Spitting Soot?

[malcolm]

My newly acquired series 2, 4.2, spits out gobs of soot when you first start up on choke. This is shown by big deposits on the garage wal behind the car.
Even when hot, and ticking over, if you hold a tissue across the tail pipes, you'll see soot flecks on it.
It's hard to think there is a major issue with the engine; oil pressure is great, ticks over at 40 psi even when hot, engine runs great, is very quiet, doesn't smoke, and oil consumption (including leaks!) is about a pint after 500 miles of mainly (unavoidable) motorway driving.
I think it may be running a bit rich, as it comes off choke quite quickly, and I'll check that when I finaly get a day when it doesn't rain and can open the bonnet with the car out on the drive, but does this sound normal?
Thanks in advance for any help!

[christopher storey]

Quite normal . I think it stems from the condensation which occurs when the exhaust system is cold - it has the effect of washing out the carbon build up in the silencers and resonators. I certainly wouldn't worry about it

[malcolm]

Thanks Christopher, reassuring

[Moeregaard]

It's just condensate mixing with carbon deposits in the exhaust. A good long road trip will blow much of that stuff out, but any E-Type owner can tell you why backing the car close to the garage wall is a bad thing!

[Mark Gordon]

Jaguars are known to spray to mark their territory!