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87 XJ6 SIII 173,600 Miles Things to Look For?

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M

Michael J.

Jedi Warrior
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I stumbled across an 87 Series III XJ6 and thought it might make a good edition to the family.

What is a good compression on this car?

What else should I look for?

What are the major XJ6 Issues to be concerned about?
 
You meant "addition", right? I've owned a 1984 example for the last 15 years and the only thing that required total replacement was the 20 year old exhaust system in 2004, and that's because I'm a tinkerer and picky and I wanted to have the European-version exhaust which has no catalytics. Otherwise I could have gotten another 10 years of use out of it, they are stainless steel systems. I've never had to test the compression so I don't know, my 4.2 engine is a reliable monster of a powerplant. There are no major issues with the XJ-6, other than age at this point and time, the youngest US car being 19 years old. I would delete the catalytic converters, they're probably stopped up by now. the BW-66 transmission has always been kind of dated with only three forward speeds, but is reliable. 173k miles sounds "driven-a-lot-". Look for rust in the rocker panel areas, rear wheel openings, bottom of rear windshield. If it is a salt-state car from the north, watch out for rust. Do an ownership research with the VIN. Test the climate control system, A/C and Heating, those are complicated systems, yet somewhat easy to repair, the compressor is a GM unit, easy to find or rebuild. Fill the two gas tanks to max., drive the car, then shut it down and open the driver's side gas filler door, if you hear a "swwoooosshh" vapor sound and hear the tank contracting back to shape, (click-creek-clack" sounds), then the fuel vapor recovery system is in need of overhaul, new Charcoal Canister and new Check Valve will be needed. Overall, you'll have to catch up to the maintenance that the other owners didn't do. And check for bondo!
 
Michael, Compared to your XJS V12, a well cared for series 3 XJ6 is a maintenance-free car. They are very easy to work on but dont get a rusty one. The monocoque body becomes very expensive to get rid of corrosion if not impossible. Try to find a rust free body with good wood and leather. The mechanicals are easy to fix/restore.
 
Michael,
I'll just add a bit on the rust issue.... Get the car on a lift and check to see that the suspension attachment points (front and rear) are free of rust. You may also lift the rear seat cushion and view the arm mounts for the rear suspension to be sure they have no sign of corrosion. I'll look for my old post regarding a horror story about the 1985 I purchased last year. Enjoy your search for the XJ!
 
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