what to look for

[gui]

well being new here and not knowing very much!!!!

im currently looking at a 1969 XJ6 !! red lether, overdrive etc. VERY good condition at a quick glance but WHAT DO I REALLY HAVE TO LOOK FOR???????? its in portugal so rust will be less and havent been able to find any!!
its been standing still for quite some years and the price seems to be reasonable! about 9000 euro! id put some pics on but dont know how to

Id apretiate any help on this!

thanks

gui

 

[gui]

Ok after reading around here, uumm i forgot to introduce myself!!

Hope that i didnt offend anyone! Oh well, here goes, Im a 21 years old, living in the Netherlands but come from Portugal!
Ive always been interested in cars and I have the possability of buying a Jaguar soon! It will be the Luxury car of my small collection but before i do this Id like some help from people who know!
YOU ??!!

Currently i own a 87 2CV, a 64 VW bug and a 69 VW hippie van!! But as far as british cars go, I have no clue for specifics!
Being a tudent I cant afford to make STUPID mistakes that ill regret later!!

well i hope that this is better, and yeah should have thought of it before!

gui

 

[Basil]

Welcome to the forum gui! What sort of Jaguar might be buying?

 

[gui]

hey thank you for welcome mail, and yeah can you put me on the news letter, please! yes it was becasue of spam!??

a 1969 XJ6, the 2.4lt version, manual, overdrive, and as i dont have much knowledge of jags! What do i have to expect, look for and some opinions on that model\year would be nice!

thnaks

gui

 

[66 fhc]

Hi Gui
Welcome to the Forum. I've never owned a saloon Jag, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be but here goes. As you own several other cars I'll assume you know the basics , Cooling ststem, compression, breaks, fuel tank and lines, fuel pump,carbs,electrical, front and rear suspension,shocks and bushings, rack and pinion, etc. This XJ is 34 years old. I'd want to know what and when any work has been done cause you probably can't afford to rebuild it all. How long has it been sitting without being run? The engine is probably a 4.2 ltr and is a very good motor if it's been maintained well. Check body integrety, doors close well with no sag. No sign of body filler. If it's been sitting a long time the tires may be cracking or have flat spots. Hows the rubber around the windows and door jams and boot lid? Check transmissioin fluid, Does it smell burned? Check out these basics and if your still interested I'm sure others here would be glad to go over the finer points of an older XJ6.
Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[Steve]

Actually, with the manual tranny this one will be the 2.8. These cars do not like sitting idle, even if rust is not there you will need to replace a lot of the rubber due to perishing. The clutch on all Jags is heavy at the best of times, and sitting in the damp conditions in europe may have caused the clutch plates to stick to each other. The 2.8 was rather underpowered for the size of the car, which is why they went with a 3.4 liter for the series 2. In addition, I remember there being some problem with the early 2.8 motors.

The Jaguar Enthusiasts Club may be a good resource for you, they have a strong membership in the Netherlands. You can get in touch with them at www.jec.org.uk

Good luck.

[ 02-18-2003: Message edited by: Steve ]</p>

 

[gui]

thank you for the replies!

UUmm lets see, from what you told me rubbers is one of the main things i guess. Engine wise, of what ive been able to see, smell, hear and feel, and also looking at repair bills it all seems to be OK for a 34 year old car.
Steve UNDERPOWERED you said for that size car, but REALLY underpowered or just not really sporty? I just plan on crusing and taking it easy, so i presume 140 bhp should be enough or is it really that BAD? you also talked about engine problems in these models. I haven tbeen able to find anywhere on the web for the main kind of problems! do you know where i can look or can you give me some hints!!

thnk you all once again!!

 

[Steve]

Hi Gui,

The 2.8 litre engine had a propensity to make holes in its pistons. The reason for this was carbon build-up during normal driving. It never happened during testing and development, as the engines were always either at, or near, maximum revs, but in regular driving the carbon would build up on the piston crowns. So that suggests that driving gently and cruising is just what you don't want to do.

Jaguar did not specify many changes to this engine, but uprated pistons were installed from engine number 7G.8849, and were retro-fitted to earlier engines when the owners complained after breakdowns. There is no guarantee that your engine was retro-fitted, so keep this in mind, unless there is documentation to that effect.

 

[mdallaire]

Welcome to the Forum.....
Mike

 

[Sherlock]

<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Steve said: Actually, with the manual tranny this one will be the 2.8. [1969 Jaguar XJ6]<hr></blockquote>

Are you sure about this? Not that I'm trying to doubt you... I just know that a guy in Alberta recently advertised a 1970 XJ6 4.2 with a rare manual transmission (or is he mistaken?)

Speaking of which... I also know of an XJ12 that has had a 5-speed from an E-Type installed instead of the automatic.

 

[Steve]

You are right to question it, however, for europe, manual transmission was often found on the 2.8 litre cars, and Gui stated that it was a 2.4, so I put two and two together. Not having seen the car I may be in error, but from the information available, that's what I came up with. Incidentall, the 4.2 litre with manual transmission is a very rare beast indeed.

 

[gui]

Hi

nope both of you would be right of what i have read! I made the mistake its indeed a 2.8 and not a 2.4!!!!
sorry

im going to have another drive and good look this weekend and hopefully decide!! Anything else to look for???

Cheers for all the support and help!! ill keep you posted on what i will do!!
;0

gui

 

[coldplugs]

I'm not familiar with these cars myself but have a friend with a shop who buys, refurbishes, and sells about 12 Jaguar sedans yearly. His biggest concern is usually the rear suspension of Jags with IRS. When he looks at a car to buy, he won't touch one that needs rear suspension work since the time he spends repairing it eliminates any chance at making a profit. You might want to look carefully under there.

John Coelho

 

[Steve]

Okay, pull up a chair, this is going to take some time. Quite a few years ago, I wrote a checklist of things to look for in a Series I through III XJ series Jaguar, but had forgotten about it until I was clearing out the basement this weekend and found it! So, here is the almost-definitive "What to look for".

BODYWORK:

Check for rust in the following areas;

Filler cap recesses
Rear wings below and ahead of filler caps
Around headlights
Rear valance and around the rear bumper
Bottom of front wings and sills
Rear wheelarches
Sill closing plates in rear wheelarches
Sills, under the rear doors
Rear body where bumper mounts
Check gaps, front wheelarches
Bottom of bootlid and bonnet....double-skinned on iside below grille
Boot floor and rear of the spare wheel well (Sign of a BAD car)
Fuel tanks at the bottom
Check chassis members where visible and the front pillar beneath the bonnet

RUNNING GEAR:

Tyre condition and pressures
Rear suspension radius arms
Power steering fluid...check levels both before and after run (slight rise is okay)
Make sure heater etc works okay
Check dampers (bounce test)
Grip steering gaiters and listen for squelching sound (bad sign)

ENGINE COMPARTMENT:

Check for signs of water leaks/overheating/cracks (next to core plugs)
Oil pressure gauge on '0' before starting. No odd noises. Does oil pressure warning light go off?
Check power steering
Make sure fan turns freely
Pump brake pedal....engine note should drop
Check exhaust note for blowing
Back on and off at 50-60mph.
Does handbrake slow the car? Hold on an incline?
Try 80mph....no vibrations should occur
After driving leave running & undo oil filler cap. Look for fumes.
Check exhaust manifolds
Valve gear should be silent

INTERIOR:

Upholstery....all good?
Headlining under rear window....This is an indication of the car's overall condition.


Good Luck!