Getting the Jag Fired up Again!

Discussion in 'Other Vehicles' started by Minidave, Apr 14, 2011.

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  1. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    My car has been just sitting in the garage for about 10 years, it needs lots of stuff to get it going again, but this weekend I gathered up a lot the stuff needed and started in on her.

    First was fresh oil and filter, it doesn't have that many miles on it, maybe 5K, but it was still black as coal. I also added the ZDP additive just for good measure.

    Next was new plugs, but first a little Marvel Mystery oil down the plug holes. The guys who get old barn finds running again swear by the stuff for stuck rings or rust on the cylinder bores, I figured what can it hurt? I let the juice sit in it overnight, then the next morning I put it in gear and rolled it back and forth. It seemed to roll easily and didn't sound like there was rust on the bores. I cleaned up the mouse dropping and remains of the nuts they'd been eating from around the plugs and screwed in a new set of Champions.

    Next was the fuel system. I knew the gas was pure varnish by the smell, so I unhooked the fuel line from the tank, disconnected the line at the fuel filter and ran a line from the pump intake into a 1 gal can of fresh gas. I then ran another line from the filter intake side into an empty 5 gallon can and turned on the key (Oh, fresh new battery too). Amazingly the pump ran! I let it thump away till I thought I had fresh clean gas going into the can. Then I cleaned the filter bowl and ran gas out till it looked clean too. Next was the carb bowls, they were surprisingly clean too, but I sprayed some carb cleaner in and blew them out a couple of times too.

    Next the tank. When I did the rustoration many years ago I'd had the tank cleaned and sealed, but I feared there would be a lot of goo down in the bottom, and figured I'd wind up having to pull the tank, and I wasn't looking forward to it one bit. I pulled the inspection cover off and to my surprise, the tank was clean as a pin, and the sealer looked intact. I siphoned off the 4 or 5 gallons left into another can and put everything back in place. I poured 5 gals of fresh gas in the tank, and checked off another item on the list.

    Just for grins I decided to pull the air cleaner cover off and sure enough, the critters had gotten in there too and made a nest. I cleaned out all the nesting materials and more nuts and that was good to go.

    When I did the rustoration I also installed an electronic ignition, so I didn't have to worry about points.

    So, fresh gas, new plugs, fresh oil and filter, new battery, carbs cleaned out - it should run, right?

    I cranked it over and within a few turns it fired off, ran rough for a few seconds then smoothed out at 1500 rpm. However it doesn't run well. It seems to only really be hitting on three cyls, doesn't want to rev up willingly. One of my buds said nothing came out of the right exhaust pipe, so I wonder if the critters managed to plug up one side? It's been so long since I was under the car I can't remember if it has a crossover pipe or if the two sides are spearate all the way to the back of the car?

    Just looked at my Bentley manual and I can see the sides are separate, so my theory might be valid.....I guess the next move is to remove the resonator and see what I can learn.

    If I find something in there, that could explain why it didn't run right - the same as the old potato in the tail pipe - if not then I guess I'll head back into the dist and see if the advance is stuck.

    I also have one other significant challenge, the clutch is stuck. The master and slave are fine, I expect the disc is either rusted to the flywheel or stuck on the input shaft. I really hope I can get it freed up without having to pull the engine!

    If I get all that straightened out, I'll still have to buy some new tires, and I know I need an alignment too. A couple of the spokes are rusted so I should just buy some new wheels, but it all has to stop somewhere!
     
  2. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Tonight when I got home I decided to check out the exhaust pipe, so I grabbed my big flashlight, got down on one knee and peered into the right pipe.....

    Son of a gun!

    The right pipe is completely packed full of some kind of nesting material, it doesn't look like a mouse has been in there - there's no turds or urine stains, and the car is always in the garage so I doubt it's the work of a bird, which leave chipmunks or groundsquirrels. But how the heck did it get in there? The pipe's more than a foot off the ground!

    I guess I'll get a coathanger and see if I can pull it out, then see if it runs correctly.

    Wouldn't it be something if that's all that was bothering it?

    Well, guess what?

    This is what came out of the resonator, it was packed clear thru to the tailpipe!

    This time when I fired it off, it revved like always, and ran sweet!

    One step closed to being on the road again!

    This is what came out of the resonator...

    [​IMG]

    The resonator.....

    [​IMG]

    Even the tail pipe was full.....

    [​IMG]
     
  3. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Dec 22, 2009
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    Good news!

    Tonight in an unexpected fit of energy, I rolled the Jag out of the garage and gave it a good soapy bath......

    Once that was done I was sort of at the point of no return, since with a stuck clutch I couldn't drive it back into the garage, and I sure as heck couldn't push it (even tho it actually weighs less than a MINI Cooper S!) so I let it roll back into the street, stuck it in first gear, pulled the choke on and cranked it over. It started easily and I was rolling. I accellerated in first gear, while holding the clutch pedal in and let off the gas. The clutch released with a bang, and worked smooth as could be from there on!

    Except.............

    As I drove up the hill I let off for the corner and there's this horrible noise from the diff! Now I know what the bang was, something in the diff broke....
    I drove the rest of the way around the block and anytime I let off the gas even a little I got this nasty howl from the back. So, it's back safely in the garage again, now "all" I have to do is pull the entire rear end assy out of the car, and remove the pumpkin. I was thinking about changing the ratio anyway - US Jags had a relatively short diff of 3:54 which results in 3K RPM at 70 mph, European cars came with a 3:07 for the higher road speeds they had even then and since it's basically a Dana 44 I can get parts for it. Probably about $500 and that much in labor....oh well. It's always sumthin with these old cars, isn't it?

    Puts paid to the new wheels tho.....
     
  4. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Well, we wrestled that bad boy out. The differential is mounted to a large sheet metal carrier that has the springs, shocks, lower control arms and so on all attached to it, the brakes are inboard and mounted on the differential sides. It's a fairly major job to get it out of the carrier as all the other parts have to come out first.

    This afternoon Davester, BlueGoose, and Boxer came over and we got the car up on stands and started unhooking the appropriate parts. A couple fought us a bit, but mostly it was a straightforward job. A little later Dimini showed up in the P'up, IowaM1n1 cruised in and Minicharged came by to drop off the club's pulley and tensioner tools.

    By that time we were pretty much there, all we needed to do was lower the carrier assembly out of the car, which we did on my floor jack. There's still quite a bit of disassembly to do to get the third member out of the carrier and I'll do that over the next couple of days while I order parts and figure out who I'm going to use on the rebuild. I've decided to go ahead and change the ratio while it's out - the parts are standard Dana 44 - so the car will be less rev happy on the highway. Should make for a bit more comfortable cruising, and maybe an improvement to the 15 mpg fuel mileage. If anyone knows a top notch driveline shop, I'm open to suggestions....

    Here's a pic of the diff and carrier assy and my poor Jag....the red rags are there to cover the splines that the wheels ride on, otherwise you will get grease all over you! Ask me how I know......no, don't....

    [​IMG]

    After we finished that we jumped in our cars and headed over to BRGR in Corinth for a late lunch where a good meal and a good time was had by all! Thnaks to Boxer, Frank and Davester as well as all the other club members for coming by and helping, even if only to hang out and kibbitz. Glad to have the company!

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Jason Montague

    Jason Montague New Member
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    :cornut: THANKS for the picture. NICE CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:drool I was teenager in the 60s. I wanted a Jag XKE(my Scottish cousins called them E types) more than a '66 GTO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Jason:popcorn::popcorn:
     
  6. CHKMINI

    CHKMINI Club Coordinator
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    A wood sterring wheel always looks great with black:Thumbsup: Great looking Jag :cornut:
     
  7. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Tonight I went ahead and blew the carrier apart, it's a lot of fiddly bits and pieces, probably far more complicated than it needs to be. Both the inner and outer control arms ride on needle bearings, for instance. Most cars would just have a bronze bushing in there and call it good. All those clearances are set with shims too. These were built in the days when labor was cheap and parts were expensive - now both are!

    Finally I got the lump out, now I need to figure out who's going to replace the gearset for me.....unless I just go ahead and do it myself.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  8. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    I've decided to go ahead and tear down the center section and see what's broken, a couple of rebuilder's I've talked to think it may be a bad bearing rather than a broken pinion spacer like I thought. Either way I'm still going to change the ratio, new gearsets are only about $250 and since it's already down it'll be worth the extra cost.

    I will need to go buy a dial indicator and magnetic base to do the setup, I borrowed one the last time, but that was when I was in Sandy Eggo, time I had my own.....
     
  9. Vollgas

    Vollgas New Member

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    Wonderful post.
    Brings back memories of working on true British cars.
    Had several Jags.
    Loved every minunte that they ran.
     
  10. CrazyIvan

    CrazyIvan New Member

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    :lol:
     
  11. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Mine's actually been very reliable, as long as I don't leave it sit for years at a time.....same thing with my Classic Mini and all the other British cars I've owned over the years. FWIW.....

    Even after all these years, with fresh gas and plugs it started right up, and as soon as I cleaned the packing out of the muffler, it ran well too!
     
  12. mimini1

    mimini1 New Member

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    Great thread; I guess you know everyone drools at the sight of a Jaguar E type.
     
  13. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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  14. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    Is that your garage, where you go to play or do you have a shop where you work on cars for a living?

    Jim
     
  15. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Which one?

    The one in the Cardomain article was my house in Sandy Eggo.

    The one here in this thread is my garage in KC, I do not work on cars for a living, but I used too in a previous life....:D
     
  16. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    That does not look like a garage to me. That is a full blown dealership type work area.

    Jim
     
  17. DneprDave

    DneprDave Well-Known Member
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    Aww com'on, it looks like a regular garage! Heck, it looks like my garage!

    Dave
     
  18. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    #18 Minidave, Apr 23, 2011
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2011
    Well........

    I took the gearset out of the diff today, ring gear looks fine, wear pattern is correct, bearings are fine, backlash is good - most of the time, explanation in a moment.....

    Then I took a look at the pinion, hmmmm nothing appears to be wrong, yet there's 1/4" of motion in and out - and there's supposed to be preload. Took the locknut off, took out the seal, tapped the pinion shaft out........crush sleeve looks................normal.?!!?!?! Shims are in place, bearing is fine, crush sleeve is fine........what the heck is going on here? Where is the play coming from?

    At this point I can only guess that as I was assembling it all those years and miles ago something got trapped in the wrong place, and the sudden load of me getting the clutch plate unfrozen from the flywheel broke it loose to where there's now play that's not supposed to be there. It's just a guess at this point, but I don't have any other explanations.

    I've wanted to change the diff ratio almost since I put it together all those years ago, so now's the time I guess. Pics in a bit.....

    Here we go, looks fine to the casual eye....

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  19. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    I took the center section over to a local guy to get the new R&P installed as soon as the parts get in, I also found a companion flange that will fit the new pinion shaft and the old driveshaft - on Ebay no less! $48.00....Yay!

    I also also figured out what went wrong - and it was my fault just as I thought. Years ago I overhauled the diff with new bearings and seals and when I put it together I pressed the forward pinion bearing onto the shaft in the correct place and set the backlash - all was fine. What I didn't do was seat the companion flange all the way on the pinion shaft - there was about a 1/4" gap between it and the bearing. It ran fine all these years and miles, but when I popped the clutch to break it loose, it was enough to dislodge the pinion bearing and move it back that 1/4" to the companion flange. When I drove it, on accelleration the pinion gear would be drawn into the ring gear and all was fine, when I'd let off the pinion would move back out of the ring and that's where all the noise was coming from. The gears aren't hurt or worn, but it sure was noisey! Since I have a new pinion and companion flange, the problem will sort itself out once it's reassembled correctly.....

    I'm hoping to have it back in time to put it back in the car next weekend, just in time to get about a weeks worth of driving in before it gets too hot and humid here!

    Stay tuned!
     
  20. Minidave

    Minidave Well-Known Member
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    Progress.......of a sort.

    Had to order some special shims for the backlash adjustment, found them easily at the place I bought most of the rustoration parts at when I lived in SAndy Eggo ($9.15 each and I need 4 in two different sizes!) - but since my supplier is in Ca too, that meant 4 days to get them here. Couple that with his work schedule and we're talking another week's delay.

    Then, just when he calls and says he's got it ready to go, I find out the companion flange I bought - while it fits in every way - is 1/2" longer than the original, and might not fit in the car. So, back onto the interwebs where I found the right one for only $75, but since it's coming from the other coast - add 3 more days, and his work schedule, etc, etc, etc.

    However, if the part comes in tomorrow like UPS says it will he'll button it up tomorrow night and I'll have this whole 4 day weekend to work on getting it back in the car.... :Thumbsup:
     

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