2003 Jaguar XJ 4.2 V8 SE
Discussion
craigjm said:
Lucky you weren’t in an XJ shaped coffin at 90 mate
Very aware of this! I think my regular fleet checks will now involve sticking my arm inside the arch for a good feel around the inside of all four tyres.Car is running very well otherwise; no more EML lights, no gearbox issues, reasonable fuel economy. Need to find someone less ham fisted to do some soldering to add an aux input to the CD player though, it's well beyond my ham fisted soldering capabilities.
Had a few small issues sorted back at Tasker and Lacy; New bonnet release cable, coolant leak traced and sorted, and an air con regass.
The air con was an odd one, it would make a whining noise that changed with revs once the car had warmed up, which would vanish on switching off the AC. I assumed a sick pump but read on a Jaguar forum that topping up the gas can fix this. I had mine done, 600g of refrigerant came out and 800g went in so it was really not low, but it sorted the noise.
I then had the EML come on during the trip home, reset it, then half an hour it came back again. Reset it again and stayed off, Still complaining about the MAF so that's going to need some investigation, it'll go 300-400 miles without it coming on usually.
I continue to be disappointed by the ride quality, it only gets really good at 90MPH+. I'm keen to blame the air suspension, but how well would a Series III or XJ40 have ridden on 19" wheels with 40 profile rubber....
Speaking of tyres the new Eagle F1s on the back have hugely increased grip levels, and I'm impressed by how fast the car is for a naturally aspirated Jaguar.
The air con was an odd one, it would make a whining noise that changed with revs once the car had warmed up, which would vanish on switching off the AC. I assumed a sick pump but read on a Jaguar forum that topping up the gas can fix this. I had mine done, 600g of refrigerant came out and 800g went in so it was really not low, but it sorted the noise.
I then had the EML come on during the trip home, reset it, then half an hour it came back again. Reset it again and stayed off, Still complaining about the MAF so that's going to need some investigation, it'll go 300-400 miles without it coming on usually.
I continue to be disappointed by the ride quality, it only gets really good at 90MPH+. I'm keen to blame the air suspension, but how well would a Series III or XJ40 have ridden on 19" wheels with 40 profile rubber....
Speaking of tyres the new Eagle F1s on the back have hugely increased grip levels, and I'm impressed by how fast the car is for a naturally aspirated Jaguar.
Loose_Cannon said:
Just come across this thread. Fantastic choice, beautiful colour and spec, and deserving of real care and attention rather than just a banger.
Good call with the Goodyear F1s; far more comfortable and preferable to horrible Pirellis which seem to pop and develop sidewall bulges at the slightest provocation. I'm running an 07 XJR and apart from a ridiculous number of electrical error codes (which dont seem to affect the running at all) its absolute bliss.
Well on the care and attention front it's been off for gearbox work. What started as an oil change and adaptation reset has turned into a gearbox and valve body refurb, for an appreciable percentage of the original purchase price. If you hadn't guessed I'm really taken with the car!Good call with the Goodyear F1s; far more comfortable and preferable to horrible Pirellis which seem to pop and develop sidewall bulges at the slightest provocation. I'm running an 07 XJR and apart from a ridiculous number of electrical error codes (which dont seem to affect the running at all) its absolute bliss.
LeighW said:
What have you had done to the gearbox, and what problems did you have with it? Mine had a slight mental fit last week that I suspect is valve body related. What did it cost if you don't mind me being nosy!?
Harsh 1-2 shift, and all shifts were a bit poor, no error codes and it could probably have gone on a long time without any attention. It had a fluid change at 100k. I took it to Planet Gears in Peterborough who have a great reputation and didn't just immediately say to throw the entire box in the bin and give them £4k for a refurb (thanks three other people I contacted). It's still there, so the old adage of choosing any two of "cheap, good, fast" applies here.
Costs quoted are £850 for a rebuild of the gearbox components, replacing all bushes and clutches, and a remanufactured Torque Converter. £1250 if an entire remanufactured box (not including mechatronics / valve body) is required. Mine has needed a rebuild and a couple of "hard" components but not enough to warrant replacing the box.
£400 for a valve body rebuild if needed (it is).
These costs include labour and fluids, and I have to say that they really do seem to know their stuff. 1 year / 12k warranty.
Give me a week and I'll let you know if they are recommended or not, but all signs so far point to yes. Total cost for a box rebuild including valve body is about what you pay for a clutch and DMF, so I keep telling myself.
Edited by dme123 on Wednesday 17th April 14:39
LeighW said:
Great, thanks for the info. 
Mine let out a sharp squeal and seemed to change down into first as I approached a roundabout, bringing the revs up to about 5k. As I pulled away, the revs were fluctuating but then it settled down and has been fine since (I was away for the weekend, so have done probably 250 miles). Changes are smooth etc, but clearly something is amiss!
I'd ignore that unless/until it repeats or starts behaving oddly in other ways Mine let out a sharp squeal and seemed to change down into first as I approached a roundabout, bringing the revs up to about 5k. As I pulled away, the revs were fluctuating but then it settled down and has been fine since (I was away for the weekend, so have done probably 250 miles). Changes are smooth etc, but clearly something is amiss!
I haven't even bothered telling Tasker and Lacy, I can't really expect a contribution because I'm the sort of fool that wants his 15 year old car to change gear like a new one. Slightly rough shifts is reasonable wear and tear on a 150k mile / 15 year old car by any sensible reckoning, and it wasn't getting any worse or throwing up errors - if it had error codes showing then I probably would have discussed it with them.
I admit that a sensible man would have just tolerated the ropey shifts until/if it got worse, and then gone to the dealer. It wasn't even ropey all the time
ETA - Loose Cannon, I think I may have parked next to your Esprit at the services by the old Severn bridge a few years ago. I can't remember if I was in my ratty green MX5 or my XJR-S, but a bright orange Esprit GT3 does tend to stick in the memory.
Edited by dme123 on Thursday 18th April 14:07
Update time! Several things have happened:
Firstly the bonnet release stopped working with the new cable. It turns out you can pull the grille inserts out with your fingers in just such an emergency, and undo the latch by hand. The cable had just come off the OS latch so it was a 30 second fix.
The car has had a gearbox overhaul at Planet Gears in Peterborough. All friction parts and bushings replaced, along with the solenoids in the valve body. The spark plugs were changed too. Total waste of money on a car of this age but that's what barge ownership is all about.
They spotted that the rear ABS reluctor rings were going out of shape due to corrosion on the driveshafts and Jaguar will only sell you a whole new shaft at £250+ per side. Instead I bought two new reluctor rings from https://reluctorrings.com/ for £90, chiselled the old ones off and put the new ones on. It turned out that the slightly wonky speed signal due to the out of shape rings was enough to cause shifting issues and a slight pulsing sensation on cruise control. Not enough to set off the ABS light or cause braking/DSC issues though.
I have a rattling rear door card that I suspect has been taken off at some point and re-fitted without a full compliment of clips, so that's the next job.
Aside from that all is well, and I managed 32mpg on a run from Cardiff to Peterborough via Leamington Spa and back again despite "making progress" most of the way. It's a great car and I've become very fond of it.
Firstly the bonnet release stopped working with the new cable. It turns out you can pull the grille inserts out with your fingers in just such an emergency, and undo the latch by hand. The cable had just come off the OS latch so it was a 30 second fix.
The car has had a gearbox overhaul at Planet Gears in Peterborough. All friction parts and bushings replaced, along with the solenoids in the valve body. The spark plugs were changed too. Total waste of money on a car of this age but that's what barge ownership is all about.
They spotted that the rear ABS reluctor rings were going out of shape due to corrosion on the driveshafts and Jaguar will only sell you a whole new shaft at £250+ per side. Instead I bought two new reluctor rings from https://reluctorrings.com/ for £90, chiselled the old ones off and put the new ones on. It turned out that the slightly wonky speed signal due to the out of shape rings was enough to cause shifting issues and a slight pulsing sensation on cruise control. Not enough to set off the ABS light or cause braking/DSC issues though.
I have a rattling rear door card that I suspect has been taken off at some point and re-fitted without a full compliment of clips, so that's the next job.
Aside from that all is well, and I managed 32mpg on a run from Cardiff to Peterborough via Leamington Spa and back again despite "making progress" most of the way. It's a great car and I've become very fond of it.
Another update!
A couple of weeks ago while making good progress on the M5 the car started to make a horrendous dragging/scraping noise. I did the only sensible thing and continued to drive to the M48 services. I looked underneath, expecting an undertray, to see two straps on the floor...
Both fuel tank straps had corroded through and snapped, letting the fuel tank drop onto the undertray which then rested on the prop shaft
I'd wondered about these straps before but neglected to actually look at them. I had it recovered and £90 in parts and an hour of labour later it was fixed.
I've also fixed the rattling rear door, and added a bluetooth module from a more recent version to replace the old curly corded Motorola handset that came built in. It is continuing to prove to be a swift, remarkably efficient, and comfortable way to cover long journeys.
A couple of weeks ago while making good progress on the M5 the car started to make a horrendous dragging/scraping noise. I did the only sensible thing and continued to drive to the M48 services. I looked underneath, expecting an undertray, to see two straps on the floor...
Both fuel tank straps had corroded through and snapped, letting the fuel tank drop onto the undertray which then rested on the prop shaft
I'd wondered about these straps before but neglected to actually look at them. I had it recovered and £90 in parts and an hour of labour later it was fixed.
I've also fixed the rattling rear door, and added a bluetooth module from a more recent version to replace the old curly corded Motorola handset that came built in. It is continuing to prove to be a swift, remarkably efficient, and comfortable way to cover long journeys.
Car continues to work with only a few Jaguar-esque features:
Fuel gauge sometimes goes to absolute zero for a bit, maybe half a dozen times now. Seems to sort itself out after a few minutes;
Periodically "restricted performance" flashes for a fraction of a second and that EML comes on. The stored code is P1010 relating to the MAF reading being out of range, and it'll clear itself after the third trip without the problem so I don't bother clearing it. I've changed the MAF and checked for leaks, and the fault never remains so I ignore it. Probably does it every couple of hundred miles; and
Illumination for the radio display stopped for a while but now it's back.
That's it! Aside from that it's performing well and makes for a good bus for driving the kids around on weekends if I don't use the ex wifes XC60, and leaving outside the station all week otherwise. It seems to have retained most or all of it's 300 horses, I had a very unhappy man in a Mercedes C250d convertible who flashed and gesticulated when I didn't bow to the superiority of his four diesel cylinders on a sliproad and left him standing
I still think the air suspension is a bit crap; the odd and very disconcerting feeling of a slight slideways jump that they all seem to do over certain bumps is something that any self respecting manufacturer would have dealt with before launch.
Fuel gauge sometimes goes to absolute zero for a bit, maybe half a dozen times now. Seems to sort itself out after a few minutes;
Periodically "restricted performance" flashes for a fraction of a second and that EML comes on. The stored code is P1010 relating to the MAF reading being out of range, and it'll clear itself after the third trip without the problem so I don't bother clearing it. I've changed the MAF and checked for leaks, and the fault never remains so I ignore it. Probably does it every couple of hundred miles; and
Illumination for the radio display stopped for a while but now it's back.
That's it! Aside from that it's performing well and makes for a good bus for driving the kids around on weekends if I don't use the ex wifes XC60, and leaving outside the station all week otherwise. It seems to have retained most or all of it's 300 horses, I had a very unhappy man in a Mercedes C250d convertible who flashed and gesticulated when I didn't bow to the superiority of his four diesel cylinders on a sliproad and left him standing
I still think the air suspension is a bit crap; the odd and very disconcerting feeling of a slight slideways jump that they all seem to do over certain bumps is something that any self respecting manufacturer would have dealt with before launch.
160k miles and it's off to a new home, to a PHer at a WBAC price. 160,003 miles at last fillup so I've done 10.5k in a little under two years at an average of 23mpg. I'd love to give you a tally of total running costs but I decided not to keep them anymore as the surplus of real data was causing errors in my Man Maths
It's been a good car and I'd recommend a V8 X350 to anyone after a reliable barge bargain, particularly at the low prices they can change hands at. Now I just have to pray to the God of Brown's Lane that it doesn't burst four air struts and throw the timing chain when the new owner is taking it home on Saturday.
It's been a good car and I'd recommend a V8 X350 to anyone after a reliable barge bargain, particularly at the low prices they can change hands at. Now I just have to pray to the God of Brown's Lane that it doesn't burst four air struts and throw the timing chain when the new owner is taking it home on Saturday.
craigjm said:
I would be more worried about it doing it 10 minutes before they arrive
What is it being replaced with?
A 2007 Mercedes S600. Started a thread earlier that will doubtless end up containing images of leaking hydraulic fluid, broken coil packs, and the odd recovery truck.What is it being replaced with?
So it's gone on to a fellow PHer who may update this thread. After 2 years-ish and 10k-ish I've got a few final thoughts on the car.
Firstly that V8 is a superb engine; torquey low down, keen to rev, refined enough, wicked induction noise, plenty of power for the 1600KG weight of the car, and capable of great economy. It also has absolutely no real weaknesses, so if you service it and change the hoses as it gets older it's very unlikely to need much attention. The ZF6 is also a decent box, it shows it's age compared to the ZF8 but compared to the 722.6 5G Tronic in my S600 it's clearly the product of another decade.
It was fantastic to drive for such a large car, it always felt light and chuckable, and you could be a real hooligan without it getting out of shape. Jaguar nailed the "sports saloon" dynamic very well. Air suspension kept it under control well, although I was never truly satisfied with the ride on 19" wheels.
Where it fell down was in the smaller details. First thing that always irritated, as it did in my S-Type, was that the HVAC system was too noisy, not cold enough in winter even when fully recharged, and never kept the cabin at an even temperature in the way that other cars I've had manage. The heated seats took forever to warm up and were never quite hot enough, the auto wipers were rubbish, the headlights were disappointing, it had more wind noise than you'd expect, the audio system (and mine had the premium system) wasn't very good, all things that clearly just hadn't received as much development or budget as they really needed.
I hadn't realised how "not really quite good enough" a lot of these things were until I bought this W221 and everything is clearly refined to the Nth degree.
I don't mean any of that criticism to take away from what Jaguar achieved with not a vast amount of (Ford's) money, I would bet a substantial sum that the development budget for the W221 was quite literally an order of magnitude more than for the X350 but I can see why once Jaguar left the low slung sporty saloon niche they had with the X300/X308, where the only other player was Maserati, and went toe to toe with the S-Class and great big barge the 7 Series had become they didn't really have the development budget to stand a chance.
It was a good example of a great car though, and I hope it treats it's new owner as well as it treated me.
Firstly that V8 is a superb engine; torquey low down, keen to rev, refined enough, wicked induction noise, plenty of power for the 1600KG weight of the car, and capable of great economy. It also has absolutely no real weaknesses, so if you service it and change the hoses as it gets older it's very unlikely to need much attention. The ZF6 is also a decent box, it shows it's age compared to the ZF8 but compared to the 722.6 5G Tronic in my S600 it's clearly the product of another decade.
It was fantastic to drive for such a large car, it always felt light and chuckable, and you could be a real hooligan without it getting out of shape. Jaguar nailed the "sports saloon" dynamic very well. Air suspension kept it under control well, although I was never truly satisfied with the ride on 19" wheels.
Where it fell down was in the smaller details. First thing that always irritated, as it did in my S-Type, was that the HVAC system was too noisy, not cold enough in winter even when fully recharged, and never kept the cabin at an even temperature in the way that other cars I've had manage. The heated seats took forever to warm up and were never quite hot enough, the auto wipers were rubbish, the headlights were disappointing, it had more wind noise than you'd expect, the audio system (and mine had the premium system) wasn't very good, all things that clearly just hadn't received as much development or budget as they really needed.
I hadn't realised how "not really quite good enough" a lot of these things were until I bought this W221 and everything is clearly refined to the Nth degree.
I don't mean any of that criticism to take away from what Jaguar achieved with not a vast amount of (Ford's) money, I would bet a substantial sum that the development budget for the W221 was quite literally an order of magnitude more than for the X350 but I can see why once Jaguar left the low slung sporty saloon niche they had with the X300/X308, where the only other player was Maserati, and went toe to toe with the S-Class and great big barge the 7 Series had become they didn't really have the development budget to stand a chance.
It was a good example of a great car though, and I hope it treats it's new owner as well as it treated me.
sjc said:
Agree with nearly all of that.
Mine certainly gets cold enough, but there's an odd bit between 22-24 degrees when I'm constantly adjusting.The fan is indeed a bit noisy even on it's lowest setting ( I haven't looked at the what the " mute" button does on the climate screen!).The heated seats aren't great as you say,I have the wind noise form the A pillar at the drivers door, and the ride ( I'm on 20's) is great most of the time but expansion joints seem to knock the car sideways out of the blue. I'll also add the parking sensors are a pain in the arse.
As you say, all the basics make it a great virtually loveable car, and I can pretty much forgive mine anything.. which you need to sometimes!
Oh yes I forgot about the parking sensors, and the autofold mirrors filling up with corrosion!Mine certainly gets cold enough, but there's an odd bit between 22-24 degrees when I'm constantly adjusting.The fan is indeed a bit noisy even on it's lowest setting ( I haven't looked at the what the " mute" button does on the climate screen!).The heated seats aren't great as you say,I have the wind noise form the A pillar at the drivers door, and the ride ( I'm on 20's) is great most of the time but expansion joints seem to knock the car sideways out of the blue. I'll also add the parking sensors are a pain in the arse.
As you say, all the basics make it a great virtually loveable car, and I can pretty much forgive mine anything.. which you need to sometimes!
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