It has been an eventful few weeks in Jag terms. For starters I was finally able to get the oil & filter change out of the way, plus I was able to apply Tetraseal to the undersides of the car, but in doing so I found a new issue or three to resolve.
The replacement oil & filter had been sitting at Mulsanne Motors for a wee while, waiting a quiet lunchtime and a free ramp. When the two combined I was able to get H9 WAP up on a two poster and set about making the change. The process itself is really straightforward and could be done on a level driveway but having access to a ramp though makes it 100 times easier.
The old oil that came out, at least the stuff left in the engine that hadn't leaked away, was as black as pitch. I dread to think when it was last changed. Given all the other mechanical niggles with the Sov I would guess that it has been years since she's seen fresh stuff. Getting the filter itself off proved to be a wee bit frustrating, given that it was screwed on by the Hulk or something. I used a plumbers wrench to give me some leverage and it eventually unscrewed after putting up a fight. After changing the filter & while the old oil drained away, I checked the diff and I'm pleased to say it had fresh looking oil, with a bit of red colour to it, and at the correct level. One less thing to worry about there!
Something that had been bothering me though, and I had been unable to do yet, was rust-protect the vulnerable areas of the car. A couple of months ago I made a start on it and was able to wire brush the Jag's bahookie to remove any surface rust, mud and other rubbish that had accumulated. The A-frame at the rear, front subframe mounts & areas around the sills/arches were places I wanted protection on as soon as possible. Using an air-line and sprayer I was able to put a fairly comprehensive coat of Tetraseal on the car. Hopefully this will arrest the development of any rust already present, and protect the car for a few years. I don't intend to drive it during the winter so she won't be exposed to road salt which should help keep her body in good condition.
While I was doing that my colleague at Mulsanne, Tommo, was doing a few basic checks since the Jag was airborne. He noticed that there is slight play in the OSF (Offside Front - side closest to the middle of the road) wheel bearing, there was an oil leak from the front of the engine somewhere - possibly cam-cover gasket, and the NSF (Nearside Front - side closest to the kerb) brakes were seized. Oh. Bum... Well, that at least explains the pull the the left which didn't go away after the alignment was done, or when there's an extra couple of pounds in the NSF tyre. Speaking of tyres, I spotted a nail in the NSR, which would explain why it goes flat... Tommo also picked up on the rattle from the upper timing chain tensioner but was otherwise very complimentary about the overall condition of the car.
Once she was back down on her 4 wheels, The Beastie swallowed nearly 9 litres of fully synthetic oil. It made an immediate difference. The rattle was lessened (I hope that means the tensioner was just clogged) and there seemed to be more urgency about her on the way home. Mindful of the seized calliper though I parked her up and let her be while I started sourcing some of the bits I need.
Coming to the rescue again was Mr Rob Jenner, without whom my Jag would not be on the road, nor would it look and work as well as it does. His advice, council, encouragement and seemingly inexhaustible supply of spare parts have certainly kept the whole project going. This time he was able to supply two front callipers & their carriers, barely used front discs, a complete set of unworn pads, an early type upper timing chain tensioner, and a wheel brace. Most of the parts came from his Wife's unfortunate 4.0 Sport which met an untimely end in a ditch near their home last winter.
As the bits had been off the road a wee while, they needed cleaned up. This was done at the college during one of the workshop classes & was a good chance for the class to practise some care & maintenance skills. One stumbling block was the pad retaining springs as one snapped in the OSF calliper and needs to be drilled out. If the calliper becomes unserviceable I may just have to replace the one. Not recommended, but at least it's a plan B. The college will be getting used again this coming Thursday as the replacement bits are all fitted, during class once again because the work needing done conveniently falls within the syllabus. The puncture will be repaired at the same time, as it, also conveniently, falls within the syllabus too! I'll maybe do the tensioner at the same time too but while researching the Jaguar Technical Service Bulletin relating to rattles it may be a job for another day as the cam cover apparently needs to be removed when switching out the later type one currently fitted to H9 WAP. I'll give the fresh oil time to circulate & hopefully that will solve the problem.
Well, I did say it had been an eventful few weeks!
No comments:
Post a Comment