I’m coming back to you. I haven’t had time to work on the car (engine) since our last exchanges.
the car was leaking a lot of gearbox oil when parked. so I took a day and put the gearbox out.
I wanted to ask you if it is possible to change the rear crankshaft seal after removing the flywheel ? Because of course there is a leak there too.
when I will have reassembled the gearbox, I will follow your advice on the tests to do to determine the air leak.
You make it sound so easy Jean…!!!
Rear crankshaft seal is a rope type seal.
In theory, if set correctly, it never goes bad.
On the other hand it never seals 100% either and relies on the PCV and the slight vacuum inside the engine to keep the oil inside and 99% of the rear seal leaks are caused by a faulty PCV system.
Thoroughly covered on the archives and on the Book, and on how to change it.
There is a way to do it without removing the crankshaft, but it’s not an easy task.
Also, the leak you see might not be coming from the seal itself but from the sandwich plate or the seal housing.
I understand and agree Aristides and thank you.
I’m not touching it, I’ve spent enough time on this car. and there are other issues to deal with.
Concerning the removal of the gearbox, I needed 3 different wrenches to loosen the screws of the bell housing ! It’s amazing how the designers of this car had no idea what a mechanic’s job is. No coment
I ordered the parts for the gearbox…
A reflection on my air intake problem.
While removing the gearbox, I noticed that a vacuum hose was coming in next to the gearbox, without being connected anywhere. (see first picture)
This vacuum hose is connected to the air intake (bottom stud) (see second picture)
What is the purpose of this vacuum hose, where should it be connected ? It must be the air intake which is bothering me since the beginning…
I recall a 25/32" box end crowfoot wrench in the bottom of a tool box somewhere around here.
Only used it on a few occasions many years ago to remove a bell housing on a GM product.
Sure looks like it…!
Hopefully you found the problem Jean.
The only vacuum line down there should be for the transmission vacuum modulator.
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It’s connected to the vacuum modulator on the gearbox, Jean - which senses manifold vacuum, which again relates to engine load. All for the box to change to the appropriate gear…
While the connection, and the modulator, must work properly for proper gearbox shifting; a leaking hose is too narrow to affect engine idle much…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
Yesterday I put back the gearbox. I wait long time after little gaskets and delivery…
Meanwhile, I learned alone to paint a car. It works ! But it’s another story.
So, no more leaks on the gearbox when I added the oil.
The vacuum hose for modulator is in place and I remove the other hose that was useless, but was connected to A bank (end of A bank).
I start the engine to complete the oil level in the gearbox, but the engine stalled after start.
I spend all my day to fix the static timing position, without succes.
I followed the book, I followed the Haynes workshop, but nothing exact with the fitting on the car.
There is a lot of info (often contradictory) on internet / forum / workshop manual for damper position, but nearly nothing about the position of the rotor arm face to the position of the vernier adjuster at static idle… 
I think the car (delivery new in France in 1987) is a pre HE (??), not a HE. I have Lucas distributor, 2 coils, but no cold start relay, no lambda exhaust.
1987 would be a HE and I guess no Cats since it has no O² sensors.
Damper mark could have shifted. Lots of info on the Book.
I think there is a mark inside the distributor for the rotor arm at TDC of A1.
Thank’s Aristides it’s a HE then.
There is no clear signs for the static setting of the distributor.
I just find something in the Book, last paragraph of the page 145, where “Michael Neal claims…”
It’s easy to understand when I read, but once in front of the car, I’m not sure I’ll make it…But I have no choice and I will try.
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‘Static’ means the engine is stationary, Christophe - it is not usually specified…
To illustrate ‘how’ it is done; with mechanical points the ignition occurs as the points starts to open. The engine is turned to the specified static advance on the damper, the distributor clamp is loosened to allow the dist to be turned. A cigarette paper, or similar thin tissue, is placed between the the points, and the dist is slowly turned until the paper just falls out - indicating the points is just about to open…
With electronic ignition; the ign is triggered by a signal from the dist pick-up - but the idea is the same. With the coil center lead placed some 1/4" from a good ground, the dist is slowly turned either way, back and forth, to trigger sparking - and the dist is clamped in the assessed ‘best’ position. With a vernier fitted; in all cases the vernier is set in the mid position - allowing final tuning either way with the engine running.
However, ignition must occur on the cylinder thst is in the firing position - on its compression stroke, and the rotor must point to that cylinder. On all 4-stroke engines the TDC mark on the damper indicates two different states - the ‘right’ or the ‘wrong’ cylinder with reference to the rotor. So the ‘right’ cylinder, the one the rotor is pointing to, must be verified to be on the compression stroke…
The ign sequence of the V12, the right bank is the ‘A’; 1A-6B-5A-2B-3A-4B-6A-1B-2A-5B-4A-3B. So set to TDC; the rotor must point either to 1A or 4B - the 1A is preferred as a reference cylinder. But it is very important to verify that the 1A is on the compression stroke…
…and the best way is to remove the 1A spark plug and turn the engine while holding your finger on the plug hole (no mean feat alone!) to feel the compression as the piston comes towards the TDC mark on the firing stroke. You can use a cork, or whatever) to plug the hole - as it pops you know you are on the compression stroke. The rotor will now point to 1A - or rather; the 1A plug lead must(!) be placed there on the dist, as a reference point for the ign sequence. And the rest of the leads placed from there counterclockwise in the described sequence…
Without specification on static timing, you may set 5 deg BTDC on the damper; it’s a bit iffy - and proper timing must be set to spec with the engine running. It may be done with the vernier, but if the range of that vernier is insufficient, the vernier should be ‘midpointed’ and the distributor position altered accordingly…
Of course, if the engine is running; there is no point in using unspecified ‘static’ adjustment - though as a crude starting point, anything from 0 to 5 deg BTDC deg to get the engine running, then set the spec advance. That the engine will not run may be caused by other factors, like wrong ign sequence or whatever - not to be neglected…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
Yes, but I really need to have a correct position of the distributor if the engine is not starting.
My TDC is OK.
So what I did today :
1°) with damper at 0°
I put the distributor in “exact” position of what is described in the book by Michael Neal (page 145).
“the distributor body set at 3.5 degrees retarded at the adjuster”
“The slots for the holddown allen bolts will be 2/3 past the allen heads”
“The centerline of the rotor will be 75% past the No. 1 line on the inner shield”
"The tooth on the pickup will be roughly 5 degrees past the center of the
pickup point" ==> YES
the engine did not start. I tried all the positions of the adjuster. No start.
2°) With damper at 5° :
I positioned the distributor as described in the Book and performed the same tests, without results.
So I don’t know what to do. I need you help because of the lack of info write.
Jean,
Didn’t you mark the position of the rotor prior to disassembly?
As I said before your timing marks could ne way of, if the damper rubber has separated…
You could verify this with a rod through the spark plug hole of #1 or #6 IIRC.
But before anything, do you have spark?
And do you have fuel ? Maybe check that.
Could be an unrelated issue.
Thank you Aristides, II will check these points tomorrow.
What’s annoying is that the car started right after I put the gearbox back in. But the engine stalled immediately and hasn’t started since…
I would like finish this car so much.
Many have been fooled by TDC, is it intake or exhaust stroke? You could be 180 degrees out?
I had marked my rotor before removing distributor, so only knew i was on the TDC intake stroke because it was pointing around spark plug 1A. I then fine tuned installation of distributor/teeth so i could get it just before #1A on distributor. That gave me a static timing which i then fine tuned with timing light.
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The ‘correct position’ of a distributor is with the rotor pointing to the 1A plug lead, Jean - with the engine set to TDC and the 1A ready to fire…
You align the rotor by unclamping the dist and turn it until the rotor (which remains stationary) aligns with
#1A plug lead. The engine must, of course, be set to the correct TDC - with the 1A on the compression stroke…
The other internals of the distributor is perfectly immaterial for setting(!) ignition timing - though it may be relevant for initial assembly of the dist. When the engine turns, it triggers the discharge of the coil - and the high tension from the coil travels via the rotor to the plug lead. The triggering relates to the relative position of the rotor to the dist body/internals - relative position being is adjusted by turning the dist body relative to the rotor/dist axle to get the prescribed advance. Either by unclamping the dist - or by using the vernier…
Or succinctly; the position of the dist body relative to the engine decides the advance…
That your engine does not start may indeed be, as Aristides say; no spark - best tested by disconnecting coil center lead from dist lid and place the lead some 1/4 from a good ground. This bypasses rotor function - the coil sparks at every trigger pulse; the rotor just brings the spark to the appropriate cylinder. Other ‘non start’ problem relevant to ignition is of course ign sequence - 1A not being at the firing stroke. Meaning you are 360 degrees out on the engine - or 180 on the dist.
That the engine ‘started right after I put the gearbox in’ is relevant; did it actually run. Or did it just ‘catch’ erratically and quit?
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
The engine ‘started right after I put the gearbox, but I stopped the engine because I didn’t open the doors of the garage.
Then the engine never start again
This being said, the symptom was a badly adjusted distributor. That’s what I thought (years of experience with Italian engines).
So today
I tried to start the engine, motor runs freely, no starting.
I checked the position of the crown, underneath the rotor arm. A tooth of the crown is slightly exceeded the “contact point”. I think it’s correct.
I tried all the positions of the adjuster again, and again… no starting
I tried with rotor arm slightly after the 1A and further away (but in the “contact aera”) after the 1A. no starting.
Getting the gearbox out and back in was so much easier next to this distributor crap
I don’t know what to do anymore.
I would verify that you have good, strong, blue spark from the coil; it sounds that you have the distributor close enough to run. Have you checked for injectors operating? Listen with a stethoscope (or a long screwdriver with tip on injector body while handle is against your ear) while someone cranks the engine; should hear a clicking.
You obviously had to disturb the wiring at the back of the engine, did you trap any wiring between the trans and block? My bet would be the coax wire from the ignition amp to the ECU…but if any of the sensor 5v feed is shorted to ground, probably won’t run.
Robert, thank you for your help.
I will verify tomorrow the wiring at the back of the engine. Maybe I made a mistake there.
The injectors are operating fine, checked.
What do you need by the sensor 5v feed ? I don’t understand where it is, or what it looks like.
It is the circuit that supplies a regulated 5v to the throttle sensor, the coolant sensor from the ECU; it also supplies some of the electronics within the ECU. You have injectors clicking? That would indicate the coax/signal is good to the ECU. Are the spark plugs wet with fuel? Are you sure that you have a good, strong spark? Fuel pressure good?
It has to be something simple…
5v from ECU should be there whenever key is on; yellow/pink cavity 20 on ECU, IIRC.
