Engine and engine bay

Engine service, engine bay cleaning and restoration

The numbers match - the engine number below matches the number in the top right of the vehicle ID plate.

The engine and gearbox were given a complete rebuild in 1995 when the mileage was 76333 (currently just under 94000). See the history page for more information. It cost £4500 then (over £8500 today accounting for inflation). The engine and gearbox both hold their oil and I'm confident will run well after a good service and tune-up. It certainly sounds very smooth when I have had it running and it changed gear smoothly too for the short distance I have driven it.

June 2018

I'm preparing to spray the bonnet (see the bodywork page) so have taken the bonnet hinges off . I have sand blasted these and am preparing them for spraying too as they are looking 50 years old. The sand blaster has done a great job and they'll look as good (or better than) new when they're in a new coat of BRG paint.

Below:

Before I refit the front suspension I need to clean up this power steering fluid cooler too. It is so oily and full of mess that its performance must be reduced. I'm fairly sure that the oil cooler was not a standard fit item and I haven't found anything in the history that shows when or why it was fitted but I'll keep an eye out!

Before..

After..

I have new steering fluid hoses on order and have fitted new seals to the PAS pump (see the front suspension page) which now looks loads cleaner than it does above! I'll remove and give the dynamo a good clean and check over before refitting too as the engine bay was looking very untidy.

Lots of filth to remove.

The dynamo looks 50 years old but turns freely and I'm hoping performs ok still..

After a good clean-up it looks worthy of refitting! I've painted it black rather than sticking with the original green.

The PAS fluid reservoir before..

PAS reservoir mounting bracket with rubber mounts

This shows the casting the PAS reservoir mounts to with the rubber mounted pressed bracket that holds it onto the inner wing. I'll be taking all this apart for cleaning and repainting.

...and the reservac tank that's mounted on the LH side of the engine bay. This one is from a Jaguar mk10 and has been fitted by a previous owner as they had a reduction in brake assistance due to the original vacuum tank rusting due to being mounted in the wheel arch.

The valve spigot has broken and looks a mess but I will try and salvage it.

Stages of power steering fluid reservoir here.

I've got a new filter so have to strip it all down to check.

I don't want any dirt or leaks!

Bottom of the reservoir looks clean and mostly free from contamination.

Inlet and outlet, new o rings required.

The reservoir bracket stripped and repainted with rubber mounts and spacers.

I've cleaned the LH side of the engine bay and am touching up with paint where needed. It isn't going to be coucours but it can be clean and tidy. Some little jobs are quite satisfying too. The Jaguar Cars Limited plate shown on the right had a rivet missing which I drilled out and replaced.

After a clean and with the dynamo, steering pump and heathshield refitted, plus a new fan belt. I have also rust treated and painted the exhaust manifold with matt black engine enamel as there was surface rust present.

I have been able to save the vacuum valve by cleaning it up and reattaching the pipe by making and fitting a steel sleeve insert and using JB Weld epoxy to hold it together.

The steering fluid reservoir is now resprayed ready for the new filter and reassembly.

This reservac tank was fitted to a mk10 once and a previous owner moved it inside the engine bay to keep it from rusting through as I think they're normally in the wheel arch.

Resprayed and refitted inside the engine bay I just need some jubilee clips to finish the installation.

Below is a transcription of a hand written guide to the modification of the brake and heater control vacuum reserve system as a previous owner had experienced brake problems on more than one occasion due to the vacuum assist disappearing due to corrosion.

S-Type brake vacuum modification

Here's the piping for the modified vacuum system. I think it makes sense to protect it from the road spray so I'm going to stick with it and see how well it works (though I think I'll clean it up and spray it silver).

When I got the engine started recently I discovered that the HT leads were in real need of replacement so I'm cleaning up the cylinder head at the same time. The head was silver so a clean and silver VHT paint is making it look a lot better.

A clean up and respray of the air filter bracket too. I might replace all of the dome headed nuts and washers at some point but it isn't worth doing just yet.

November 2018 - Twim HD6 Thermo Carburettor rebuild

Having replaced the HT leads, I turned on the ignition (and didn't crank) to check the fuel pump was firing and the fuel system working and heard a dripping sound. Fuel was coming out of the rear float chamber overflow and leaking lots of petrol onto the floor. I removed the rear carb float chamber lid and removed the rear float (which wasn't floating - there's a clue).

The float was full of petrol and as you can see on the left theres a crack across both halves of the brass float. I've read that it is possible to solder these up (once you've got all the fuel out) but I've decided to repair mine with JB Weld epoxy as it is petrol resistant and should do the job fine.

On the right you can see all of the copper based corrosion at the bottom of the float chamber which showed the carb setup needed a good service! Amazing that I actually drove the car recently and it was driving quite well!

The car has always been difficult to start and this would give me a chance to investigate the Thermo carb (the black bit in the middle) which should enrich the air/fuel mixture until the thermostat reaches 35ºC. Goal is to get her starting and running well with confidence that it's all clean and serviced properly.

Removing the carbs from the car is a bit fiddly as you have to get a spanner (the's no clearance to get a socket/ratchet on) to lots of nuts joining it to the manifold which are difficult (but not impossible) to access.

Holding carfully in the vice the cleanup can start. I'm using a Dremel with a brass wire brush as it's a lot more gentle than steel.

I love how these 50 year old components clean up so well. Sending them off for vapour blasting would make them look as new but I'm happy with how things are going so far.

Having separated the front carburettor from the rear I can start to disassemble it. This shows the banjo bolt that links the rear carb and the thermo carb.

This is the diapragm casing..

...which when lifted off reveals the rubber diaphragm and jet.

The diaphragm spring in the picture above has rusted through leaving a horrible brown deposit at the bottom of..

..the spring seat.

The diaphragm is intact but a little stiff. A service kit will be needed.

The main body of this carb is cleaning up nicely.

SU Carbs and spares are still make and their website has a very good Technical section which is proving useful http://sucarb.co.uk/technical-auxiliary-enrichment-carburetter

The thermo carb in position before taking apart

I need to check if it is switching ok. The one on my mk10 worked fine so but they are known for being temperamental (though this can be due to the otter switch not working too..)

The valve sits in the solenoid..

..and just drops out, this is normal and a clean and lubrication will suffice

There's a lot to check for at the top of the needle in the thermo carb. It all needs cleaning so this will help me put it back together in the right order. I'm not sure what the spring contact is for on the left but a good clean and refitting won't hurt!

Here's the bottom end of the needle

I'm going to sand blast these and spray them black

Here's what a new pair look like (picture from the SU Carburettor website). Very tidy but they cost £1400

I think I'll continue to opt for rebuilding them myself and have just placed and order for two service kits (which came to £112.82 - as above).

IMG_0213.MOV

I thought I'd test the enrichment carb solenoid was working properly (and check that I understand how it works). Attach a 12v supply and voila!

The air intake plenum needs a good clean and polish..

..and its beginning to look good again. On the history page I've got a picture showing when it was last shiny. Quite a long time ago!

With a clean and polished plenum..

..resprayed and cleaned components..

..and delivery of a service kit the reassembly begins.

New gaskets and replacement components going into place..

Before..

And the carbs have cleaned up nicely, both inside and out. Before picture again to the left, for comparison. Still a few things to sort out (float chamber gaskets and other banjo bolt fibre washers) and it'll be ready to refit...but not before I've cleaned up the RH side of the engine bay. That's next!

After..

I've taken the battery out so that I can clean up and repaint this side of the engine bay. It is looking 50 years old!

I'm going to sand blast and repaint all of these before refitting.

I'll give this a clean up as the master cylinder and brakes are working fine.

I have no plans to remove the engine and gearbox for an engine bay bare metal respray as they're working fine having been completely rebuilt within the last 20,000 miles. Instead I'm going to continue cleaning and painting areas that are tatty and ensuring that it is all working properly. I want to avoid having a car that looks great everywhere except for the engine bay. As you can see here, I've been carefully repainting the bulkhead to lift it from the 50 year old looking state it was before. There's more to do yet but I think it's going to be enough to prevent corrosion, keep it clean and tidy and give it a visual lift.

I'm being quite thorough in removing everything that's removable for renovation. That means the brake reservoir and fuel filter brackets, the windscreen wiper motor and all of the P clips holding brake and fuel pipes to the inner wing.

I think it is smartening up well and looking like the engine bay of someone who looks after their car.

With the repainted air filter housing fitted it's coming together nicely.

I'm not going to remove and polish the cam covers yet, that can be left until much later. I want to get the carbs back on and check its starting and running well first and change the oil and coolant.

I gave the carbs a final bit of detail polishing on the throttle butterflies..

..and spindles before starting to reinstall it below.

Before....for reference (with intake plenum in the way....).

After...I needed a couple of goes to ensure the fuel pipes were connected up properly with fresh fibre washers and fit the new gaskets. It's looking really good and importantly, the engine starts and runs well! There will have to be some tuning yet but I'm pleased with the result.

April 2020

After some time away from the Jaguar in the last couple of month for various reasons including the Corona virus, a bad back as well as other projects I have started back on it. My bodywork guru is still unavailable due to the lockdown so I am going to focus on servicing the engine, getting it starting and running better and cleaning up the engine bay some more.

The top of the radiator is the first thing you see when you open the bonnet, the scratched header tank, faded silver fan shroud, and dirty hoses and jubilee clips don't create a very good first impression.

The engine doesn't leak oil, nor does the gearbox and both have clean oil. The coolant is also clear and the engine runs nicely so fortunately all appears to be well. We'll see what taking the cooling system apart shows...

There are 4 of the rusty nuts shown above holding the shroud to the radiator.

On the other side is the rod connecting to the drain tap. This was stiff but it did work! Whether it continues to seal is the question.

Removing the radiator was quite difficult as getting the shroud out of the way was tricky but I eventually got it out. I'm going to flush the radiator, change the hoses and refill with new coolant and while the radiator is out clean and repaint this part of the engine bay.

With the radiator out I could concentrate on cleaning off old paint and getting ready to repaint it. Frustratingly, in trying to remove the drain tap (middle picture above) a crack appeared at the joint of the spigot to the bottom tank. It should be possible to re-solder it back on, a new radiator is an expensive item and this one is in perfectly serviceable condition. The coolant I took out was very clear too.

Left - A coat of gloss black on the header tank and a light coat of satin black on the vanes refreshes the tired look to look like a fresh new radiator.

Below: Repainted shroud:

Below:

Repainted fan and drain tap rod

I've had the drain tap spigot silver soldered back on as I'm lucky in living quite close to Northampton Auto Radiators (https://www.nargroup.com/ ) who very kindly repaired it while I waited (carefully observing social distancing). Very helpful and I'd thoroughly recommend them.

The owner came to talk to me about it and told me it has been re-cored at some point and is slightly 'under-watered' with the replacement core. My plan is to add seals between the aperture in the body and the radiator as there are currently huge holes around it that will reduce the efficiency of the radiator signficantly.

I'll finish repainting it ready to refit.

Below - I've removed the fan pulley to repaint and have been degreasing and started repainting parts in the engine bay...

..as well as this little rust trap area under the radiator. More work to do to rust proof and paint the longitudinals either side.

I'm taking the opportunity to check and replace the thermostat and get the otter switch out. The wiring is in place (which needs to be made to work again anyway!) to bypass the otter switch anyway, but it gives me a chance to check and clean up everything.

Annoyingly the front fixing sheared when I was undoing it so I've had to drill it out and will have to re-tap a thread.

Tired old thermostat

The old thermostat (above) is a lot more complex than the wax-stat that replaces it.

I'm not intending for a mirror finish on this, but...

...it can be cleaner and shinier than it was

I'm taking the opportunity while the distributor is more easily accessed to complete the engine electrics service. I replaced the plugs, HT leads and the distributor cap a while back but didn't replace the contacts and set the gap.

It was starting and running fine, but the misalignment and wear on the old contacts (right) can't have been a good long term solution!

The new cooling hoses have arrived and the engine bay clean and repaint continues. I have done some rust proofing and seam sealing in the harder to get areas around the front of the longitudinals and under the radiator while I can where there is red oxide primer showing.

While the radiator is out now is a good time to sort out the wiring. The original Lucas 5 way bullet connector block (still in place behind these wires) has been bypassed with all these separate connectors. I'll sort out and tidy this lot up making sure it all works!

I cleaned and polished the other half of the exhaust while restoring the rear suspension last year, I have finally got around (while clearing up my workshop) to doing the other half.

It's a messy job but I have been very pleased with the 3 stage drill mounted polishing kit I bought several years ago, this now looks worthy of being refitted to the car.

As can be seen in one of the pictures above, the wiring to the front lights on the inner wing is a bit of a mess. I have checked the power feed back to the fuse box in the dash and discovered that a bit of dirt and corrosion was giving power only intermittently to the dip beam. I have also found that the earth is poor to the inner wing on the engine bay. My plan is to clean and check all the terminals and revert to the original and much tidier Lucas 5 way connector and earth shown above so it'll look better and revert back to original. These are held to the wing with a simple bracket that I'll clean and repaint. I think the 5 way connector block (which is still there) was bypassed at some point due to poor connection and corrosion.

This diagram found on the S-Type Register website (which I haven't joined yet..) shows the route of the harness through the car.

The clean-up, rust proofing and painting is making the front end of the engine and engine bay look a lot better now. There's no play in the water pump axially or laterally and the coolant was really clean when I drained it so I'm not going to remove the pump.

I'm going to finish tidying up the wiring before refitting the radiator as I'm sure it would be more difficult to do with it in place.

LH front engine bay - lighting wiring:

I had been trying to find a picture of what the factory finish would have been for the wiring harness breakout for the front lights and have been unable to find anything. As can be seen by the picture on the left I have a tangled mess of wires to sort out. Helpfully, the 5 way Lucas connector was still in place (just about visible in the picture on the left).

I don't know why it was bypassed, but it I suspect it is because it is quite fiddly to get the bullet connectors in place and this is quite difficult to access with the radiator and washer bottle in place.

The picture on the right is as it should look. The harness comes from below and the headlamp and dip beam, sidelight and indicator wiring all connect through the 5 way connector. I have sand blasted and repainted the connector bracket. I have cleaned the holes in the inner wing and now the ground to the body works well through the silver bullet terminals either side of the bracket.

RH front

Having the radiator out and carefully going over this area of the engine bay helped me spot a corroded brake pipe between the servo and the 4 way connector on the RH front of the engine bay.

The pipe broke at the point it had corroded a couple of inches above the top connector as you can see on the picture on the left.

I got my trusty pipe flaring kit out and replaced the pipe with Kunifer, just need to bleed the system again now.

The washer bottle and bracket needs cleaning and renovating. A new bottle can be bought for £18 from SNG Barratt but I'll try and clean up the original first. The washer jet pump works too but the fluid is very old and has bits floating around in it.

I have given the bottle, cap and pump motor housing a good clean and sand blasted and repainted the bracket. I think I'll refit it as it is at first and decide if I prefer the aged look better than with a new washer bottle. I've added some foam strip seals to the bracket to ensure the bottle sit snugly and doesn't move around.

I think it is important to have the engine bay looking clean and well tended as well as functioning properly and I don't think it should contrast too much with the shiny exterior when the car is repainted.

Radiator drain tap as removed from the car.

I want to keep the original brass radiator drain tap so took it apart to check it is servicable and won't leak. It did open to let me drain the coolant and as you can see above after an initial clean looks to be in reasonable condition.

I took it apart and the tapered tap is in very good shape, just needing a clean and polish and it seated well in its tapered hole. The spring holding it down and the split pin had both corroded as you can see in the picture on the left. I drilled out the hole for the split pin and replaced the spring and after a polish I'm happy now to refit to the radiator.

May 2020 - Getting the auto choke to work again:

Ever since I bought the car, the auto choke hasn't worked with either the original wiring or the manual switch. I don't like the after-market look of the manual switch either so I'm going to revert to original for the automatic choke (or thermo carb or auxiliary enrichment device depending on where you read).

The original wiring was still in the engine bay and giving a voltage. I fitted new connectors and confirmed the 12v feed with my multimeter from the green wire to the choke. The green/black wire then goes from the choke back to the harness on the wing the breaks out again for the otter switch (right) and needs to earth to complete the circuit. Crucially, the otter switch housing and 3 screws need to have a good contact with the thermostat housing and ultimately earth through the engine by the LH engine mount or it won't work and I think this is where it has stopped working.

Now when I turn on the ignition I hear the reassuring click of the choke solenoid for the first time.

I wonder whether problems traditionally associated with the otter switch are actually down to poor earthing as the steel screws corrode within the cast aluminium thermostat housing.

I was hoping to have confirmed that all of the lighting wiring was working properly before refitting the radiator but I discovered that the flasher unit for the indicators mounted in the centre of the dash has blown. A new one is on order so I have started to fit the new hoses and jubilee clips. The old clips often clean up well but I like the thought of the clean and uniform look of new proper jubilee clips.

A final clean of the front of the engine will be followed by a polish with Autosol. I'll then sort out how to seal the fan shroud to the body to ensure the air passes through the radiator rather than escaping into the engine bay.

The tired and neglected looking front of the engine bay is now looking a lot better and the wiring for the front lights has been set to original and connectors replaced.

Annoyingly I don't have an equivalent engine bay picture showing the before condition head-on looking into the engine bay but this one from the side shows the scratches on the header tank and the faded fan shroud and rusty fixings.

The radiator and shroud have been repainted, the radiator has new mounting rubbers, fixings, a refurbished drain tap, new hoses and clips all round, a new overflow hose and a shiny new 4lb cap to finish it off.

Radiator top and bottom seals - non original modification to maximise cooling performance:

I've finished making the seals and mounting brackets for the gaps at the top and bottom of the radiator. I've riveted 3mm EPDM rubber onto the brackets and screwed the top bracket at end onto the slam panel (which needs prepping and respraying as it looks untidy) so it can be removed if the radiator needs servicing.

The bottom seal (right top and bottom) is riveted in place as it shouldn't need to be removed although it wouldn't be hard to drill out the rivets.

Difficult to quantify how much difference this will make to the cooling performance but it will definitely prevent a lot of air leakage and force the air through the radiator to optimise the performance of the system.

June 2020 - Heater box restoration

Other than the engine oil change and tuning, this is the final area of the engine bay that needs sorting before I focus my attention to the exterior respray.

The flap inside the box is controlled via a cable and was moving but not all the way, giving some resistance probably due to lack of use and corrosion. The fan works and was giving a level of heat to the demist vents and cabin but I'm fairly sure it wasn't working as well as it should and the heater box and cover itself look tatty within the engine bay.

This the 'before' condition with the pipes still connected and hardura cover in place.

With the tatty cover removed the heater box itself is even more untidy.

Before removing the heater the pipes connecting it to the water pump and engine cooling circuit need to be disconnected and removed. They're quite tight around the back of the engine but will come out if you're careful. I started to strip the surface rust and paint from the pipes but the mild steel has pitting so a set of stainless replacements will ensure another lifetime of use.

A quick clean and suck on the pipe on top of this (non original) vacuum controlled valve indicates it it working ok. This is the type you get if you need a replacement for the original one. I wasn't mounted to the heater box like the original would have been, I'll see I can mount it before refitting.

To remove the heater box I needed to remove the resistor that changes the fan speed.

Then disconnect the cable that operates the flap inside the heater box. After that it several bolts to the bulkhead and it should lift out.

It is necessary to remove the battery to access and remove the heather pipes. It will be good to replace all of these with new to ensure the system works at its best and give it a new lease of life.

With the airbox out of the way I can clean and repaint this area of the engine bay. You can see the big round fan inlet hole, the two smaller holes for each windscreen vent and the regtangluar hole for the vents on the dash and floor ducts. I haven't been able to find anywhere that sells the seals but I have some adhesive foam seals that I can cut to shape.

The heater box on the workbench for inspection. Untidy but without significant corrosion.

This face goes to the bulkhead and has 1/4 hardura stuck to it, I think to give clearance for the seals around the fan and demist duct holes.

With the hardura removed, this looks old but in sound condition.

This spring is for the flap which hinges across the inside of the box.

The outside off the heater matrix panel...

..and the inside

There are small hex headed screws holding the access panel on. The heater matrix looks to be in perfectly useable condition. I will reverse flush it, carefully checking for leaks and decide if it needs replacing, it is ok I will clean and repaint it with new foam seals (just visible on the top and bottom).

Finally the fan. This is made from steel and will clean up well.

Unnecessary but I couldn't help giving one the brass end tanks for the heater matrix a polish to see what it would look like. Quite good! If I refit it I'll finish of the job and do the other side too.

From a functional side, I have carefully brushed the

Not to start the renovation. Despite the mess I do enjoy sandblasting as it gets to a decent paintable surface so quickly. More needed yet but it is cleaning up well.

Again, on the rear the lack of significant corrosion means this will clean up very well.

Spent a while last night finishing the sand blasting so I'll be shortly onto the priming and painting stage. I'm going to do a combination of spray painting and brushing with POR-15. Spray will be better at giving a good finish on the exterior casing but won't be able to get to all the corners inside the box.

I've used POR-15 Metal Prep to acid etch and prime the whole box and used POR-15 inside the box.

Right - priming of the exterior

Difficult to get a good picture of black painted parts but I'm happy with the way the heater box now looks and I've given the matrix a clean and polish and flushed out any residue which should help it continue to function well. I have oiled the flap within the heater box and spent some time 'exercising' it to ensure it operates properly from end to end.

I'm trying to source replacement foam to cut to size for the matrix and flap seal as they don't appear to be available from the Jaguar spares specialists.

Next job is to take the motor off the fan and clean and repaint those components.

The fan motor was working fine but again was looking 52 years old.

Easy to disassemble, it is clear that the foam seals and flaking paint have seen better days.

Stripping the paint back shows that there is no signficant corrosion

and some fresh satin black paint will rejuvenate the motor. Just need to add the fine details of the SMITHS lettering and part number by hand.

Meanwhile in the engine bay I need to clean this up ready to refit the refurbished heater box. I'll scrape the old sealant off, clean and repaint as necessary.

I have removed the blanking plate covering where the brake master cylinder would be on a LHD car (shown in the pictures below) so you can see the reflective panel damping in the passenger footwell. You can just about make out the card gasket in the picture on the left which I have carefully peeled away to create a copy from thick gasket paper shown in one of the follwing pictures. Very satisfying to cut out and punch the holes in rather than buy a new part.

The blanking plate has to receive the same treatment to rejuvenate it as the other brackets in the engine bay.

I've just upgraded my sand blasting cabinet which made it much quicker and easier to get to this finish ready for paint.

With all the parts checked, cleaned and repainted..

..I've been making new seals and gaskets ready to reassemble. I've oiled and 'exercised' the flap and it now moves easily and smoothly with no play where it was stiff and a didn't travel fully from end to end previously.

I have been waiting for the new foam tape to arrive to renew the seals on the flap. It now makes a pleasant 'thunk' instead of a metallic 'clang'.

Next the heater matrix goes back in with new seals.

I've fitted seals around the heater matrix spigots. Don't think this is standard but I think gives a much better finish and avoids metal to metal contact.

With the lid refitted with repainted fixings.

I have checked that the motor is running using the car battery before refitting. I have also fitted the fan to check that it is well balanced.

The fan speed is controlled by this resistor and I noticed that there was a very big difference in fan speed between low and high. Visual inspection shows the resistor has seen better days even if it is working properly. I'm trying to source a modern replacement with the correct resistance and power characteristics.

With new seals fitted to the unit it is now ready to be refitted to the car. I will replace the resistor when I have found a suitable replacement.

While the heater box is out it gives me better access to the rear of the engine and the bulkhead. The rear engine stabiliser is shown in the middle of the picture on the left. This is the ideal time to take it out to inspect and service it.

The link itself needs stripping and repainting but the lower bush in particular is shot.

A new lower bush is on order

plus an upper one too.

Repainted ready to reassemble

Looking as good as new

Refitted in a cleaned and repainted engine bay

I've taken the opportunity to clean, mask and respray this corner of the engine bay before refitting the heater box.

I've also done some rust removal on the exhaust manifold in preparation for VHT black paint to protect and improve their appearance. Will have to see how well it lasts as it cures more after the engine is run.

The engine block drain tap located under the rear exhaust manifold was stuck so it was another opportunity to remove it for a clean up.

Like the radiator drain tap it is made of brass with a tapered tap fitting and a washer held in place with a spring that limits the opening to 90 degrees. It opened quite easily and with a clean will be serviceable.

(Left) After a good clean and cutting a new spring to the correct length it is ready to reassemble.

(Right) with a new fibre washer this can be refitted.

There is one more thing to be renovated before I am ready to do the fluid service. The fresh air flap has been stuck since I bought the car and I had been assuming that the vacuum operated valve would be stuck. I have had to remove as much of it as possible to investigate and fix it.

A removable panel protects the interior of the car and fuse box from water ingress and has to be removed first with 3 countersunk screws in the recess where the flap sits on the scuttle.

This protective panel is a simple steel pressing with a vinyl flap glued on.

With that removed it exposes the rod from the vacuum actuated valve and the clip that holds it to the flap.

With these parts removed it was clear that the vacuum actuator is working fine and the flap has seized due to rust and lack of use. I have sprayed some silicone grease up into the piano hinges and started to move the flap backwards and forwards to exercise the hinge. It looks like it will be very difficult to access and remove the flap and hinge as it is behind the scuttle from the outside of the car and behind the main fuse board inside the car.

With the grease soaking in and being used the hinge stiffness is easing and moving over its full travel. I'll continue to work it over the next few days to be sure before refitting the refurbished valve.

July 2020 - Engine fluid service

With the engine bay clean up complete I have ordered engine oil, transmission oil and coolant to finish the engine servicing.

I'm using high quality Millers oil for both the engine and gearbox as some of the cheaper classic oils out there have been filtered and recycled from previously used oil.

Coolant is from Classic Oils Ltd and is good quality blue coolant as the modern red OAT coolant is not suitable for the older engines including this 3.4 XK.

During the oil change I've fitted the new seal into the housing and replaced the rubber pipe while I had access.

I've used a proper Jaguar oil filter as I have been advised that reproduction parts don't filter as thoroughly.

Removing the canister has allowed me to sand blast and repaint it before refitting with new seals. I have been wanting to do this job for a long time!

Getting the car back on the ramp has allowed me to bleed the brakes after I replaced the corroded pipe in the engine bay and paint the hub.

I only had 3 of the 4 brackets that hold the brake dust shield to the knuckle so I made a copy from the others as the shield was rubbing on the brake disc. Shown here unpainted for trial fitting but now sprayed black.

In the engine bay I've been refitting the vacuum pipes from the inlet manifold that connects up the braking and heater control system. Unfortunately the vacuum valve on the reservac tank on the LHF inner wing fell apart when I knocked it accidentally so I have bought a new one to replace it.

While the car is on the ramp I'm spending a bit of time inspecting, cleaning and servicing these hidden areas. This is another area where the car looks its age so I have degreased and jet washed specific areas to remove the muck.

Since I have had it, the gearbox bell housing has been missing the stone guards. I think these were required for access on earlier versions of the gearbox where the torque converter has a drain plug fitted. I've checked and there definitely isn't one.

I've made replacement stoneguards (shown on the left unpainted for a trial fit). I've now sprayed them black and fitted a foam seal. Another job I have been wanting to do for ages.

Another job to do while under the car is check the rear powertrain mount which is mounted off the rear of the gearbox. The rubber mounts can wear and the spring can break.

These are in good but very dirty condition so I have removed them for refurbishment. I am ordering replacement rubber parts as they are not expensive and it makes sense to do while the parts are off the car. The big bracket and the spring I'm sand blasting and repainting.

I have also removed the metal spring seat and shaft that attach to the gearbox to clean and repaint too.

The refurbished gearbox mount is now fitted and looks good alongside the gearbox output casing.

I have cleaned and repainted the propshaft too.

..and to finish the job have carefully cleaned and repainted the gearbox sump cover and bell housing so I can fit the new stone guards I have made. I will return later to treat surface rust on the oil feed and return pipes

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