The first thing you come
to when you start at the front of the car is the license plate.
The
License Plate
The license plate on the front of an XJ6 seems to have been an
afterthought. If the law in your locality allows it, you can remove
it. As the design was conceived the car had an adequate cooling
system and perhaps in England where the summer temperatures rarely
reach 80ºF degrees, let alone 105ºF, the addition of a
license plate meant nothing. But in warm climates where you need
every bit of help you can get, the license plate can rob you of
10ºC of cooling capacity.
My 1982 XJ6 ran at 85ºC to 90ºC on the highway at
70 mph. When I got to the track I would remove the front license
plate and the car would run at 75ºC even though I was running at
120 mph on the straight and averaging over 85 mph for the
entire road course.
In order to
get sufficient air flow through the radiator you need a smooth flow
under the car to draw it through the engine compartment. The license
plate destroys that smooth flow and the air tends to pile up somewhat
in the engine compartment so get rid of it if you can or at least you
can bend it under against the bottom of the bumper.
Horns
Next back are the horns which are fastened in the center just
below the front bumper. The horns are not anything spectacular. They
are just a standard vibrating diaphragm powered by an electromagnet
that switches on and off when the horn button is depressed. These are
repairable and are not complicated. Anyone can open one up, clean it
out, clean the contacts, replace the gasket and put them back in
operation.
Their location near the road makes them susceptible to getting
full of all sorts of junk that gets pushed back to the diaphragm and
jams up the works. The gaskets are paper and tend to deteriorate
quickly allowing water into the inner workings of the horn. You
should use one of the liquid silicone gasket materials when you put
it back together as they will last longer than a paper gasket. BUT...
new horns made of plastic are so cheap that repairs are hardly worth
the time unless you are just into the pure satisfaction of being able
to say "I did it." I recommend doing it once if you are new to auto
repair, it will give you a project that you can do and feel proud of.
If the electromagnet is badly rusted or the coil is burned, I don't
recommend trying to repair it but it can be done.
Also, I might mention that as Kirby Plam says, "12 volts is 12
volts" so any 12 volt horn from a "chebby" or any other car will work
just as well.
Headlight
Wipers
Continuing back, to the headlight wipers. Not all XJ6s have this
feature. If you have it you may not be happy with them as it seems
they do not always function. If you don't have them and want them,
they can be added by acquiring the parts from the dealer or from a
junk yard (breaker) in a country where the feature was available. In
this case, I know only that England and Australia had this feature.
There are probably others.
From the advice I got when I sought to add this feature to my XJ6
the consensus was that you don't want to add it. More thought on the
subject revealed to me that I could not remember when the last time
was that I had to wipe the headlights on my car, so the feature may
not be really needed unless you go off-road with your XJ6.
Headlights
Moving further back we come to the headlights themselves. In
Europe, England and Australia at least the outer set of headlights
are 7 inch diameter and the inner set is 5 inch diameter. Because of
the wonderful foresight of our glorious leaders here in the US the
XJ6 was supplied to the US with an adapter that allows 5 inch
headlights in all four positions. The air intake for the cockpit
comes through a screen in this adapter. A change in the law since
then would now allow the 7 inch headlights again.
On the models with the 7 inch headlights there were two types of
trim, one with the air intake screen and one without the air intake
screen. This depended upon whether the car used the headlights for an
air intake or not. In converting a US model to the 7 inch headlights,
a step I highly recommend, you should try to get the trim with the
air intake screen.
Converting to 7
inch Headlights
Converting a US model to 7 inch headlights does two things. First
it looks great. The designers knew what they were doing when they put
7 inch headlights on the outside. Second, you can now use the H4
Halogen 7 inch headlights with the replaceable elements made by Hella
in Germany. I don't have the part number on these, but some numbers
from the front of the lens may help. Mine are marked "1R7/R20" just
below the center of the lens. Around the perimeter are the markings
"111 603" and " MADE IN GERMANY-SAE MP 76." These bulbs have a very
sharp, flat, top that allow you to use them on the highway without
blinding oncoming traffic. The top of the beam is so flat and defined
that the first time I drove down a country road at night, where there
were trees where the beam could be defined, I ducked as it looked
like I was running under a low bridge. But you'll get used to it.
The conversion can be done with all new parts from the dealer,
about US$350 or you can do as I did and find a friend in Australia
who will haunt the junkyards for the parts and send them to you.
There are also non Jaguar dealers who can find the parts for you,
sometimes at a discount.
I have been told, but cannot confirm that the buckets are pretty
standard English fare and can be scavenged off Triumphs with 7 inch
headlights, but the trim would still be a problem.
Do not get the bulbs from another
country if they drive on the opposite side of the road from where you
live. The dip will be to the wrong side if you do. The 7 inch bulbs
in your own country will work perfectly and are still easy to get.
Air
Conditioner Condenser
The air conditioner condenser is a very conventional item that you
will have no difficulty in obtaining if it needs to be replaced. The
usual failure mode of these is a crack in one of the welds that
causes a leak. They can be repaired but I don't recommend it since
the cost of R12 has gone through the roof it makes more sense to bite
the bullet and pay the US$150 to get a new one from the local parts
house. It should be good for 10 years whereas the repair job will
probably fail within 3 years. Now this is not true of the evaporator
coil and I will expand on the economics of this when I get to that
slice at the windshield where the evaporator resides.
Replacing the
Condenser
Replacing a condenser coil is easy and straight forward if the
system is already devoid of freon which it should be if you have a
leak in the condenser. If there is pressure in the system though it
is best to take it to a refrigeration shop and have them recover the
freon before you begin work on it. Whenever the system is without
freon it is a good idea to unplug the compressor clutch at the air
conditioner compressor to make sure it does not accidentally get
turned on. If the compressor were to be run when there was no
freon/lubricant in the system it could destroy the compressor and
there goes another US$200.
The new condenser will come with the inlet and outlet pipes
sealed. These seals should remain in place until you are ready to
connect the hose to the pipe. This will keep moisture out of the
system. When you remove the old condenser you should seal the hose
ends with stoppers to prevent moisture laden air from entering the
system. And it is always recommended that the drier be replaced when
ever the system is opened. A new drier will set you back US$30 to
US$50 but it is worth it, again because to cost of recharging the
system, if you have to open it again, will be in excess of US$150.
The condenser itself is a delicate item and you should refrain
from dinging up the radiator fins and don't bend the inlet and outlet
tubing as it can break a weld and defeat the purpose of your repair.
The condenser can be replaced without removing the hood (bonnet),
but I don't recommend it at all. It is too easy to damage the
condenser as it is very light aluminum and easy to ding.
Air
Conditioner Parts Replacements
From B.J.Kroppe I received the following suggestions on
replaceable parts for the Air Conditioning system:
Air conditioning receiver/drier (long tube style)
Manufacturer: SCS/Frigette
Part Number: 207-640 XH9 Desiccant
Cost: US$41.00 in 1995, from a local a/c shop
Models:
78-79.5 XJ12 from VIN 2R58346
79.5-82.5 XJ6 to VIN 330665 (although my car is '82 VIN 3441782 and
it fits)
XJS ?????
Air conditioning compressor
Manufacturer: General Motors, Harrison Division Part Number:
A-6
Cost: US$125 in 1995 from a local a/c shop (rebuilt unit)
Models:
Not sure exactly but some SII XJ6/XJ12 and maybe all SIII
XJ6/XJ12.
XJS???"
Radiator
The radiator on an XJ6 is an excellent piece of engineering. It
works well when kept clean and there is no real reason for an XJ6 to
overheat if it is properly maintained. BUT... there is one catch.
Radiator
Leak Sealers
Jaguar, for some reason known only to them, recommended for years
that when refilling the coolant there should be some sort of leak
sealer included in the procedure. In the US at least this meant that
a radiator leak sealer was added every year or so. Over the years the
stuff collected in the bottom of the radiator forming a soft
brick-like material.
When the radiator on my then 10 year old, newly acquired 1982 XJ6
was removed and cleaned there was at least a quart of solidified leak
sealer in the bottom of the radiator. When the car was purchased it
was running 120ºC on the gauge. After cleaning the radiator it
dropped to 85ºC.
Which brings me to a very important fact. The green arc on the
temperature gauge does not mean "GOOD." Your
XJ6 should not run above 95ºC in normal conditions.
Overheating
Problems
If you are having overheating problems, have the radiator cleaned.
This includes removing both tanks and having it rodded. A simple
flushing will not do. See the section on radiator
leak sealers for more details.
Removing the Radiator
Removing the radiator is straight forward and it can be done by
just disconnecting the end of the hood (bonnet) restraint so that the
hood (bonnet) can move forward more to a vertical position. But be
careful that you don't damage the grill work on the bumper. I had no
help so I took this route. But if you have help, removing the hood
(bonnet) altogether will be safer and give you more room. The time to
remove the hood (bonnet) will be more than repaid in the time you
save by being able to get to things.
Watch when you remove the radiator that you plug the transmission
lines when you remove them so that dirt does not get into your
automatic transmission and screw it up. The cost of a new BW66 being
around US$1,200 at the time of this writing makes care a cheap
commodity.
While you have the radiator in the shop I would suggest new belts,
new coolant (without any leak sealants) and new hoses. Now is the
time they are easy to get to and alot more pleasant to do it now
rather than in August on a back country road when the ambient
temperature is 105F and you have on a three piece suit. I recommend
new hoses and belts every two years whether you think you need them
or not. If you don't, someday you will wish you did when you are
walking home.
Radiator
Expansion Tank
Some XJ6s have only one radiator filler cap on the header tank
while others have an expansion tank with a filler on it as well. On
the cars with the expansion tank a lesser known cause of coolant loss
and overheating is to have a pressure cap on the header tank as well
as on the expansion tank. The cap on the expansion tank should be a
pressure cap while the second cap should not be a pressure cap. If
you have a pressure cap on the header it will release fluid that will
be lost and not recoverable. This constant loss of fluid every time
the car comes up to pressure will cause overheating.
Horn Relay
First I will make just one comment on the horn relay and we will
move on to the fan/clutch.
The horn relay is mounted on the inside front fender (wing) well
and on two of my cars it was mounted "bottom side up," that is the
terminals pointed skyward. This mounting scheme meant that water
could collect in the thing and eventually short it out. On both of
these cars I remounted the relay with the terminals pointing down. I
never had any more trouble with the horn relay.
Cooling
Fan and Clutch
There are two styles of fan and clutch. The earlier cars had a
four bolt attachment fastened the fan to the clutch the later Series
III had a single bolt in the center. The change happened sometime in
the early Series III. My 1982 Series III has the older four bolt
style. This is important when you decide to replace it because the
salesman at the parts store will most likely only stock the one you
don't need...
Overheating
Problems
There are several things here that need attention on occasion. If
you are having a problem with overheating it could be the fan clutch
if the over heating is at idle and at low speeds such as around town
but goes away at highway speeds. A properly operating fan clutch will
allow the fan to slip. With the engine turned off you should be able
to turn the fan with your hand while the pulley stands still. If you
cannot then the fan clutch is seized. (If the pulley slips in the
belt then your belt is too loose as well!) In this condition you
should hear a distinctive roar from the engine bay when the engine is
running since the fan is pulling too much air. On the other hand you
don't want a clutch that slips too much either. If when you spin it
by hand it continues for much more than 3/4 of a turn it may be too
loose.
The clutch can be removed and the fan removed without removing the
fan shroud. It takes a bit of a contortionist and skinny fingers to
manage it but it can be done.
More information on overheating can be found in the
Overheating
Guide.
Electric
Fan Alternatives
Kirby Palm has suggested that an electric fan in front of the
radiator would be more efficient than the mechanical one behind it.
It would probably have to be bigger than the usual 16 inch size to be
an improvement over the mechanical one but perhaps two fans could do
the job. The advantage to this is removal of a horsepower drain and
removal of the fan shroud which effectively blocks some of the
airflow. No one has yet admitted to doing it yet, so I have no idea
whether it would work, but it should.
Fan
Shroud
Another noise that can come from the fan is caused by the tips of
the fan blades hitting the fan shroud. If it happens continuously it
can mean that the bushing was left out when a fan clutch was replaced
and the fan is off center. This should be visible to the naked eye as
a wobble.
Another cause could
be an incorrectly installed motor mount or transmission mount, or a
defective mount. Usually with a motor mount you will hear the fan hit
the shroud when you are either accelerating or braking. The motor
shifts on the bad motor mount and the fan hits the shroud. A bad
motor mount needs immediate attention since it can cause throttle
binding which can be very scary.
I had a car once that when you made a hard left turn the throttle
jammed wide open. It took me by surprise the first time then I
learned to hit the ignition switch quick. It turned out to be a
broken motor mount.
I know of another incident where the motor actually fell out of a
car when the motor mounts rotted through.
Power
Steering Pump
The power steering pump is easily found in most larger US cities.
It is also relatively easy to replace. The pump is rebuildable, but I
have never been able to find a rebuild kit when I needed one. The
pump is of the integral reservoir type so the plumbing is simple, one
outlet and one inlet.
Series III Pump
In the XJ6 Series III they changed to metric threads on the pump
so if you are using a new pump on an earlier model the fittings will
have to be changed also. The main failure mode on these is a leaking
seal. In the beginning the cost of power steering fluid is cheaper
than a new pump and many times a power steering sealer can be added
to the fluid that will soften the old hardened seal and make it work
at least for a while. But, eventually you will have to replace it.
Power Steering Pump
Sealers
If you use a sealer, read the directions. I once added a whole
bottle of sealer to a power steering pump before reading the
directions that said "add one ounce." And remember it is only a stop
gap. You WILL replace the pump.
Series
III Cruise Control Bellows
The cruise control bellows is a commonly failing item on the
Series III cruise control. The rubber bellows gets loose around the
end plates and the vacuum escapes. You can either seal it with
silicon rubber sealant or you can use some long "tie-wraps" and wrap
around the ends of the bellows to clamp it to the end plates. I have
seen three, supposedly dead, cruise controls fixed this way.
Brake
Master Cylinder
I do not recommend rebuilding a master cylinder. It can be done
and it is not difficult. I do all mine, but I have been doing it for
years. It requires hospital cleanliness, small fingers and sometimes
a great deal of patience. But unless you are very sure you know what
you are doing you can mess it up. The last thing on your car that you
want to mess up is the master brake cylinder. Having an engine that
quits is not nearly as dangerous as having a brake system that quits.
And besides a rebuilt master cylinder is not that expensive. Someone
called me after the first book and said rebuilt master cylinders were
not available. I bought one two years ago so either I was lied to, or
they were available two years ago. A new one can be had according to
this caller at less than US$100. The time and pain you will save is
worth the extra cost.
Replacing the Brake
Master Cylinder
Replacing one though is easy. First remove as much fluid from the
brake reservoir as possible with a suction bulb. Then to remove the
master cylinder you need only to disconnect the rigid lines to the
cylinder and plug them so they won't get dirt in them. On the Series
I and Series II disconnect the two hoses to the reservoir and plug
them so they won't get contaminated. Now remove the two bolts that
bolt the master cylinder to the brake booster.
With the Series III the fluid reservoir is mounted on the top of
the master cylinder and it comes away with the cylinder.
The now famous "assembly is the reverse of disassembly" applies
here. Cleanliness is the watchword when working with the brake
system. A small amount of contamination can cause brake failure and
we don't want that. Remember that any time you open the brake system
hydraulic lines for any reason it will be necessary to bleed the air
from the system. If you don't you will have NO BRAKES.
Brake
Booster
The brake booster is a vacuum servo that amplifies your foot
pressure on the brake. If it is working all is well, if it is not,
you will have a real feeling of helplessness at the next stop. It is
possible to drive the car with the booster inoperative. I once did it
for 2 weeks. It is dangerous to do so. The booster allows you to stop
the car in half the distance you can under only human pressure.
Don't drive with an inoperative vacuum booster.
Failure Warning
Signs
There are warning signs when a booster starts to go out. One of
the first indications is a sound that can only be described as the
sound of one venting gas when you put your foot on the brake. There
is no other way to describe it. The second, more ominous indication
is the day you are braking for a stop and you realize that it took
you more time to stop that you thought it would. Or the feeling that
in the last 20 feet of stopping the engine suddenly started pulling
and you almost hit the bumper of the car in front of you. Don't wait,
drive CAREFULLY to the nearest place where you can get off the road
and do so.
The trouble may be as simple as a bad or loose vacuum hose from
the engine to the booster.
Rebuilding the Booster
Some versions of the booster are rebuildable with a kit (aparently
all of the Series III are rebuildable) from the Jag parts house.
Other versions are not. If you have a rebuildable unit then I would
rebuild it when it fails. It can also be rebuilt by a qualified
mechanic for about one half the cost of a new one. A new one is so
expensive it will take your breath away. They can be found in
junkyards (breakers) and if they are operational then go ahead and
use a "previously owned" booster.
Replacing the Booster
Removal of the vacuum booster is easier than the Haynes manual
tells you, at least on the Series III with LHD. I will describe the
experience I had when I changed the thing in a hotel parking garage
with just my small tool set for traveling.
The Haynes manual says that you have to remove the entire assembly
with the master cylinder and the pedal box assembly all in one piece.
This requires that the brake system be opened with its attendant
bleeding after reassembly. It is also a bitch of a job.
When I read the manual and realized I would have to bleed the
brakes by myself I decided to find out if there was a better way.
There is, at least on a Series III with LHD. In looking at other
models you may want to make sure that the master cylinder will move
out of the way and that you can get to the clevis pin.
First remove the two bolts that fasten the master cylinder to the
booster. Then remove the vacuum hose from the booster. Now comes the
ticklish part. There is a rubber plug on the side of the pedal box
that when removed gives access to the booster clevis pin. There is a
rubber plug on both sides, remove them both. Now with a pair of
needle nose pliers or a screw driver or anything you can get into the
hole, remove the cotter pin (split pin) from the end of the clevis
pin. Be very careful here since anything you drop will not be
recoverable. Don't drop the pin, or the washers on the clevis pin.
Withdraw the clevis pin and the booster is now disconnected from the
brake pedal.
Now remove the nuts from the four studs that fasten the booster to
the pedal box. Again, be careful here as things you drop may never be
found again. Once these are all removed the booster can be pulled
forward. It takes a little jiggling and twisting, but it will snake
off the studs. The clamps that hold the brake lines to the inside of
the fender (wing) well will have to be removed to give you enough
slack to move the master cylinder. You will have to slightly,
CAREFULLY, GENTLY bend the brake lines to move the master cylinder
out of the way. Be very careful here as you don't want to crimp a
brake line.
Putting the thing back in is a little tricky as it will only snake
back in in one way. Its like those little wire puzzles that when you
find the trick are easy, but are impossible without knowing the
trick. Just wiggle it around till it goes on. It can help to get one
nut on a stud then wiggle the thing around until the remaining studs
go in. A slight amount of prying with a big screw driver can help,
but you should be very cautious with this it can result in breaking
something.
Once it is back in position get the nuts on all the studs but
don't tighten them yet. Now re-attach the master cylinder and the
clevis to the brake pedal. Again, I warn you, for Gods sake don't
drop anything while putting the clevis pin back in or you will have
to remove the pedal box to retrieve it. When the clevis is
reinstalled with a new cotter pin (split pin) you can tighten
everything back up and reinstall the vacuum line and the rubber plugs
and top up the brake fluid resevoir.
Heater
Water Control Valve
Also on the firewall is the heater water control valve. This valve
is vacuum operated and will turn on or off the flow of water to the
heater. Vacuum on turns the valve off. Thus if you remove the vacuum
hose from the valve or it deteriorates with age it will cause the
heater to be on all the time. If your A/C is not working up to snuff
you should check to see that this valve is operating as it should and
that it is not leaking. The A/C system will in certain circumstances
run hot water through the heater coil when the A/C is running such as
when you are in defrost mode so just making sure that vacuum opens
and closes the valve and that when closed it does not flow is all
that is necessary the computer will decide when to open or close it.
I have used a wine bottle cork in the hose from the block to the
valve to seal off the hot water during the summer. This is a practice
I don't recommend since the cork could deteriorate and get into the
cooling system. If you do this, take precautions to keep the cork
from moving by putting a clamp around it or something else. You don't
want the cork to get loose and run around in your cooling system
where it could block a water passage and overheat something..
The older valves were metal and many of the the replacement valves
you get today are made of plastic. Personally I don't like them but I
am told that they are better than the older valves. Ask for a metal
valve from the supplier. If they cant get one try another supplier or
take a chance with early replacement by using a plactic valve. Maybe
they don't corrode internally. But, I just don't trust plastic to
control hot water.
A/C
Expansion Valve
The expansion valve for the A/C evaporator coil (the coil that
gets cold) is on the firewall just behind the engine. If it is
correctly done it is covered in a tar like substance and the
capillary tube is back against the firewall out of the way. On my '82
XJ6 the capillary tube
was against the back of the engine head and the entire system was
uninsulated. This heat on the capillary tube caused the expansion
valve to open fully allowing the freon to move through the system too
fast and moving the cooling effect down stream completely past the
evaporator coil and out of the cabin into the engine compartment.
Needless to say I prefer to air condition the cabin, not the engine.
Insulating it and moving it away from the engine made the A/C work
much better.
Main
Power Terminal
NOTE: All my information shows all XJ6s to have a negative
ground (earth). If yours is positive ground you must reverse all the
references to polarity.
The main power terminal is a large stud that is mounted just
inboard of the battery on the firewall. It can be found by following
the lead from the "+" terminal of the battery to the stud. This
connector is often the cause of "dead" cars. If you have a fresh
battery and when you turn the key to start nothing happens, the first
thing you should do is check to see what it hot to the touch. Do not
do this while trying to start the car! Be careful since some things
get very hot very fast under high current. But touch, gently with a
finger tip, then more forcefully by gripping, each of the two battery
terminals and the main power terminal on the firewall. If any one of
them is either hot or substantially warm you have a bad connection at
that place. The bad connection is a high resistance that is dropping
the majority of the battery's voltage and not allowing it to get to
the starter where it needs to be. The starter is very low resistance,
so it does not take much of a resistance to drop the entire battery
voltage somewhere else. If you have a hot or warm terminal you must
first disconnect the ground (earth) terminal from the battery.
Disconnect the Battery
The reason to disconnect a battery starting first with the ground
terminal is that if you slip with your wrench and touch the chassis
it will cause no harm. But if the ground terminal is connected and
you are working on the "+" terminal and you slip with the wrench
there is enough energy in the battery to fry your hand or even remove
a finger if the current flows through a wedding band or some such. It
is even possible that if you dead short a fresh battery that the
battery will explode. Regardless of what it might do to you, think
what all that battery acid will do to the paint on your beautiful
Jaguar.
After disconnecting the ground side of the battery, disconnect the
"+" side and if it was the terminal on the firewall, remove the nut
from the stud. Clean all the connections with a safe solvent and then
reassemble all the connections. After everything is tightened down
spray all the terminals with WD-40 or a similar product to prevent
corrosion.
Cowl
Vent Drains
On the front of the firewall there are two soft rubber hoses that
seem to come out of the firewall and go nowhere (bending down). These
are drains for the cowl vent. If these get plugged the water will end
up on your feet in the footwell. Usually on your wife's feet when she
is in her best bib and tucker. Usually they will rot away before they
plug up, but if you park under trees alot they may be a problem.
Fender
Braces
Here at the firewall there is another item that can cause
consternation. There are two braces that run from the center of the
fenders (wings) to the center of the firewall forming a "V" shaped
brace. These keep the fenders from flexing. If the bolt on either end
of these braces is loose it can cause a "clunking" sound that will
drive you nuts trying to trace it down.
If you have a "clunk" on either decelerating or accelerating that
comes from the front of the car, check these bolts first. If that
doesn't do the job then check the front shock absorber mounts on both
ends and of course the upper wishbone inboard bushings.
Hood
(Bonnet) Latches
A hood (bonnet) that won't stay down is a common problem with the
XJ6. This is usualy caused by a missaligned latching mechanisum.
There are two common reasons for missalignment.
First, if one side stays down but the other pops up it can be
caused because one of the two latch pins in not in proper vertical
alignment. Check by sighting across the car to see that the two pins
are parallel. Adjust the one that is not holding until it matches the
good one. A couple of whacks with a rubber mallet either toward the
windshield or toward the grill may fix your problem. If the problem
is not missaligned latch pins it may be either a loose and
missaligned latch or the hinge at the front.
The loose latch is easy to find and correct the hinge is less
obvious. There are three bolts that hold the hinge to the bonnet.
With age and a high humidity location like England, area around where
these bolts go through the hood (bonnet) into the captive nuts
becomes rusty and the holes get larger. The hood (bonnet) begins to
shift around until it does not aligh with the latches. This can
result in the hood (bonnet) getting stuch shut. If this is the
problem, grabbing the rear edge of the hood (bonnet) and the
headlight in opposite hands and shaking the unit back and forth will
eventualy free the latch. Obviously something needs to be done to
correct the problem after you have it open.
More information on the XJ6 hood latches can be found on the
JagWeb.
Windshield
The windshield on the XJ6 is an area of constant leaking if you
live in a hot climate where the rubber deteriorates quickly.
Replacing the rubber gasket every 5 years should keep it from
leaking. But who wants to do that especially when you are 100 miles
from home and the water leaks only over your spouses lap, but not on
your side of the car?
A Quick Fix
There is a quick fix if the leak is coming from the top of the
windshield. This fix will tend to become permanent, at least until
your spouses lap gets wet again. I have found that the plastic
electricians tape, black, will seal the top of the gasket nicely. The
tape should be placed mostly on the rubber gasket with about
2 mm extending onto the roof of the car. If you take a razor and
carefully trim the ends the tape will be almost invisible. Be sure to
clean the area well before putting the tape on and press the tape
down firmly to make sure it will stick tight and not come loose when
a 120 mph wind starts blowing over the edge of the windshield.
Windshield
Wipers
Gregory Andrachuk submitted this analyses of the problem of
windshield wipers not parking:
About wipers on Series IIIs. A weak point. Non parking can be
due to: failed parking switch on wiper motor (easy and inexpensive to
replace, but not usually the problem), or a problem with excessive
end float in the wiper motor itself, causing the parking switch not
to be properly contacted, or most likely a broken
ground wire in the column switch itself. This seems to be the problem
on my own car; I replaced the parking switch to no avail, and the
wiper motor is rebuilt.
Next is
the Engine
and Transmission
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