Hello everyone, I’m new here. I just bought my first Jaguar about a week ago. It’s been my dream car since high school. Everything worked fine and the body is excellent, except for some rust below the front and rear windows. The right side fuel tank leaks gas so it doesnt function. The seller has only been using the left side. I plan on fixing that issue. I drove the car home and began cleaning the car. I accidently pressed the gas button while cleaning the dash, and leaked quite a bit of gas. The next day I parked the Jag on some grass for an exterior wash and wax. It stayed parked until the following day. When I turned the car on in the morning, the reverse would not work. The engine would want to back up but the tires would not move. I added transmission fluid as it was a bit low but still didnt work. I had help to push the car back onto the driveway. It drives forward but wont back up. The reverse worked fine before, I’m not sure what caused it to stop working.
Me being naive and still excited about the car decided to drive it to work the following day (about 18min /45mph average - no freeway) and parked on a slight uphill so I can back up without actually putting the car into reverse. After I got out of work, the car would not turn on. It was not the battery and I had fresh fuel inside the day before. After lots of cranking, smoke started to appear. (I later found out that too much cranking can lead to the starter burning out hence, causing smoke.) I had it towed back home the following day. I will be changing the starter tomorrow and ordered new spark plugs and spark plug cables. Will keep you guys updated.
I’m a 21 year old jeweler who happens to be a Jaguar enthusiast. I dont know much about engines so I hope more experienced Jag owners on this forum can help shed light.
Besides an oil and oil filter change, new spark plugs and plug cables, what else should be done before driving it again.
Welcome Ediberto, and what a lovely car.
Love the combination of the yellow and the polished kent wheels.
Do you know the history of the car?
How is the interior?
Show us pictures.
Did you check the fluid level with the engine running and in P ?
Does it make weird noises?
You could, and should anyway, change the filter (a very messy process) and see.
Maybe a solenoid or valve is stuck, I’m not an expert, hope others will chime in.
Check your Fuel Pressure Regulator.
Remove the vacuum hose and see if it’s wet or smells of gas, it would mean the the diaphragm inside is torn.
Other possibility could be the ignition amplifier, but you must determine fist if it doesn’t start because of no fuel or because of no spark.
Check the cooling system, radiator might be blocked internally as the service manual required adding Bars Leak on every service interval.
Check your fan clutch, and check the fan for cracks.
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As Aristides sagely advised, Eddie; sort out the starting problem first…
Attach a spare spark plug, gapped to 3 times the spec, to any plug lead and crank while observing sparking - no spark requires a different approach from a fuel issue. The starter may be OK, so recharge the battery before changing it. If engine cranks the smoke may just have been external oil burning off. The starter can stand a lot of abuse - and failure to crank may have other causes…
The gearbox issue may just be a rear band adjustment issue. The band linings are very thin and will wear very quickly if maladjusted - and the as the band is also involved in 1st gear; don’t drive before band adjustment is verified. But there might also be a deeper issue…
Nice car, for sure! Door guards, polished Kent wheels and blue plates in the 1980s would indicate a California car for me, right? - Hope you finish this diamond to become a brilliant again!
Unfortunately, it looks like there’s still a lot to be done to achieve this. Some of the issues you’ve mentioned are quite typical of these cars: don’t underestimate the windscreen rust issue - water entering here will lead to structural rusting. Likewise leaking tanks, pumps or hoses are a “standard” for series Jag ownership. No rocket science, but if a tank is rusty it will take quite some action to fix this.
Now, to begin you seem to have poked into a wasp nest with your cleaning action: I cannot see a reason why pressing the gas pedal (or what do you mean by “gas button”?) on a parked car should leak any fuel. Even if you talk about the fuel tank switch at the dashboard, nothing should happen while parked. Or did you switch inadvertently and the fuel leak occurred upon startup? Well then you’ve found out that the switch works (that is good in itself as many time it doesn’t if left unoperational over a longer period of time) and that there is a leak on your right tank.
Similarly for your gearbox issue: what do you mean by “engine would want to back up but the tires would not move”? Only in P and N you can rev up the engine freely without any noticeable action. Do you actually feel like you “pump power” into the converter? If yes, there is power connection at the auto box and the problem most likely is there. If not, however, it may well be that the problem is in the transmission quadrant at the center console and despite moving the gear shift lever there is no information for the gearbox to move from P to R. You might have disturbed the system with your cleaning action. As soon as you get the engine running again you might try just some fiddling at the gear shift lever. Pull it a bit further toward N and see whether R eventually engages.
Maybe your starting issue is also related to your initial mistake. You write your car keeps cranking which means the gearbox is in P or N - otherwise the inhibitor switch would disable the starter (maybe to cross-check, try whether you can crank in R; if yes it is quite likely that your fault lies in the lever unit).
Then again by inadvertently switching the fuel tank and (!) running the engine you might have moved all kinds of rust flakes and debris from a tank that hasn’t been used for a longer period of time into your fuel pump and/or the injectors. So your no-start situation may be fuel related.
Hello Aristides,
Thank you. Unfortunately I don’t know much about the history. The seller said they purchased the vehicle at an auction from an estate liquidator. They had it for about a year until they decided to sell it. The interior is quite well but the leather seats have tears and will need to be reupholstered. The wood has some cracks but nothing too serious. The carpet is pristine and the door panels are in great shape aswell.
I did check the fluid level with the engine running and in P. It doesnt make any weird noises. I will make a note of that and change the filter.
I read on the older forum website that you should not add Bars Leak as it was a factory mistake. I think I will flush out the old coolant and add new fluid. What is the best coolant or coolant brand to add into these gorgeous vehicles?
I will check the fan clutch and keep an eye out for cracks. My manual is on it’s way thank you for all of this information
I actually live in Southern California . Our neighborhood just happens to love palm trees. It could be electric smoke. It was coming from the starter area. But theres so many old cables that the smoke could possibly have been electrical.
I will check all the connections and cables you mentioned. I think it would be best to replace all of them. Just to be sure. It doesnt look like the previous owner cared to replace worn out parts .
New hoses and fuel filters are next on my shopping list. Thank you for your information. It helps a lot.
Unfortunately, it’s just the photo filter that makes it look more yellow than it actually is. The previous owner repainted it in the classic GreenSand paint that was only available for the E-type and series 2 xj6. The original colour for this car was Cirrus Grey.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
11
I saw a nicer shade once, on a Cadillac. I’d describe it as pearlescent yellow. It was one of the cars that drew me to the conclusion that it’s not the color that’s good or bad, but the shade or rather the specific hue. I’ve seen atrocious greens, but there are gorgeous greens too. There are reds that are spectacular, but there are also reds that just look loud. Most yellows look awful – which makes a pretty one really stand out.
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Checking fuel means switching tanks, Eddie - the changeover switch has a dual function. If you changed tanks with the engine running; fuel may have returned to 'right tank. Since you don’t not know the history of the car; the leaking right tank is hearsay, but it may be where the leak comes from? If you are only using the ‘left’ tank - the switch must be pushed ‘in’…and kept there…
You don’t need to change battery cables unless visibly burnt/cracked - but with a non-crank’ the connections should definitely be cleaned; corrosion is not conductive…
And do not use Barrs leak - it’s meant to stop leaks, but leaks are to be stopped in other ways. Over times it tends to clog up the radiator…
Get the engine to turn over and start - and remedy whatever cause of it not doing so first…
You want the generic green glycol. And you don’t want to add Barrs leak, but do change the coolant frequently, that is every two years or so, as the corrosion additives get used up.
Congratulations on your purchase!
I would strongly suggest that you work through and correct the actual problems you have right now, rather than taking a shotgun approach trying to fix everything that might be wrong. Trying to fix everything possible will just become very expensive, take a lot of work, and ultimately may well introduce even more problems.
Beautiful paint job Ediberto! Being a Californian car there should be little or no rust (hopefully!). This car will be worth the effort of fixing any mechanical issues, my advice is to prioritise the issues and tackle one at a time, no need to rush but rather enjoy the journey.
Primrose ? for a time, I thought Primrose was pink? Wrong again !
Cotswald is the awfull yellow.
Aye, yellow cars were once the big deal. ugh.
My neighbor has a nice old trck. except for the yellow paint.
Circa 58, I built a T speedster from cast off junk. Yellow and black. Got a good deal oon some great paint, in Caterpillar yellow. We lived in farm country. it fit right in…
My
My Saab classic 900 vert is Monte carlo yellow with anthracite body kit. It’s similar to the Monte Carlo vert but without the limited edition badge on the glove box
I also reside in Southern California. My '86 XJ6, which I purchased in 1996, is also cirrus grey. Based on that color, I’d guess your car is a 1984,85,or 86 model, and your interior appears to be 'Buckskin", same color as mine. It looks good with the yellow exterior. Rust formation on and under the windshield and rear windows is common for pre 1987 cars, the folks at Jaguar finally rectified rust and paint issues on these cars in the autumn of 1986 for the 1987 models. My car was always garaged by the previous owner and never taken out in the rain, which was lucky for me, as there was only one tiny rust spot on the rear window frame which I managed to sand down and apply touch up paint. Now, 25 years later, my ‘repair’ appears to be holding up. If you wish, you may send me a PM and tell me what part of So. Cal. you are located in, maybe I’ll know of a competent mechanic located near you.
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