I wish this wasn't so helpful for me right now. 😉 After stopping for fuel in my '86 XJ6 yesterday, it wouldn't start after I had paid the bill... It sounded like the starter was 'trying hard' but it couldn't turn over a single pulse, so I didn't think the starter was my problem. (Was/am pretty sure it was hydro-locked with coolant.) I ended up having it towed home... I decided to 'try again' this evening after getting home from work, and after a couple of the 'hitting it hard' attempts by the starter, it fired to life and purred quietly, as it should. But checking the coolant level, I noticed that not only was the level down significantly, but there was a somewhat forceful flow of air/gasses escaping from the coolant reservoir. I then checked the dipstick, and found it 'too full', and looking like chocolate milk. 🥴🥶😵 So I am sure I have a blown head gasket, at least. 😢😭😭 NOT exactly the news I was hoping for. (I have been driving the car for a year now, and I have had NO history of overheating or anything related to that. 🤔) I imagine I'll be revisiting this series of videos numerous times over the coming weeks, as I try to make time to discover just how bad my 'project' is going to prove to be...
Looks like an excellent start! It's surprising to see the studs come free so easily and none of the corroded fuss that so many other blocks are known for. Really looking forward to seeing the next phase!
Looking forward to more from you. I have an '87 with almost 200K miles. A video on how to take the window motor out with a wiring harness would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that you removed the head nuts in the wrong order. Should be done in the reverse order fron tightening that is from the outside to the middle. Great video anyway.
5:45 Why is the left hand inlet tunnel (the one bolted to the air cleaner base plate) mounted upside down compared to the right hand one ? Does it make a difference ?
One aspect of making sure to not undo the studs at the bottom of the block is that if you do, then when you pull a stud up then old dirt and sediment at the bottom of the block will fall down and collect in the block bottom threads ! Not an issue if you plan to totally clean up the block before reassembly. But not many plan for that. If you would not be aware of and be able to clean up those threads before installing the stud(s) back into the bottom threads you will have dirt in the threads that might prevent the studs from being tightened down all the way in those threads. Some sediments may be left halfway(!) up the threaded hole that prevents using up the whole threaded portion. And that means that when you later tighten head nuts, then any partially threaded down stud will not be using the entire thread portion and when tensioning you risk stripping the cast iron bottom threads ! That is a fairly delicate repair of the block and may set back your entire project. I did that mistake with one stud of a Series 1 4.2 when young and inexperienced and given my zero budget DIY resources I ended up running the engine without one stud for the remainder of ownership plugging the cylinder head stud hole... So be aware.
Great clip You must be a mechanic You make it look easy Could a non mechanic perform this job What degree of difficulty would you rate this at from 1- 10? Thanks for sharing Id luv to get one of these as an older unrestored series11 in Aust is fairly ressonably priced but am wary of the minefield i may be entering
I’m not a trained mechanic but I’m an engineer and self taught mechanic. It isn’t too difficult but maybe it’s not the first car related issue you tackle. But I believe that most things on these cars can be done by anyone willing to try
Nice job, did you need to let the lubricant sit for a week down the head studs at the end or did you just do it because you were taking a break anyway?
Cylinder head dome nuts should have been removed from outside, working towards inner (center nuts) ...You done a compression test, did you do a wet test?
@@LivingWithAClassic I am concerned that the piston rings are worn. might be a good idea to check them out, but it means pulling off the sump and that means checking the big ends and mains. These cranks are super tough though. Where to stop. ! I am sure you dont want to do all this work only to end up with a low compression engine (under 150 -160)
I understand your concern. The car had a compression test about 2 years before this happened and it wasn't many miles in-between that. All cylinders had strong and even compression. This project is not about a whole engine rebuild. I'll be doing that to my 1966 3.8S. This is just about fixing that issue and enjoying it. If it turns out the engine is weak I'll source a good used one instead since the numbers aren't matching. I've also filled each cylinder with fluid and it didn't go down after 24 hours
I have a manifold leak on my 4.2 Series 3, the cylinder head has never been removed before, I'm extremely worried about breaking studs if I attempt removal myself in the street. I am seriously considering entrusting this job to a Jaguar specialist, if I break a stud, I do not fancy my chances of drilling out in the street with limited tools. From your experience, am I right to be worried, or do you think I'm worrying unnecessarily ?
Sadly it was a common swap back in the day. Nothing wrong with SBC however in my opinion it doesn’t suit the car. It’s a good engine but doesn’t have the smooth characteristics of a Jaguar engine
@@LivingWithAClassic yea it looks like a back in the day engine swap its got a old 84 sbc in it runs great nice and smooth got it all up and running at the weekend been sitting since 2012 been watching some of your videos really good info in your vids I got to do rear shocks and springs and the front need to get another bonnet for it everything looks original it's missing the radio the gas tanks are bad so I put a fuel tank in the trunk and used the gas lines in the trunk my jag is a early 83
nice job sir nice bit of room to work for a change under her hood i alway put a clean cloth down so i cant drop bolts into engine
I wish this wasn't so helpful for me right now. 😉
After stopping for fuel in my '86 XJ6 yesterday, it wouldn't start after I had paid the bill... It sounded like the starter was 'trying hard' but it couldn't turn over a single pulse, so I didn't think the starter was my problem. (Was/am pretty sure it was hydro-locked with coolant.) I ended up having it towed home...
I decided to 'try again' this evening after getting home from work, and after a couple of the 'hitting it hard' attempts by the starter, it fired to life and purred quietly, as it should.
But checking the coolant level, I noticed that not only was the level down significantly, but there was a somewhat forceful flow of air/gasses escaping from the coolant reservoir. I then checked the dipstick, and found it 'too full', and looking like chocolate milk. 🥴🥶😵
So I am sure I have a blown head gasket, at least. 😢😭😭 NOT exactly the news I was hoping for. (I have been driving the car for a year now, and I have had NO history of overheating or anything related to that. 🤔)
I imagine I'll be revisiting this series of videos numerous times over the coming weeks, as I try to make time to discover just how bad my 'project' is going to prove to be...
Adam, thanks for the vids! I'm gaining more confidence as I am watching your vids. I'm gathering the tools to work on my S2.
I hope I can inspire you to work on your car. What does it need?
Looks like an excellent start! It's surprising to see the studs come free so easily and none of the corroded fuss that so many other blocks are known for. Really looking forward to seeing the next phase!
I was surprised too! I'm starting to think that the engine must of been apart not too long ago
Looking forward to this series.
After watching this vid I’m excited for the next video because I think I’ll be able to tackle this job on my s3 xj6
I'm glad you're enjoying it and thank you for watching!
A great start! Looking pretty good so far.
Thanks Victor! I will try and get part 2 up very soon
Looking forward to more from you. I have an '87 with almost 200K miles. A video on how to take the window motor out with a wiring harness would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work.
Have you driven many of those miles yourself? I will make a video of taking those out and going through the motors.
A great start 👍looking forward to the next one.
Part 2 will be up soon. So far the car seems to be in good shape
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that you removed the head nuts in the wrong order. Should be done in the reverse order fron tightening that is from the outside to the middle. Great video anyway.
Excellent as always!
Thanks for watching! 🙂
Enjoying your videos Adam, thank you for sharing. Happy New Year
Thank you Nick and Happy New Year!
I would recommend anyone doing this job to keep the old hoses as spares just Incase
Mine were really too far gone
Just found this channel, and i love it. I have a 75 XJ6, same color and interior as your car. Picking up some nice tips and advises here. Thanks. 😀
Well done!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Should check piston is at TDC first. Don't rely on the damper timing plate.
Use vinegar to put down head studs to free off.
Hey does the intake manifold have coolant flowing through it? I might be removing mine to clean it out due to poor fuel flow to combustion chamber.
What is behind the ac compressor? What would be the best repair book to buy
I might try this at home.. seems so easy! hahah
It’s not too bad
You make it look easy :)
pack the voids with rags to prevent timing sprocket nuts from falling into motor
I need my 84 Jag XJ6 worked on (head removal). It is in the Buf NY area but can be transported to a QUALIFIED mechanic.
5:45 Why is the left hand inlet tunnel (the one bolted to the air cleaner base plate) mounted upside down compared to the right hand one ? Does it make a difference ?
Anders Jensen's music is so great!
His music is very cool!
Hi Adam,I found same car barn find ..a have few questions...
One aspect of making sure to not undo the studs at the bottom of the block is that if you do, then when you pull a stud up then old dirt and sediment at the bottom of the block will fall down and collect in the block bottom threads ! Not an issue if you plan to totally clean up the block before reassembly. But not many plan for that.
If you would not be aware of and be able to clean up those threads before installing the stud(s) back into the bottom threads you will have dirt in the threads that might prevent the studs from being tightened down all the way in those threads. Some sediments may be left halfway(!) up the threaded hole that prevents using up the whole threaded portion. And that means that when you later tighten head nuts, then any partially threaded down stud will not be using the entire thread portion and when tensioning you risk stripping the cast iron bottom threads ! That is a fairly delicate repair of the block and may set back your entire project. I did that mistake with one stud of a Series 1 4.2 when young and inexperienced and given my zero budget DIY resources I ended up running the engine without one stud for the remainder of ownership plugging the cylinder head stud hole... So be aware.
What type would you use for transmission fluid, brake fluid, and power steering fluid? Any info will be appreciated.
For an XJ6 series 2 or for which car?
@@LivingWithAClassic for a xj6 series 3. Thank you.
Great clip
You must be a mechanic
You make it look easy
Could a non mechanic perform this job
What degree of difficulty would you rate this at from 1- 10?
Thanks for sharing
Id luv to get one of these as an older unrestored series11 in Aust is fairly ressonably priced but am wary of the minefield i may be entering
I’m not a trained mechanic but I’m an engineer and self taught mechanic.
It isn’t too difficult but maybe it’s not the first car related issue you tackle. But I believe that most things on these cars can be done by anyone willing to try
Nice job, did you need to let the lubricant sit for a week down the head studs at the end or did you just do it because you were taking a break anyway?
I did let it sit for about a week, 6 days. I then start to try to lift the head with the plan of needing to wait longer but it came off nicely.
@@LivingWithAClassic awesome, going to give it a go on my series 3 next week!
Cylinder head dome nuts should have been removed from outside, working towards inner (center nuts) ...You done a compression test, did you do a wet test?
Yes I did do a wet test. Hardly any change then. Was a head gasket leak and too tight valves
@@LivingWithAClassic I am concerned that the piston rings are worn. might be a good idea to check them out, but it means pulling off the sump and that means checking the big ends and mains. These cranks are super tough though. Where to stop. ! I am sure you dont want to do all this work only to end up with a low compression engine (under 150 -160)
I understand your concern. The car had a compression test about 2 years before this happened and it wasn't many miles in-between that. All cylinders had strong and even compression. This project is not about a whole engine rebuild. I'll be doing that to my 1966 3.8S. This is just about fixing that issue and enjoying it. If it turns out the engine is weak I'll source a good used one instead since the numbers aren't matching. I've also filled each cylinder with fluid and it didn't go down after 24 hours
..................why not just stuff some shop rag in the cam sprocket void when removing bolts.
There are rags in them down lower 😊
I have a manifold leak on my 4.2 Series 3, the cylinder head has never been removed before, I'm extremely worried about breaking studs if I attempt removal myself in the street.
I am seriously considering entrusting this job to a Jaguar specialist, if I break a stud, I do not fancy my chances of drilling out in the street with limited tools.
From your experience, am I right to be worried, or do you think I'm worrying unnecessarily ?
It depends how they look. Send me a picture of the nuts and studs on Instagram and we’ll see
Thank you my friend, I've removed heat shield tonight, the front manifold is cracked 🤣
Ah too bad. Easy to get used at least. Check Simply Performace if you’re near to them
Bonnet please
To much work I'm glad I got a sbc in my xj6 series 3
Shame you ruined your car. To each their own I guess
@@LivingWithAClassic I bought it like it I didn't put the 350 in it
Sadly it was a common swap back in the day. Nothing wrong with SBC however in my opinion it doesn’t suit the car. It’s a good engine but doesn’t have the smooth characteristics of a Jaguar engine
@@LivingWithAClassic yea it looks like a back in the day engine swap its got a old 84 sbc in it runs great nice and smooth got it all up and running at the weekend been sitting since 2012 been watching some of your videos really good info in your vids I got to do rear shocks and springs and the front need to get another bonnet for it everything looks original it's missing the radio the gas tanks are bad so I put a fuel tank in the trunk and used the gas lines in the trunk my jag is a early 83
Last year i got an all original '86. I love it, but honestly i miss my old '71 with sbc... was faster, more reliable, was smooth and sounded awesome.
Very nice video. It would be FAR BETTER (IMHO) without the spastic music.
To each his own. Part 2 only has the theme song and will be up today.