Hi new to the forum.
I have a 54 MK VII that is in need of restoration.
I am the third (technically) owner.
The first bought the car in England and gave it to his daughter.
It has been sitting since 1987, but travelled the world (via US Military Officer) before that.
I have sent the carbs off for cleaning and have the engine running.
Next is clutch and brakes. Then I’ll have to decide what to do about the body.
In looking at the postings I noted that my car came off the line just before Jerry Theis.
I have attempted to send him a message but it came back.
Any info in contacting him would be greatly appreciated.
My immediate issue is the oil seal on the canister. XKS Unlimited was unable to send me the correct one. I have been trying to get to the correct size by purchasing packs of 25 from McMaster Carr. But can’t seem to get there.
Is the original seal leaking?..I cant remember on the MKVII, but on later models, I just leave the old O-ring up there
Having said that, you should be able to get one somewhere, I understand the owner of Worcester Classic Spares recently passed away, but dont know whether the business is still operating
A lot of the postings for these cars are very old, the owners in some cases have passed on, or sold their vehicle
Thanks for the quick response. Given the age of the postings, and as you point out, want for sure anyone would respond.
The car was sitting since 1987.
The seal was fairly indistinguishable from the aluminum housing. It was petrified, leaked and took several hours to get out.
Regarding Worchester.
He has not passed.
As I am in the US and unable to travel past my driveway, (covid 19 for those looking at this post twenty years on) I am setting up a video call with him. The intent is to walk, crawl under etc with the phone and get an accurate inventory of sheet metal.
His daughter is essentially running the business, but they are looking for a buyer.
His son, Simon, was running the business and he did die, tragically, from Cancer. You can see his image and a little epitaph on their website. He was a great guy and very knowledgeable.
the next best bet to try and get it going might be a hydraulic seal or bearing supplier, try and get a few O-rings that matches the dimensions, and see if it will work
I have a MKVII, but it is not on the road, but from memory, I recall the cannister is very similar to MKX, presumably you have ruled that out ?..a MKX oil filter comes with several o-rings, only 1 of which is correct for that application
You’re on the right track.
First thing is to figure out which oil filter assembly you have. It is most likely the same as XK120 or XK140, but those two are not the same. Click on and read this thread.
Look for an FA number on the ID tag.
If it is missing, a picture would help identify it. Here the one with most of the paint missing is XK120 and the one with new paint is XK140.
This sealing ring business is a common problem, and there are several previous posts about this.(some of them mine).
The original filter came with 2 seals, both with a square cross section. You need to use the smaller one.
Fitting a round section or O ring, rarely works.
The Mk10 filter is a different diameter.
The 7 is the same as the 8 and early Mk9. Also XK 140 and some 150, and not Etype. Ignore what eBay sellers say, lots of them haven’t a clue.
Best to unbolt the whole filter assembly from the car, rather than mess around from underneath.
The filter ring usually is good for 2 or 3 oil changes.
I recently removed and replaced that oil canister seal in the freshly rebuilt 3.4L XK engine from my 1957 MK VIII. Getting the old hardened seal (engine hasn’t run since 1975) took at least 30 minutes carefully picking at it with dental picks. Putting the new square cross section one in that came with the oil filter probably took an hour before I was happy with how it was seated. I had the luxury of doing this with the engine outside the car on my engine test stand. I knew from posts on Jag-Lovers that removing and replacing that seal was not going to be easy, but it was more difficult than I expected. The good news is the canister is on the engine, and there were no leaks when I cranked the engine and got about 25 PSI oil pressure on the gauge while doing a compression check of the cylinders (which also looked good).
Looking at the forum the canister and housing on my MK VII may be different.
I have had a chat with SNG Barrett this morning and stumped them on the size.
The ones that come with the filter are too large. They will easily slip over the outside of the canister.
The canister is bolted from the top down rather than bottom up.
SNG is going to toss a few options into an order for hoses. So I will see which fits best.
My seal did not leak on the compression testing. The leak arrived when the engine was running.
Post a picture here if you can.
Does it look like this XK120 filter FA2678? This one was used on Mark VII from engine A1001 to A9999 and B1001 to B5304.
Or does it look like this XK140 filter FA2690/101? This one was used on engines D6723 to D9999 and N1001 to N2941.
In between there was another filter, FA2690 without the /101, used on engines B5305 to B9999 and D1001 to D6722, which does not have an external relief valve, the brass dome shaped thing on the forward facing slope.
I received the following from Alan Harris, Chairman JDC Mark V11, V111, 1X Register.
“As regards an oil seal on the canister there were 4 different sizes during the Mark 7 & 7M production it is therefore essential that you quote the engine number to any supplier”.
This would seem to be inline with the posting here of the different housings and canister types. And as Rob’s third image matches that of the housing that I have. Cat. No. F.A. 2690 Element F.G. 2421. My engine is D2985
Excellent, you appear to have the original filter head, not being always the case with some of these old things, which is why I asked.
In that case, I believe the correct o-ring is size #241 square 1/8" cross-section 4-1/8" x 3-7/8" McMaster-Carr part 4061T263 in Buna-N or the equivalent size X-section part 90025K523 also in Buna-N which are said to resist motor oil.
If you find this one is too wide for the groove, perhaps the size #155 with 3/32" width would be better; part number 4061T211 for square cross section, or 90025K463 for X section. But it may be too small and fall out.
Let us know what works.
After much time. I am getting back to this car. I am thinking of sending it along to a new owner.
I had contacted Worchester (in England) about body panels at the start of covid. The dad and I did a zoom call, his first ever, as I crawled around the car. He sent me the list of all the body panels that need replaced. Sadly, covid, supply chain, ambition etc.
As it sat for so many years the wood was in 50/50 some pieces need new veneer others just need to be redone. to keep them from degrading further I removed them and brought them in.
I don’t really want to list it on ebay/craigslist etc as I would want it to go to someone that needs it or is interested in restoration.
So, looking for any thoughts on how to move it to the right person.
