£100 Mystery xk Engine Adventure

[mark10337]

Oh dear. Now I am worried. I have changing oil pressure (on a capillary gauge) that is very dependent on revs, and to a lesser extent, oil temperature.

[politeperson]

Well, in my opinion, when the oil is warm, the gauge should drop at idle then increase to full pressure by about 2,500 rpm then stabilise above that.

So some variation is normal as the revs increase between different engines and the type of oil in them. This variation is compounded somewhat by a fairly inaccurate gauge design.

If you have little oil pressure or no oil pressure, you will soon know about it. Loads of noise coming from the engine or a large bang probably.

If you have a stuck pressure relief valve, I assume the huge quantity of oil forced around the engine would leak out everywhere and then the engine might also go bang as well.

So I wouldn't worry too much.

[christopher storey]

Assuming that by "capillary gauge" you mean a Bourdon tube type,, these are usually very accurate. What are the variations you are experiencing. The factory recommendation for all standard cars throughout the life of the XK engine was 40 lbs at 3000 rpm hot. From my recollections of the bourdon gauges I saw on Jaguars, the general run was about 60 lbs cold , 45-50 at speed hot, falling to perhaps 20 - 25 at idle but rapidly picking up again from say 1000 rpm upwards

[politeperson]

Just a quick update.

I need to remember how to set the static timing on the 13-tune dizzy and find an earth wire for one of the fans, which seems to have vanished.

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[PeterCrespin]

Just a quick update.

I need to remember how to set the static timing on the 13-tune dizzy

Are you sure you really want all those explosions and that amount of heat just to splash lube your bores over 200 rpm?

If you are determined to risk it, I believe the technique is to set your engine at the static mark (0 or 10 BTDC deprnding on dizzy type) and then turn the body until the little LED comes on or goes off. Sorry to sound a bit vague but it has been a few years since I used a 123. The first one seized on my first drive after five miles and the day before a recall notice reached me.

[Durango2k]

It is exactly that. Set to -10 degs, turn until led just lits, fix, fire up and adjust with a strobe.

Oh and select the correct curve from the dip switch first of course.

Carsten

[politeperson]

Thanks boys, ill have a go tomorrow hopefully.

Then, Monte Carlo here I come.

[Hugo]

[quote="politeperson"]Ho ho ho.
The excess pressure drops back into the sump.

Exactly. "Drops" being the operative word! It should be flung all over the place in large quantities - especially up the bores ;)

[Hugo]

Oh dear. Now I am worried. I have changing oil pressure (on a capillary gauge) that is very dependent on revs, and to a lesser extent, oil temperature.

Maybe pressure relief valve got a bit of dirt in it or stuck open?

[politeperson]

Well,

the moment of truth is upon me. The turn of the key awaits.

[politeperson]

[politeperson]

turned the key, got a couple of clicks and off she fired.

Sounds just like the Italian Job.

No funny noises, leaks or splutters.

Sounds very crisp indeed. Very quiet at the top end.

I ran it up to temperature, making sure the hoses were getting warm, checking for airlocks.

I have a Rob Beere bleed valve on the inlet manifold which gets rid of the air. Also flicking the pipe off the heater inlet seems to allow it to get more coolant in.

Getting the 123 tune dizzy set up was easy. I set the crankshaft pulley to 10 degrees BTDC, the car was in the air at this point so I could see the pointer on the sump from underneath.

I inserted the distributor making a note of the off the off center key-way. The arm should point at the front cylinder, if the cams are in the correct position for firing.

Then simply rotate the distributor body clockwise until a little green light comes on. That is it, just tighten the clamp. Thanks Peter and Carsten.

I ran it for a few minutes,the fans came on.

I selected first gear, the clutch seems OK, the car moves under its own power.

So it is all looking very promising.

[politeperson]

Well, it looks like it is almost done.

The roads are too bad for testing, so that will have to wait.

I refitted the bonnet refitting the bonnet shims in the arrangement they came off.

It all lines up well.

So the answer to the £100 mystery engine adventures is simple.

£3,800 is the answer for my car including the specialist skills of my engine builder.

That is for a new engine, clutch, gearbox seals, new heater pipes, refinished bulkhead and frames and a few sundry items.

I know the donkey work is my own time, but as I said before fixing the car is better than watching TV. So I do not count it.

Anyway, it is good exercise.

I think £3,800 is pretty good value when compared to the cost of repairing European Marques of a similar quality.

I cannot even begin to tell you the expense and hassle some of my friends go through for more exotic car repairs.

They cannot get the bits, when they get them they are wrong and they cost loads or simply are not available.

On top of they get some West London Garage charging £150 an hour for labour.

With the Jag the SNG website nails it and I get the bits the next day. So well done them.

In summary, repairing Bill Wyman has been pretty straight forward.

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[mark10337]

2Considering the relatively quick turn around from the condition it was to a reliable running engine, is the one or two years you originally thought to keep it in whilst re-doing your original engine a little pessimistic? What are your plans for that now? A major overhaul or something more exciting?

[politeperson]

Mark,

I want to put some miles om this motor first. Then, I shall decide how to build up the original block.

Depends how a good original spec motor goes!

If I get some time I shall start stripping the original motor, I shall start a new thread for that.

it will be interesting to see which tolerances are out. it was a bit clattery at certain rpm. Even my mother noticed.

i will update this tread with my road test results, hopefully sooner rather later, weather depending.

[Hugo]

[quote="politeperson"]Well, it looks like it is almost done.
I think £3,800 is pretty good value when compared to the cost of repairing European Marques of a similar quality.
I cannot even begin to tell you the expense and hassle some of my friends go through for more exotic car repairs.
They cannot get the bits, when they get them they are wrong and they cost loads or simply are not available.


You can say that again. Even run-of-the-mill modern cars can run up some fantastic repair bills for silly items. And it gets worse as cars get more complex and electronicated. My wife's 1958 Morris Minor tourer is the best - costs pennies to keep on the road. Simplicity is a virtue!

[politeperson]

I moved the poor midget back inside from the wood-store and had a bit of a clear up.

I even drove the E type next door to the power washer and gave her a clean.

Seems to drive really really well. I only did a mile as the roads are still awful.

Sounds great.

I took some snaps just to prove she is still alive, looking moody pointing at a field.

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[politeperson]

All tucked up in bed.

Happy New year!

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[politeperson]

Well,

The weathermen were wrong. No snow ice hale etc.

Lincolnshire Roads. fantastic!

Sunny and dry, so I went testing.

Running in. I am now up to half throttle/3,000 rpm. That is 82 mph with my XJS axle.

It seems quick. I will link to a couple of vids in a new post in" General".

Test 100% success. Temp Oli pressure leaks all fine. The motor still has plenty more to give.

New clutch very nice, gearbox great. I still think the 5 speed is a waste of resources.

Nothing seems to have dropped off!

[64etype]

Enjoyed the videos and the entire thread.

I noticed that the engine has a double pulley arrangement. Are those two V belt pulleys, or one duplex and one V belt? I'm looking around for a two V-belt stack (if that was ever a factory offering). Thanks.