I finally got the a/c compressor out of the way after work today while the cruise control went bye bye the other day. I did a little work removing some brackets that aren’t used anymore, and also removed the coil for now so I can prep for pulling the distributor. Thanks to a guy on Facebook for introducing me to a thing called a siphon sprayer, or Harbor Freight calls it an engine cleaning gun. Either way, surely you guys know what it is. Anywho, armed with compressed air and some odorless mineral spirits, I got to work after letting some engine degreaser soak in the vee for a while. Though I didn’t have a water hose near me where I have the car and I wasn’t able to rinse the area clean and blow it free of gunk (my air compressor killed something in the building’s wiring so now that outlet ain’t working) with air, I was able to pour a little water in the vee to rinse away some of the grease and goop. I can at least now read some numbers on the block and heads. Next, I think I’ll start tackling the air pump and associated crap with it. At least the pulley for the pump is off but I can only do so much in one day.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
2
You should replace that yellow fan before it’s too late.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
3
It looks like someone really gooped up your intake manifold gaskets when installing. Not the best practice; goop hanging off the edges of a joint doesn’t help seal anything.
I’m all for removing as much as possible or upgrading/updating as much as possible as I can get to it. Yeah I thought the sealant hanging out looked a little sloppy and excessive. Pulling the intakes to clean them up really well and tap the air injection inlets for little allen bolts and installing with fresh new proper gaskets is on the to-do list.
If I could find someone who built new harnesses from scratch I may be tempted to go that route, otherwise ill see what I’m dealing with when i get closer to having everything buttoned back up.
Matt,
I was in a similar situation last October with my 1990 V12 Vanden Plas (5.3L w/ Lucas ignition). I only used Simple Green, a lot of different shaped brushes, a lot of paper towels, and a lot of time to do the cleanup. I did the same work a couple of years earlier on my wife’s 1990 XJ-S convertible (5.3L V12 with Marelli ignition). They both still look amazing.
I ran across that bit of info today on the accessing the vee article where he talks about modifying it so its easier to remove in the future. That’s next, but a little scared to do it for fear of boogering up the throttle rod settings and having to try and synchronize the throttle bodies. Its a pain to do on my 300zxtt as well because of the dual throttles.
I have taken my pedestal off/on three times without that mod. It’s easy if you use 1/4" drive with long extension and 1/4" ujoint swivel between socket and extension. Once out, use long magnet to get bolts.
Putting back bolts, stick some masking tape on head of bolt and insert in socket so it won’t fall out, then using same extension with swivel at end, place bolt down and thread by hand.
Matt,
I did not modify the throttle pedestal myself. I don’t have the tools or expertise to do machine work like this. For small machine work like this I take things to a local hot rod shop where they thrive on modifying things.
I know that some folks may say that this modification isn’t necessary, but I have been taking care of two V12 Jaguars, one for 14 years, and the other for 8 years, and this modification makes removing and replacing the throttle pedestal a piece of cake. I no longer waste time removing those rear bolts. They are quick and easy to remove and replace.
Paul
1 Like
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
11
Gee, a $2 hacksaw is all you need for that particular modification. Not the mod in the photos, but the more common fix of simply slotting the rear two bolt holes.
Kirby,
Gee, I think I paid the young machinest in the hot rod shop $20 apiece to modify each of them. I am quite pleased with how they look and how easy they were to install in our two V12 Jaguars when I cleaned up their engine bays. After struggling with those bolts a few times during the past 14 years, it was worth $40 to me to eliminate the difficulties in removing those two rear bolts in both cars.
I guess that is why ice cream comes in so many flavors, something to please everyone.
Paul
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
13
Don’t you have to take the turntable off the top of the pedestal to fit your extension through that hole? By simply slotting the holes on the rearward two holes on the pedestal base, you can loosen those screws and remove the turntable and pedestal as a unit.
What do you mean by slotting the two rear bolt holes? The mod in the accessing the vee article just says to remove the little bracket on the back side that serves no purpose so it’s easier to get to those 2 rear bolts.
The mod is to cut out slots at the two rear holes of the pedestal. That way, to reinstall the pedestal, you simply start the bolts by hand, and then slide pedestal in. The hardest part about installing the pedestal is starting those two rear bolts. No way your hand can fit. This way, you never have to fully remove them.
Greg,
Thanks. I spent a lot of time over the past few years cleaning up the engine bays in our two V12 Jaguars and our two Series III XJ6 Vanden Plas saloons.
Attached are pictures of the engine bays of my wife’s 1990 XJ-S convertible, my 1990 V12 Vanden Plas, and my 1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas after I cleaned them up a bit.
Matt,
I suspect that a dremel would cut through that aluminum pedestal very easily. I considered slotting those two rear pedestal bolt holes but decided that it wasn’t necessary once I had the other modifications made to the pedestal. They made access to the rear bolts very easy and I felt that I didn’t need to cut the base.
