Gents, I just need to know if the wire cables that snake their way in from the back of the cylinder head are supposed to go over or under the oil pipe? I’m not seeing this answered in archived posts.
Thanks.
I believe that “over” the oil pipe is both correct and most practical.
With the engine installed, routing the ignition wires neatly around the back end and into the conduit, is not the easiest task. Short of detaching the oil line, going under it would be difficult and unnecessary.
Good luck.
Agreeing with Dick, over the pipe at the back.
Easier with the right hand lower valence removed.
Over the pipe. Okay, works for me. Thanks guys. And yes, valence removal is a must when also replacing motor mounts, lower radiator hose, cleaning up the starter, adjusting carb jet seats, etc. Hats off to Jaguar for making valences removable – after the fasteners have been doused with penetrating oil and I’ve bloodied yet another knuckle. All part of the fun.
I am starting to install the spark plug wires on my engine which is currently out of the car on an engine stand. I can easily route them in front or behind the oil line. Originally I planned to route behind the oil line, but it looks like the accelerator linkage may be able to rub on the plug wires, eventually wearing through and causing big problems. Has anyone had interference issues between the plug wires and accelerator linkage?
I ran my wires in a sleeve to protect them and brought them up between the Oil Line and the Head. It was tight…but the Oil Line helps hold the Plug Wires close to the Head and away from the Throttle Linkage. There is about 1/4" clearance to the Throttle Linkage.
According to the parts book, the vertical outlet distributor cap began at engine W6697, so mine should really have the horizontal cap, like this,
but I have resisted going to it because of this routing problem. It is really only difficult with the LHD cars, and exacerbated by having a heater.
There should be two C2454 clips with 3204 oval rubber grommets, which attached to two of the intake manifold nuts.
The clips are similar to, and the grommets are the same as, those used on the Mark V and earlier pushrod engines.
It looks to me as if you have to move the throttle link rod to the rear as much as possible. But that puts it pretty close to the speedometer cable.
And of course the coil should be under there on the block as well, but I have learned from bitter experience what it is to change a coil located there on a hot engine at night in a McDonalds parking lot.
Yeah Rob. I have the Horizontal Outlet Cap…but it is original Lucas in the original box. I was having a hard time justifying using it. When I mounted the Cap, I found out the Wires exited right at the Block like the Red Block in your 2nd picture. I think the Wires would have a sharp bend and touch the Block. If the Wires would have exited to the Rear…like in your first picture …I may have used it. I used a Vertical Outlet Cap with the screw-in wire retainers.
Hey…it the 1st picture of the early 3.4 drawing…what is that mounted to the Front / Lower Side of the Block? It looks like an Oil Pipe Mount. Isn’t that the Main Oil Gallery with capped drillings into the Main Crank Journals? Before there was a Filter Mount.
Interesting.
Yes, you would have to re-orient the distributor body so the vacuum advance was more like pointing away from the block, then the wires would all run out to the rear and more or less parallel to the block. The oval clip would hold them away from the block.
Nothing can really be learned from that red block. The serial number was W5559-8S. That was in a lightened chassis that was up for sale awhile ago.
Not much can be learned from the other picture taken from the sales brochure, except that the engine went through some development stages before it was ready for the public. The horizontal cap was the only one in use at Jaguar at the time. I don’t know, maybe in '48 Lucas had not yet designed the vertical cap. Note the manual choke levers and lack of a crank damper. A remote oil filter may have been contemplated, as on the LHD Mark IV.
