Revised Crankshaft Position Sender Bracket ( Andy's Bracket)

Having read about “Andy’s Bracket” on Jag-lovers and another forum my curiosity got the better of me and I decided to test one out for myself. ‘Andy’ is Andy Stodart, a former Jaguar engineer in the UK, and the bracket he designed and sells serves to advance ignition timing 5 degrees. I installed my bracket today - took maybe 30 minutes, working at a leisurely pace in 90 degree heat - and the subsequent test drive was impressive. Throttle response is better and the old gal seems to have more pep in her step. Other users have reported an increase in fuel economy, time will tell about that. Below is a picture of the original bracket in front of Andy’s bracket.

Seen my shift knob?

Old skool kool! Reminds me - I recently saw on Craigslist an old school Fink-themed dune buggy sporting a Fink hood ornament. Started me thinking…:wink:

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I’ve seen the ‘Andy’ bracket mentioned quite a few times but usually only on XJS forums or in the XJS section of the JEC mag. I’m curious now that I’m seeing it used on an XJ40. What are the benefits of advancing the ignition timing by 5 degrees ? Are there any disadvantages or drawbacks ? I’m also curious as to why Jaguar didn’t prefer that setting, it’s not like they skimped on the R&D for that engine so I’m assuming they must have experimented with lots of settings before deciding on the factory setting.

Casso, I hope I am not violating some rule / regulation here but this link to another forum contains the answers to your questions - or so I believe - if I am mistaken just shout out and we’ll revisit:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-xj6-xjr6-x300-26/diy-modification-improve-performance-fuel-economy-aj16-aj6-engines-66536/

Thanks Mike, a good explanation and answers all my questions, keep us posted on how it performs longer term. :+1:

Well I don’t want one because I can barely afford regular gas and fitting this bracket you’re gonna need to fill up with hi test. For a daily driver like mine, not practical.
If I REALLY want to tear around the place, I could keep it in permanent sport mode I guess. :roll_eyes:

I don’t know about your XJ40 but mine specifically says it is supposed to be run on premium fuel all the time. During my ownership of my 1994 XJ6 (since around 2007) I have always used premium fuel in the car.

They run fine on regular, you are wasting your money IMO

I have had an Andy bracket on my 1996 4.0 XJS for several years - never looked back.

Important point to remember - it is an “engine upgrade” so you must tell your motor insurer or he may be able to reject or downgrade a claim. My insurer noted the upgrade but did not increase the premium.

Frankie

Frankie thanks for that bit of info. AFAIK that is not an issue here in the US.

As for the “use premium / don’t use premium” debate, well, opinions are like belly buttons, we all have one. So-called modern cars have knock sensors and will adjust (downgrade) the engine’s performance to prevent knocking and potential engine damage if a lower octane fuel is used. Our XJ40s do not have knock sensors, so…

I have used premium fuel for the entire 22-1/2 years and 125,000 miles I’ve run my car. These days, the only fuel I have found that is ethanol-free is premium, and I do get better mileage per gallon using ethanol-free. Have I been throwing money away all these years? Possibly, but that is my prerogative. And I didn’t buy my Jag because it was an economy car! :smiling_face:

Yep… one of those dirty little not-do-secrets of alky fuel, is its lessening of mileage.

Maybe…maybe not: if you at close to sea level, and with a relatively-high compression ratio, it’s not a bad practice.

Truer words ain’t been spoke!

Ethanol gas stops the car from pinging so even though it’s lower octane, the car will run just fine. Pre-ignition is the reason to use higher octane gas in the first place, so if adding ethanol has the same effect …QED

Preignition and detonation are distinctly different, though the ethanol does help protect against detonation.

Confusing Detonation And Preignition | Cycle World.

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This topic may cause some confusion because when I asked about the use in an AJ6 someone replied and said it will work,but upon more digging I found it was really developed for the AJ16, which has a far advanced spark control system.

There are two brackets, one for AJ16 & one for AJ6 engine. You need to specify which when ordering.

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