sorry, but no reason for “however”: the SII setup does not allow for power locks operated from the doors. All door locks will only operate the individual lock - all other locks are exclusively governed by the (literally) “central” lock button at the center console. I’d be very surprised if a 76 coupé had been treated any different … but then again:-) …
So, if your power locks are operated from the door it is a direct sign for PO manipulation. The best thing that may have happened is that he has installed a SIII system. Other kinds of aftermarket systems may have required more or less severe butchering of the original wiring and setup.
Just in case: some time ago I have made up an RC control that is wired into the central locking button and does not require any amendments to the original wires or switches. Any and all modifications can be removed in less than twenty minutes only pulling and reattaching wires. Of course, I still don’t have power locks operated from the doors, but I do have power locks operated from the key fob. Works a charm and has worked absolutely trouble free for at least four years now. It is documented in the archives.
Hi Jochen - I just looked at the coupe handbook and it says central locking works via the outside door locks or the switch on the console, so must be different to the 4 doors.
I am still learning the features of this car so may take me a little while to come to grips with all of them.
wow - that really surprises me! Even though I spelled out the “but then again” for good reasons;-)
With “coupe handbook” do you refer to the owner’s manual or the Repair Operation Manual? I just double checked the SII 6 cyl parts manual and it shows identical front door locks and solenoids for 2- and 4-door cars. Likewise, the wiring scheme is identical as well (257: door lock solenoids [four only in 4-dr cars]; 258: door lock solenoids; 259: thermal ciruit breaker; 260: door lock switch).
Is that a 12 cylinder thing or were 76 coupés treated to the upcoming SIII standard?
It was in the User Handbook that came with the car.
Looking at things logically why would Jaguar only have the ability to centrally lock the door from a switch inside. The logical solution is to have central locking also activated by at least the drivers door lock. Most other cars from this era that had central locking activated by the drivers door to lock or unlock from outside the car and a panic switch for when inside - certainly most slightly later Land Rover products did.
Another thing about your lighter socket… Since it’s vertically oriented and low in the car it’s common to find a stray coin in the socket, in the states a penny or dime fits in there well and of course, blows the lighter fuse. Hard to see and easy to overlook.
Bill
The cigar lighter needs little excuse to blow a fuse, Garry - a little ascew may short the powered centre directly to ground…
Clarifying previous post on door locks - with a solenoid in the driver’s door, the door key will not operate the central locking. And with a control unit in the driver’s door; the switch will not lock/unlock the driver’s door - you cannot have it both ways…
As an aside; with a two-door you have to unlock/open the driver’s door to access the switch anyway. And when courtesy and civility dictated first opening door(s) for lady passengers it posed a problem…
Which of course is all solved with remote - and solved on the later Kiekert motor system.
if there is a switch in the door, the wiring pattern needs to be different. So, if you’ve got the original Owners Manual there is a chance that the original Wiring Pattern is still there to check? Otherwise, it would be great in terms of documentation to include a pic of the original handbook describing this kind of operation.
This weekend I had to do a 1000km round trip to visit relatives so I took the new to me XJC and on the first leg managed 18mpg so that was a plus.
The car ran really well for most of the trip and is a pleasure to drive but I do miss my cupholders, auto lights, auto wipers, auto dip revision mirror and the 32mpg of my Range Rover.
On the way home I was on the freeway running on the left tank and was thinking about changing tanks as the gauge was down to a bit less than 1/4 full. Then the engine spluttered so I switched to the right tank but the engine kept on spluttering and then stopped - I came to a stop just outside a service centre.
The gauge was not on empty but getting close so it would seem I had run out of petrol and after switching to the right tank it had not pulled fuel from the tank before the engine shut down. It would fire but not keep running.
I managed to get to car to the service centre entrance but no further - as I had switch tanks the gauge was now showing full. I was about to call my roadside service company but I had no mobile coverage. Then wondered if the car had not actually changed tanks - what put this thought in my mind was that I had noticed weeks before that sometimes when changing tanks the gauge did not change but pushing the fuel switch a couple of times fixed it and I wondered if the same had happened to the tanks. I went into the service centre and bought a 10 litre fuel container and filled it with 11 litres of fuel and put it into the empty left tank and the car fired up immediately - so I was right that when the left tank had run dry the system did not switch to the right tank when I hit the switch. Interestingly when back on the road I switched to the right tank and it all worked - so I guess I need to check the connectors in the wiring for the switching arrangement to look for corrosion.
When on the left tank the gauge only reads 3/4 when the tank is totally full to the brim and I now know it is empty when the gauge still shows 1/8 full. On the other hand the right hand tank when full to the brim shows full and stays on full for a while and I assume shows empty when empty but not tested this.
I have worked out I get about 240km out of each tank when cruising at a modest speed on the freeway, so I will use this as a cross reference for the gauge in the future.
For now I need to clean up the contacts in the fuel electrics to make the changing tank process more reliable.
great to hear the car passed this serious test of 1000 kms without complaining! BTW, I don’t miss a bit of all of the modern-times assistants - using the dipswitch or wiper stalk really is performed by my brain’s auto-pilot - and, by contrast, I feel greatly relaxed by the lack of choices, settings and menus on a panoramic touch screen.
Good, you also found out about one of the failure modes of the fuel switch! Next time you encounter a similar problem you may have someone available to listen to the clicking of the fuel pumps while you turn the ignition key in D or R: the SII (and your coupé as well) should have two fuel pumps (do you have external pumps or immersed pumps?) and on the six cylinder cars they are located at the same sides as the tanks. So, if you have switched to the right tank, the right hand fuel pump should click (assuming you still have the original setup with external pumps). If the clicking comes from the other side, the switch hasn’t switched.
Such issues are almost always caused by the contacts at the switch. Pulling, cleaning and lubing might rectify the problem for the next dozen years. Exercise is always good for the switch and a pretty good second-best attempt of repair.
Thanks for that information - not sure of the pump arrangement on this car as I have not had a chance to look - in my Etype I can hear the pump but not in the XJC - I understand it should be one pump and solenoid/valves that direct fuel from the required tank.
I agree that the issue is most likely a bit of corrosion in the switch or elsewhere. I have a spare dash board with all instruments and switches so I will pull the fuel switch out of it and refurbish and replace the one in the car.
It’s sort of important to identify the pump arrangement, Garry. It may be one external pump or two - or two submerged ones. Somewhat depending on model year(?)…and vagaries of POs…
The engine should of course recover instantly when switching tanks as you did - and switching tanks, whenever, should be unnoticeable.
The switch has two functions - with separate wiring. One function changes the gauge ground between ‘left’ and ‘right’ tank units - reading fuel levels accordingly. The second function switches power between the two pumps - external or internal. With one pump, always powered from a separate source; it switches power to the changeover valve ‘on’ for ‘right’ tank, ‘off’ for the ‘left’…if I remember carb set-ups correctly…
The fault(s) may indeed be electric, but the switch seldom fails electrically - though corrosion is of course a possibility anywhere. Disconnecting and reconnecting is a common remedy - at least temporarily. And failure to switch, with single pump, may be a clogged changeover valve. That the fault may be intermittent just makes it more difficult to consistently detect.
Tank level anomalies is almost certainly due to the tank units; leaking or stuck floats, as Aristides mention - or faults with the resistor in the tank units. The levels readings are adjustable by bending the rods holding the floats - but access to the units may be a bit awkward…
As it’s only one year younger than my car and still carbed it’s safe to assume it will be two external pumps and no change over valve. The switch-over is done by simple poppet valves in the pumps.
Easy enough to check, lift the pump cover out and behold the simplicity of two pumps on a ‘T’. It’s always prudent to check the earth and power connections on the pumps before moving on to hard-to-get-at front tank senders. Worth noting I had a minor intermittent RH pump failure. It was a loose power terminal.
(257: door lock solenoids [four only in 4-dr cars]; 258: door lock solenoids; 259: thermal ciruit breaker; 260: door lock switch).