I had replaced the front two brake pads and rotors with minimal ease (I really like the pin and clip system that the British use to release the brake pads) When I took off the back wheel I found a harrowing sight (No, the wheel well was not rusted to bits): The brakes for the rear suspension are inboard instead of outboard like the front. One reference to the maintenance manual yielded this:
The Suspension system was taken straight from the Jaguar XKE (E-type for you driving on the left side of the road) and had the same racing type braking system! This means that the whole rear end must be taken off of the body to get to and repair the brakes. The rear end looks like this when removed:
So, I had to send her to a specialist who has the tools and the know how in order to repair my sad cat. Luckily I have a few friends in the British and Import Repair business, and I got the name of a guy just across town who has done a few of these repairs- Lucky Me!
A reminder to all- Remember to repack your bearings!
Welp, Last Car Post until I come back from School.
The Fans kept shorting out because:
1. The wire connecting the relay to the fans was touching the body, going straight to ground.
2. The company that manufactures the Relays and Fan Controller sent me a relay connector that was wired and labeled incorrectly
The Company (Dakota Digital) sent another, and I ordered another, so the Jag runs a Dual Fan System, one turns on at 86 Celsius (Right after the Thermostat Opens) and the other at 90 Celsius. And the Controller is now mounted in the Glove box.
I bought a fuse box for the fuses and made a simple metal holder for the box and fan/horn relays.
Also, the Cap to my master cylinder broke, so while driving, my brakes were not responding correctly. I bought a used cap off of e-bay. Not too bad for $22 instead of $40.
#YOLT - You Only Live Twice
The Wax Job Worked!
And Now I’ve got a proper Classic Registration
(No Emissions Test!)
The Queen Mary is finally Washed, Buffed, and Waxed.
I think I’ve done so much waxing that when I try to wash my hands, the water will bead up and fall off.
An everyday occurrence for me.
10 plays
Yes! The Jaguar, It’s ALIVE!
I never knew they used the Jaguar XJ as a Police vehicle.
Someone call the Crime Squad!
So there was always a cowbell in the backseat (a fading clang-clang-clanging noise) when I would close the doors on my Jag, and I set out to fix it. As it turns out, there are flaps, which let air circulate from the cabin to the trunk, and these flaps are only hinged by cloth, and the glue dried out so the metal flap would hit against the surrounding parts which caused the noise. There are another set of flaps right before the trunk lid, which is another ventilation shaft to let air escape the cabin to the atmosphere while letting any water on the trunk lid escape out of the drainage hose. Well, a little re-gluing with some extra noise dampening material and Prest-o, the Cows have gone back to the Range! No more Blue Öyster Cult for my Queen Mary!
I also got in the new temperature sender to replace the bottom engine sensor. Now I just have to find which fitting will match the old sensor’s thread depth…
Jaguar XJ SII
Only a few slight differences between the SII and SIII, but I still think the redesigns by Pininfaria made the car look sleeker.
So my Battery is flat, and the big question is, Is it that the Battery has run it’s life, or is it that the new fan controller (I’m so Excited for dual fan control!) keeps sucking energy? I’ll have to test that tomorrow. I did manage to fix the turning lamps; They had a lot of rust built up on the ground walls, so there was insufficient bulb-lamp contact to complete the circuit. Also, the ground for the driver’s side lamps weren’t even hooked up, and is why that side was really dim. I also had to take apart the Relay controlling the Hazard lights and Directionals, because each would fail when heated up too much, so I cleaned each.
Oh Hello Queen Elizabeth II, Perhaps you can use my car later, I’ve a lot to do today. You’ve got a Diamond Jubilee to get to? Well, that’s just dandy and all but…Wait, don’t wave goodbye, How am I going to get to work!
(The Queen’s was actually a 1984 Daimler, an Upgraded version of the Jaguar XJ12)
10 plays
Hey Little Cobra
The Ripcords
1964
I really wonder who would win, a V12 XKE and a V8 Cobra?
I just got the new reverse switch for the Jag, and replaced the water pump (Which was easier than I thought). The Queen Mary is almost ready to be Inspected!
Before I was introduced to Top Gear, I actually needed an English to American translation guide to use the Hanes Jaguar Guide.
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