that is only going to get older.
Hello again,
Glad that you are getting to grips with the car, I think I would still go for the aluminium bodied tensioners if you can manage it eventually. I did see just a trailer for Top Gear but I must have been mistaken as I thought it had the 300 full chrome bladed bumper, so just dismissed it.
Strange that you should mention a good long trip, Christine and I are just talking about using our Daimler SV8 for our next Austria trip - we have been visiting that country, plus the Netherlands and Germany for more than 30 years, many times by GoldWing but latterly by car. From Orkney it's over 3000 miles round trip so that will almost double the fuel bill but compared with ferries, food and accommodation, relatively insignificant. I still hold that it's depreciation on most cars which is the killer when compared with fuel and our hobby cars suffer virtually no depreciation.
Keep up the good work with the gradual improvement posts,
Ian
Glad that you are getting to grips with the car, I think I would still go for the aluminium bodied tensioners if you can manage it eventually. I did see just a trailer for Top Gear but I must have been mistaken as I thought it had the 300 full chrome bladed bumper, so just dismissed it.
Strange that you should mention a good long trip, Christine and I are just talking about using our Daimler SV8 for our next Austria trip - we have been visiting that country, plus the Netherlands and Germany for more than 30 years, many times by GoldWing but latterly by car. From Orkney it's over 3000 miles round trip so that will almost double the fuel bill but compared with ferries, food and accommodation, relatively insignificant. I still hold that it's depreciation on most cars which is the killer when compared with fuel and our hobby cars suffer virtually no depreciation.
Keep up the good work with the gradual improvement posts,
Ian
prand said:
I'm not sure how long I can really keep it for though. It's a 19 year old car that is only going to get older
I sometimes have similar thoughts about my 16 year old XK8. But so long as you stay on top of the maintenance (and rust) and don't put too many miles a year on your car, why shouldn't you keep it for several more years? There are of people on PH running Jags that are far older than ours.
Have a look at this thread for inspiration.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Tuesday 28th June 09:36
Thought I'd give you a quick update on this old girl.
I've done nearly 1500 miles in it since purchased, and I have very much enjoyed swanning (sometimes very quickly) around in luxury and getting the car fixed up ready for my parents 50th anniversary this weekend. Little tweaks here and there have improved my experience of ownership & driving no end. Is a lovely car, had a couple of drives to Brighton and Kent, and was nice to get some interest when I gatecrashed the Bearsted Village green classic car show the other weekend. Wife thought I should have put a for sale sign on it as she still hasn't warmed to it...
I've averaged around 24mpg from mixed local and motorway driving which I reckon is ok for a 4.0litre 2 tonne car. And nothing has broken in my ownership. Only having done 76k miles it still feels a very young car, and I am wondering how I'll be able to hang on to it.
Work so far (big jobs carried out by Jaguar Specialists Powerbell in Taplow:
- Once over by Powerbell to identify any issues (most fixed below)
- Re-tightened cam cover after tensioner investigation (solved burning oil smell, and made me decide not to replace tensioners...for now)
- 4 new tyres - also solved the 50-70mph wobble
- New center box for exhaust which was blowing
- New rear suspension bump stops fitted
- replaced smashed front fog
- Solved the droopy motorised steering wheel problem by loosening, greasing and retightening the steering wheel clamp bolts
- replaced two blown bulbs in centre brake light and epoxyd it all back together and stuck it firmly to the rear window. So far it has held.
- sprayed lube around the footbrake switches which seemed to fix the "no start" issue, which has not returned since about week 2
- fixed the drooping glove box with new screws and rubber washers
- replaced two missing wheel centre caps
- had boot lid and side mirrors resprayed
- MOT last week, passed (after above exhaust was fixed) with no advisories
- found the only cassette tape in the house which is a compilation of 90s soft rock. Perfect for this old cruiser!
One issue - gear selector still won't go into reverse direct from drive every time, you have to deliberately go to P then back to R to get it to engage. Annoying, but now I know how it works, and I don't believe this means big problems.
A couple of electrical things I will get to at some point - driver's door mirror adjustment, steering wheel telescoping drive broken. On the whole I've always been impressed how so much works, all the electric seat adjusters, rear parking sensors etc are all fine.
Thanks for reading. I'll post some pics once I get a minute.
Very tidy interior. The new later version armrest put in by previous owner, is the wrong colour. I may recolour it at some point, but it's not so noticeable in real life.
Two British V8s together. On Bearsted village green next my father-in-law's rebuilt MG roadster. Shell from California, converted to RHD, MGC rear end and a 3.5 rover engine. Sounds amazing and is very quick!
I've done nearly 1500 miles in it since purchased, and I have very much enjoyed swanning (sometimes very quickly) around in luxury and getting the car fixed up ready for my parents 50th anniversary this weekend. Little tweaks here and there have improved my experience of ownership & driving no end. Is a lovely car, had a couple of drives to Brighton and Kent, and was nice to get some interest when I gatecrashed the Bearsted Village green classic car show the other weekend. Wife thought I should have put a for sale sign on it as she still hasn't warmed to it...
I've averaged around 24mpg from mixed local and motorway driving which I reckon is ok for a 4.0litre 2 tonne car. And nothing has broken in my ownership. Only having done 76k miles it still feels a very young car, and I am wondering how I'll be able to hang on to it.
Work so far (big jobs carried out by Jaguar Specialists Powerbell in Taplow:
- Once over by Powerbell to identify any issues (most fixed below)
- Re-tightened cam cover after tensioner investigation (solved burning oil smell, and made me decide not to replace tensioners...for now)
- 4 new tyres - also solved the 50-70mph wobble
- New center box for exhaust which was blowing
- New rear suspension bump stops fitted
- replaced smashed front fog
- Solved the droopy motorised steering wheel problem by loosening, greasing and retightening the steering wheel clamp bolts
- replaced two blown bulbs in centre brake light and epoxyd it all back together and stuck it firmly to the rear window. So far it has held.
- sprayed lube around the footbrake switches which seemed to fix the "no start" issue, which has not returned since about week 2
- fixed the drooping glove box with new screws and rubber washers
- replaced two missing wheel centre caps
- had boot lid and side mirrors resprayed
- MOT last week, passed (after above exhaust was fixed) with no advisories
- found the only cassette tape in the house which is a compilation of 90s soft rock. Perfect for this old cruiser!
One issue - gear selector still won't go into reverse direct from drive every time, you have to deliberately go to P then back to R to get it to engage. Annoying, but now I know how it works, and I don't believe this means big problems.
A couple of electrical things I will get to at some point - driver's door mirror adjustment, steering wheel telescoping drive broken. On the whole I've always been impressed how so much works, all the electric seat adjusters, rear parking sensors etc are all fine.
Thanks for reading. I'll post some pics once I get a minute.
Very tidy interior. The new later version armrest put in by previous owner, is the wrong colour. I may recolour it at some point, but it's not so noticeable in real life.
Two British V8s together. On Bearsted village green next my father-in-law's rebuilt MG roadster. Shell from California, converted to RHD, MGC rear end and a 3.5 rover engine. Sounds amazing and is very quick!
Edited by prand on Thursday 11th August 15:40
spreadsheet monkey said:
Car looks great. Good work getting a lot of the niggles sorted. Now you can get on with enjoying it!
Thanks, I took a crazy punt buying unseen (after too many beers at a Sunday BBQ, of course), this story could so easily have been an unhappy one (you should ask my wife about my VW Caddy adventure a few years back, which was not a great!). Saying that, I've probably spent in the region of £1000 getting it to this point, though thankfully nothing major seems needed now. Added to the £1250 purchase price, it still does not seem expensive motoring for what was a £50k car still in great driveable condition.
A little update after a busy few weeks.
The XJ8 went down a storm at my Mum & Dad's 50th anniversary, they loved it when I turned up to pick them up for the big family party, and they really enjoyed being fetched and carried around all weekend. It was a great talking point when people heard the story behind it.
I let my Dad have a few drives and he loved it. So much so I left it with them and they've been driving around in it instead of their old Volvo for the last few weeks. When I mentioned taking it back and selling it I got very short shrift, so it's going to remain in the family for a while yet!
It's in so much good shape, and my parents have so much confidence in driving it around, they are taking it to the South of France in September for a couple of months (I have got very comprehensive breakdown cover!).
So all in all, it was a great success, and the fact it's cheered up my parents and they are driving it around has been worth it.
The XJ8 went down a storm at my Mum & Dad's 50th anniversary, they loved it when I turned up to pick them up for the big family party, and they really enjoyed being fetched and carried around all weekend. It was a great talking point when people heard the story behind it.
I let my Dad have a few drives and he loved it. So much so I left it with them and they've been driving around in it instead of their old Volvo for the last few weeks. When I mentioned taking it back and selling it I got very short shrift, so it's going to remain in the family for a while yet!
It's in so much good shape, and my parents have so much confidence in driving it around, they are taking it to the South of France in September for a couple of months (I have got very comprehensive breakdown cover!).
So all in all, it was a great success, and the fact it's cheered up my parents and they are driving it around has been worth it.
prand said:
A little update after a busy few weeks.
The XJ8 went down a storm at my Mum & Dad's 50th anniversary, they loved it when I turned up to pick them up for the big family party, and they really enjoyed being fetched and carried around all weekend. It was a great talking point when people heard the story behind it.
I let my Dad have a few drives and he loved it. So much so I left it with them and they've been driving around in it instead of their old Volvo for the last few weeks. When I mentioned taking it back and selling it I got very short shrift, so it's going to remain in the family for a while yet!
It's in so much good shape, and my parents have so much confidence in driving it around, they are taking it to the South of France in September for a couple of months (I have got very comprehensive breakdown cover!).
So all in all, it was a great success, and the fact it's cheered up my parents and they are driving it around has been worth it.
Absolutely great story! Well done for taking the plunge.The XJ8 went down a storm at my Mum & Dad's 50th anniversary, they loved it when I turned up to pick them up for the big family party, and they really enjoyed being fetched and carried around all weekend. It was a great talking point when people heard the story behind it.
I let my Dad have a few drives and he loved it. So much so I left it with them and they've been driving around in it instead of their old Volvo for the last few weeks. When I mentioned taking it back and selling it I got very short shrift, so it's going to remain in the family for a while yet!
It's in so much good shape, and my parents have so much confidence in driving it around, they are taking it to the South of France in September for a couple of months (I have got very comprehensive breakdown cover!).
So all in all, it was a great success, and the fact it's cheered up my parents and they are driving it around has been worth it.
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