JAGRACING XJS PROBLEM AREAS

On this page I will be going into more details on some of the items mentioned on the BUYING GUIDE page i.e. Window wiper motors, headlining, Steering rack bushes, Rust, door lock solenoids etc.

FRONT CROSSMEMBER

For some reason that is a complete mystery to me, the front crossmember that provides the bottom support for the radiator (amongst other things), will be perfect or rotten as a pear. No in-betweens! This does not necessarily have any relation to the condition of the rest of the car!

Fortunately these sections are available (see Jaguar Links) and there is an easy and hard way to change them.

It will be necessary to remove the front spoiler, and the panel that joins the two lower front wing sections. It is easier to carry out the repairs if the radiator is removed, but it can be done by undoing the top bracket and suspending it a few inches higher than its normal position. This will save a fair amount of time removing the rad, fan, wiring etc. The bad news is that you will need to cut the corners off the lower front wings to gain access. This is fine if they are a bit rotten and need welding anyway. (as mine were). If they are mint, you may have enough space to remove the old one and weld in the new by removing the rad! (I haven't tried it.)

The rest is just a case of carefully removing the old crossmember with an angle grinder and cleaning up the areas where the new panel is to be welded. Welding the new one in is a bit tricky due to access, but it can be done! Some kind of rust prevention is a good idea. If I was doing a concours car I would probably get it galvanised, but special precautions need to be taken when welding galvanised material. (Or you might not live to appreciate your handywork!)

BLOWER MOTOR REPLACEMENT. By Mark Stabler.

An often needed replacement due to the well known problems with the electronics that control the blowers on the lower speeds. The control circuits fail regularly, the components that fail are on a circuit board inside the blower, the parts cost literally a couple of pounds but the hassle is getting to them. The symptoms of failure are that the blowers will not run on the slower speeds, only flat out. It can be hard to notice, if one blower fails the other may still work and fool you into thinking all is well until the second one fails - and it will at some point!

The first time I needed replacements I sourced them secondhand and paid £100 to have them both fitted by a local specialist. I had read the stories about how hard it was to change the drivers side (RH drive) and did not fancy the aggravation. Once fitted the drivers side lasted about a week before failing.

I then sourced another one second-hand and decided to try and fit it myself, the biggest problems is the upper retaining bolt as you cannot see it very well. I removed the instrument panel which helped me guide the socket to the bolt and was invaluable when I came to refit the bolt.

The other issue is removing and refitting the blower with the tubing attached, this is the recommended way of doing it (from the various websites and people I spoke to). As you look at it you cannot see how you can get the tubing and the motor back over the steering column, some people say you need to drop the column down. I secured the trunking to the motor with a very tight zip tie and lots of Duck tape. Then it took me a long time but by pulling the trunking from around the column (hence the need for a very tight zip tie) and twisting the motor as best you can in the limited space it is possible to get it all back in.