Perhaps I’m lucky because I live in Southern California. My 1987 series 3 XJ 6 was built in September 1986. The PO drove it regularly through all kinds of weather and the car still wears its factory paint along with pin stripes and no paint crazing to be found. I think it may have been Peter Crespin in his XJ buyers guide who may have commented that the folks at Jaguar some time in 1986 finally solved the paint crazing problem
Doug,
I agree that windscreen channel rust is also a problem in the 1987 model year Series III XJ6s. Here are pictures of the front windscreen channel rust in my 1987 XJ6 parts car after I removed the front windscreen. From the little records I have I suspect that it was a California only car. but can’t be certain of that. It was towed away about a year ago. May it rust in peace (or pieces).
Paul
The paint crazing problem was fixed when they switched from cellulose to regular high solid paints.
People who want to respray their car beware!
Cellulose cannot be sprayed over with modern paints!!
If you want to know if your car was painted with cellulose lacquer before repainting it, soak a rag in paint thinner and lay it on a painted surface. Does the paint become gooyie, then it’s cellulose…a total sand down or blasting is required to do the job properly…
Hi,
The Jaguar factory changed from cellulose based paints (Zofelac / Domolac) already back in 1952 to urethane based paints. At the same time they dropped all metallic paints until they changed the selection and paint suppliers again in 1961. (and metallics came back and were very popular)
Basically the last Jaguars painted with cellulose paint at the factory were the MKV’s and very early MKVII’s in 1951, as well as early XK120’s made at the Foleshill plant. (1949-1951)
At the same time (1952) they got a rotisserie for the paint shop, before that MKV’s and XK120’s were sprayed horizontally only.
BUT of course a car may have gotten a cellulose based lacquer paint later in life, and some few cars built and finished at the special vehicles department (royal cars etc.) or the Vanden Plas plant at Kingsbury, London.
Cheers!
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Ok, i stand corrected on the cellulose.
Fact remains, the paints used prior to 1987’ish model years is not compatible with modern paints.
Hi,
No worries, it’s a good idea to check. I have seen many “Earl Sheib” paint jobs on 1960’s E-types and cracking paint, red, black. you name it. I would always go bare metal, as in the end, if you want it done right, I think that’s the only way to go, especially with modern paints.
Cheers!
Hello everyone,
Here is an update. 
I managed to get the car running. It was just the starter as I had hoped. Now it runs, the reverse still doesn’t work correctly. I will be taking it to a certified jaguar mechanic in San Diego next week to have it checked.
When I changed the oil and added new oil, the level read correctly right at the top of the criss-cross section. I added about 8 quarts of 20w50 Castrol. After about a week, I checked the oil after work and to my surprise it read way higher than the correct level. I decided to check it again the morning the next day. SAME LEVEL. Is it supposed to read that high? I dont understand how it increase so much. Is this normal? How should I go about it?
Thanks
Did you allow sufficient ‘flow down’ time while filling the engine? 8 quarts sounds a bit much from memory I thought it was less than that?
Sounds about right with filter - keep it between low and half though, less leakage and just fine. Officially: wait one minute after shutdown hot, as it says on the dip stick; it’s not exact science.
Way higher means your coolant is very low now or you didn’t push the dip stick in far enough the first time, you will find out about both when you drain off a little until the level is good.
Also check your transmission level before taking it to the „certified jaguar mechanic“: 20 minutes of driving, then measure with the engine running in park.
I experienced adding too much oil in my XJ40, when I checked it after filling up with gas. I found checking it once a week, on a Saturday morning, after the car had sat overnight, to produce accurate results. Before going out, I would pop the hood and check all the levels. The only thing I would check when filling up would be the tranny. I’ve done this since with all my Jags. It seems to take a long time for the oil to run down after operating.
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The refill spec reflects residual oil in the engine, GJ - including filter change. With more oil than ‘normal’ left in the engine the specs won’t work; in short fill as much as is required by dipstick reading Which you actually did)
However; if you fill, and measure, with cold oil, then measure with the engine hot - levels would rise. (The most likely cause?). Then there is the difference with early and later engines - the latter takes a pint more. And there are Imperial and US quarts messing up specs - and if you want chapter and verse; sometimes the collar on the dipstick slips, giving incorrect readings. And in the same vein; different dipsticks, seemingly identical, were used for various xk versions…
The gist of all this is that, if you trust the dipstick; siphon off excess oil - the engine will burn oil at a great high rate with overfill. In fact, filling to the ‘full’ mark the engine will rapidly burn off a pint - it is pointless filling or replenishing xk engine oil to the ‘full’ mark…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
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