Shagged XJS - GOT THE MOVES LIKE JAGUAR. NOW with inept attempts to start after one year on its bum

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Mmm, the lock mechanism in the link NorfolkNWeigh  has posted is the one it should have, as far as I can see from a look at the Jaguar classic parts website: http://www.jaguarclassicparts.com/uk/jaguar-xjs-v179737-v226645-parts/body-closures-and-sealing/trunk-latching-mechanisms-and-seals/trunk-lock-and-latch

 

There is an earlier type (which Skizzer’s XJ-S will have) but as far as I can see, this was changed to the type in the link by the time your car was made. Presumably, your car has the same Tibbe type key for the boot lock as for everything else? In any event, though the two types differ in detail, the fundamental design is similar.

 

It does look very different on the car. All the Gubbins and trickery is hidden - all you can see is the bottom part of the latch (part 6 in the diagram) mostly concealed by the plastic cover (part 18 in the diagram) protruding from the bottom of the boot lid, and the button (coloured in red in my diagram) peeping out from its hole in the upper part of the boot lid. Everything else is out of sight.

 

I have coloured in the diagram to make it easier to read:

 

 

The green part is the lock mechanism (part 2) – with the button shown in red. This connects to the latch mechanism ( part 6 - coloured in brown) by means of a rod coloured in yellow.

 

The lock part (coloured green on the diagram) looks like this:

 

 

And from below you can see the button part, visible outside the car above the registration plate:

 

 

The latch mechanism looks like this. The latch is worked by means of a rod which attaches to the button on the lock part which is also attached through the hole on the moving part of the latch below. I have coloured the moving pieces of the latch which move the lock latch in yellow, the actual lock latch itself I have coloured orange in the diagram:

 

 

(There are several versions which seem from what I can see to differ only in the siting of the micro switch which tells the car whether the boot is shut or not.)

 

The lock sounds like it is working properly on your car – the button is fixed when the key is set to ‘lock’, and moves when it is set to ‘unlock’. Unfortunately, the rod which lifts the latch to open position sounds to have come off – either at the top at the lock itself, or the bottom where the lock attaches to the latch mechanism.

 

This is how it attaches at the top (picture is an XJ40 – but the principle is the same)

 

 

 

By drilling a hole in the right place on the boot lid behind the registration plate, you will be able to work the lock latch mechanism with a screw driver or similar, pulling up the part in yellow (as the rod would if it was connected) thus moving the latch into the 'open' position - which will free the boot lid so it can be opened. Re-attaching the rods will have the boot functioning correctly again.

 

From my earlier link, here is where the poster the Jaguar forum drilled the hole in the boot lid:

 

 

Revealing the latch mechanism. The part I coloured in yellow in the diagram will free the latch:

 

 

The latch itself, removed from that car. Damage from drilling can be seen on the lock mechanism - and is also visible on the photo above. It is helpful to orientate exactly what sits where on the photo.

 

 

And a picture of the latch mechanism from the internet. The exact position of the micro switch seems to differ between model years - but Jaguar classic parts mark them as interchangeable:

 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Boot opener still BORKED.

 

Skizzer, there is a large rectangular button that rocks from left to right, positioned below the lip and the keyhole.  The key will turn and lock the button into a fixed position, but when unlocked the buttons just moves freely, with no feeling of clickiness or springiness .

 

 

This sounds like the rod has come off at the top (as in my XJ40 picture)

[Guest Breadvan72]

Thanks.  The boot lid might be from an earlier car - it was replaced recently and that is what has caused the problem. 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

The boot lid is from a facelift car - there is a photo of it on page 11. The internal workings of the lock and latch mechanism will almost certainly be the same as those in the links and diagram - though I accept they look very different on the car, since most of the workings are hidden by the bodywork.

 

If the rod has come off, then drilling a hole in the boot lid and working the lock mechanism directly is the only way I can think of to open it. It is done with moderate regularity - there are a fair few Jags with grommets filling a round hole on them from this procedure - invisible of course, since it is behind the registration plate.

 

 

Here is the link from page 12:

 

http://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xjs-x27-32/xjs-conv-trunk-stuck-39845/

 

 

The same procedure used to open the boot on an XJ40:

 

https://www.xj40.com/viewtopic.php?t=6690

[Guest Breadvan72]

Thanks, drillage may occur at some point.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Bootlid drillage and grommetage is occurring.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Excellent! - Well, presuming you got it open!

 

Does the newly opened boot have its own microclimate and biosphere?

 

"K, he is back ...the light giver! - All hail K!"

[Skizzer]

Excellent! - Well, presuming you got it open!

 

Does the newly opened boot have its own microclimate and biosphere?

 

"K, he is back ...the light giver! - All hail K!"

 

[Junkman]

Thanks.  The boot lid might be from an earlier car

 

So it's too good. You need a newer, worse one.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Bootlid FIXED.  Battery megaflat and pez a year old, but I will charge the battery overnight and see if the thing will start.   

 

 

Thanks for all the diagrams and widget pics posted above, v helpful.

[Guest Breadvan72]

There is some kind of subculture going on in there.  Just keep banging those rocks together, guys!  

 

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

[Guest Breadvan72]

Posh Ctek battery charger reports that the battery isn't holding a charge, and jumpers to the 4 litre Jag from the 2.6 litre SD1 got some incipient cranking, but no actual go, plus New Year's Eve clickety light show on the panel.   Bummer if the battery is shagged, as it was new in 2015, but it has been sat for a year (railway car park ticket dated 22 Feb 16 still on dash top) and there may be a mystery drain somewhere as well.  Next plan is to try the 3 litre X Type as jumper car, with the addition of some fresh V Power from a can, and if that doesn't work try the big fugoff jumper pack that is in the boot of the Dolomite (currently down the road getting a new clutch, but home on Monday).    If that doesn't work I will give in and get a new battery, but as you can imagine an XJS needs an enormobattery and they aren't cheap.  Assuming that the readout on the Ctek gadget is correct, battery shopping is likely, but I'll see.

[saucedoctor]

Aye. That's an 010 battery IIRC, and about a hundred quid for a half-decent one.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Put some new pezzer in, hooked up to X Type, and the XJS cranks like a bastid but won't fire.  Will try again later.  

[DodgeRover]

Give it a sniff of easy start and see if that helps once the plugs have dried out a bit?

 

Can you stick the Jag battery onto something that runs and see if the alternator will bang it back into life?

[Guest Breadvan72]

The engine may indeed be damp.  I don't know if it is fuelling or sparking at the moment.   I will spray canned wombat jizz at it and try again tomorrer.

[Timewaster]

A ctek will be of no use if the battery is totally dead.

Like most modern too smart for their own good chargers,it needs to see a voltage back before it will start charging.

So basically it won't charge a flat battery. You need an old school charger with no protection circuits to put a bit of juice into it first.

I've got a Sip charger that will see a flat 12v battery with say 3.5v in it and assume it is a 6v battery and charge it to about 7v and cut off.

 

Helpful.

[Guest Hooli]

The other option is to join two batteries in parallel and then connect the charger to both. The nackered one will charge up enough that way to charge the rest of the way on it's own.

[Junkman]

I told you to buy a V12.

With a V12, none of this would have ever happened.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Yes, you are right; with a V12, it would be properly broken, with none of this half arsed electrobollocks.


I can haz old skule battery charger too, so will wang that on. Mahoosive truck starter boost box will be available tomorrow.


At least one mouse has nested in the boot. There may be a family of angry badgers living in the engine.

 

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Yesterday I was reading Pierre Clostermann's description of his first go at starting a Hawker Tempest.  The Napier engine had a Koffmann starter.  This involved shooting the engine with a big fucking gun.   That could be a popular accessory on here.

[dome]

Breadvans Irish cousin, earlier...

 

 

Anything that starts with a shotgun cartridge and a hammer is WINNING in my book.

[Guest Breadvan72]

All of my cousins are Irish.

[dome]

This is slightly cooler, although probably not as good at ploughing. Except maybe once if I tried to fly it.

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

The only radial engined aircraft wot I have started is a Yak 52, which like all Russian aircraft is designed to be flown by ploughmen and fixed by hitting with big hammers.  Amazing gouts of flame and smoke emitted from the exhausts. From the outside, the engine sounds ace, but from the cockpit it sounds like a bag of spanners.  Apparently this is also true of Spitfires, but I have not tried one of those, alas. Starting most piston engined aircraft requires three hands.   I have hand swung a Tiger Moth, which has an inverted inline four with no electrics, and that is a good way to knacker your shoulder, as the wooden prop is big and the compression is compressy.

[michael1703]

Jumping a car with a duff battery will sap a lot of energy, even if you've only got a good battery with half the cranking amps to spare, you'd be better to put that on the xj and then jump it with something else.

 

How thick are the jump leads?

[Guest Hooli]

Yesterday I was reading Pierre Clostermann's description of his first go at starting a Hawker Tempest.  The Napier engine had a Koffmann starter.  This involved shooting the engine with a big fucking gun.   That could be a popular accessory on here.

 

He then proceeds to almost hit E hanger due to torque on take off & flies over the remains of F hanger that was pulled down for the same reason. Why do I remember that exactly when I've not read The Big Show in years?

 

 

Just had a thought BV, are you jumping it via the battery? I'm pretty sure my XJ40 had jump start terminals under the bonnet so you get less current loss to the engine.

[beko1987]

I'm in lewknor atm, I could come and point at it with you? Or see if the xantia can provide more voltage?

[Guest Hooli]