About to get another XJS! Have questions

Hey all,

Soooo…I think I’m going to get another XJS. I have an E-Type roadster and an AM DB7 Vantage (kind of an XJS, haha) but daily a Jetta and I wanted a cool car to daily, and I found a good deal on a 1991 XJS from a member of the Jag club here in Jacksoville.

One thing I wanted to do is get a V12 emblem for the trunk lid. It currently has the “classic collection” emblem. Did that emblem bolt/screw into the body in an way, or was it just applied with an adhesive? Can it be easily taken off or will it require body work? I’ve noticed the original XJS V12 emblems are pretty much impossible to get, so I was thinking about a SIII E-Type V12 emblem and having the V12 and XJS emblems done up in a matte black finish. Has this been done before? If you all have seen one on an XJS, does it look cool, or out of place?

Also, I’ve always found the XJS’ to be just a tad quiet for my tastes. I left my last one stock, but I want to have some fun with this one. What is the best way to make it louder and improve the sound?

Are there any modifications you would recommend to better tailor it for daily use?

Brandon,

My 85 XJS has the v12 badge on center of grille in front and on rear lower right it has v12…interestingly, there is another 85 in town with the HE5.3 badge on that location…I have no idea which is standard.

Britcar,
I think if you want a XJS, their a lot more issue’s to worry about than the items you mentioned.
I am on my third XJS in 20 years. I understand a lot more since my first XJS but it still a difficult car to deal with.
Between the overheating, electrical, rough idle and the oil leaks, it takes plenty of patience to own an XJS.
My current car has only 56,000 miles but seems to have just as many issues as the other XJS’s I had with 80k miles or more.

I have 2 1985 XJS, made 3 weeks apart in July of that year … they both have XJS on rear left and HE on rear right …
… they are fastened in place by a number of small plastic stud protrusions on the back, which press fit into corresponding holes

I was going to switch the HE for a12 cyl, then decided against it and kept it the way it came out of factory … plus if you don’t pry them out exactly right the plastic easily snaps

Britcar
Sorry, I reread your post. I thought you were looking for your first XJS.

Jdere, no worries. I ended up buying the car! I will pick it up in a couple of weeks.

You are very right, as there are a couple things I will have to do to make it viable as a daily car. I’m going to see how the heating goes, and if need be go to a better fan set up and an aluminum radiator like I did in my E-Type.

Anything else recommended for daily use? My last one I used as a weekend car. This one has 14,000 miles on it and is flawless cosmetically, but I think once I start to put serious mileage on her with daily use things will start to come up.

Looks great! I may be biased though as the one I bought is gold too. Haha.

Do you know if the classic collection emblem has these same holes?

XJ-S FAULTS. .fuel smell / leaks in trunk. …headliner comes loose. …complicated cooling scheme …its an old car now and rubber parts start deteriorating .
GOOD POINTS …beautiful style. …fun to drive. …normal maintenance will keep it going if you don’t abuse it…
I would not overhaul engine or replace it if that happens it would be time to let it go as I want to drive more than repair. .however some people are the opposite. .they would rather work than play…I’m over 70 and my fun time is worth more to me. But I still enjoy it with 43000 miles I might luck out with minimal effort.

Brandon,

I had a 1986 XJS between 2006-2011. I put on at least 4000 miles a year before I sold it.
They all seem to have same type of problems. Overheating #1. Actually tied with oil leaks galore. Electrical #2
I would say 3rd is ignition system.

I currently have a 1989 with 56,000 miles. I have had it for a year but only driven a few times.

I just bought a Chinese radiator that I am still in the process of finishing
because of missing parts and different sized fittings. I’m currently have a post about it in the forum.

I decided to do a lot more maintenance work and part replacement while Rad was out.

I think you can drive the car daily, but not many mechanics like to work on them so try to do your best with maintenance.
Haven’t been able to find a good mechanic over in Boston. Mass.

The car was running very good before I started Rad job after tuning her up and taking care of half the oil leaks at this point
Hope to one day get my hands on an E-type.
Good luck!
Joe

Good question I wondered bout that myself

Don’t know what back side looks like but if you take HE and 12cyl they might have 3 or 4 of these studs / holes laid out in exactly same configuration for speed and interchangability

Jags were hand built but it was still a production line and there had to be a certain amount of uniformity … in my opinion … apologies for seeming evasive but I stuck with HE for exactly this reason … I would have liked 12 cyl also … how many others are 12 cyl??

Focus on the cooling system first. Remove and RnR the Radiator, modify the banjo bolts so they actually work efficiently, Make sure the crossover bleed tubes are clear to the bleeder vent screw on the B bank side. pull the T-stat bodies at the front and install new 180deg. footed stats that fully close off the crossover pipe. Install the Lutz Cooling Stage 1 mod (I can send you a kit for 60.00 including post). Install new hoses, preferably silicon, Stay with the original brass 4-row radiator…more cooling efficiency(IMHO). Evans coolant if you really want to go whole hog…must use prep fluid first to eliminate the olde E. Glycol mix. Flush with distilled water . New belts, and make sure the overflow tank is properly primed and able to function. Install and properly bleed the system of aire…add an additional Tee for a bleeder on the A bank side in front of the heater valve. It takes several days to actually get a good burp out of these engines. Check or replace the aux. fan sensor switch and make sure the fuse is good in that system (jump the sensor to check for operation of the aux fan)…it should work after the engine shuts down. Look up G Balthrop’s “how to drain and flush the cooling system and engine block”. Very straight foward simple successful plan. These are great engines and machines but failure to maintain them is always a constant problem, would you fly in an aircraft that is only partially functional ??? best, JW