Due to a very weird series of events I've become the proud owner of a 1984 XJS HE. $650.00. The car had been sitting for 7 years without turning a wheel under its own power. It took a fuel pump, ECU, master cylinder rebuild and various bits and pieces to put it back on the road. There's also a few minor electrical "issues". But it's smooth and strong and runs just fine. It passed emissions and inspection the first time through! Come to think of it, maybe that's why it's been so cold lately--hell just froze over! The question that I have is there's a deep, rumbling vibration when driving along at a steady speed and it changes in pitch with the speed of the car. It feels just like a bent drive shaft but the drive shaft doesn't appear to be bent. I'm pretty sure it's not tires and I've checked the axles and wheels-they're all straight and true. Ideas?

Rich

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Fri, 04/11/2003 - 14:17

Rich,

Glad you're finding The Book helpful. Please let us know when you figure out that the problem is and your eventual fix.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
JCNA Slalom Committee Chairman
JTC Slalom Chair
'72 E-type 2+2
'89 XJS C

Submitted by canyon@wolsi.com on Tue, 04/08/2003 - 10:21

Downloaded "The Book". What a great resource, many thanks to Mr. Palm!
I'll do the tires first, they're easiest anyway. I'm not too concerned with getting the wheels off, with a big enough hammer anything will come off...Just kidding, I had all 4 wheels off while I was crawling underneath it trying to find the oil leaks.
The wiper motor was another challenge. Sometime in the deep dark past the wipers had quit about halfway up the windshield. I had power at the wiper motor leads so it had to be the motor. I figured I'd just pull the motor apart, change the brushes, clean it up and put it back together again. How hard could it be? To make a very long story short one of the magnets had come unglued from the motor case and was magnetizing itself to the armature. I'd take the motor apart, again and again, and everything would look fine because the magnet would stick itself back to the motor case. But I'd put it together again and the armature would rub against the magnet. Took a little bit of time to find that one...

Thanks for your help guys

Rich

Submitted by NE52-32043 on Mon, 04/07/2003 - 14:51

Rich,

Best of luck with the car. My thoughts were somewhat the same as Pascal's -- the tires are really suspect. After sitting for so many years, they take a set and have a flat spot on them. It is worth putting it on a lift and checking the U-joints, etc. But before doing anything radical, if you're getting tires anyway, I'd change the tires first, make sure they are dynamically balanced, and have a front end alignment done. If the rumbling continues after that, you can then look further. BTW, the aluminum rims on the XJS's are notorious for welding themselves to the hubs. Don't be surprised if there is a problem removing them. And be sure to put anti-seize compound on all the mating surfaces to prevent it in the future.

Now, before you do anything else, go to www.jag-lovers.org and follow the links to "The Book" by Kirby Palm on the XJS pages. It is a free download which you can search on the computer or print and take into the garage with you while you work on the car. It is over 600 pages of the collected wisdom and experience of XJS owners all over the world. Don't leave home without it! The Book has section on what to look for when you buy one of these, suggested maintenance and upgrades, and discussion of almost every conceivable problem you can imagine.

Steve Weinstein, JTC-NJ
JCNA Slalom Committee Chairman
JTC Slalom Chair
'72 E-type 2+2
'89 XJS C

Submitted by canyon@wolsi.com on Mon, 04/07/2003 - 09:51

The vibration doesn't change if I'm easy on or off the gas or turning the car, but if I put a heavy load on it it will change. It seems to get worse at certain speeds which led me to the driveshaft and it really doesn't feel like tires. I'm going to pull the driveline and make sure it's true and check the u-joints while I'm at it. An XJS DOES have u-joints, doesn't it? New tires will be coming shortly as will a new paint job.

The reason I ended up with this car is that the previous owners wife drove it over a big parking block and literally knocked the front suspension right out from underneath the car. So they took it to the local Jag dealer who installed brand new front everything, crossmember, steering rack, shocks, control arms, etc. The PO didn't like the huge price tag ($13k)associated with the repairs and eventually filed a lawsuit against the dealer. The dealer lost the suit, after 7 years, and just wanted the old Jag to leave their lot. I did a quicky compression test on it and offered them $300.00. They took $650 and towed it to my house. It took me a couple of days to make it run but run it does. All things considered I'm pretty happy with my new toy!
Rich

Submitted by pascal@jcna.com on Mon, 04/07/2003 - 08:51

does the noise/rumble change with steering input?

is so, check the front wheel bearings. I've had teh case on my V12 E-type were a front bearing will become noisy, worst when turning )even slighlty, and yet show normal play when the car is lifted andI pull at 12/6 oclock.

If it doesn't change get on and off the gas, your can eliminate the differential.

Tires are also suspect on a car that's been sitting for 7 years.... flat spots are possible. In anycase, tires have a shelf life of 5 years aftere which rubber will breakdown, so you should definitely change these tires.

Pascal Gademer
72 E-type 2+2
00 XKRCoupe
99 XJR