So I took her out for a shakedown run yesterday after changing the main fuel filter for a new Mann filter. Cleaned out the surge tank and replaced that filter. Gave her the beans as Adam would say from Living with a Classic.
I think I’ve wakened up the beast . I’ve forgotten how much fun it is to drive an old XJ-S. That V-12 would let out a growl when I put my foot down. (Never did that before).She pulled like a freight train. She must have been starving for gas all these years. I’ve owned the car for 17 years now.
Another strange thing are these cars gaining popularity or something? I’m getting waves and high fives in this car. Never used to get that either.
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i think mine is the same way, your giving me ideas now with that fuel filter swap. do you feel more power now than before?
That’s a nice XJ-SC , I really like the roofs on those cars. They look like Kent wheels to me.
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she looks nice but has every problem under the sun, comes from atlanta, sat in a pennsilvania barn for ten years and leaks every liquid. the front left panel actully needs to be rebuilt cause story has it, in 95’ it flew off on the highway and was ran over by an suv.
edit: i got it for free from my uncle but spent overr 2k getting it running and transported.
I sure noticed more power yesterday. But I couldn’t see the point of changing the main gas filter unless I did the sump tank and filter below the battery. More rust particles and funk came out of there than I could ever imagined.
What clues me in was when I removed my main filter I stood it up on end in a container. The gas was clear. When I went back two minutes later the gas was orange and black sediment on the bottom.
It also cleared up the stumble on the idle.
Sounds like you’re in for an adventure. Arm yourself with Kirby’s book and off you go. A lot of great advice on this forum.
I did every wrong when I bought my XJ-S. I couldn’t get nor did I have service records.
I’m not a mechanic by any stretch more of a tinkerer. Compared to the knowledgeable people on this forum I’m an amateur in every sense of the word. All I knew since I was a kid I wanted a Jag and it should be a V-12. My car was 10 years in the making to make it a reliable driver. And I’m still tinkering. Believe it or not that’s still the original paint on my car. I wet sanded and power polished it. The head liner was musty smelling and shot. The wood was shot. She was a sorry site.
Stay the course and you’ll get her sorted out I think I’m living proof of that. LOL
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When I was a kid my dad had a Humber Super Snipe. One day he failed to pick me up from school, I couldn’t see that anonymous black saloon anywhere. But some dude had a very cool, white Daimler 250 V8 - my dad hadn’t told me he was getting a new car that day. That later got swapped for an early XJ6, I’ve been smitten ever since.
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Ha Ha , sounds like a great story. When I used to live in Portsmouth, England , I loved the MKII’s the Mark X’s and of course the E-types.
My grandad showed me my first British Racing Green E-type with a V-12 in it. I was hook line and sinker right there. I know they were referred to as the fat cat in the UK but I thought the front grille gave them a more finished look.
Never been the same since.
Heh, that’s spooky - I was born in Portsmouth, and my story was from the time when my family was living there.
Side note 1: The XJ6 had typical British Leyland build quality for the time, ended up in the scrap yard. Years later we were at a classic car auction down at the Beaulieu Motor Museum. There was my dad’s Daimler, in great, unrestored condition - Oh well.
Side note 2: Same period as the XJ6, my uncle had a modified V12 E-type. The modifications amounted to gold plated badges, even as an early teenager I could see through that 
as pointless. Does it go any faster mister? As dads will do, it came to a head on the A4 Bath Road, just outside Heathrow. Dual carriageway + traffic lights = drag race. It was close but I think my dad’s SI XJ6 beat the V12 E-type 3 out of 4 times.
And now you know why my XJ-S is Solent Blue
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I love the paint.
What model is that from?
I hate it when Jaguar owners switch wheels from the original.
Those wheels crush that thought.
Thank you they are from a 1995 XJR sedan. I just cleaned them up and bought the new ruby Growler Center caps.
Go to a place called “Headlight Revolution”
It looks mostly like a Pickup truck or off roader site, but you can go in with the bulb type / model (9004 for the facelifts) and find LED Bulbs to fit your headligthts. I did, and they are great. Not cheap, but certainly better and cheaper than other alternatives. The is a load of comparison testing results on the website and a lot of information. I think I bought the SV4;s for the wife’s '92, but the GTR’s are great as well. The lenses of the '92 are still pretty clear (garage kept) and there is still a load of difference from the Halogen I9004 bulb. Take a look at the testing and patterns on the site.
They are nice lights but not cheap is right.
There are other options - go to this link and scroll down about 1 page:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=headlight+revolution
On the second page you will see a clip for the best and brightest - top 25. Take a look at that and find other choices than SV4 or GTR. As well, you will see a lot of other clips of interest on that page and others as you scroll down. On your own, you can search the subject on youtube or google. Hope you find a suitable LED headlight bulb for your needs.