Re: [xj-s] 1988 XJ-S

[sean.straw+Jaguar@mail.professional.org (Sean Straw)]

At 21:32 08-07-98 -0700, Harry, Diane or Julia Tozlian wrote:

>relitively trouble-free until recently.  There is a loud "clunk" from
>the front end when I roll over something substatnial.  Could this be the
>bushings????

Probably.  The bushings are easy to find: they're dead centre on either
wheel well, along side the air cleaner housings.

If you have difficulty removing the retaining nuts, an air impact wrench
will do the job, along with (as I recall) a deep 9/16" socket.  If you can
manage, use a 6 point socket rather than a 12 (you'll mangle the bolt a lot
less - but if it is ALREADY mangled, oh well).

Right after acquiring my Cat, I replaced both bushings and it got much
quieter, but I still note a slight "thonk" when I come to a stop coming out
of, say, a driveway if I was going fast enough (10-15mph) when I came to
the end (I note it most often when coming out of large parking lots).  It
doesn't appear to be the bushings, because I'm not going over a bump - but
it usually coincides with the slight nose dive that comes with breaking.
I'm still puzzled by that knock.  It isn't a rattle.

>I have a terrible oil leak near the right front, which I
>believe to be transmission fluid.

First, identify the fluid: is it RED, brown, or black (tranny / motor oil /
time for changing SOMETHING soon, probably motor oil )?  Steering pump is
on the front left (driver's perspective), and is generally reddish - it may
be seeping from the steering rack, but that still sounds rearward of where
you're talking.  Break fluid shoudln't be found forward of the wheels
either (and will usually leave your hands with an odd "oily-yet-chapped"
feeling after you've wiped it from your hands).  This leaves tranny and oil.


Check to see if it is a drippage or an active pressure leak: after a good
ride, park your Cat and place a clean bit of cardboard (because it is stiff
and won't flop) under the concerned area - parking a wheel over an edge
would do well to hold it in place.  Go to bed.  In morning, check the
cardboard for fluid.  Attempt to identify type.  If none found, try
starting your Cat and letting it warm up (and generate pressure), let it
run for five or ten minutes, and check the board for signs of leakage.

If you get a visible leakage while the engine is running, or if there is a
substantial (more than 5 or so droplets) residue from the overnight, I
would do some serious tracking down of the problem, as your cat is bleeding
away.  Find the leak anyway - but make it a priority if it is leaking this
much.

Your work is easier (but more critical) if there is signs of leakage while
the motor is running.  Simply jack the Cat up (obviously with the engine
off), put it on stands, and examine the vicinity above the leakdown point,
following any plumbing carrying a related oil.  Chances are, it is
dribbling along the side of something on it's way down (I've never seen a
leak that had a clear shot of the ground from the leak point), and so
something should be covered in oil when you look upwards from the location
the oil was appearing (wear eye protection, or get a sideways look at the
leak point.

Oils may drip from a different location and follow a vacuum line or other
hose and drip off in a location different from where the leak actually is,
which can make location you're finding fluid misleading.

>acceleration.  The local dealer thinks this is valve guides, which he
>will gladly fix for $2500.  Otherwise, he says to just keep driving the
>beast.  

Can't begin to help you there, other than to comment that if you'd even
dare pay $2500 for such a repair, you are probably just as well off running
it for some miles more, and stashing a bit more money away (does anyone
have figures on how much overhauls run?) and just having the whole engine
rebuilt (since a LOT of what they're going to charge you to do the guides
has to do with getting to them).  PROVIDED that the guides are only leaking
and that this isn't a sign of valves preparing to drop.  I'm totally
unfamiliar with the inner workings of this engine, and while I'd rather not
have such a leak myself, as long as it doesn't lead to failure, I'd rather
invest the money into an overhaul - when one thing starts to go, others are
sure to be not far behind - they may be closer than you'd care.

---                             <http://jaguar.professional.org/>
Sean Straw                      '88 Jaguar XJSC 5.3L V12
Marin County, California        '69 Buick GranSport 455 V8

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