[xj] Another Great Run, or how I spent Monday

XJ
1

A bit before 3AM yesterday, up, get the nav. unit, check the oil and
coolant, and off up to I-10 for a quick run to Santa Monica; roughly 441
miles away. Onto I-10, ‘roadie music’ on the CD, speed control set,
sunroof cracked for a bit of road noise and star gazing. Out of the
Phoenix metro area, cruise is set to 78 mph, and life is good. Appropriate
gas in / coffee out stop in Blythe, and cruise notched back to 74 for
California’s 70 mph limit.
Flawless run…
Traffic got a little heavy around Colton, got way, way worse around
Pasadena, but go with the flow, and you get there safely. 2 hours, a bit
less, on the ground; document review and acceptance complete, and its time
to find a gas station.

Gas and coffee in, TomTom giving words of wisdom to find I 10 again. We’re
off toward the desert retreat again a bit after noon. Observation - LA
city traffic on I-10, IS way worse than that of the desert byways. A good
run, traffic gotcha’s here and there, but only one traffic delay - 6
minutes - on the way past San Bernardino, and traffic was moderate for the
run to Palm Springs. A quick rest stop leg stretch and on we go. Over the
Chiriaco pass, - damn trucks – uphill, a 25 mph semi is being passed by a
26 mph semi - and there’s Blythe. Gas in,Hamburger in, and over the
Colorado River, back into AZ. Uneventful run for 120 miles, but Phoenix
metro area appears, as does its rush hour traffic… Patience, as
practiced by Jag owners, is a virtue, and Goldie passes through with great
aplomb.

646PM. Pull in the driveway. Ah. 15 plus hours total, 14 driving.

Things I learnt on this run…

Goldie pulls slightly to the right.
There’s a tire out of Balance, noticeable at 52 mph,
Gas is CA is bloody expensive (its 50cents cheaper in Quartzite, 18 miles
east of Blythe.)
The driver’s side rear door seal has a wind leak.
17.8 mpg (US) is a bit less than average, and way less than Son’s Prius.
Headlights - standard - aren’t that great at 80mph, need to replace them
The bet “roadie song” is Golden Earring’s “Radar Love” (long version)
The AC amp/controller is playing up
The XJ seats are more comfortable than the VdP - I need additional/better
butt and lower back cushioning.

Lastly,

I love to drive the Jaguar on long runs.

Ken
'87 Series III VdP
151,000 Miles
space, pace, grace in the Desert===================================================
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2

A bit before 3AM yesterday, up, get the nav. unit, check the oil and
coolant, and off up to I-10 for a quick run to Santa Monica;

Ahh. Nice city, or at least used to be, and hope it still is. I lived there
for many years.

17.8 mpg (US) is a bit less than average, and way less than Son’s Prius.

I suspect you spent quite a bit of time over 70 mph. :slight_smile: In my experience
that’s the magic speed where economy suffers

Headlights - standard - aren’t that great at 80mph, need to replace them

Decent lighting is key to reducing night driving fatigue. You have lots of
good choices. I’ve had great luck with Hellas. Do you have 7" lamps yet?

The AC amp/controller is playing up

Uh-oh. What’s happening?

The XJ seats are more comfortable than the VdP - I need additional/better
butt and lower back cushioning.

I’ve heard that opinion expressed by quite a few others over the years.

Cheers
Doug Dwyer
Longview Washington USA
1995 XJRFrom: “Ken Davis” Ken@azkiwis.com

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3

Ken,

I do the same thing. Have to drive to Palm Springs on Friday and will fill up
on the Arizona side of the border. Its at least $.50c a gallon cheaper there
and sometimes more. Just saw $2.60 here in North Phoenix.

JoeOn 28 Oct 2008 at 7:06, Ken Davis wrote:

Things I learnt on this run…

Goldie pulls slightly to the right.
There’s a tire out of Balance, noticeable at 52 mph,
Gas is CA is bloody expensive (its 50cents cheaper in Quartzite, 18 miles
east of Blythe.)
butt and lower back cushioning.

Lastly,

I love to drive the Jaguar on long runs.

Ken
'87 Series III VdP
151,000 Miles

===================================================
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4

Hi Doug,
Not sure how nice Santa Monica is these days, was only in underground
parking and an office building…

Yes, 17.8 … I’ve found in Goldie the sweet spot is 65 for gas mileage,
and it does drop rapidly above 70, by 10-15% or more.

Goldie does have 7in outer lights, but standard sealed beam. I eventually
want to go to hellas, but the path includes an alt. replacement (pending
since last year), as the Fan on Full, the twin E-Fans, etc, are already
putting a strain on charging.

The AC amp is finally showing the symptoms of failure… No matter how I
set it, 65 or 85, its cold /v. cool air coming out, no shut down of center
vent if turned to 85 for heat. Turn everything off, wait 15-20 minutes,
then it works as it should, for anywhere from 15-60 minutes. It may have
been this way for a while, I havent used the heater in the desert since last
Feb or so. Going to do the aftermarket replacement before it gets too
chilly here, you know, overnights in the 40’s, days in the high 70’s…
Brrr.

Ken
'87 Series III VdP
151,000 Miles
space, pace, grace in the Desert>

17.8 mpg (US) is a bit less than average, and way less than Son’s Prius.

I suspect you spent quite a bit of time over 70 mph. :slight_smile: In my experience
that’s the magic speed where economy suffers

Headlights - standard - aren’t that great at 80mph, need to replace them

Decent lighting is key to reducing night driving fatigue. You have lots of
good choices. I’ve had great luck with Hellas. Do you have 7" lamps yet?

The AC amp/controller is playing up

Uh-oh. What’s happening?

The XJ seats are more comfortable than the VdP - I need additional/better
butt and lower back cushioning.

===================================================
The archives and FAQ will answer many queries on the XJ series…
FAQs: http://www.jag-lovers.org/xjlovers/xjfaq/index.html
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5

If you can find them, I’ve found Cibie’s are much better lights than
Hella’s. Also the bulbs are important. When my Daimler arrived I took
off the sealed beams and put on a set of Cibies. I has one H4 bulb left
on the shelf that was European, and when I went to the parts store the
bulbs they had were made in China. When I turned the lights on the China
bulb was quite noticeably dimmer, even though both are supposedly 60W bulbs.

If you look around you can find the Phillips or Osram bulbs that are
made in Hungary and they are the brighter ones. I found them at Wal Mart
of all places, and cheaper than the Chinese ones. The Euro bulbs don’t
use any more power, they are just more efficient.

Craig

Ken Davis wrote:>

Goldie does have 7in outer lights, but standard sealed beam. I
eventually want to go to hellas, but the path includes an alt.
replacement (pending since last year), as the Fan on Full, the twin
E-Fans, etc, are already putting a strain on charging.

===================================================
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6

Ah, a great run. I Bet it is wonderful in the S-Type… Outside of
Phoenix metro, its light traffic and good roads - tho the AZ ones are better
finished than CA’s freeways.

I’d like to take wife on a run there, then head down past Salton Sea to I-8
and home. I paid $3.59 in LA, it’s at $2.59 at our "cheapie station - 20
bucks diference for a fill up.

Ken----- Original Message -----
From: joe@joea.com
To: xj@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 7:54 AM
Subject: Re: [xj] Another Great Run, or how I spent Monday.

Ken,

I do the same thing. Have to drive to Palm Springs on Friday and will fill
up
on the Arizona side of the border. Its at least $.50c a gallon cheaper
there
and sometimes more. Just saw $2.60 here in North Phoenix.

Joe

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7

In reply to a message from Ken Davis sent Tue 28 Oct 2008:

If it’s any consolation our cheap station’s price is $1.60/litre &
there’s roughly 4 of them to a US gallon!–
The original message included these comments:

I’d like to take wife on a run there, then head down past Salton Sea to I-8
and home. I paid $3.59 in LA, it’s at $2.59 at our ''cheapie station - 20
bucks diference for a fill up.

–
Keith Turner '79 XJ6 based Aristocat,
Swansea, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

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8

And Costco here is now around $2.65. Filled up a Honda this week at
that. Last week, filled the SIII for $3.27 – should have waited!–
Alex
79xj6L SII (BRG + wires)
86xj6 SIII (Black)
61 Sprite MkII (Red)
Menlo Park, Calif.

Ken Davis wrote:

Ah, a great run. I Bet it is wonderful in the S-Type… Outside of
Phoenix metro, its light traffic and good roads - tho the AZ ones are
better finished than CA’s freeways.

I’d like to take wife on a run there, then head down past Salton Sea to
I-8 and home. I paid $3.59 in LA, it’s at $2.59 at our "cheapie
station - 20 bucks diference for a fill up.

===================================================
The archives and FAQ will answer many queries on the XJ series…
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9

In reply to a message from Alex Cannara sent Tue 28 Oct 2008:

Yeah, I saw 3.09 (3.10). but didn’t need any gas yet.

I read of a place in Hayward at 2.99. (3.00)

My miser habits are in tune from the high days so, it just lasts
and lasts!!! Consolidated trips and light foot makes a world of
difference.

When I lived and worked in LA, I always enjoyed going to settlment
conferences in Santa Monica. One of my former bosses lived there
with his girl friend after his wife threw him out. He and wife were
really nice folks, I never did understand that one. Wife was also
much better looking than the girl friend??? Veery disappointed.
My friend and his ''damn Jag XK 120 lived there until he got rid of
Jag and wife that called it that. he also had one of those little
Issettas. He was a big guy, he just kinda folded in to both cars.
those cars had their faults, but nothing like the leaky 57 Plymouth
that replaced them.

Carl–
The original message included these comments:

And Costco here is now around $2.65. Filled up a Honda this week at
that. Last week, filled the SIII for $3.27 – should have waited!

–
Carl Hutchins 1983 Jaguar XJ6 with LT1 and 1994 Jeep Grand
Walnut Creek, California, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

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10

In reply to a message from cadjag sent Tue 28 Oct 2008:

I bought a tankful of $2.10 on the 80 between Omaha and Des Moines
on Sunday. The next tank was $2.20 and the tank after that was
$2.50! Damn truck anyway! When I get some time I’ll add my Sunday
adventure picking up my recent addition, an '84 VDP.–
The original message included these comments:

Yeah, I saw 3.09 (3.10). but didn’t need any gas yet.
I read of a place in Hayward at 2.99. (3.00)

And Costco here is now around $2.65. Filled up a Honda this week at
that. Last week, filled the SIII for $3.27 – should have waited!

–
Chris '83 XJ6, '78 XJ6C
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

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