[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Kurrant

Cheers and best of luck!

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Hope to see your Mini back in action soon.

Originally Posted by ajmat

Sorry to hear about your accident.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Oh, Jeroen, so sorry to hear and see this.

Thanks, guys, much appreciated

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I don't know these days, but I think that the European tradition is to act coolish, because it's down to the insurance company to sort everything out. I do remember that, although I have wished to in a couple of accidents, one is specifically not supposed to say, "Sorry: my fault."

Hope the ribs recover quickly. An x-ray might be in order?

Yes, it is all down to the insurance companies. Feel in a form and give them a call. That's all there is.

Bruised ribs don't show up on X-ray. Broken and cracked ribs do. But bruised ribs are often far more painful than broken ribs! Unless you have a rib puncturing a long or so there is absolutely nothing doctors can do for you.

Even painkillers tend to not work well on bruised ribs. Unfortunately, I have some experience with bruised ribs, having been in several bicycle accidents and one domestic accident. Initially, you tend to feel alright, but 12-24 hours later the pain starts and gets worse and worse. The worst of it is gone in a week or so, but it might take several weeks for it to be completely gone.

As bruised ribs go, this one was pretty mild compared to my earlier experiences. That was pretty bad. Irrespective, the most important part of any accident is nobody got hurt really bad, or permanently, or worse. Counting my blessings!

Jeroen

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Very unfortunate. Very upsetting. Also, a bit painful. I bruised my ribs. Whether it is from the airbags/rim of the steering wheel or the seat belts, I don't know. I have had bruised ribs before. It is pretty uncomfortable.
Jeroen

Oh Oh. Terribly sorry to hear that Jeroen. Prayers for your speedy recovery from the bruised ribs.

From the looks of it, Mini will spring back to its former form as only the front body seems to have taken the brunt of the impact.

[Jeroen]

Yesterday I did a bit of a different repair job. My friend Berndt had an air fryer that had stopped working!

Berndt had brought it over a couple of weeks ago. I had opened it up and it was pretty obvious on what was wrong.





Initially, I thought this was just a burned-out resistor. But when I started checking the colour code I was not so sure. I happen to be a member on a Facebook group of vintage electronic enthusiasts. So I posted the above image and asked for advice on this particular component. Boy, did I get a lot of replies? Never seen anything like it.

Interestingly enough, the experts on this FB group could not agree either. It was a resistor or a so-called inductor, sometimes also known as a choke. In essence, it is a coil. These inductors are rated in Henry. This one was rated as one millihenry.

I also suspected the two capacitors to be faulty and most likely the electrolyte fluid had leaked from one or both capacitor and damaged the inductor as well.

Here is the bottom of the two capacitors. One is broken.



And the inductor:



I ordered two new capacitors. That was easy as I found a webshop that sells individually. However, I could not find an individual inductor. Had to buy a complete set of all kinds of different values.



This set with tens of inductors costs less than the two individual capacitors. Total cost of spare parts is less than the cost of a cup of coffee.

It can be difficult to get the exact same component. I tried but the new capacitors were larger than the old ones. Even though the electronic specification (470uF, 400V) was identical.



The new inductor was smaller than the original one.



10-20 years ago we still had shops that sold electronic components. You could just walk in with your air fryer components and the guy would find you the best possible match. None of those shops exist anymore. You can get a lot online of course, but the one thing you won't get is good advice.

The PCB with the damaged components removed.





Very straightforward soldering job. Done in five minutes or less.



PCB re-installed and rewired back into the air fryer.



Yesterday evening I popped over to Berndt and we tried out the air fryer in his kitchen.



Perfect fries once again. Berndt very happy!



Later this afternoon I am heading over to Marc. We will be taking my Spider, on a trailer, to a specialised tuning shop. We will have the Spider on a rolling road, so we can take measurements on the ignition system, We want to make sure, the injection computer works perfectly. We suspect it might inject to rich a mixture under certain conditions. Which led to the lub oil flushing on the cylinders and subsequently high oil usage. Should be interesting!

If all goes well, the Mini will be back on the road by the end of the week! Looking forward to that as well.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I have just come home from my trip with Marc and my Spider.

Earlier today I drove over to Marc. He had loaded the Spider on the trailer.



I hopped into his van and we drove to Boxmeer. Just over an hour's drive. Marc had chosen JClassics to help us in checking the Spider engine.

A very interesting company. They are into all sorts of tuning and race-prepping. But what makes them interesting, is they work on mostly classic cars!!

They also facilitate pretty advanced car technical training. For a wide range of audiences. They told us they have a bunch of Porsche technician from Germany visiting them for some courses next week.

Upstairs they have training rooms and a very nice retro cafe type of recroom.



Have a look here, all in Dutch but some interesting images: https://jclassics.nl

Our main object of interest was, of course, their rolling road test facility.





Marc drove the Spider onto the test bed.



Properly tied down!!



Let the testing begin!!





Pretty cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aucKOPwLGNQ

These guys are very good at what they do. Marc had told them what we were looking for; any evidence that the mixture gets too rich, under the full load and rev range.

So they put the Spider through its paces. Their verdict. Nothing wrong with this engine, absolutely not running rich under any condition.

So that was wonderful news. It meant that all the hard work of Marc has paid off!

And look how well this engine performs power and torque-wise.



Consider this is an engine that was designed in the late 60s/early 70s.

From 2800 RPM a pretty flat torque curve of about 175 Nm. Even at just 2400 RPM, the engine produces over 150 Nm, so more than 80% of its max torque.

As this engine was not run in, we did not want to run it over 4000 RPM. But look at that power curve. At 4200 RPM it produces 105 HP. And that the power curve is mostly linear. So at 5500 RPM, it will produce 135-145 HP.

My Spider is, of course, slightly better spec than the original factory ones. I have removed the catalytic converter. Which adds probably 4-5 HP and adds a lot of low rev grunt. Also, the pistons are known as high compression pistons which probably adds another 3-5 HP.

in modern terms not that much. But given how old a design this is, and let's face it, the engine might be overhauled, but it's still a 40-year-old car/engine.

All in all, very happy with this test. It means the engine, at long last, should not only be running fine but also not use any engine oil. Marc is going to check the last few things and I will pick up my Spider from his workshop this coming Saturday.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

After spending time with my boat, as shown in my other thread, I drove past Gilbert to check on my Mini.

Things are progressing well!

Gilbert has already installed the new airbags and a completely new dashboard top cover.



Everything under the bonnet has been straightened.



All new panels have been sprayed.



So it is just a matter of bolting everything back together. Gilbert says it will be done by Friday. Fingers crossed!

The old dashboard cover with the airbag flopping about!



Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I had another look at the brakes and suspension of my Jeep. I had noticed an odd clonking noise under certain conditions. It happens only when you reverse, brake, pull forward again and brake. On the second forward brake, I hear a definite "cloink". It almost seems as if something moves, rotates under reverse braking and then moves back with a big cloink when going forward and braking.

You only hear the cloink after this manoeuvre, so as long as I don't reverse and brake there is nothing wrong.

I had also spoken to my Jeep Specialist Martin. and between the two of us we came up with the same possible causes Something loose in the suspension or perhaps a broken leave spring, or something with the brakes. by now I am fairly certain it is the rear brakes and those are drum brakes of course.

Put the rear axle on two jack stands, took the wheels and brake drums off, close inspection of all brake components, spring leaves and everything else down there.





I took a tire lever to everything, creating force on everything I could see, hit bolts and nuts with a hammer. I could not find anything loose or broken.

Brakes appear fine too, but the rear right brake could use a bit of adjusting. I am wondering if this sound occurs due to the brake shoes somehow sticking inside the brake drum and then breaking loose when I go forward? But I did not see anything that could support that theory.

Funnily enough, I drove the Jeep yesterday and no cloinking! Fingers crossed.

The next problem is with my Jaguar. I keep getting a CEL. It happens everytime under the exact same conditions. Once I reset the codes and start the engine and everything is fine. But when I subsequently stop the car/engine and restart it pops up within 5 seconds. Even with the CEL on, there is no noticeable difference in performance.

These are the codes I keep getting;



Unfortunately my fancy Autel OBD scanner attaches the wrong description to these codes!! I am pretty sure the codes themselves are the codes that are active. These are stored in the ECU. The scanner just reads them and subsequently attaches the description based on a huge database. Only codes starting with P0xx are generic. These are P1xx which means they are manufacturer-specific. But on Jaguar it could also be model/year specific!

I am not worried about the P111. Together with P1000 Jaguar uses these two codes to show the status of the drive cycle being complete or not.

The real killer is the P1646. Which on my car means there is a problem with the secondary fuel relay. On all Jaguars P1646 is related to the O2 sensor , upstream, bank 1.

I have spend a couple of hours trouble shooting, but so far no luck.







I need to get some better documentation. I have ran into some problems where my car doesn't seem to match the description in the Jaguar Workshop manual. As soon as I get my documentation sorted I will do some serious trouble shooting and a full write up.

Most importantly: My Spider is back on the road once again!!



I picked up my Spider from Marc, last Saturday. Marc did a great job of putting everything back together. Also, the last few niggles it suffered from last year appear to be sorted!!

The engine runs very very smoothly. Marc adjusted the steering and alignment one more time. Redid some brake work too. It now steers razor-sharp as a Spider should. It also brakes straight! Which it did not at first. Finally, I think my call to have Marc replace the thrust bearing whilst the engine was out, was correct as well. I have not heard the associated "thrust bearing noises" anymore.

It happened to be a very cold, but sunny day. So I have already driven the first 150 km, mostly on rural roads. At 1000-1500 km we will do one more lub oil change and retighten the cylinder head bolts.

Today I am attending a Coffee and Car session, organised by the Jaguar Daimler Club Hollands, of which I am a member. Not to far from the marina where I keep my boat. So busy and pleasant Sunday!

Jerone

[Jeroen]

Finally making some progress with the illustrious P1646 code. I can tell it is leaving a big mark on the Jaguar online community. People are up in arms, positions are taken, and coalitions are forged. Is the Jaguar documentation correct or not? I have had two guys suggest to replace the ECU.

Even, though I hate to admit it, the official Jaguar procedure, after I did about 14 different diagnostic tests, suggested replacing the ECU.

Those who follow my posts on TeamBHP will know that I don't take people suggesting to replace ECU seriously. Never have, never will. I spit on them because in my, admittedly very limited, experience, it is extremely rare for any ECU to cause real issues. It is almost always something else. The real key is having a real understanding of what goes on and having the ability to perform the correct diagnostics.

With the help of the ever-pragmatic super Jaguar X308 Specialist Raymond I might be honing in on the solution. More to come, when the problem is solved.

Just a short recap of my Coffee and Cars Morning with the Dutch Jaguar Daimler club.

The format is very simple. You rock up at some place around 10.30 on a Sunday morning. There is coffee and cake. And you talk cars with the other members. Very pleasant, very relaxing and always interesting to meet some new folks, here some new stories and so on. This being an official Jaguar Daimler event, the number of corduroy trousers was, as expected, unusually high.

The Jaguar Daimler Club is for all Jaguars and Daimlers, new and old alike



Nice lineup. Spot my XJR



No matter what, this is a good and impressive rear-looking car!!



In case you did not spot my XJR, here it is



Gorgeous!!



This one was a bit the odd one out. The owner had some Jags too, but decided to drive down in the Healy. He did have a very nice pair of corduroy trousers on, so it was ok.



As you would expect at these sort of events. A lot of hoods were opened, and engines were shown off and discussed.



This is the engine of a XJ, similar to Peter's XJ. Except its a European version and Peter's is a USA version. Which comes with a whole lot more plumbing!! Sometimes we think all this emission crap is something from the last years/decades, but Peter's XJ is well over 50 years old and had to have a bunch of stuff installed to meet Californian emission regulations!!





In all honesty, I am not sure which or what company was hosting the event. Apparently, the guy is both an appraiser as well as an agent selling and finding classic cars for people. This is sort of his shop.



Nice pleasant event.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Finally, I managed to sort out the problem with the Jaguar. It makes for an interesting story of what kind of challenges one might encounter when diving into modern car electronics and wiring.

I thought I would spend a bit more time and provide some more detail on this particular problem. I believe it is exemplary of how these so-called "electronic" niggles might present themselves. And how difficult the troubleshooting can be. Even with many resources at hand!

Just to recap; During one of my trips to my boat, the Jag popped its CEL (Check Engine Light). The electronics on older cars, especially Jaguar can be a bit temperamental. So I carry my fancy Autel OBD scanner in the boot.

This is the so called P-code that I found: P1646



One of the reasons older Jaguars might have some electronics issues is the quality of the wiring and various (plastic) connectors. Over time the insulation of the wiring becomes brittle and might break off, causing a ground issue. Same with the plastic connectors, they break. very often the little clip that is supposed to hold them in place simply snaps. Subsequently, the connector becomes a bit loose, water might find its way inside the pins, causing all sorts of continuity issues.

Whereas these sorts of issues are very easy to fix, finding them can be a royal PITA! Those of you who have followed this thread will have seen me fix several of these sorts of issues on the Jaguar and other cars, including my Spider.

These are not electronic faults at all. These are simple electrical faults, or mechanical faults at best. Because they can be very difficult to trace, you might come across cases where people start swapping ECUs. I have vented my opinion about swapping ECUs several times across several threads. It is important to understand there are no P-codes that suggest you need to swap an ECU. Not a single P-code, or other fault codes that have a definition SWAP ECU attached!

So swapping an ECU is always done as a last resort, but not before you have exhausted every other possibility first. Here is another thought, the Jaguar has 12 computers. When faced with engine/transmission/auto box issues, which computer are you going to replace? At least 3 or 4 of the computers are involved in the correct working of the complete power train.

Somewhere on this thread, I have shared an official Jaguar Technical bulletin on ECU swaps. Jaguar technicians swap computers and they get sent to Jaguar who checks them. The vast majority of these 'swapped' computers did not have any issues. It is a bit of sobering thought, that if, by and large, very well-trained and equipped, Jaguar Technicians incorrectly swap computers around, how the hell do mere DYI technicians trace and solve these sorts of issues?

Well, partly because our DIY time comes free, partly because we like to fiddle with our cars, partly because we are pretty much obsessed with our cars and partly because we have the internet. Now, the internet is a two-sided sword. There is a lot of technical crap out there. But if you have been part of the online Jaguar community for as long as I have, you know whom to trust. And of course, I am extremely fortunate to know my friend Raymond, probably the most knowledgeable guy on Jaguar X300/308s here in West Europe.

How is it that swapping computers sometimes does solve the problems? There are different reasons. When you pull a computer you will have to disconnect all the connectors. Depending on the car, you might have to deep dive under the dash, move wiring looms to get to it and so on. Just disconnecting a computer, and putting it back, swapped or not, might help, because disconnecting and reconnecting these electrical connectors might solve a dirt issue or a partly loose connector.

The same is true for messing about with wiring looms. It is a known troubleshooting trick. Keep tucking at wiring looms, near various connectors and so on, see what happens! It is pretty basic, but as I explained, the root cause of these so-called electronic problems is often very basic and has nothing to do with electronics as such.

Back to the problem at hand:

So I had a CEL and a P-code. It is noteworthy, as you will see, that the engine did not go into reduced power mode. Almost all modern cars have something like this. When a serious problem in the Power train (engine, transmission) is detected it ensures the engine can only run at a reduced performance, so as to limit any further problems and or damage.

Initially, I just reset the code with my Autel Scanner. Started the engine and it ran fine, CEL was out and I drove on. But after I made another stop and restarted it again the CEL and same P-1646 code popped up. That kept repeating itself. After resetting the CEL and P code would pop up after each subsequent second start-up of the engine.

I also performed couple of hard accelerations in normal and fast mode. Timed them. My Jags still shot from 0-100 km/h in under five seconds!!

It is an important part of troubleshooting to try and observe as many irregularities in engine/transmission behaviour. That means noises, vibrations, warning lights, sequence of occurrence, under what circumstances does it happens etc.

In this case, every second start-up is relevant, because it most likely means we need to look at something that gets monitored and is allowed to show one fault during one cycle. When a modern engine is started all kinds of parameters are being monitored. Depending on which one, the computers will ignore false and or incorrect values for a certain time. Just to allow the engine to settle properly.

Once I got back home, I started to investigate properly.

The first thing we need is some basic knowledge of OBD codes and OBD scanners.

Below you see an overview/structure of the various Codes your various computers in your car can throw at you:


(This is page from my Haynes OBD manual)

So we have a P1646.

P means we have a powertrain code
1 means it is a manufacturer-defined code
4 means it is an emission control-related code

If you have followed my various posts across TeamBHP you will notice I always advise members to get their engine codes read with a scanner that can handle "manufacturer-specific codes"

Most (cheap) scanners will only read the general or SAE-defined codes).

Whether you have a cheap or expensive OBD scanner they all do the same thing. It is your car's computer(s) that sends the actual code to the scanner. So the P1646 is generated inside the Jaguar computer and sent to the OBD scanner.

Many OBD scanners will add some sort of text to the code they receive from the car. This is where our problem starts. As long as it is a generic code, so something starting with P0xx, you can probably rely on the correct text being applied to the respective code.

But when you have a manufacturer-specific code, it becomes messy very quickly. Even my, not-so-cheap Autel OBD scanners get it wrong!! And my Autel scanner has a pretty comprehensive database. As part of setting it up, you need to choose the manufacturer, model, year and VIN number. So you would think they have a pretty elaborate kind of look-up table and logic implemented!

So to recap, if you have a code, manufacturer-specific or otherwise, the code itself is likely to be correct. But you can not rely on your scanner to tell you what the fault means!

About these P1xx manufacturer codes. They are what the name suggests. Try looking up a P1xx code for say a Jaguar and a BMW. For the same code you are likely to see completely different meanings!!

But it gets more complex. Even within one manufacturer, or worse one model the same code can have different meanings depending on certain variables. (e.g. engine type)

So whenever I pull a code from my Jaguar it is back to my office and find out what that code might mean for my car.

I do have a lot of documentation, but not all. I also check the various Jaguar forums on P-code as well. Immediately it became clear that P1646 is a contentious topic in the X300/X308 community!!

In essence, P1646 on my Jaguar, a 2002 Super Charged version, means a problem with the secondary fuel pump. On earlier and or non Supercharged models P1646 means a problem with the upstream Lamba sensor on the passenger side (bank) of the V8.

But not everybody agrees to the above. Worse. I could not find a solution to the P1646 on a supercharged Jaguar at all.

Let's have a look at what I found in my documentation:



But before I start testing, I like to understand how the system I will be testing is supposed to work. That is not always that easy to figure out, but with the help of the internet, some documentation and some tests as I will show you I got a fairly good idea.

Here is the wiring diagram that shows how the two fuel pumps are operated by two relays, controlled by the EMU. Very useful when you start doing electrical trouble shooting



The secondary fuel pump kicks in, very briefly when you turn the ignition on. It helps prime the fuel system to the correct pressure. During normal driving the secondary fuel pump does not run at all. It only kicks in at (very) high engine loads. High revs with high power.

When I began to figure out the P1646 was related to the operation of the secondary fuel pump, and a simple relay was involved. Very first thing I did was to just swap the relay with another one. Did not solve anything. I did notice that when I pulled the secondary fuel pump relay, I would get the CEL and the P1646.

So next I just went through all the various tests described above.

Which involves testing for correct voltages at various terminals and measuring for continuity (lack of resistance) in the various wires going from the Jaguars computer (EMU) and the relay. The EMU sits at the front under the hood and the relay sits in the boot.

Disconnecting the correct connector from the EMU



The relay and fuse box in the boot. Notice the thin grey wire sticking into the relay socket? I used that wire to perform the continuity (resistance) test as mentioned above under C2.



I also injected 12 V directly into the fuel pump. I could hear it turn and fuel being pumped around the tank.

After a couple of hours of fiddling, I had not found anything out of the ordinary. Time for some more road testing. My Autel OBD scanner also has a live data function. So it can scan hundreds of different sensors, and parameters all over the car. So I took the Jag for another spin.

The first thing I wanted to check is whether the secondary fuel pump really kicks in under acceleration. Look at this, sure it does!!



I also checked all available parameters. Based on various discussions on the internet I was particularly interested in the operation of the lambda sensors. My car has four, two on each side of this monstrous V8. One upstream and one downstream of the catalytic converter.

I looked at all the data and compared left to right, right to left but I could not detect anything abnormal. These are heated lambda sensors. So they have a heating element as well as providing the actual O2 measurement (as a voltage)





So all my tests and measurements brought no resolution as to the cause of this P1646 and CEL. As I mentioned, I did have a CEL but not reduced performance. As I dived deeper and deeper into the Internet and my documentation that was odd. Because with P-1646 on my Supercharged Jaguar, I should have also seen "reduced performance"? Confused, I certainly was by this time.

In the end, for lack of other options, I decided I was going to take a closer look
at this blasted Lambda sensor. Sure enough, when I measured the resistance of the heater circuit I found it to be infinite!!

Time to call super Jaguar specialist Raymond. As always Raymond gave me a very elaborate explanation. He never uses P codes or the sort of measurements from the Jaguar documentation. He has a very advanced Jaguar-specific diagnostic system. Which will tell him, immediately what the problem is and what else to check and to replace. I would love to own one. But it cost more than my Jaguar, so I doubt I will get Mrs D to approve such an expenditure.

Based on his experience, Raymond was 100% sure it was the Lambda sensor. He replaces some 40-45 of these annually!!

He told me to remove it and send an image of the connector. There are dozens of different sensors out there. But the so-called connector code tells Raymond what sensor I needed. The connector code is the shape of the connector in combination with the various notches on its edge.



Getting a Lamba sensor out of its socket can be a bit of a struggle. I was relieved to get it out fairly easily. Albeit by using one of my large spanners with a 1-meter-long extension. These things are tight!!

I had to remove the air filter intake filter housing, with the air mass flow meter and tubing to the throttle body. Simple job, two bolts, five clamps on the filter and one electrical connector.

Again, one of the clamps on the filter body broke off. Did I mention the cheap quality of Jaguar plastic!!. JW weld to the rescue as always!



The spannering itself was not all that difficult, once the air inlet assembly was removed.





You can clearly see the Lambda sensor sticking out, just above the catalytic converter.



Here we have the old sensor on my workbench, amidst endless Jaguar documentation.



I spoke to Raymond around 1500 hours. I send him the image of the connector by 15.30. And by 1600 hours Joke, Raymond's wife had dispatched the new Lambda sensor by courier to me!! That is outstanding service!

The next day it arrived around 10.00 o'clock. All the couriers and mailmen know, if nobody answers our doorbell, check the garage!! Because I am usually in my garage.

As per my usual, checking old and new. Although, the chances of Raymond sending an incorrect part are probably close to zero, if not actually zero!!



Put the new sensor in, and took the Jaguar for a spin. I am happy to report that I have driven over 500 km with the new Lambda sensor. No CEL, no P-codes.

It still remains a mystery to me and many folks on the internet what is going on here. There is no doubt that pulling the secondary fuel pump relay triggers the CEL and P1646 on my supercharged X308. There is substantial evidence out there in the shape of many official Jaguar documents that confirm, that my car P1646 is related to the secondary fuel pump!

Even so, the root cause of the CEL and P1646 was the heater in the Lambda sensor giving out.

As always, there were some folks suggesting to swap out the ECU or rather EMU as Jaguar calls it. But to them, I say what I always say. Statistically, the chances of anything being wrong with the ECU/EMU or any computer are extremely slim at best.

My best guess is still some errors in the Jaguar documentation. One of the problems we have is that there is a lot of Jaguar documentation about it. But not all, and you never know if you have the latest revision. Even on these old cars.

Obviously, there are a few known ECU troubles on come cars. But they tend to be well-known by the respective make/model community.

I am very happy with having solved this problem. Learned a lot too.

I hope this little story might help other members too, when discussing the intricacies of trouble shooting "electronic" problems on modern cars.

Jeroen

[Redex]

Hi,
before carrying out any electronic diagnostics make sure the battery is in perfect condition, or substitute a new battery while testing. Use a quality battery tester and/or dedicated 12 volt power supply.
Check battery connections and all bonding connections, earths etc.
With the amount of electronics in current cars, you would be surprised how many faults are generated by low voltage and poor connections. Don't forget the basics.
It's easy to think "it's a newish car" it must be a real fault.
Check, check and check again.
Even our "time served" technicians get caught out by missing the "obvious".
Don't forget that the longer you spend tracing a fault with the ignition on, the lower the battery voltage gets. So, fit a dedicated power supply.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Redex

Hi,
before carrying out any electronic diagnostics make sure the battery is in perfect condition, or substitute a new battery while testing..

Yes, thank you. Good addition, I should have mentioned this. If you check my earlier posts and many other posts on the forum you will notice me giving this exact warning.

These Jaguars are particular prone to all sorts of weird problems due to a not perfect battery. As I have mentioned and shown on this thread it is one of the reasons I clean all electrical main contacts and all grounds (about 40-50) every so often.
Switch
As you mentioned, you should not underestimate how much electrical power a modern car draws when trouble shooting. In earlier and other posts I have shown my Jaguar to be drawing about 5 Amps, directly after shutting down. Obviously, that does come down to its normal quiescent dream of about 50 mA after about 30-40 minutes, providing all doors, boot and hood are shut.

But with the ignition on, doors, boot and hood open you could easily draw 10-20A. That will wear out even a good powerful battery quickly.

I know that my Jaguar Specialist friend Raymond doesn’t even attempt to start an X308 after a couple of hours on his lift. He will attach a booster right away!

Jeroen

[Redex]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

These Jaguars are particular prone to all sorts of weird problems due to a not perfect battery. As I have mentioned and shown on this thread it is one of the reasons I clean all electrical main contacts and all grounds (about 40-50) every so often.

Hi,

My comment was really aimed at everyone else, as a bit of advice. I have read many of your posts and assumed that you were already aware of the issues regards electronic diagnostics.

Thanks Neil

[Jeroen]

Quick update on the Mini. It is almost ready! But is still waiting for the last one or two pieces of trim on the grill.

Gilbert told me getting parts for this Mini turned out to be a nightmare. It seems there are endless variants of what is essentially the same part. And the part systems, normally very reliable for these sorts of cars, just aren't. He got the wrong steering wheel airbag, not once, but three times. Only after taking the steering wheel to the part suppliers was he able to get the correct airbag that would fit the steering wheel.

Similar story on other parts. He had to exchange incorrect parts several times over.



When the last few parts arrive it will be less than two hours of work to get it finished!

I have also driven my Spider almost 750 km. The engine runs very nicely. I checked the oil level once at 400 km. It appeared to have dropped a tiny bit. But that is to be expected. Fingers crossed. I will call Marc once I pass 1000 km to make an appointment to replace the engine oil and filter and get the head bolts retightened.

Quite happy with how the Spider drives now. I am not a hundred per cent convinced about the wheel alignment yet. I will talk to Marc, we might have to make some minor adjustments. It is partly because it feels as if the tail end is a bit loose. Normally this is always associated with worn bushes in the trailing arms. But spanner mate Peter and I replaced those last year, shortly before our trip to Scotland. Once we have the Spider back on the lift at Marc's it is an easy check if they are ok, perhaps one has torn? We will see.

Yesterday I drove the Spider to Peter. A 260 km round trip. Here you see it parked at Peter's driveway. On the left his classic Lancia and on the right his classic Jaguar XJ S1



As you might recall, after we had overhauled both carburettors and quite a few other jobs, we did manage to get the engine running again. It just does not run particularly well. So we decided to spend some time on making a few checks and adjustments.



The first thing we wanted to try was to sort out the various cables and levers between the throttle pedal and the carburettors. Lots of play. Not only lots of play, we found that the throttle plate in the carburettors only opened partially.



We managed to trace that back to the secondary throttle plates being completely stuck. This set-up has two times two throttle plates. One in each carburettor, but there is a so-called secondary throttle plate built into the inlet manifold.

We managed to free them up and adjusted some of the cable lengths and various of linkages and levers.





When we had done our repairs, the engine would not fire up at all! It cranked, but that was all. Blew some starter fluid in it, but still nothing. So we checked whether we had sparks on the plugs. No! Further investigation showed we managed to knock off the distributor cap?! So that was an easy fix!

But it would still not fire up. We suspected we were not getting fuel. So we checked both fuel pump, the switch over switch and all various fuses.

This Jag has a pretty nifty fuse compartment. Notice the spare fuses on top!



Not sure what we did, but eventually we got the engine started again. Initially it ran very poorly. Very high RPMs or basically stalling. We managed to adjust the idle setting, lubed some more of the various linkages and ensured all mechanical bits moved freely. That made it a lot better. Still not perfect, but at least the Jag is back to a driveable state.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

I took the Spider out for a nice long drive last Sunday. The weather was pretty good. So I drove cross country to Willemstad. Look at some, what else, boats!



I have done some 1200 kilometers after the engine overhaul. Engine has used just about 0,5 liters of oil. Which is not unusual, but it should become less from here onwards. Fingers crossed.

I spoke to Marc earlier today, because we need to change out the oil filter and the oil, retighten the cylinder head. Also, I have three other little jobs that need attending to.

I noticed a little bit of cooling liquid the other day. I have investigated and it appears to becoming from the cooling water pump. It has a special little drain hole to let any seepage through the seal out. But this pump was installed brand new last year and should not seep. We will have to see if it stops or gets worse.

Getting the water pump of a Spider is a royal PITA. The radiator needs to come out and you might have to remove some of the studs.

When I take the Spider to Marc he will also adjust the steering a bit. I like a slightly lighter set up than Marc dialled in initially.

I also discussed with him, the fact that the Spider sometimes feels a bit unsettled. Especially when going over speed humps, or big bumps in the roads. Also, coming hard on and off the throttle makes her tail wiggle.

Usually, that is a sign of the rubbers in the trailing arms going south. But I replaced those last year. Marc suggested taking the shocks out and pushing and pulling them in and out to their maximum extension.

So that is what I did. At the front a very easy job.

The bottom of the shock is held in place with one nut and the top with a double nut. Bit of wriggling and out it comes!





These are so-called Koni Classic adjustable shocks. I installed them probably about 23-24 years ago. So I also dialled them back into maximum stiffness.



Did both sides and took the Spider for a test drive. Makes a huge difference. The car feels so much better and more stable. Also, I think I can drive over speed humps much faster now. I used to hit the sump protection all the time. Definitely a big improvement.

I might do the rear shocks too. A slightly bigger job, so for another day!

I took Mrs. D Ford Fiesta for its annual MOT yesterday. They told me it needed a new battery. They told me that last year too. I did my own measurement and at least it shows a lower than new reading.



I will pop over to my friendly battery and alternator specialist Ton in the next week or so. Get him to redo the measurement. Irrespective, it is not worth the aggregation of Mrs. D being stranded out somewhere with her Fiesta not starting. So I will most likely get a new battery pretty soon.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

We had a friend of ours from Delhi staying with us for the last couple of days. Himanshu is an authority on Sari's. He came to the Netherlands to attend the opening of the exhibition Sari/Statement in Amsterdam. He had some of his work out there. Very nice and interesting, we were invited to the opening too.

Afterwards, he and an American friend stayed with us for a couple of days. Mrs. D loves Sari and she and Himanshu had organised a Sari workshop for some of our friends from the Meriton Society.



I was positively encouraged to make myself scarce during the said workshop. So I decided to remove the aft shocks on my Spider and see it I could adjust them too.



The aft shocks are a little bit more complex to remove than the front ones.

Here you see the top of the shock, inside the boot.



Obviously, the bottom part is attached to the trailing arm using a double nut.



To get better access I also removed this little black canister in the boot. It is part of the emission system. It's also fragile after all these years. Best to handle it very carefully.

Took the rubber top cap off, to get clearance to get at the two bolts holding it in place.



In order to be able to extract the shock, you need to peel back the trim inside the back of the cockpit as well to reveal this little panel, held in place with two screws.



Remove the screws and voila, you can pull out the shock from inside the cockpit!



Here you it. Much to my surprise it was not an adjustable Koni shock, but a plain Sachs gas shock. So I checked all my maintenance files. Sure enough, I did find the invoice for the two adjustable Koni's at the front. But I could not find anything about the rear shocks. So these might well be original, or at least have been on the Spider for longer than I have had it. Which means well in access of 30 years!



One of the two shocks did show some signs of wear, so I have decided to replace them.

The Sari ladies were having a blast, so I could continue working on my Spider. I also decided to remove the driver door trim panel once again. You have seen me remove this panel many times. The window is rattling in the guidance rail and I wanted to see how I could fix it.



Getting the rail out was a bit of a fiddly job, as you can't really see what you are doing. All by feeling and cursing!



The velt/rubber guidance in the rail has come apart. I need to find myself some new stuff.



The first thing Monday morning is to call my friendly Alfa Spider specialist and parts supplier Goos. I am pretty sure he has the shocks, not so sure about the rubber felt window guide. I also need to book an appointment with Goos for the Spider annual APK (MOT)

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Very wet, rainy and windy weather here. Perfect day for playing in my garage. I spend most of the morning working on my Scuderi Model Engine. Almost all parts are finished and I am now working on fine-tuning everything.

Around noon a big box arrived!



New shocks and a new rubber for the window guide!



Developped on the Nurburgring, can you imagine what that will do for the performance of the Spider!





I decided to do one small job first. The front of the Spider has a very special Alfa emblem, set in black with a nice piece of metal trim around it. When I bought the Spider some 30 years ago, that metal trim was missing. One of the first jobs I did, was to make my own. You can't get this piece of trim anymore. So I went to a model-hobby shop and bought some aluminium tubing. Next I bent it in the exact shape and glued in place. After thirty years it had become loose.



First thing is to clean everything very very thoroughly. And bent it back into shape.





All fixed looks great once again. I hope it holds for yet another thirty years!



Next, I went to work on the window guide rail. In order to mount the new seal I wanted to clean it first. But a good inspection showed it needed a bit more than just cleaning. I spent about an hour and a half with various pneumatic tools and wire brushes, cleaning this small part. Lots of work.



With these wire brushed in the pneumatic tools it is safety first!!



There is a saying in the classic car restoration work: The difference between good restorers and swindlers is the difference in the amount of time they spend on parts you will never ever see!!

After I had cleaned the guide rail I degreased it. Also drilled out some rivets that held the seal in place. Next, I put three layers of my special super Black Spray paint on.



Now for the shocks!

My usual comparison of old and new parts. Checking that they will fit, same dimension, checking the various new bushes, rings, nuts etc.



I took the mounting flanges of the old ones and put them on the new shocks.



Everything looked fine, so I decided to fit them right away.

These shocks come with detailed instructions, including how to torque them.



Started on the right rear one, so jacked up the Spider, axle stands underneath, and front wheels choked as per my SOP



It is not that difficult mounting these new shocks. Apart from one thing. You need to depress them fully before inserting them, through the little panel at the back of the cockpit. These shocks always expand. It takes quite a bit of force to push them in. As soon as you let go they start expanding again, slowly but surely. The problem is when you insert the shock whilst it is expanding it will get stuck and it will be very difficult to remove it again.

So I have a little trick; I put the shock in my vice, compress them and put a clamp on it. Next I tie some thin metal wire around it to hold it in place whilst compressed.



Works really well, you just need to remember to extract all bits of metal wire afterwards. But as long as you haven't tied the nuts and bolts down on the shock fairly easy.

My BIG plier came in handy too. When tightening the nut underneath the trailing arm the shocks start to turn. I could easily clamp it with my pliers. Make sure you don't damage the shock's outer casing, you must clamp on the weld on the outer case!



Shock-mounted as seen through the little panel.



The final touch, re-positioned the rubber protective boot!

All done. I still need to fit the interior trim a bit better. I will do that tomorrow. The fresh paint on the window guide will be hardened tomorrow as well. So I can glue the new seal in and let it dry for another day.

Jeroen