JustBadly

Getting there. This pipe 'deletes' the thermostat from the lower position. I was worried about this one tbh since the radiator pipe is secured by a metal band, but a quick grind and off it came. The tubing is wire-wound since it has a fair curve from the rad to the pump.

Ha Ha, no what problem petrol S & X types have (excluding V8 & diesel) is overheating. It makes itself known by a water 'leak' due to over pressure, pinking on acceleration and general god awful running. The thermostat is placed 'after' the radiator and since that is rated at 87°C, the coolant post radiator is not hot enough to open it. Result no water flow, overheating cylinder heads, blown head gasket, etc. I've built up a few race engines and every time we find the thermostat post radiator it gets changed because it runs the engine too hot. No difference here so I've got a few more parts to arrive but it will all make sense once I've got this fitted. Jaguar have got a sprung blow-off valve on the thermostat housing and if the engine over revs while cold it will open and divert the excess pressure thru the radiator. Fingers crossed it will all go together nicely. Good luck finding anything about it on the net.

Getting everything together to start the conversion. I'm placing the thermostat valve at the top (entry) of the radiator, currently as many owners of the 2.5 & 3.0 know - the valve is at the bottom left (exit) of the radiator. All the pipes look way too big but they will be trimmed quite some way. The important thing is all the internal diameters are right. Just got to order a 90° pipe @ 38mm and several pipe clips. Easy really.

The ABS is connected to the front wheel sensors and the rear sensors. Any difference in rotation between them and the dashboard lights up. Cleaning the rear connectors usually works, the front sensors are a press-in sensor but no harm checking them over too. Whatever you do don't reset the diagnostics via OBD2 without rectifying the problem. By this I mean if you fix the fault on the car the light will go out. Resetting the diagnostics while the light is on will cause a delete of ECU data, itself another problem.

Just a tube of RTV from my local auto parts store. See the dusty strip behind the wiper arm? That's where the paste went - not the way I really want to do it but worked well enough.

I used a silicone RTV gasket formula to seal between the actual windscreen and the rubberised seal of the scuttle. The seal bulges and lets water into the engine bay. Since then all good except when I need to remove it I'll have to reseal it again.

Only read the first few lines and I thought MAFF sensor!

Having found the bearing totally stuck on, I decided to remove the upright and fit a replacement to facilitate the new bearing. After stripping down the front wheel assembly, this monster tool with its 12 tons of pressure made short work of the ball joint.

Yellow light or Red light? By the sound of it when the ignition is switched off the light is no longer there when you start the car again? Fluid level could be low, overheating (snatchy changes), or a solenoid fault. Failing that have the local vicar perform an exorcism.

The roof liner is quite easy to remove, the wires can be squeezed into the pillar covers and buy a special fuse with live terminal, fits into the passenger fuse box. I asked a local vehicle specialist about this and they said it's not that bad. I would've done this myself but all I would record is my awful driving!

Yes I have wondered about them but they have a lower temp thermostat valve, about 80° I think.

Overheating, it's a generic problem with the V6 Jags. I've got a temporary solution but you probably wouldn't like it. Basic reason is the thermostatic valve is at the wrong end of the radiator, engine heats up - radiator cools water but since the valve opens at 87°c the water is cooled below that and the valve doesn't open. Result? No water circulation and the engine overheats. Standard radiators are heavy and inefficient and just about run ok but an aftermarket radiator is often more efficient and the water post radiator never reaches temperature enough to open the valve. Unbelievable I know, you'd think Jaguar had never built a race car with a mistake like that.

Make sure you have a brake wind-back tool before removing rear pads. Piston tool Front pistons can be pushed in with this too. Park brake will apply if the keys are removed from the ignition so leave them in while doing the work.

Go to a well known parts supplier eg. Europarts search "Jaguar front brake pads" then click on one and enter your registration number. They will tell you what part you want. What bothers me more is the pad compound - some are very hard. I've got Mintex pads on mine.

It will be worth checking the torque of the ball joints on the front suspension, they might be loose. You don't say if yours is an early Jag, those ball joints 'point' downward. But I don't think driving is advised, in case the car falls to bits.

I wish you'd communicate your enthusiasm to the mechanic working on Huxley's car. Waste of money? tell that to an approved Jaguar dealer. I'll bet my 1-2 2-1 gear change is smoother than yours. etc etc.

eBay tooling.

Have a look at the selector cable that runs from the cabin to the transmission. If it is slack you would have the difficulty you describe.

The serpentine belt is easy, that's the second time I've removed it.

They both do. Not much wear on the old one but considering the price rather than inspect it, I replaced it.

Spot the difference. New metal.

You can't leave the eBrake "off", when the ignition key is removed the vehicle will apply it automatically. If you want to operate it 'per se' then switch on the ignition, push down on the foot brake and then press the eBrake switch, pull up again to apply it. Do that a few times if it makes you feel better.

One more thing is the reservoir filler cap. The coolant system operates at 20psi and if the cap is old it won't hold pressure. Once up to temperature the water will evaporate thru the filter cap and it looks as if there is coolant loss. This is a really easy fix but if no good I want more info and don't open the filler cap when the engine is hot.

There is a refill process in that you turn on the heater and unscrew the bleed hose while the engine is running, while topping up the coolant. A warning light will also trigger if the coolant is too high. If a head gasket goes it is quite violent with smoke, coolant blowing out, misfires. No way that has happened there, I think it has not been refilled properly and there is still air in the system but that is all.

Much wrong here. Vehicle shouldn't overheat - mine has been super during this hot weather but I fitted a new radiator in April. The car monitors the ECT, Transmission fluid temp & AC pressure and the fan should be on at a low rate with the temp up around 24c like today. If I was to look anywhere I'd see if RadWeld had ever been used - some clowns think this stuff actually works - don't ever use it. It blocks up the radiator usually impeding the transmission cooling. Plug in an OBD2 monitor and use live to see what temperature the ECM thinks the car is running at. It should be 98-102c if the car tells you it is much cooler renew the ECT sensor.