Discussion
Hi all, thinking in buying an XJS, wanted one for a while now! Car I am looking at is a 1996 Celebration, 95k miles with lots of history and immaculate for age. Asking top money but best example I have found so far with all the right spec.
Couple of questions I need some advice on?
1. Should I be concerned about timing chain tensioners? How much is this job if I were to have them done as a precaution?
2. Runs sweetly but to me the engine seemed to 'tick' quite audibly when outside listening to it (engine was warm/car had been driven). Owner seemed well informed on the XJS and said it was normal sound from them. Does this sound correct? Appreciate it can be difficult giving opinion without hearing it!! I may just be used to quieter more modern engines.
Thanks in anticipation.
Couple of questions I need some advice on?
1. Should I be concerned about timing chain tensioners? How much is this job if I were to have them done as a precaution?
2. Runs sweetly but to me the engine seemed to 'tick' quite audibly when outside listening to it (engine was warm/car had been driven). Owner seemed well informed on the XJS and said it was normal sound from them. Does this sound correct? Appreciate it can be difficult giving opinion without hearing it!! I may just be used to quieter more modern engines.
Thanks in anticipation.
6cyl or V12? Either way the timing chain tensioners, unlike the later V8s are not usually a problem. The secondary tensioner on the 6 cyl AJ16 can occasionally fail but replacement is a simple 5 min job.
The 6 cyl engime is not the most refined. It's a lot better after the revisions from the origional AJ6, but a little valve chatter and injector ticking at idle is not unusual - so long as it's not making any obvious noises then it should be ok. At highish mileages it's not unusual to find the valve clearances are out of spec. on this engine which adds to the valve train noise.
I'd be deeply suspicious of any noticable odd noises on a V12 though. Deeply.
The 6 cyl engime is not the most refined. It's a lot better after the revisions from the origional AJ6, but a little valve chatter and injector ticking at idle is not unusual - so long as it's not making any obvious noises then it should be ok. At highish mileages it's not unusual to find the valve clearances are out of spec. on this engine which adds to the valve train noise.
I'd be deeply suspicious of any noticable odd noises on a V12 though. Deeply.
Thanks mate. It is a 4.0 litre AJ16 engine. Heard plenty of good reports on this engine. Just want a car for weekends but also capable of the odd 500 mile drive up to Scotland, just wondered if the XJ is up to the job. Prob. do circa. 6-8k miles p.a. in it.
One thing I would like to do is improve suspension just to make it slightly firmer, less wallowy?
One thing I would like to do is improve suspension just to make it slightly firmer, less wallowy?
The AJ 16 is pretty bombproof - but as you you've noticed not the most refined engine in the world.
Provided it's had regular oil and coolant changes and not been overheated it will be capable of space shuttle mileages. It's also a simple engine to work on.
An XJS is easily capable of long distance trips, that's really what it's for. Jaguars are mainly a PITA in town IMO.
Improving the suspension is really a matter what do you want. If - and this is a big if - the suspension is in really good condition, the car is fitted with good quality tyres and the geometry is set up correctly then you'd be surprised at how well an XJS can handle, especially the 4.0l which is lighter at the front then the V12.
You'll never get one to handle like a modern car though, an average warm hatch Eurobox in the hands of a competent driver will beat an XJS everytime through the twisty bits. If you really want a B road weapon then the XJS is certainly not the car for you.
Real handling problems occur when the bushes and shock absorbers become tired. Couple this with soggy tyres and you'll get a horribly understeering wallowy monster that will try to kill you every time you go into a corner a bit to fast.
In a worse case scenerio to try to improve the handling then I'd start with a complete suspension rebuild and change all the bushes, fit some mildly uprated shockabsorbers, have a full 4 wheel alignment done to get the geometry spot on, change the wheels and then fit some slightly lower profile tyres. Doing all that of course could end up costing a fortune - probrably way more than the car is worth. The alignment alone - if it's out after the rebuild or the car has been badly repaired after an accident - could run into several hundreds as the geometry is set by dozens of shims which have to be removed or replaced to change the angles. The car goes on the alignment rig and is checked, then you remove or refit shims, road test to settle the suspension, back on the rig for another check and so on. The relationship between Castor / Camber / KPI / Thrust angle and Toe changes everytime you make an adjustment too so this is no job for your local work experience tyre monkeys.
The way round this major grief is to buy a cosseted, low mileage good one from an enthusiast.
Have a look at jagads - The Jaguar Enthusiasts'Club classifieds.
If you do this and the suspension and geometry is ok all you'll need to do to get a big improvement on the car is change the steering rack mounting bushes, up rate the shocks and put some decent tyres on.
Big Nige started another XJS thread here recently. Have a brouse through that and go to the library and get a couple of XJS books out to find out more before you buy.
Provided it's had regular oil and coolant changes and not been overheated it will be capable of space shuttle mileages. It's also a simple engine to work on.
An XJS is easily capable of long distance trips, that's really what it's for. Jaguars are mainly a PITA in town IMO.
Improving the suspension is really a matter what do you want. If - and this is a big if - the suspension is in really good condition, the car is fitted with good quality tyres and the geometry is set up correctly then you'd be surprised at how well an XJS can handle, especially the 4.0l which is lighter at the front then the V12.
You'll never get one to handle like a modern car though, an average warm hatch Eurobox in the hands of a competent driver will beat an XJS everytime through the twisty bits. If you really want a B road weapon then the XJS is certainly not the car for you.
Real handling problems occur when the bushes and shock absorbers become tired. Couple this with soggy tyres and you'll get a horribly understeering wallowy monster that will try to kill you every time you go into a corner a bit to fast.
In a worse case scenerio to try to improve the handling then I'd start with a complete suspension rebuild and change all the bushes, fit some mildly uprated shockabsorbers, have a full 4 wheel alignment done to get the geometry spot on, change the wheels and then fit some slightly lower profile tyres. Doing all that of course could end up costing a fortune - probrably way more than the car is worth. The alignment alone - if it's out after the rebuild or the car has been badly repaired after an accident - could run into several hundreds as the geometry is set by dozens of shims which have to be removed or replaced to change the angles. The car goes on the alignment rig and is checked, then you remove or refit shims, road test to settle the suspension, back on the rig for another check and so on. The relationship between Castor / Camber / KPI / Thrust angle and Toe changes everytime you make an adjustment too so this is no job for your local work experience tyre monkeys.
The way round this major grief is to buy a cosseted, low mileage good one from an enthusiast.
Have a look at jagads - The Jaguar Enthusiasts'Club classifieds.
If you do this and the suspension and geometry is ok all you'll need to do to get a big improvement on the car is change the steering rack mounting bushes, up rate the shocks and put some decent tyres on.
Big Nige started another XJS thread here recently. Have a brouse through that and go to the library and get a couple of XJS books out to find out more before you buy.
Jaguar steve said:
You'll never get one to handle like a modern car though, an average warm hatch Eurobox in the hands of a competent driver will beat an XJS everytime through the twisty bits. If you really want a B road weapon then the XJS is certainly not the car for you.
As Steve says, it's not going to be a B-road rocket, but it should corner well. Before I bought my XJ I had a Celica GT4, through a steady state corner the Jag can handle significantly greater cornering forces. The limitation comes when you need to go from one corner to the next, curving in the opposite direction. As Scotty would say "You can break the laws of physics" all that mass has to go somewhere, Jags aren't light, but in steady state corners like motorway junctions then you'd be amazed at how far you can push the car if the suspension is healthy. Big if! The most local dealer managed to totally wreck the handling of my XJ once when changing the bushes, I nearly went off the road at the first right turn on a roundabout. They got it much better the second time but I never realised how far out it was till I took it back to my normal dealer and it came back right again.Incidently the AJ16 is smoother as a 3.2, but that's not an option in the XJS. I suppose you could find an early DB7 and pinch it's engine :-)
Thanks for the informative replies guys. This is a well looked after car with very good history. It already has the original style XK8 alloys fitted with good Pirelli tyres all round so that is probably a good start. I should have mentioned it drives very well for the small distance I covered. I have owned many older cars all in vgc, i.e. x2 R129 Sls', Merc E320 coupe etc. Having all had serviceable suspension I have fitted almost every car I have owned with Eibach springs, lowering the car by a small 30mm. I have found on all of them the ride has improved and they have lost quite a bit of the 'wallow' associated especially with big Mercs. I was thinking if I just fitted newer shocks-Bilstein/Koni?-and springs and had alignment set this may just improve the car? I don't want to hammer round B roads, just firm up the suspension slightly for round town and A road cruising.
Thanks again for all the info.
Thanks again for all the info.
I'd avoid lowering it but slightly stiffer springs and shocks should do what you want. Take some expert advice before you part with the beer tokens 'tho - you won't want to ruin the ride quality.
It's essential IMO to change the steering rack mounting bushes for uprated ones. That's the first thing I'd do to any XJS or Series XJ as it transforms the feel of the car and gives you more confidence in what the front wheels are doing - so much so in fact that you may feel other suspension work is not necessary.
Shocks may well be shagged anyway - most Jaguar ones of that vintage didn't last long at all - so uprating by 10/20% on the replacements will also help. Fronts are an easy DIY change, rears need a bit of care with a spring compressor.
Talk to a XJS specalist - and join the JEC too if you go ahead. The membership fee is worth it for the access to technicial information and assistance alone.
It's essential IMO to change the steering rack mounting bushes for uprated ones. That's the first thing I'd do to any XJS or Series XJ as it transforms the feel of the car and gives you more confidence in what the front wheels are doing - so much so in fact that you may feel other suspension work is not necessary.
Shocks may well be shagged anyway - most Jaguar ones of that vintage didn't last long at all - so uprating by 10/20% on the replacements will also help. Fronts are an easy DIY change, rears need a bit of care with a spring compressor.
Talk to a XJS specalist - and join the JEC too if you go ahead. The membership fee is worth it for the access to technicial information and assistance alone.
I've got new specially made bespoke springs to original spec from a steelmaker in Sheffield on my 1996 Celebration. Could get you the details if you wish.
Interesting with XK8 alloys on, I would've thought the original diamond turned ones would look better but I don't believe they're available any more. Not that I have the originals on mine... (sorry, any excuse to post it).
Interesting with XK8 alloys on, I would've thought the original diamond turned ones would look better but I don't believe they're available any more. Not that I have the originals on mine... (sorry, any excuse to post it).
Thanks Steve. Lovely example above, I have been looking at a few modern motors, SLK32 AMG, even a Z4. Just feel the XJS has aged really well and have a presence and style that can't be beaten for the price.
All good points ref. uprating the steering side of life. Is this expensive to do? I ain't great at mechanics, I would use a Jag specialist. I have seen a company in the past (coiledsprings.com) that specialise in bespoke springs, may give them a call.
Thanks again.
All good points ref. uprating the steering side of life. Is this expensive to do? I ain't great at mechanics, I would use a Jag specialist. I have seen a company in the past (coiledsprings.com) that specialise in bespoke springs, may give them a call.
Thanks again.
A xjs can be one of the best handling cars you have ever driven, here is the recipe:
Poly bushings front A arms
Poly rack bushings (cheap)
switch out the shocks for bilstein hd, but keep stock springs.
add 7/8" sway bar rear.
get xjr or similar 18" wheels (18x8)with 245x45 michelin pilot sports (use all season for longer durability)
Poly bushings front A arms
Poly rack bushings (cheap)
switch out the shocks for bilstein hd, but keep stock springs.
add 7/8" sway bar rear.
get xjr or similar 18" wheels (18x8)with 245x45 michelin pilot sports (use all season for longer durability)
stantheman said:
Thanks Steve. Lovely example above, I have been looking at a few modern motors, SLK32 AMG, even a Z4. Just feel the XJS has aged really well and have a presence and style that can't be beaten for the price.
All good points ref. uprating the steering side of life. Is this expensive to do? I ain't great at mechanics, I would use a Jag specialist. I have seen a company in the past (coiledsprings.com) that specialise in bespoke springs, may give them a call.
Thanks again.
Just an guestimate but steering rack bushes perhaps 1.5 to 2.0h, front shocks 1.0h, rear shocks 3.0h.All good points ref. uprating the steering side of life. Is this expensive to do? I ain't great at mechanics, I would use a Jag specialist. I have seen a company in the past (coiledsprings.com) that specialise in bespoke springs, may give them a call.
Thanks again.
XJS shocks are cheap now - try British car parts or Berkshire Jag components.
Full 4 wheel geometry check is usually free at any branch of Protyre but they charge like wounded rino's for adjustment. £65 + Darling's
pension contribution when I had my XJ done but worth every penny IMO, an XJS could potentially run into lots more. Gassing Station | Jaguar | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff