(he gets a special mention as he's usually got the answer). More on my
1988 XJ40 (with digital instruments and oblong headlamps). Have just bought two plastic headlamp protectors form Jagara here in Sydney. The headlamps cost $200 each and are easily smashed by flying stones. The protectors clip on and cost me $75 the pair! Also, on Webserves advice, have got a spare crankshaft timing sensor. Next problem, missing puddle lamp RH rear cover. This is a bit of coloured plastic. I thought the rest of mine were red but Jagara has sent me grey (american = gray!). Could all Xj40 owners be very kind and tell me what colour their puddle lamp covers are?
Are the colours different for RHS and LHS, by any chance?
Update for all contributors re puddle lamps. The Prestige firm in Melbourne, recommended by two of you, were indeed most helpful and solved the problem immediately. The puddle lamp covers *are* smoky (grey) but you never see them smoky as when the doors are closed, they are practically hidden. When the doors are open and they come on they show red, because *there is apparently a red diffuser underneath the (smoky) cover*. So I had got the right cover but needed the diffuser too, which Melbourne are posting to me.
Then I'll tackle the no-lamp-on problem, which I have described earlier. Brief summary of *that* problem. Puddle lamp doesn't light, but the globe/bulb tests OK and there *is* 12 + V on the contacts. First diagnosis by me: computer. Advice from contributor: computer not connected to interior lamps. Second diagnosis by me: high resistance joint in circuit - when meter connected negligble current drain so 12 V indicated. When lamp connected, high current drain introduces large voltage loss across high resistance in circuit. I still favour this one. However, I have a second theory now. High resistance in the
*interior* of the connection. Meter probe is to the exterior. Same results as before. Will investigate further and report.
Original query. Confirmed the quiescent current is 50 mA, which should not discharge a *good* battery if car used at least once a week. BTW, Prestige's Phil not quite right here. He thinks the Q current is normal but due to many capacitors in circuit - in fact (non-faulty) capacitors should not pass *any* current. But it is probably the conmputers, of which there are a few. Can anyone else who's savvy please check their Q drain. I believe mine is normal but would like to know. CAUTION do not do this unless you know what you are doing with electricals, batteries, etc, and ensure connections are later firmly restored. BTW, you need an analogue meter because there is a pulsing on the line from the clock, which will cause a digital meter to read very erratically.
Is there a justification for forming an XJ40 newsgroup? Are there many XJ40 users out there?
Just checked on my 87 3.6 Sov but I am not removing to see what is on the inside. Firstly the lamps are two tone plastic, clear underneath the lamp giving a white light downwards and red light to the sides. Definitely red when the door is open and the lights are on but when the door is closed and lights off they look more of a dark plum colour. Really do not look grey to me.
Thanks for your reply. See my earlier message updating progress. I've learned that the outer cover is smoky but there is an inner red diffuser. I guess with the lamps off the diffuser would show through the smoky to give a dark plum colour. Waiting for the diffuser via the mail (today?) and will report.
Sorries for the OT but your email address doesn't like direct replies.
Envy you living in (close to) Sydney. Just come back from 2 years there, loved the place, loved the people, loved the weather. Lived mainly in Manly and Balgowlah.
Would have stayed permanently but Amanda Vanstone keeps changing the immi rules. My youngest son would have been chucked out 28 days (technically) after he had finished his tertiary education as what he proposed to study at UNI (travel & tourism - and where better to study this than Aus?) is not on the skills shortage list so would never get the points needed for PR. Better to be a hairdresser for immi purposes it seems than going to Uni (no disrespect whatsoever intended to hairdressers).
To get my wife's mum in (an older senior of 82, fit as a fiddle and financially completely independant and zero drain on Aus BUT has no other living family other than my wife, her only daughter) on a retirement visa suddenly became a no no when AV did a rule altering trick which now requires for a retirement visa a Fed deposit of AU$800,000 (and you will not get this back until you fall off the pearch), PLUS cash or cash equivalent available in Aus of another $800,000 PLUS an AFTER tax income of $65,000 PLUS a medical bond of (it seems to vary on a whim) $30,000 to $35,000 PLUS full med insurance (which we took for granted anyway). Fk'n'll, how many people have this.
Back shivering in the cold and damp of Blighty. Only conselation is that I have my Jag again and have bought a 2 wheeled cruiser to continue my return to biking mode rekindled when in Aus.
Forgot to mention that there are Jag spares places in the UK that will send anything you need to Aus, VAT (GST to you) free at the UK end and we suffer
17.5%!!
Dave Manners is pretty good, they really know their stuff and can be found at:
formatting link
Email or use a phone card to talk to them (I could usually get them for 1 to
1.5 cents per minute to the UK + local call cost).
Manners sell Genuine Jag in Jag boxes, Genuine Jag parts but in brown boxes and Pattern parts i.e. you have three price tiers and even the Jag in Jag boxed stuff is very significantly less that yer rip off Jaguar main agents here.
If you really get stuck for parts Jaguar Heritage retro manufacture most parts for classic Jaguars.
You may find this link useful as well - the best on-line manual out there for the XJ40:
A sunny Sunday, not too hot or too cold, peacefully working on the XJ40 on a non life-and-death improvement, far off the road. What could be nicer?
The promised update for all those who helped with my puddle lamp problems. First, easily dealt with, the colour: It turns out that the smoky grey cover is correct, but inside it is a red diffuser, which is screwed to the door lining. All is OK.
Now on to the non-operation of the lamp. You will recall that the bulb worked and there was 12V measured on the springs, but the bulb didn't light. I finally decided that the meter read 12 V all right because although there was a high resistance fault in the circuit, the low curent drain of the meter (digital - very low) gave no voltage drop across the fault. But when the bulb (globe) was plugged in, the attempted current drain led to a very high voltage drop across the fault. Well, much dismantling later, and using needles to penetrate wires, I traced the fault to a little PCB under the door switch module. The earth to the puddle lamp goes in and out of that PCB and that's where the problem was. It turns out that a diode in circuit (1N4007) was high resistance (*both* ways!). I'll order a pack of them (1 only is an unworkably low price!) and fit it in due course. The only downside is the back seat of the car is full of bits and screws that had to be taken off. Virtually the whole of the door linings and all fittings had to be dismantled to get at this 1 cent part! Still, it wasn't raining down my neck. (I remember changing the big ends of an MG TD lying on my back in the snow in the street in freezing cold England, years ago...)
OK Webserve! Actually my air-conditioning is totally inactive at all speeds, but that is another story and lies ahead. Before I was ill I remember fitting a new microswitch in the dash controller but not the detail from memory, except that it's a common problem. This one seems to be different. BTW, have bought a packet of 100 1N4007 - is that enough, do you think?
Done the snow thing as well. Mine was a late 50's sit up and beg Ford Pop with an E93A side valve engine. It must have been 1969 when we swapped the engine out with one from a scrappie at a farm opposite the Highwayman pub about 5 miles out of Macclesfield (Cheshire) on the road to Buxton. It was January, we were working outside and me and my mates finished at about 2.00 in the morning and everywhere was white. It was so cold we had to wrap up the spanners to stop them freezing. Much to all our surprise it started first pull.
The 'good' old days - at least cars were easier to repair then.
OK. The promised update. The problem *was* the 1N4007 diode in the window switch module, which also has the puddle lamp earth going through it. But first a red herring. Soldered in a new 1N4007 and tested it - no joy. Must be diode the wrong way round. Soldered in the other way round - still no joy. Realised although earth return is via small connector, main supply is via big circular connector (for the windows). So resolderd diode other way round again and now tested properly - success! Diode stripe (cathode) must be at top. Now to go out on sunny day and reassemble all the door trim.
Found the faulty diode on the PCB and replaced it. All tests OK. Then put the PCB back into the moulding, and another test shows the electric window winder (connections are on the same board) working in reverse. So obviously have put the PCB in the wrong way round (it appears identical so it was a 50/50 chance! I lost!) Now, I cannot get the old PCB out of the moulding, and can't see what is holding it in. Any experience of this anyone? I've taken out the two little screws, but the PCB seems stuck fast even after trying it in the freezer.
OK all. Got it! The PCB is actually secured by a little springy plastic tab that is hardly visible. Push that in with a fine screwdriver and the PCB comes out easily. Thank goodness I didn't do any damage with all that previous heaving! Once I couldn't even spell "expert" and now I are one!..
I think that'll probably do before my move on 28/9. There I have a nice big double workshop and things'll be a lot easier!
Standby for bulb warning light progress, and then air not working at all. No fans or anything. Must be elctrical and at least I have a good digital multimeter for that (and 90 odd 1N4007 diodes!
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