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Car Forum / Jaguar Cars / October 2005

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XJ40 maintenance, dumb questions

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WayneC - 26 Oct 2005 22:18 GMT
1. I purchased a shop manual CD on eBay a couple of years back. I always
have had trouble figuring out how to use it, as it came without any
instructions or "readme" files; today I couldn't figure out how to
access it at all! It is labelled "Factory Repair Manuals Part Number JHM
1126". Can someone help?...

When I first look at it, there are 16 folders on the CD, and some files,
one of which is a program named SCANFRET.EXE that seems to be the
program to use to access the CD information. When I execute scanfret.exe
and then click on the flashlight symbol in the menu, I get a smaller
window with a selectable list of 13 manuals. If I highlight one of those
and double-click on it, I get a small window with places to type in
"Search from" "Search to" fields and then click either "Begin search" or
"Close"... but no matter what I enter, I get nothing back. Nothing else
in the menu seems to do anything to bring up a manual. I used to be able
to figure out how to at least page through each manual, but today I
can't even figure out how to do that!

I was hoping to use the manual to answer several of the following
questions...

2. 89 XJ40 distributor: I want to change out the rotor, but my firm tugs
haven't dislodged the old rotor. The new rotor is an aftermarket part
(made in Italy, no manufacturer mark) and it appears as if it simply
slides/squeezes onto the shaft. The old Lucas rotor has a different
appearance on top, and it just won't budge... I'm afraid to use more
force. It almost appears that the Lucas rotor has a pin (lying on it's
longitudinal axis on top) that goes through the top of the shaft... does
it? Or do I just need to force it up off the shaft?

3. Can anyone recommend a spark plug wire set and point me to where I
can purchase it on the web in the US? The ones I've found online say
nothing about their quality or origin.

4. Is there anything I should know about replacing spark plugs on the
XJ40? This is the first vehicle I've had with an aluminum head, and
spark plugs contained within the valve cover, so are there any special
precautions I need to know, like use of penetrating oil or lock-tight or
anti-seize or things like that? What is the correct gap? Any favorite
brand/number plug?

Thanks,
Wayne
webserve - 26 Oct 2005 22:44 GMT
Wayne,
  I will send you a Word Doc that has instructions for the CD.  It is a
pain, but once you get use to it  -- it is fine.  Keep in mind that the '88
and '89 XJ40 is a VERY different vehicle than the '90-'94 XJ40.  So you will
only be using the last 5 volumes on the CD.

There is a screw on the back of the rotor that holds it on.  Undo it and the
rotor will come off easily.  Keep in mind with these cars -- IF you are
having a hard time getting something off -- you are missing something!!

Go to www.magnecor.com   They have the best wires for the price and they
were running a special on Jag wires.  I use them on all three of my Jags and
my Nissan 300ZX.

Changing the plugs on this car is no different than any car.  The plugs are
at the end of a long rubber boot with a cap.  Take out the old plugs, make
sure the new are gapped and tighten them until they are snug.  I stay away
from platinum's and really prefer the basic old RC9YC Champions for this
car.   The gap is 0.035

Webserve

> 1. I purchased a shop manual CD on eBay a couple of years back. I always
> have had trouble figuring out how to use it, as it came without any
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> Thanks,
> Wayne
WayneC - 26 Oct 2005 23:53 GMT
> Wayne,
>    I will send you a Word Doc that has instructions for the CD.  It is a
> pain, but once you get use to it  -- it is fine.  Keep in mind that the '88
> and '89 XJ40 is a VERY different vehicle than the '90-'94 XJ40.  So you will
> only be using the last 5 volumes on the CD.

Thanks, I'll have a look at the word document. Meantime I re-executed
the setup.exe file on the CD and I finally did access the CD files,
albeit in the usual clunky way of paging through it one page at a time
and having to reload it frequently.

> There is a screw on the back of the rotor that holds it on.  Undo it and the
> rotor will come off easily.  Keep in mind with these cars -- IF you are
> having a hard time getting something off -- you are missing something!!

I'll look closer, didn't see a screw on the installed rotor. The new
rotor has no screw.

> Go to www.magnecor.com   They have the best wires for the price and they
> were running a special on Jag wires.  I use them on all three of my Jags and
> my Nissan 300ZX.

No Jaguar specials at the Magnecor website, just an old note saying they
expected to renew the Jaguar special sometime "in 2005".

I did look for Magnecore wires on the net the other day, and the only
discount sources I came up with for 8mm (blue) wires was "ultrarev.com"
at $117 a set, or lbcarco.com for the red 8.5mm wires at $180.00.
Ultrarev.com was the ONLY site that even mentioned the 8mm blue wires.
Do those prices sound about right?

Which Magnecor do you recommend for normal driving in my aging 135K mile
XJ40, red (8.5mm) or blue (8mm)?

Other sites list wires of unknown manufacture in the $50 to $110 range,
although Northeastbritishparts.com says their $55 set is a "genuine
Rists ignition wire set" ("Rists" is printed on my old wires)... is
Magnecor worth twice the price?

> Changing the plugs on this car is no different than any car.  The plugs are
> at the end of a long rubber boot with a cap.  Take out the old plugs, make
> sure the new are gapped and tighten them until they are snug.  I stay away
> from platinum's and really prefer the basic old RC9YC Champions for this
> car.   The gap is 0.035

OK, good. I was concerned that plug threads might need to be coated with
something before install.

Thanks for the useful reply,
Wayne

> Webserve
>
[quoted text clipped - 41 lines]
>>Thanks,
>>Wayne
webserve - 27 Oct 2005 00:54 GMT
Wayne,
 I will re-check the rotor on the XJ40 and get back to you on that.
Contact Magnecor by telephone.  They have more sets than that.  Mine are
Black and ran me $40 a few years ago.

Webserve

> > Wayne,
> >    I will send you a Word Doc that has instructions for the CD.  It is a
[quoted text clipped - 92 lines]
> >>Thanks,
> >>Wayne
WayneC - 27 Oct 2005 02:03 GMT
> Wayne,
>   I will re-check the rotor on the XJ40 and get back to you on that.
> Contact Magnecor by telephone.  They have more sets than that.  Mine are
> Black and ran me $40 a few years ago.
>
> Webserve

Their pdf product catalog shows 8mm (blue) & 8.5mm (red) wires for an
XJ40, no 7mm (black) wires. They only offer the 7mm wires for up through
series 3 sedans and XJS prior to HE models.
tes@test.com - 27 Oct 2005 03:57 GMT
Spark plugs in aluminum really should have some sort of an anti-seize
put on them.
It's a cheap $3.00 tube which will last the rest of your life and keep
your plugs and head happy.
Cheap insurance.

Dave

>> Wayne,
>>    I will send you a Word Doc that has instructions for the CD.  It is a
[quoted text clipped - 99 lines]
>>> Thanks,
>>> Wayne
WayneC - 27 Oct 2005 07:25 GMT
> Spark plugs in aluminum really should have some sort of an anti-seize
> put on them.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Dave

Thanks Dave. I do have a can of anti-seize I've used sporadically for
about 25 years... but can I assume it won't affect the grounding of the
spark plug?
tes@test.com - 28 Oct 2005 00:18 GMT
Don't worry about grounding or heat transfer. there is a lot of metal to
metal contact.

>> Spark plugs in aluminum really should have some sort of an anti-seize
>> put on them.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> about 25 years... but can I assume it won't affect the grounding of the
> spark plug?
webserve - 27 Oct 2005 12:33 GMT
Wayne,
   My mistake!!  I went out this morning, popped the bonnet on the XJ40,
unsnapped the dizzy cap and the rotor slid right off the shaft.  I thought
about it for a moment and realized the rotor with the screw in the back was
the one on the Nissan -- which I had changed about the same time as the Jag.

Magnecor may have changed their product line since I bought mine 4 years
ago.  It would not surprise me.

Webserve.

> 1. I purchased a shop manual CD on eBay a couple of years back. I always
> have had trouble figuring out how to use it, as it came without any
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> Thanks,
> Wayne
WayneC - 27 Oct 2005 18:28 GMT
> Wayne,
>     My mistake!!  I went out this morning, popped the bonnet on the XJ40,
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Webserve.

Darn, that leaves me right where I started.

I could opt for the $116 Magnecor wire set, I suppose, but then I hate
to spend that much and I'd be concerned that these high performance
wires might cause radio interference... anyone else know why my old
rotor would be firmly "stuck" in place, or have a recommendation on what
spark plug wire set to use and where to obtain it?
webserve - 27 Oct 2005 21:37 GMT
here are some  places you can try.  It is Jag part number DAC7811.  All
these guys are trustworthy.

http://www.coventrywest.com/  $69.00
www.northeastbritishparts.com  $54.00
www.xksunlimited.com   $57.20

Webserve

> > Wayne,
> >     My mistake!!  I went out this morning, popped the bonnet on the XJ40,
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> rotor would be firmly "stuck" in place, or have a recommendation on what
> spark plug wire set to use and where to obtain it?
WayneC - 29 Oct 2005 04:03 GMT
> anyone else know why my old
> rotor would be firmly "stuck" in place

Apparently it was just that: very firmly "stuck" in place, aided by some
light surface rusting of the shaft. After calling my local Jag repair
shop to make sure there was no trick to it, and that I wouldn't be
likely to destroy anything at the other end of the distributor shaft, I
sprayed the upper shaft with penetrating oil, let it sit a few minutes,
and used a puller tool with a slider to tap/pull the old rotor off the
shaft.

I hate to buy parts (like ignition wires) when I don't even know what
brand they are, so I haven't bought a set as yet. I also haven't located
Champion RC9YC spark plugs locally, but I'll do a more thorough search
tomorrow.
WayneC - 31 Oct 2005 22:07 GMT
>> anyone else know why my old rotor would be firmly "stuck" in place
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Champion RC9YC spark plugs locally, but I'll do a more thorough search
> tomorrow.

Found the spark plugs at Autozone, and ordered ignition wires from
Northeast British Parts after they answered my email to say that their
wires are Rists cable.

Thanks for the help.
 
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