msmicksmith

At 79 I think you've earned the right not to get your hands dirty anymore Peter ;-)

In addition (sorry for the length), spark plugs usually have a life of around 20k and HT lead will usually be knackered by 40-60k. If you have a car at around this mileage, or double, then expect them to be b**gered. (Double would mean I assume they have been replaced previously) I had a Vectra V6 a while ago that ran beautifully but the HT leads were leaking quite excessively. Once replaced, the performance difference what amazing, and I thought it ran fine beforehand!

That, to me, sounds like fuel igniting in the inlet. In the old days of carburettors, you could get this. It was know as 'spit-back' then, and fuel would be 'spat' back into the carburettor and ignited. Removing the top mounted air filters could sometimes result in flames being spat into your face as it ignited. In those days it was caused by incorrect timing. Given that your Jag will be electronically controlled, timing is not adjustable. However, you say the car runs fine, which I'm sure it does, above idle speed. At idle, the flywheel smooths out any imperfections due to its mass which turns the crank via momentum. Any minor misfires will be largely unfelt due to the flywheel mass, but will still result in a lack of pressure on any given piston. If there is any incorrect burning of fuel in the chamber, it will be forced into the next available opening, usually the exhaust and burn up there. There are various things which can cause fuel ignition in the inlet, the main one being a worn inlet valve, but that would result in a rhythmic sound as the same piston would have the fault every time. Generally, sounds like this are caused by poor ignition - ie spark plugs & leads. What happens is that the voltage applied to the ignition High-Tension (HT) side increases with rpm (to a point), so at idle the spark is weaker than at higher revs, purely because it doesn't need to be. At this lower voltage (bear in mind that it is still around 12000 volts!), it travels all the way from the coil, through the HT lead and down the spark plug where it jumps across the gap to earth, causing the spark which ignites the fuel/air mixture. As the revs increase, so does the voltage produced in the coils, and any insulation weaknesses cause the current to leak to earth before reaching the spark plug gap, which results in either a misfire, or a poor ignition which means the fuel in the chamber doesn't ignite fully and you get unburnt fuel left over. At low engine speeds, ie- idle speed, the flywheel momentum is enough to disguise these minor misfires and you generally won't feel them, but the lack of a full spark causes the misfire nonetheless. At higher speeds (and it only needs 100-200rpm extra) the flywheel has more momentum and masks them perfectly, and the coils are producing more voltage which reults in a bigger spark and the missfire is largely unnoticed unless its quite large. The engine in the video link you posted is seriously misfiring whilst the guy is trying to rev it up. The issue here is that these misfires cause damage. If it's popping like that in the inlet (and I'm diagnosing over the internet here), then it's as a result of fuel being ignited in places where it shouldn't be. It's possible, with EGR circuits these days, that it is igniting in the exhaust and being heard throughout the system, but if it is a misfire causing it, to that degree, I'd be concerned. If it's left it will cause grooves to be etched into the valve seats and that requires the fault rectifying in the first place and then the valves regrinding or the seats and valves replacing. Cylinder head off and not cheap. On a dark night away from street lights, crack open the bonnet and have someone rev the engine from idle quite briskly. If you have any problems with HT lead insulation, you'll see them light up like a chritmas tree as the current leaks to earth along them. Keep your fingers off them. I know from experience what 25000 volts feels like! If they are good, check each spark plug. If they are old, replace them. Signs of leakage are grey lines running along them. It looks like someone has drawn a line down them with an HB pencil. This is where the current is 'tracking' to earth instead of flowing through the centre. If it's not caused by ignition, then there really are only a couple of alternatives. Faulty head gasket or worn valves. If the gasket has blown between two adjacent cylinders, the gasses will be ignited in one, then forced through the gap into the adjacent one. That adjacent one will have a valve open as it will be on a different part of the 4-stroke cycle, and the burning gasses will enter the inlet or exhaust as a result. Again, I'd expect a rhythmic mis-fire if that were the case, hence why I suspect ignition faults with your engine as the insulation on 6 HT leads will break down pretty much simultaneously and cause random misfiring instead

Sound like it got some abuse from the previous owners. Most DMF's last around 80-120k. Of course, manufacturers do sometimes get rogue components every now and then. Provided the garage has fitted a good quality replacement, I wouldn't worry about it. Many clutches that fail prematurely do so either from manufacturing defects or from driver abuse. Did they replace the release bearing as well? I'll assume they did as it's part of the kit, but the hydraulic bellows eventually leak and cause the pedal to go loose, and the gearbox needs to come off to replace it, so hopefully that was done at the same time

Hello again Peter, I just trawled the Terraclean website. It appears they have a specific EGR and DPF cleaning system separate to the actual Terraclean system, so I assume that to mean that the standard Terraclean doen't clean the EGR. I also just emailed my local dealer (The Terraclean website has a locator service on it). I expected a reply tomorrow at the earliest but received it within 20 minutes!! The cost is £89 +VAT. I consider that to be pretty good value given the reports I've heard about it. I'll be booking in a couple of weeks

Found it!!! And interestingly, it's on a Jaguar!

Yes I've heard great reports about Terraclean. If memory serves me, I also saw Ed, the mechanic from Wheeler Dealers, do a show about it a while ago. The whole point of Terraclean is to remove carbon deposits from the engine without dismantling, so I can't see why it wouldn't clean an EGR valve, I just don't know enough about it to say for sure. I've never had to fully replace an EGR valve yet, just removed them and given them a damned good seeing to with paraffin and a brush after scraping as much as I can off with a tool of sorts. The only thing you can't do properly without removing it is the intake manifold. I've opted for using a rag to clear what I could and then spraying where I can with Carb Cleaner. Usually results in clouds of smoke when I restart the engine, but that doesn't last more than a few seconds and after that it's kept clean by a combination of Millers addidive and a good thrashing every now and then. Terraclean is supposed to get all of this clean without the need to take it apart. It's also, allegedly, good for cleaning the injectors too. If you, or anyone else, uses Terraclean, I'd be interested to know the results and might even give it a go myself.

I'm not sure Peter. I've heard good reports about Terraclean but I've not read up on it. It may be worth a call or an email to ask them that question.

I would anticipate that if you've had the light on because of the EGR valve that it would rear its' ugly head again at some point. It could be that the 'workout' has given it a jolt to get it freed up temporarily but without removing it and cleaning it, there is really no way you can be sure it will stay clear. The build-up of soot etc required to cause it to stick would be impossible to clear with a good thrashing. Once clean however, a good thrashing will prevent it becoming blocked again. I know a couple of Police mechanics and they've never had problems with EGR valves on Police cars!

Thankfully, I'm among the newer breed of truck drivers who aren't morbidly obese with a diet of cholesterol and chips. I keep decent breakfast cereal in my truck and have that in the morning, then will generally eat something I make myself either on the go or from home. I'm not a tramper either so I'm home each night to a proper meal too. I'm no Saint though, with my share of occasional ready meals and a few beers. Your friend is absolutely spot on though. Many of the drivers I meet are candidates for the morgue. I cycle twice a week and cover around 100-150 miles too just because I'm conscious of the health implications my profession has. Poor diet and lack of exercise, but given that many truckers work 12-15 hour days and often 6 days a week, I'm not surprised. It's quite a shocking industry

Well Trevor, you've just shattered every one of my childhood dreams! I've said for years that if I win the lottery I'll have a brand new Aston Martin Vanquish, but now.............. I think I'll keep my X-Type! ;)

My diesel produces 450hp and 1600lbft of torque! That said, it is a Mercedes not a Jaguar and weighs in at 44 tonnes!

I suppose one factor is what you need from the service. I only need roadside assist/recovery to home so I don't need pay any extra for home help etc. That saves us a bit of money and in the case of both the AA and the RAC I've no real complaints about the actual service, but it's a competitive market and if the service isn't priced competitively.............

We used to be with the AA but after they 'rewarded' our loyalty after several years membership by nearly tripling ore membership fees, we jumped ship to the RAC. Having used them now twice, once as a passenger in a friends car who's battery died in a layby on the A50, and on my previous car which destroyed its turbocharger, I have to say they were exceptional on both occasions

Welcome aboard. What model X-Type did you buy? Any photos?

There are several places supplying 2nd hand Jaguar components such as Rimmer Bros, Just Jags etc but have you tried eBay? I'm assuming you want telephone connectivity for phone calls and if so then most models can be upgraded by retrofitting the parts. If you want music connectivity via bluetooth, it's a little more comprehensive as the Jaguar audio system uses fibre optic connections and hence you can't simply plug in an aftermarket device. However, read my thread here for a workaround solution - http://www.jaguarownersclub.com/forums/topic/9377-bluetooth-audio-for-non-bluetooth-jags/#entry14129

I've never used it before but given the effect the diesel equivalent had on my X-Type, this might be worth a try. http://www.millersoils.co.uk/automotive/tds-automotive.asp?prodsegmentID=135&sector=Car

I used some Shell Optimax (I think thats what it's called) a couple of months ago and I did notice a little improvement in the cars response. It felt a little smoother too. The best I've noticed is from using the Millers additive I mentioned but the more expensive fuels at the pump do seem to make a small but noticeable difference, either diesel or petrol. The vast majority of additives do little but empty your wallet though

Petrol is much cleaner burning than diesel and doesn't produce the carbon deposits that diesels do. If your petrol engine is running well and not producing emission problems then I'd not bother adding anything. You could perhaps use a premium fuel instead of the supermarket stuff as the same applies with the diesels here too with regard to the additives the suppliers put in their fuels. Premium unleaded has more stuff in it to promote a cleaner burn and to resist carbon deposits being built up on valves etc. Even use the 97RON fuel instead of 92RON. It'll burn cleaner and will give you a slight improvement in throttle response. However, if you have running problems, the best and only way to cure it is to remove the offending compenents and either clean or replace them. Personally, I wouldn't waste your money on the additives for petrol. I'd opt to use the better quality, higher octane unleaded instead. I had a Vectra V6 not long ago which was slightly tuned but there was a noticeable difference when using 97RON instead of the 92RON. It wasn't a huge difference but it was still there.

Sorry, I posted my last comment without fully reading yours! Pleased to hear you have it sorted. The price you paid was excellent too. With a vehicle lift I could have done mine in about an hour and a half so I would have expected a local garage to charge around £170 for it. I got my bushes from Kent Jaguar Spares. Genuine parts for £15 each delivered!

The headlights should perform their 'sweep' test when you switch them on. If they don't, or only one does then it is unlikely to be a fault with the sensors on the suspension. If the sensors are disconnected or faulty the lights should still perform the sweep test but will then fail to level correctly. As yours don't perform the test I would suggest double checking the actuator arms are correctly located to the reflectors on the inside of the unit. It may be that the motors are working properly but aren't connected to the headlights on the inside

I developed a 'quiet' knocking on my X and have today replaced the front anti roll (sway bar) bushes. Pig of a job but worth doing. When I raised the car I could move the roll bar through the bush with little effort and whilst doing so could hear the 'quiet' knock. When measuring the old against the new the diameter of the hole in the bush was 3.5mm different and my car has covered 104k miles. It is perfectly feasible that your bushes are the cause of your knock. If you are, or know someone who is, a competent DIYer then it's perfectly feasible to do it yourself. It took me 3 hours and that included having to sort out the captive nut which sheared loose from the subframe mount. I can post a comprehensive guide to it if you want with photos.

Did my front anti roll bar bushes today and I can honestly say it's one of the cr@piest jobs I've ever done! If anyone needs info on 'how to', I have a few photographs of the job in progress and I can give details if required. It's not an easy job but it is perfectly doable for a competent DIYer. On a difficulty scale of 1-10, I'd score it a 6. As part of the process the subframe mounting bolts needed removing to give access and one of the captive nuts broke free! Thus I then had cut the floor pan to gain access to the bolt from above in order to get a socket onto it. Again, if anyone needs info on this, I have it.

I've tried most of the Jaguar forums. Been a mixed bag really but for the friendliest experience and the most useful, I keep coming to this one. The only other one I keep in contact with is www.JaguarForums.com This one is a great site but tends to have a lot of international users which are of interest to some but generally I find the topics to be irrelevant to me. However it is worth keeping tabs on. Hope you enjoy your S. Not much competes with a Jaguar

Try these to - www.rimmerbros.co.uk They're based not far from me and are very good