ser 3 v12

[jonhall88]

Well I finally done it, now the proud owner of a rather respectable 1973 v12 which I love to bits. It has taken me approx 3 months of looking for one and I have come to the conclusion that you are better off buying privately as all the one in dealers garages were vastly overpriced and usually pretty rough. Faultless drive back from the other side of London to Poole (approx 150 miles) no problems apart from the grin I couldnt lose (most other motorist probably thought I was a raving lunatic, but I have been waiting 40 years for this car)
Oil pressure when warm at tickover 45 - 47 psi on the road about 58 psi
water temp reads a little low on gauge but I think it needs a new sender (checked thermostat ok) I am pretty sure the interior is not correct but I am not sure perhaps a few people could advise, my car has no headrests nor the holes to fit them, door interior has no armrest / closers. Havent a clue if this is correct but to be quite honest I don't mind.
Couldnt resist a little blip on the M27 JEEEESUS it goes , also realised the twitchy back end if you overdo a corner

[PeterCrespin]

Well I finally done it, now the proud owner of a rather respectable 1973 v12 which I love to bits. It has taken me approx 3 months of looking for one and I have come to the conclusion that you are better off buying privately as all the one in dealers garages were vastly overpriced and usually pretty rough. Faultless drive back from the other side of London to Poole (approx 150 miles) no problems apart from the grin I couldnt lose (most other motorist probably thought I was a raving lunatic, but I have been waiting 40 years for this car)
Oil pressure when warm at tickover 45 - 47 psi on the road about 58 psi

Couldnt resist a little blip on the M27 JEEEESUS it goes

Worth the wait eh?

Your OP gauge sounds dodgy as well. V12s don't have 45 psi at warm idle. Not to worry, they are unburstable given basic maintenance and a decent cooling system. Enjoy.

Check out www.xkedata.com for similar cars to see how they are kitted out and make sure yours in on there. What's the car number (stamped on the alloy bulkhead plate and in your V5)?

Pete

[jonhall88]

Ok have done a full serice on car including dizzycap and HT leads, no difference. I did however top up the carb dashpots and for a while that cured it but now its back to normal so next job is to check the carb diaphrams as I suspect one or more may be dodgy. tomorrows job is a coolant drain / flush and refill (should please the wife as she wanted me to go shopping ) not willing to play with adjustment screws yet as I want to get to the bottom of problem. Car still runs well
changed the oil pressure sender unit and car now reads when warm
around about 56 to 58 psi when going along
when at tickover drops to about 30 psi (ish) maybe a tad lower when hot (as I found out in traffic jam) but I need reading glasses so I could be out on the reading
Is this normal ? still waiting for manual
jon

[ChrisC]

Welcome to the club and to Etype ownership Jon.