today I went for a journey by train and left the Jag parked outside at the station. It must have rained heavily during this day as I found the left filler cap recess full of water. I tried to restore the drain tube by poking through a piece of wire and turning it with an electric drill - to no avail, alas: No air bubbles, no quick drop of the water level.
Now that piece of wire - actually, the only piece of suitable wire I could find for the moment - was about 60 cm (approx. 2 ft 4 in) in length, but obviously it was not long enough. Where on earth does this water drain tube lead to, where is the exit opening and how long does that wire have to be to find the exit:astonished:? Any information appreciated!
Hi Jochen,
The fuel cap drains exit into the rear quarter panels via hoses just near the round holes where the fuel tank drains are. SIIIs have caps over these holes, I donāt think the series I has them, donāt know about SII, you can pour a cup of water into the recess on the right side and see the water running out the bottom.
On the blocked up left side you just might be able to fish around inside the hole in the panel with a piece of wire and find the rubber hose so you can try clearing it from that end if itās long enough, hope this works for you.
Regards,
John Hudson
1985 XJ6 SIII
at least my car misses the fuel drain caps in the quarter panels. Anyway, I was surprised to find it takes such a length of tube to drain this little recess - no wonder they clog so often and, probably related, so many owners are suffering issues with rusting tanks.
Attached are two pictures that show how the hose attached to the fuel cap recess water drain looked like when I removed the right fuel tank from my 1984 XJ6 VdP prior to a repaint. I suspect that the routing of this drain hose would be similar in a 1975 XJ6L, but I am not certain of that.
Regards,
Paul M. Novak
1990 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1990 XJ-S Classic Collection convertible
1987 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1969 E-Type FHC
1957 MK VIII Saloon
Ramona, CA USA
Thanks Paul,
the first picture supports my assumption as to where the tube is routed from the filler cap recess. I canāt quite figure the setting of the second picture giving away the end of the tube. In particular, where and what is the round thing with the electric wires? All in all it looks though as if the tubeās end is not positioned in a vertical position.
Best regards
Jochen
1975 XJ6L 4.2 auto (UK spec)
Very informative. My car didnāt get out much in our bountiful winter rainsā¦ So nothing awful happened.
But, yesterdayās errands, included fuel for the Jaguar. Both tanks topped off and a couple of gallons in a can for the lawn mower.
Ugh, lifting the caps revealed a mess. Leaves and goop. My caps are clearly venting the tanks!!! The complex vent via canister has little or nothing to do with tank ventingā¦
**
Oy, Carl the fuel cap recess water drain does not vent the tanks. And if the closed venting system is installed, its sole function is to vent the tanks. Tank venting via the filler lid was an early version, before emission controls ran wildā¦
I clearly failed to explain the mess and what if anything ābadā was caused by the mess. .
water from rain or washing getting under the caps and failing to exit via the rather small drains.
The discs on the bottom of the caps intended to seal the tanks from the atmosphere and allowing the tanks to vent via the rather complex and elaborate path to engine vacuum.
As such, that elaborate system merely rides along. The tanks are vented, the āoldā way.
I wanted to clarify so as to not confuse others, not you. You had it.
I still wonder, and that is far as it will get, as to the need for the up loop through the cabin. And if a more direct path under the car would work just as well or possibly even better.
**
As a guess, Carl; the placing of the fuel separators high in the C-pillars allows liquid fuel to return to the tanks by gravity. the most practical way of returning the fuel to the tanksā¦
The separators are necessary to ensure that only fuel vapour enters the charcoal canister - liquid fuel would quickly destroy the necessary properties of the charcoalā¦
I just took the two attached pictures of my 1986 XJ6 parts car which are much better in showing the complete routing of those drain hoses from the fuel cap area to where they empty inside the fuel tank wells. These pictures are of a Series III XJ6 and I have no idea if your earlier Series II (non-EFI?) 1975 model has the same routing.
The electrical wires shown in my earlier pictures are for the fuel tank switching solenoids in the wheel wells. That round access panel may have been used in earlier models of the XJ6 (non-EFI cars?) which I believe may have had their fuel pumps embedded in the tanks rather than being located in the spare tire well. As seen in both pictures that drain hose does not end vertically but at an angle and water exits through small holes in the Closing Panel beneath it as it drips on the it from above. I hope this clarifies the Series III XJ6 design for you.
Paul M. Novak
1990 Series III V12 Vanden Plas
1990 XJ-S Classic Collection convertible
1987 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas
1969 E-Type FHC
1957 MK VIII Saloon
Ramona, CA USA
These pictures make it very clear indeed - in particular after I failed miserably in finding the pertinent depiction in the parts catalogue and/or the ROM. The circular passages in the lower part of the rearward facing end of the wheel well had gotten me confused in this other picture you posted earlier as I had no ideas why there would be any electrical wires in that area ā¦
Anyway, now I do have an idea about how long this tube is - I guess my wire was but three inches too short - and so the clogging must be at the very end. As my car received a grease based rust-proofing (before my stewardship) it might well be that the end of the tube is now all covered under a handful of grease. Too bad that with the quarter panels in place there is no way to simply clean everything up. So Iāll have to make do with a longer wire and a brush to clean the water drain apertures of the quarter panel.
