Jaguar Xjs Manual
Prices. Project: £300-1200. Good: £2000-5000. Concours: £5000-20,000. Most Expensive at Auction: £57,500 (Lister 7.0-litre LeMans) Practicality ★★★ Running costs ★★ Spares ★★★★ DIY Friendly ★★ Investment ★★★★ Desirability ★★★★ See also. It’s only in the last few years that the XJ-S (or XJS from 1991) has begun to be truly appreciated.
Now, values are on the up and spares availability improving all the time. Power flow from the V12 is smoother than Roger Moore’s script delivery, but the six-cylinder AJ6 version (from 1983) is nearly as civilised and significantly cheaper to run.
The most collectible cars are early V12s but build-quality improved significantly after 1982, and the best were built from 1991-on. For travelling long distance the XJ-S is second to none, offering an elegant blend of well-behaved town-and-motorway conduct alongside the brutal capacity to eat corners and tear up the tarmac. But you must pick an XJ-S wisely or face the prospect of rocking back-and-forth in your garage wishing you had never been born. Your AutoClassics Jaguar XJ-S inspection checklist Engine There were two basic engines under the sculpted bonnet of the XJ-S – the legendary V12 and the AJ6 straight-six.
Both are bombproof if serviced and cared for correctly. The V12’s radiator can silt up if coolant isn’t replaced every two years. If the coolant is brown you should walk away.
Loose timing chains can cause rattles up front and exhaust gaskets perish around 50,000 miles. Ensure that regular oil changes have taken place. Little else should cause excessive noise, so walk away if the engine bay offers clanking, misfiring or a smell of burning oil. Viscous fan couplings can seize, which produces a screeching noise, but these are relatively straightforward to replace. The back set of spark plugs on V12s are difficult to get at, and are often left unchanged – check they’ve been done.
Jaguar Xjs Manual
The 3.6-litre engine isn’t quite as refined as the V12, but the silky smoothness on offer is still impressive. The only common headache is, like its larger brethren, the exhaust manifold gasket, which dies young. However, you will need to check that oil pressure is healthy (40-50psi) when the engine is hot. Also look for signs of coolant on the cylinder block. We would recommend a pre-purchase compression test on all cylinders, too. Whichever engine you prefer, all servicing parts and mechanical components are widely available and specialist help is always to hand.
Gearbox Both the rarely-found manual and commonplace automatic gearboxes are robust and sturdy. Gearchanges from earlier autoboxes roughen with age, and ill automatics demonstrate a sledgehammer change between first and second. The Borg-Warner Model 12 – fitted to early V12s – is almost indestructible, but can feel awkward.
Jaguar Xjs Manual Pdf
The smoother Model 400 three-speed General Motors unit (fitted from 1977) and four-speed GM400 (from 1993-on) can often produce a knocking noise from the gearbox mount, a common problem after the spring holding the gearbox in place collapses. Straight-six models could be purchased with a Getrag five-speed manual or ZF four-speed automatic. Both these options are equally stout. Should the automatic transmission require some TLC, parts and services are widely available although prices can vary. Manual gearboxes are more of a challenge, as certain components are tricky to source and clutch mechanisms can be costly.