BUYING A JAGUAR XJS?
The usual advice given is to look for high spec, low mileage car in immaculate condition with FSH and to go for an automatic in a flattering colour.
Best avoid Cotswold yellow, Portland beige, chestnut brown, indigo blue and Carlton grey! Black, red, white or metallic colours are OK.
The body shell on the XJ-S is robust, so terminal rot is unlikely. 1981+ cars are better than 75-80 cars. Forget a shabby car!! A good paint job in the UK is $2,500!
Regular maintenance is essential (30,000 mile service takes 8 hours and costs around $600 at a UK main dealer). V12 is very reliable but engine work is expensive. At 60,000 miles, the timing chain tensioners need replacement. If a V12 misfires, do not buy it.
Given regular oil and filter change and coolant check, they say the 6 cyl engine is good for 150-180,000 miles and V12 for up to 400,000 miles. (My six cylinder has 199,000 miles on it and it still pulls like a new engine)
The manual has a heavy clutch and lower value than the auto but the manual XJ-S will probably become a classic.
Note for the US- Six cylinder models were not imported until the 1992 model year. Virtually any six cylinder 1991 or older offered for sale in the US is a grey markey car. There were a few early 6 cylinder models imported for testing. Check the certification labels to see what you are buying.
The following check-list has been compiled from Jaguar articles and literature.
BODY EXTERIOR
1) Check for rust bubbles around headlamps
2) Front wings - check top of wing and join with sill. Look for ripples, filler or corrosion. Tap sills with knuckles: does it give a metallic ring or a rusty thud?
3) The lower quarter panels are bolted on and are prone to corrosion
4) Check the front tyre to wheel-arch gaps. A significant difference indicates sub-frame misalignment and probable front end damage. This is a showstopper - Forget the car!
5) The inner sills often need repair - if they need replacing, forget the car! This can be difficult to check and I have found their condition may have to be inferred from the state of the outer sills and under-side of the car.
6) Bonnets sometimes detach themselves from frame! Check strut mounting points.
7) All wing lips and inside all wheel-arches for corrosion especially where the sills end.
Take a light and look for signs of filler
8) The lower edge of the rear wings where they meet the sills is a classic area for corrosion. Check for filler – the seam may have disappeared!
9) The rear quarter panels and rear valance frequently show signs of corrosion but this is usually cosmetic and not a major concern.
10) Examine the door frames carefully, The frames tend to crack at the top front, the frame rusts and the skin comes away.
11) The radius arm mounting points are very prone to corrosion! A very important check.
12) The Spare tyre well can corrode and break away. If this is the case on the car you’re inspecting, it suggests a lot of corrosion elsewhere!
13) All tyres condition / pressure / type? Any front tyre wear? Worn inside shoulders indicate probable top wishbone wear or possible suspension geometry fault
14) Rear bushes and sub-frame mountings often wear. Wishbone outer pivot wear can result in rear steering…
15) Dampers (Shock Absorbers). Look at the car from the side and check for correct attitude - any front end squat?
ENGINE BAY
16) Check air-con compressor not seized.
17) Engine caked in oil?
Common points of oil leakage in the V12 are the cam covers, tappet blocks, half-moon seals at the back of the covers, and oil filter to block seal. In addition, the front crankshaft oil seal will require replacement at about 60,000 miles.
18) Coolant and oil levels / condition. Oil in water or vice-versa?
19) Plain water in the radiator? If so there could be serious problems ahead!
20) Look for signs of water loss from radiator, block and hoses. Ask if car uses water.
Use of correct anti-freeze is essential.
21) Check oil level. Half-full sump? Car may be an oil burner or just poor maintenance?
22) Check water pump - they often leak.
23) Check PAS fluid level and auto transmission fluid level/colour.
24) Check transmission fluid - should be red not black.
25) Cracked distributor caps are common.
26) Check steering rack mountings, lower UJ in steering column (can make steering stiff), front suspension, ball joints and bushes.
Original steering rack bushings begin to deteriorate at 40,000 - 50,000 miles. The best course of action is to replace the originals with polyurethane aftermarket bushings. You will need to obtain these from someone like John's Cars or Terry's Jaguar Parts and bring them with the car to be installed, if you are not doing the job yourself.
INTERIOR
27) Occasionally, windscreen leaks are found.
28) The bottom of the heater housing can rust through and deposit condensed water on your feet! (Very difficult to fix - best to forget car!!!)
29) Check headlining, especially under the rear window. If stained, rotten or torn, the car is probably in generally poor condition. A re-trim is expensive - headlining is around $500 in UK.
30) The walnut veneer should not be scratched or damaged.
31) Check under carpets for damp or rot in the front and rear foot-wells. Take carpets out at the front and behind the seats where the floor folds up.
32) The door seals and rubbers can perish ($300 per set), increasing wind noise.
33) Check door locks.
34) Check opening and closing of doors and window operation. (Sticking electric windows can usually be cured very easily by judicious use of silicone spray on the actuating arm mechanism and window runners/guides inside the door)
Note: 1988 and 1989 models are particularly prone to sticking windows. Beginning in 1990, Jaguar upgraded to a larger Bosch motor, in place of the original Delco. Try to learn if this upgrade has been done on the car you are considering. Lubrication has not been effective in curing window problems on these models.
MECHANICS - At rest
35) Check the oil pressure gauge reads zero before and after ignition switched on.
Start up and listen. Check oil light goes out and oil pressure reading.
36) Listen for cam chain noise: a grating sound or rattle at around 1,000 rpm.
37) Any top-end noise? The injectors should click healthily
38) Each exhaust should have a smooth even beat.
39) Rock the steering wheel to feel the PAS working. Any pump noise? Shrieks indicate worn bearings.
40) Press the brake pedal to check the vacuum - engine revs should drop.
41) Move from Drive to Reverse to Drive with the brakes on and listen for any rear end clonks…
42) Engage Reverse, depress the throttle pedal briefly and check that the gearbox bites.
43) Engage Park, rev engine to 4000 rpm and check for smoke on returning to idle.
44) Check handbrake works – the mechanism can seize
You should check that the handbrake cable is not seized by checking that the lever moves the cable. In addition, check that the mechanism is working by checking to see that the handbrake will actually hold the car.
45) Open the door and check for exhaust leaks
46) Check wipers work
47) On pre 1990 cars with the Lucas HEI ignition, check that the vacuum advance capsule is functioning (they tend to fail from prolonged exposure to underhood temperatures). If possible check that the distributor centrifugal advance mechanism is not seized.
48) Check that the air-con works. This is the heart of the ventilation system! If it fails to work, check belts are still on the compressor! Turn the rubber cup on the front of compressor to check it is not seized. A new compressor costs $600-800 in the UK.
Note: The compressor is a common Harrison A6, used in many American GM cars. It is not particularly expensive in the US, provided it is not purchased from a Jaguar dealer.
Look for signs of leakage on the A/C hoses. Shiny oily patches on the hose near the metal ends are a symptom of a leaking A/C hose. This is very common on the V12.
ON MOVE
49) Engine should be virtually inaudible. Any roughness?
50) Thumping from front suspension probably indicates worn bottom ball joints and bushes.
51) If car pitches unduly over undulations, the shockers are on the way out. Early XJ-S cars did have a softer ride than later cars though.
52) Squeaking brakes indicates scored disks. Disks typically need replacing every 50,000 miles or so.
1976 - 1991 models have inboard rear brakes. Replacing rotors on these cars is a significant job, that is best accomplished by removing the entire rear end assembly.
53) Oil pressure: 60-80 psi for a hot V12 and a minimum of 40 psi @ 2500 rpm hot. If less than this, forget the car. Six cylinder should show 40 psi at 3000 rpm when hot.
(My 199K miles 3.6 has an indicated oil pressure of 70 psi when cold at 1,000 rpm and 40 psi at 1,000 rpm when hot)
At some point around 1994, Jaguar replaced the oil pressure gauge sending unit with a dummy that makes the gauge read around 55 psi if the actual oil pressure is above 7 psi. Be aware that gauges on these cars are not providing especially useful information.
54) Watch the temperature gauge. If the temperature starts to increase, watch out!!
The V12 engine's Achilles Heel is overheating. The press-fit tolerances of the valve seats are not especially tight. As a result, overheating can cause one or more of the seats to looses up and eventually drop, necessitating an expensive valve job. On a 1976 - 1991 model, the needle should go no higher than the center of the "N" under most conditions. When driving the car, if the gauge rises to more than 2 needle's widths above the N, the cooling system needs immediate attention.
55) Any smoke from the exhaust? Blue smoke suggests engine rebuild required. Blue smoke under acceleration – pistons and rings. Blue smoke under deceleration – valves and guides.
56) Press throttle on and off at 50-60 mph and listen for any clonks or backlash in the suspension or prop shaft.
57) Any vibration at 70-80 mph? Probably indicates prop shaft or universal joints are unbalanced.
58) Check gearbox for slip in top and reverse - run backwards smartly. Any slip in reverse usually means slip in top as well. A recon GM box is $1,000+ in the UK. The box should work smoothly. Check the kick-down.
59) Listen for clunks on full steering lock indicating steering rack mounting wear.
60) Floor the throttle and lift several times. If no blue smoke or large drop in oil pressure, the engine is probably OK.
61) Any rear-end steering or wallowing due to poor dampers?
62) Does the heater work OK?
63) On manual cars, check the synchro, check for first gear noise and clutch slip. Floor the throttle at 35 mph in 5th gear.
64) After the drive, leave engine running and:
- Remove oil filler - fumes? .... Mayonnaise? Could indicate a cracked block.
- PAS level - Frothing/drop in level?
- Listen close to block for bearing rumble - especially V12.
- Check hoses on the V12.
65) After a 20 mile drive, let the engine cool 15 minutes and recheck the water level. Is level unchanged?
66) Check engine and chassis numbers against vehicle documentation.