Throttle Linkage

This weekend it was the first time I have driven my XK120 dhc here in
Switzerland.

After 2 minutes I already had lost the gas pedal. The arm which moves the
gas did fall of. Luckily my mechanic was in front of me so he showed me
what to do. Some 30 km later the same problem when I just was driving away
in a big style from a Lancia 832 (Ferrari engine). This problem never
occured again.

My car behaved wonderfully. The power of the engine is incredible. The
first day I had the car there was a real thunderstorm and the car leaked
water, but it was very romantic driving through the rain!

The next day, the car was a real head turner. Always when I parked there
was a crowd of people looking amazed at the car. After I had made more then
300 km two cylinders stopped working, I looked at the sparks but had no
real tools to clean them thorougly, so now I baught two new sparks and this
evening I will look whether it will run on all 6 cylinders again!

And tomorrow I have to give it back to my mechanic, the speedo doesn't work
and it has to be prepared for the registration.
- Zoran Mitrovic

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jaguar motoring, Zoran! Your
indoctrination is, unfortunately, typical! A good cynical recommendation -
don't travel anywhere without your mechanic (until you become one
yourself), and always be followed by a big truck with spare parts!
Seriously, for those two days a year when nothing goes wrong, a Jaguar,
especially an XK-number car, is a true joy to drive and experience!
Alright, seriously for real this time, the linkage can probably be 'fixed'
by tightening the screw that permits access to the ball removal hole in the
ball-and-socket joint(s) on the throttle linkage (gas pedal problem). If
not, a replacement of the offending linkage piece would be in order; a
field fix would involve securing a tye-wrap plastic retainer/strap looped
in a figure-eight around the (each?) joint to prevent the problem from
recurring. It was/is common, and happens to all modekls, sooner or later.
Best to keep the joint greased/oiled, to prevent inordinate wear.

Leaking water and oil are 'facts of Jaguar life' which you will eventually
appreciate (keeps your joints from siezing up and you always have fresh oil
in the engine/trans/rear/etc.!!!

If your car is a 'driver' rather than a show-piece, you might consider
adding foam weatherstripping to the undersides of the factory
weatherstripping at the top of the windows, and along the top of the front
windscreen - looks bad but will keep the interior dry. A major concern is
the wood top strips on the doors - polyurethane is the absolute best
preservative to date, nd they should be removed carefully prior to
treatment; if not in the offing now, wax them well - need to keep the water
out!

I started my Jaguar career with an XK-140 DHC, so I know well what you're
going (to be going) through. Yes, it's a real head-turner!! Enjoy! Enjoy!
- Larry Schear
  Twin Cam, Inc.

Ok, we've had a D-type story, now I'll entertain you all with a little
C-type story. A few years ago I was hanging around the paddock during a
vintage race at Road America in Wisconsin, and in comes a C-type idling
along and pulls into the spot where I was standing. He'd had one of these
throttle ball pins break off out on the track and he'd driven all the way
back at idle speed in top gear. I told him I was a 120 owner and he kindly
let me help him change the part. Nice guy, wish I'd got his name. He said
the most incredible thing was he actually had one in his emergency spare
parts kit. Only time I've ever touched a C-type.
- Rob Reilly

If you have any questions or comments send e-mail to: ted@jag-lovers.org
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