Guys,

While I was replacing all the water hoses and thermostat on my Series 2 XKE I ran into something I am unsure about. After working for over an hour I finally got the thermostat housing removed from the "log". While cleaning off the old gasket I found something that seems a bit odd. At the point where the small bypass hose nipple and the corresponding hole in the "log" match up there appears to be a small piece of wire (looks almost like the end of a small cotter pin) in the hole and it all but blocks the hole completely. Is this correct? Or should the hole be completely open?

Thanks, Phil Wood

Submitted by mfrank@westnet.com on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 23:24

Edited on 2012-06-13 23:26:27

The purpose of the bleed is to allow the thermostat housing to fill with water when it's first filled. The jiggle valve is an overkill solution. Idea is that the bleed is plugged by the valve once all the air is out. If the valve was missing, the very worst that would happen is that a little bit of water would bypass the thermostat. You could make the argument that this would extend warmup time, but the hole is small, so I doubt it. Some thermostats have a jiggle valve incorporated in the rim, others just have a tiny hole. With either of these, the Jaguar air bleed system is totally superfluous. If you can't find the part, don't obsess.

Submitted by phw@northstate.net on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 22:45

Peter,

You are so right. I managed to remove the "jiggle" piece but the "pin" is long gone.

Questions:
1. What happens without the jiggle pin?
2. I found the part listed in my parts catalog it is C.28442 do you know where I might find new one?
3. Do you know where I can obtain a used one?

Peter, you have responded to several of my questions and I really appreciate your time!

Best regards, phil

Submitted by NE40-48370 on Wed, 06/13/2012 - 05:12

Sounds like a 'jiggle pin' and may have a weighted blob on one end to make it move around in use. This makes the air bleed perform better.