[xk] Air filters

XK
1

Does anyone know why the 120FHC has an air filter by the
radiator with air drawn to the carbs by tubes in the front
right wing? The other models have the twin pancakes.

I ask because I’ve been driving a fair bit this winter
(sunny days but -15�C in the mornings), and sometimes I need
a bit of starter spray. Getting the tubes off the carbs is a
real pain given the very limited space between the carbs and
the wing.

I won’t change my set-up but I have wondered why a few
times, in between curses…–
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–

2

In reply to a message from Luxo sent Sun 11 Jan 2009:

Probably noise reduction~!–
The original message included these comments:

I won’t change my set-up but I have wondered why a few
times, in between curses…

–
George Camp
Columbia SC, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

3

Placing the air inlet in front of the radiator allows the carbs to draw
cooler air than if they were getting air from the engine compartment.
Instead of disconnecting the hoses, why don’t you simply spray the ether
into the air inlet in front of the radiator? However, it might be even
better to adjust your starting carburetor so the engine starts without spray
at the lower temperatures. A couple of turns of the brass nut ccw should
help out.

Mike Eck
New Jersey, USA
www.jaguarclock.com
'51 XK120 OTS, '62 3.8 MK2 MOD, '72 SIII E-Type 2+2> Does anyone know why the 120FHC has an air filter by the

radiator with air drawn to the carbs by tubes in the front
right wing? The other models have the twin pancakes.

I ask because I’ve been driving a fair bit this winter
(sunny days but -15�C in the mornings), and sometimes I need
a bit of starter spray. Getting the tubes off the carbs is a
real pain given the very limited space between the carbs and
the wing.

I won’t change my set-up but I have wondered why a few
times, in between curses…

1953 XK120SE FHC S681167

4

Mike
You have to stop … you just make to much common sense and it takes away
all the magic! :–)
The Viking-----Original Message-----
From: owner-xk@jag-lovers.org [mailto:owner-xk@jag-lovers.org] On Behalf Of
Mike Eck
Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 4:22 PM
To: xk@jag-lovers.org
Subject: Re: [xk] Air filters

Placing the air inlet in front of the radiator allows the carbs to draw
cooler air than if they were getting air from the engine compartment.
Instead of disconnecting the hoses, why don’t you simply spray the ether
into the air inlet in front of the radiator? However, it might be even
better to adjust your starting carburetor so the engine starts without spray
at the lower temperatures. A couple of turns of the brass nut ccw should
help out.

Mike Eck
New Jersey, USA
www.jaguarclock.com
'51 XK120 OTS, '62 3.8 MK2 MOD, '72 SIII E-Type 2+2

Does anyone know why the 120FHC has an air filter by the
radiator with air drawn to the carbs by tubes in the front
right wing? The other models have the twin pancakes.

I ask because I’ve been driving a fair bit this winter
(sunny days but -15°C in the mornings), and sometimes I need
a bit of starter spray. Getting the tubes off the carbs is a
real pain given the very limited space between the carbs and
the wing.

I won’t change my set-up but I have wondered why a few
times, in between curses…

1953 XK120SE FHC S681167

No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.5/1886 - Release Date: 1/10/2009
6:01 PM

5

In reply to a message from Klaus Nielsen sent Sun 11 Jan 2009:

Mike,
thanks for the tips

I hadn’t sprayed into the front of the air inlet as it just seemed
so far away from the action, and with the rich mix I thought there
would be limited draw from the air filter anyway. Correct me if I’m
wrong.

I haven’t further adjusted the mix on the starting carb as it
already so rich it is seriously spraying out black liquid soot, but
I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Colder air from the front of the radiator? Makes sense. The air
sure is cold there, especially at speed. The temp gauge hangs
around 30�-40�C when driving at this time of the year. The old six-
blader is sucking nice polar air through the recently recored
radiator.

Thanks for your help.
Mark–
The original message included these comments:

Placing the air inlet in front of the radiator allows the carbs to draw
cooler air than if they were getting air from the engine compartment.
Instead of disconnecting the hoses, why don’t you simply spray the ether
into the air inlet in front of the radiator? However, it might be even
better to adjust your starting carburetor so the engine starts without spray
at the lower temperatures. A couple of turns of the brass nut ccw should
help out.

–
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

6

In reply to a message from Mike Eck sent Sun 11 Jan 2009:

Mike I agree but I was trying to answer why on the FHC and DHC they
did it that way and not on the OTS-----who knows but if cooler air
was what Jaguar was after why not do it on the OTS?–
The original message included these comments:

Placing the air inlet in front of the radiator allows the carbs to draw
cooler air than if they were getting air from the engine compartment.
Instead of disconnecting the hoses, why don’t you simply spray the ether
into the air inlet in front of the radiator? However, it might be even
better to adjust your starting carburetor so the engine starts without spray

–
George Camp
Columbia SC, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

7

I hadn’t sprayed into the front of the air inlet as it just seemed
so far away from the action, and with the rich mix I thought there
would be limited draw from the air filter anyway. Correct me if I’m
wrong.

So spray it into the starting carb.

I haven’t further adjusted the mix on the starting carb as it
already so rich it is seriously spraying out black liquid soot, but
I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Sounds like there may be other problems if it won’t start with a rich mix.
How’s your compression?

Colder air from the front of the radiator? Makes sense. The air
sure is cold there, especially at speed. The temp gauge hangs
around 30�-40�C when driving at this time of the year. The old six-
blader is sucking nice polar air through the recently recored
radiator.

If your engine is running at 40�C then your thermostat is either missing or
dead. Not good for the engine.

Mike Eck

8

Because the OTS was a rush job that wasn’t even expected to go into
production. Slapping a couple of pancake screens on it got the job done.
After they had time to assess the situation and do some designing (windows,
defrosters, door handles, etc.) they added the better, more expensive cold
air system to the FHC and DHC.

Mike Eck
New Jersey, USA
www.jaguarclock.com
'51 XK120 OTS, '62 3.8 MK2 MOD, '72 SIII E-Type 2+2>

Mike I agree but I was trying to answer why on the FHC and DHC they
did it that way and not on the OTS-----who knows but if cooler air
was what Jaguar was after why not do it on the OTS?

George Camp

9

Mike,
Back in the sixties I would drive my 120 FHC to work and in very cold
weather I had a hard time starting the 120 so
I used starting fluid either and sprayed it in the air cleaner I did not
know how much to use to get it to the carbs I used to much guess what I blew
a hole in one of the pistons and put a dent in the bonnet when the did stick
blew out . Just a word of caution----- Original Message -----
From: “Mike Eck” mikeeck@optonline.net
To: xk@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2009 8:12 PM
Subject: Re: [xk] Air filters

I hadn’t sprayed into the front of the air inlet as it just seemed
so far away from the action, and with the rich mix I thought there
would be limited draw from the air filter anyway. Correct me if I’m
wrong.

So spray it into the starting carb.

I haven’t further adjusted the mix on the starting carb as it
already so rich it is seriously spraying out black liquid soot, but
I’ll give it a try tomorrow.

Sounds like there may be other problems if it won’t start with a rich mix.
How’s your compression?

Colder air from the front of the radiator? Makes sense. The air
sure is cold there, especially at speed. The temp gauge hangs
around 30�-40�C when driving at this time of the year. The old six-
blader is sucking nice polar air through the recently recored
radiator.

If your engine is running at 40�C then your thermostat is either missing
or
dead. Not good for the engine.

Mike Eck

10

In reply to a message from Mike Eck sent Mon 12 Jan 2009:

Mike,

gave the nut a full anticlockwise turn this morning and the beast
fired up second attempt. Could be a coincidence of course. And the
black crap out of the exhaust seems the same consistency. Turns
clean as soon as the starter carb clicks off.

On the water temp, driving along the autobahn to work at 120km/h
(75mph?) in -12�C really does drive the temp down!

Cheers,
Mark–
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

11

In reply to a message from Luxo sent Tue 13 Jan 2009:

OMG Mark, you actually do that!??!?

My hat’s off to you, I haven’t driven my E in freezing
weather since 2001.

AFAICR there were ‘‘wind cheat’’ shields offered at least for
the MKV and I would think they would also benefit the XK.
That is grey/black/clear plastic sheets that could easily be
mounted in front of the radiator to avoid too much cooling
(now surely a strange concept for many fello J-L’s :wink: this
was common practice in Finland still in the 1970’s when cars
weren’t that modern and we still had proper winters.

In 2004 we drove back home from Lapland 650 miles, the first
100 miles in -38�C (that’s -36,4�F) with my wife’s Saab
9000T16 CC. The only problem was that at 100km/h (60mph) and
above the windscreen would freeze because the heater wasn’t
putting warm enough air out. If I slowed down just a tad the
heater would give warm air again. The only way to change
that would be to block some of the super cool air to enter
the radiator.

In the old days we also used a different thermostat for
winter and summer driving, as well as different oils. Of
course that was before the multigrade oils we now have, but
still if I would drive the E in the winter I would use
something like 0/50W, or 10/40W instead of the 20/50W I now
use for summer driving. To cold start an engine full of
20/50W (over 10 liters!) is very tough on the starter and
the mechanicals of the engine and can increase wear
considerably.

So if you insist upon driving on the autobahn in freezing
weather it will be best for your engine’s health to fit some
‘‘wind cheat’’ shields. Does anyone else know what I am
talking about? MKV Parts book page 93B, part nr. C.5699
‘‘Windcheat’’ Radiator Shield.

Cheers,
Pekka T. in Finland, not freezing for the moment–
The original message included these comments:

Mike,
gave the nut a full anticlockwise turn this morning and the beast
fired up second attempt. Could be a coincidence of course. And the
black crap out of the exhaust seems the same consistency. Turns
clean as soon as the starter carb clicks off.
On the water temp, driving along the autobahn to work at 120km/h
(75mph?) in -12�C really does drive the temp down!
Mark
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167

–
MKV 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1 MOD, XJ6C MOD, XJ8 Executive
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

12

In reply to a message from Mike Eck sent Mon 12 Jan 2009:

It was a rush job but I was sort of extending my thoughts toward
later production and even the way 140s were treated. One thought in
the development of the 120 FHC Jaguar had was to attract a client
that was used to luxury and ride quality inside the car–I was
wondering how much this exercise removed the noise from the carbs
to the inside of the car.–
The original message included these comments:

Because the OTS was a rush job that wasn’t even expected to go into
production. Slapping a couple of pancake screens on it got the job done.
After they had time to assess the situation and do some designing (windows,
defrosters, door handles, etc.) they added the better, more expensive cold
air system to the FHC and DHC.

–
George Camp
Columbia SC, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

13

In reply to a message from ptelivuo sent Tue 13 Jan 2009:

Hi Pekka,

I switched to 10/40W from 20/50W in November. What I really need is
a block heater.

I’ll pass on the ‘‘wind cheat’’ shield, as the end of the motorway
trip is usually a traffic jam, where the engine warms up quite
nicely!

Cheers,
Mark–
The original message included these comments:

In the old days we also used a different thermostat for
winter and summer driving, as well as different oils. Of
course that was before the multigrade oils we now have, but
still if I would drive the E in the winter I would use
something like 0/50W, or 10/40W instead of the 20/50W I now
use for summer driving. To cold start an engine full of
20/50W (over 10 liters!) is very tough on the starter and
the mechanicals of the engine and can increase wear
considerably.

–
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

14

Pekka,
It is still common for diesel powered trucks during winters to have “covers” for the front with flaps that can be opened to different amounts of opening. I am sure you have seen these. They must use them in Suomi too.
I remember back to the fifties when a radiator blind was a common accessory.
It mounted at the bottom of the radiator (upside down relative to a window blind) and a string with a chain at the end was led over the top of the radiator to the interior, where the driver could adjust the amount of blockage while driving.
Going back even further to the twenties and thirties several car companies had “jalousie” style grilles.
I wondered if they were adjusted by some type of thermostat, or were they adjusted manually by the driver? Does anybody know? (Dumb question actually! In this forum somebody always knows!)
Yes, multi-grade oils are great, but remember; the wider the viscosity range, the more viscosity stabilizer additives are added to the oil, and I have seen the horrendous deposits they can leave in an engine.
Not pretty!
Roar

15

My Dad’s '39 Packard had those vertical slats. Operated by a thermostat, he
always had them disconnected, even in the Pennsylvania winters. They could
be adjusted manually.

Gene McGough
XK-150 FHC S834515DN
XJ6C II 1976----- Original Message -----
From: “Roar Sand” roarsandnorge38@att.net

Going back even further to the twenties and thirties several car companies
had “jalousie” style grilles.
I wondered if they were adjusted by some type of thermostat, or were they
adjusted manually by the driver? Does anybody know? (Dumb question
actually! In this forum somebody always knows!)
Roar

16

In reply to a message from Luxo sent Tue 13 Jan 2009:

Hi Mark,

I this this should be easily available, it should go inside
the block waterways from one of the core plugs, so as long
as it fits and has the correct thread you just plug it in.
We have one in our XJ8 which is currently the only car we
drive in the winter. A winter (colder) thermostat could also
be good for you, but not if the coolant stays too cool and
the thermostat does not fully open. The XK anyway had a
‘‘modern’’ thermostat in 1949 unlike the MKV thing that is
available but costs as much as a cheap car and works very
differently. Luckily it is not as essential for the engine
as a correct thermostat is in an XK.

Cheers,
Pekka T.–
The original message included these comments:

Hi Pekka,
I switched to 10/40W from 20/50W in November. What I really need is
a block heater.
I’ll pass on the ‘‘wind cheat’’ shield, as the end of the motorway
trip is usually a traffic jam, where the engine warms up quite
nicely!
Cheers,
Mark

–
MKV 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1 MOD, XJ6C MOD, XJ8 Executive
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

17

There were roller blind black fabric radiator ‘muffs’ produced by an
English company who’s name escapes me but I think began with ‘W.’ They
did all sorts of accessories in the 60/70’s. They may still be around?

In cold weather you simply used it to mask off part of the radiator.
I used to wedge a piece of cardboard, half the radiator size between
the grille and the radiator on my sidevalve Ford during cold winters.

DJOn 13 Jan 2009, at 10:33, ptelivuo wrote:

In reply to a message from Luxo sent Tue 13 Jan 2009:

OMG Mark, you actually do that!??!?

My hat’s off to you, I haven’t driven my E in freezing
weather since 2001.

AFAICR there were ‘‘wind cheat’’ shields offered at least for
the MKV and I would think they would also benefit the XK.
That is grey/black/clear plastic sheets that could easily be
mounted in front of the radiator to avoid too much cooling
(now surely a strange concept for many fello J-L’s :wink: this
was common practice in Finland still in the 1970’s when cars
weren’t that modern and we still had proper winters.

In 2004 we drove back home from Lapland 650 miles, the first
100 miles in -38°C (that’s -36,4°F) with my wife’s Saab
9000T16 CC. The only problem was that at 100km/h (60mph) and
above the windscreen would freeze because the heater wasn’t
putting warm enough air out. If I slowed down just a tad the
heater would give warm air again. The only way to change
that would be to block some of the super cool air to enter
the radiator.

In the old days we also used a different thermostat for
winter and summer driving, as well as different oils. Of
course that was before the multigrade oils we now have, but
still if I would drive the E in the winter I would use
something like 0/50W, or 10/40W instead of the 20/50W I now
use for summer driving. To cold start an engine full of
20/50W (over 10 liters!) is very tough on the starter and
the mechanicals of the engine and can increase wear
considerably.

So if you insist upon driving on the autobahn in freezing
weather it will be best for your engine’s health to fit some
‘‘wind cheat’’ shields. Does anyone else know what I am
talking about? MKV Parts book page 93B, part nr. C.5699
‘‘Windcheat’’ Radiator Shield.

Cheers,
Pekka T. in Finland, not freezing for the moment

The original message included these comments:

Mike,
gave the nut a full anticlockwise turn this morning and the beast
fired up second attempt. Could be a coincidence of course. And the
black crap out of the exhaust seems the same consistency. Turns
clean as soon as the starter carb clicks off.
On the water temp, driving along the autobahn to work at 120km/h
(75mph?) in -12°C really does drive the temp down!
Mark
1953 XK120SE FHC S681167

–
MKV 3.5L DHC, E-type 2+2 Ser.1 MOD, XJ6C MOD, XJ8 Executive
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php

18

In reply to a message from George Camp sent Tue 13 Jan 2009:

Just a couple of thoughts. First, Mike is correct. Never spray
starting fluid directly into the carb. Spraying into the air intake
is sufficient. Spraying into the carb is a blown head gasket
waiting to happen. Second, the pancake filters were standard
equipment on the 140s with the C-type head. Maybe they thought
there would be in increase in CFM, or that they just looked better.
Joel–
The original message included these comments:

It was a rush job but I was sort of extending my thoughts toward
later production and even the way 140s were treated. One thought in

–
ex jag, '66 E-type S1 4.2, '56 XK140dhc, '97 XJ-6
Denison, TX, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
–Support Jag-lovers - Donate at http://www.jag-lovers.org/donate04.php –

19

Thanks Gene!
That’s what I was talking about.
I believe, in addition to Packard, Rolls Royce, Chrysler, Hudson + Essex, and probably others had them.----- Original Message ----

From: Gene McGough genemc@cavemen.net
To: xk@jag-lovers.org
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 9:34:44 AM
Subject: Re: [xk] Air filters

My Dad’s '39 Packard had those vertical slats. Operated by a thermostat, he
always had them disconnected, even in the Pennsylvania winters. They could
be adjusted manually.

Gene McGough
XK-150 FHC S834515DN
XJ6C II 1976

20

The thermostat’s job is to keep the engine temperature constant no matter
what the ambient temperature. If your engine isn’t getting above 40� then
your thermostat is broken.

Mike Eck
New Jersey, USA
www.jaguarclock.com
'51 XK120 OTS, '62 3.8 MK2 MOD, '72 SIII E-Type 2+2>

Mike,

On the water temp, driving along the autobahn to work at 120km/h
(75mph?) in -12�C really does drive the temp down!

Cheers,
Mark