XJ-S V 12 5.3

Isn't this car Ital Design...
The first Jag to be completly designed by...Michilotti...????

Jag Yes, Brit Design No.....Purebred.............................?

 

After the first few days, I see a lot of pain there.

 

The prices seem great, some on Ebay even have big mileage, so it seems the car can do it. But the pain factor keeps holding me back, andyone have any real world practical experience with these and what it takes to keep one running. I alkways hear stay away, but someone is running up the mileage on these.

 

Not the worst car that Jaguar ever built.

The second worst.

They are cheap for a reason.

 

My father in law has one that I think is for sale...asking maybe $5K if he still has it.

 

Gm design head, Mitchell, described it as a "disaster" when it first came out.
Ed

 

I've always liked the early ones, especially in green (still do). In fact, I came really close to buying one around 1992 or '93 when I couldn't find a 308 locally (pre-internet). The car was near perfect but needed a suspension overhaul; total price for bushings/shocks, not counting labor, was astronomical...

 

Just wait till you overheat it or it catches fire.

Both are likely occurrences. The suspension won't seem so expensive.

 

So much negativity!

I had both XJ-S and SIII V-12 saloon. They are exquisite cars, as long as you maintain them well, and in case of the S, stay away from cars with Marelli ignition (the biggest fire-risk) The Marelli cars are past '89.

The S was with me for half a year only, then found a new owner, but I had the saloon (Daimler Double Six) for 7 years and it never missed a beat. Was the daily driver. I loved it to bits, and regret much selling it.

The biggest difference with US spec cars and the ones I had was that mine didn't hace cat converters, they were UK spec cars. With some tweaks the saloon made 350 HP and was an absolute blast. On long (fast-ish) runs it was even quite economical. City driving was expensive.

In order to avoid fires, when you get the car, renew all rubber hoses on the fuel system under the bonnet.

Suspension? Rear is elaborate but very easy to work on, front needs some hefty clamps if you need to get thhew springs out. Bushings etc are cheap.

Nothing beats the ride.

IMO best XJ-S is '82-'89. Pre-Marelli HE production. If you're scared of the 12, get a 4-litre 90-ies model.

 

It is a fantastic car! In it's own way. I love my XJS for it's beauty and it's character.
It's the other side of the scale of reasons for buying a Ferrari. The Jag soothes my soul and makes my heart pump a little slower. And they are totaly underrated cars if you want a very comfortable, inexpensive world class cruiser.
30 000 miles, still looks new!
I love cars that no one loves. Also the reason I got myself a super immaculate Porsche 928 GTS with low miles...
If I want my heart pumping, there is always my Boxster S. Tons of fun for small money..
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I´ve had exactly the same car, unfortunally I sold mine a couple of month ago, mine had just 50000 km on the ODO, swedish sold only 2 owners, great car, I really loved it but the value of the car was linked to the low milage, so it was not a daily driver, bought another one, a 1995 4.0 as my "cheap convertible" unfortunally the backseat is to small even for my young kids so it was never the sunday familycar i wished for. I use my Thunderbird 1961 instead, now they can play a game of soccer in the back


/Ulf från Lund
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LOL!!

 

They are simply beautiful to look at. Never had the pleasure to sit in one.


Beev

 

89 XJS Convertible. I've owned mine for several years. I'm the 2 nd owner purchased with 50,000 miles. Now has 61,000. I drive it about 3,000 per year.
It's in fantastic shape as it was owned by a very meticulous previous owner
I change all fluids etc every year. I have had no major problems whatsoever, although brakes and suspension are starting to wear.
I love driving this car (top down) it is such a classy, elegant and time less design. I think I get just as many looks and compliments if not more than my Ferrari!
Sure it slow, but the V12 is so smooth and she gets up to 110 MPH on a straight road. It puts me in total different state of mind when I drive. Unlike the Ferrari, where it's all a bit of a production driving and you can't help to be in "racer" speed mode

 

If you are thinking of selling the 4.0 convertible at some point, PM me.

 

I really enjoyed both of the XJ-S' that I owned. Had a 1977, then a 1990.

Never had a problem with either.

Mike
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It's the best driving worst engineered car. Read Kirby Palms XJS manual and you will learn a lot about the car.

Design flaw #1
The check valve for the charcoal canister is installed backwards from the factory. So, that means no ventilation for the fuel tank, causing pressurization/vaccum problems, and scary noises coming from the fuel tank while driving, easy fix though.

Flaw #2
There is no proper ventilation for the heat generated from the V12, and catalytic converters and it cooks everything under the hood; electronics, suspension bushings, hoses, fuel lines etc... I would recommend having a body shop design vents into the hoot (similar to an XKR) to help displace heat, as it would probably eliminate future issues. Possibly eliminate oil leaks as well and probably keep the distributor cap from cracking.

Flaw #3
The water temperature sensor for the coolant was placed so it reads the temperature of the coolant coming out of the radiator and not the engine, so if the temperature needle is a hair above the mid point temp gauge in the dash board, the car is actually overheating.

Flaw #4
Heat management again
After the catalytic converters, the car uses I think (from memory it's been a while) 3 mufflers for each side, and four of them are right before and right after the differential. The rear brakes are inverted, placed either side of the differential, and so you now have 3 heat sources on each side of the differential and this causes the rear rotors to warp the differential to leak oil, which then it contaminates the brakes, and soon eats the rubber seals on the brake calipers causing them to leak.

Also, the advance for the distributor seizes up very easily which can cause the car to run lean at higher rpms, which can cause all kinds of issues. If you take the distributor cap off, turn the distributor rotor counterclockwise and it doesn't spring back, the weights are sticking. The good thing, you can lube it with the oil port that is there and it usually fixes this problem very quickly. If your car engine seems to struggle to get up to redline, this is the usual culprit.

The good thing about this car. You can get a lot of the hoses and part from Pep Boys.
The ignition amplifier is a GM part and is $40 from napa.

Sorry for the rant.

Jim

 

In 2002 I bought a 1991 coupe with 45,000 miles and have been using it as a daily driver ever since. It currently has 110,000 miles. It has not been exactly what one might call "trouble free" but the problems, for the most part, have been minor. Kirby Plam's "book" is a must read and can help you avoid/prevent many major problems. As noted earlier, things under the hood get more than a little warm and fire can be an issue. Changing the distributor cap, rotor and wires every 30,000 miles along with changing all fuel related hoses, including injector hoses, every 60,000 will take care of the fire worries.

I love the ride and the overall "feel" of the car. It gives the impression of being carved out of one piece of steel, no rattles, no shakes and will cruise at 100 all day with ease (Montreal to Detroit in 6 hours, a fun trip in 1987).

This is my second XJS. The first was a 1983 bought new and sold in 1988 (a VERY sad day) with 98,000 miles with very few problems along the way.

The car likes to be used. Drive it frequently and you both will be happy. Let it sit for long periods, as many people do, and it will start living up to its reputation of being a problem prone car.

 

I had two late-model XJS', a six and a twelve. I agree with all the comments posted here. The best touring car of its day, a dream to drive over long miles; and one of the worst for mechanical problems -heat under the bonnet being a major problem. Then there are the others.

One day, gliding along a French motorway in the early summer and without a care in the world, the car died on me. The engine cut out, no less. Luckily I had enough momentum to reach a nearby fuel stop, where I called a rescue service. The car was piggy-backed away to Dijon, where Jaguar had a workshop. Two weeks later, I returned to pick it up. I asked the mechanic who had diagnosed the problem, for his story. He answered "Probably the fuel pumps." At any rate, he had replaced them and everything worked. When I glanced at the invoice, I noticed that the pumps were Honda and queried this. The mechanic, sporting overalls with the Jaguar logo emblazoned all over, explained that he had gone next door to a Honda workshop. Why? Because, he said, if I wanted to be sure that the car would work, Honda spare parts were a safer choice.

The car was normally serviced by a long-standing dealership and workshop in central London. Talking to the staff there, their explanation for Jaguar's woes was that Jaguar ofen hired the brightest young engineers and technicians, who would come up a with a wizz idea to improve some aspect of the XJS, which was then incorporated into the series until a better idea came along. Unfortunately, the idea might have been good, but Jaguar never had the financial means to test to destruction whatever modification or mechanical marvel it decided to incorporate. Jaguar didn't know how long the modication might last and didn't know if said modification might bring other problems in its wake.

Having said this, I regret no longer owning an XJS, because I was extremely fond of the car.

 

Fuel pumps? The XJ-S has only one, and it is a Bosch pump.

No money for development? The suspension for the XK-S came from the XJ saloon from 1968. I think that by the time the later XJ-S's were produced (we are not considering pre HE models, are we?) the problems were ironed out, if there ever were any. Engine was built since '71, same applies.
The Jaguar problem-child reputation was largely earned by the morale of the labour-force in the 70-ies, not the engineering. Agreed, some suppliers also didn't do too well. Jaguars from before BL and from the time Egan took over at Jaguar are fine cars. You do need to maintain them properly, and drive them often, they'll reward with excellent reliability and an un-surpassed ride.