coefficient .32 Jaguar S Type X200 - One year on...

[Six-cylinder]

On 1/22/2021 at 4:45 PM, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

I found treasure! If any of the previous owners want it back, just come and rummage through my Wheely bin.

 

 

 

It was just before I got it!

You threw me of the scent changing your name, but I am back on it now fantastic work!

While I was never that fond of the wood because in my view it was too light in colour, it was the steering wheel that really annoyed me being wood for part of it, I would want it all leather.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Lolz. I just didn't get on with the old name so I changed it to the name of the first keeper of my BMW. I still have the old steering wheel, you can collect it anytime you want. 🙃

[Rod/b]

1 hour ago, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

Lolz. I just didn't get on with the old name so I changed it to the name of the first keeper of my BMW. I still have the old steering wheel, you can collect it anytime you want. 🙃

Here’s a new profile photo for you 

https://imsvintagephotos.com/crispian-hotson-966845

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Ooh, I wonder if that's the fella, he was up in some sort of mining, rock, aggregate or something completely different type firm near Wales. I researched a bit but it kind of fizzled out.

[Rod/b]

2 minutes ago, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

Ooh, I wonder if that's the fella, he was up in some sort of mining, rock, aggregate or something completely different type firm near Wales. I researched a bit but it kind of fizzled out.

That’s him. He used to own coal mines. 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Thanks for that! I should go dig out the lever arch file on the BM, I'm fairly sure there's corresponding info to Ryan International in the paper work. I quit hunting around for info when it turned out that he either went to South Africa or lives in London. Never had a pic though, it was just one of those 'i wonder if...' moments because of the fairly unique* name. 

*Stands by waiting for 25 Crispian's to make that right ...

[colino]

Well done on the door locks.  I would have sworn I had to take out the quarter light support to do the rear ones. 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

3 minutes ago, colino said:

Well done on the door locks.  I would have sworn I had to take out the quarter light support to do the rear ones. 

You are supposed to. But there is a way. It risks paint damage to the door handle though, as you literally have to force it past a sharp metal return lip. Masking tape is your friend here.

[wuvvum]

Heh, I noticed you'd changed your avatar, but I hadn't realised that it was the real life Crispian J. Hotson.  Brilliant!

[cpjitservices]

Ohhh glad ive found this as I have added another S type to the fleet - this will be my third!

 

I have brake issues!

I need help! Its mint apart from the brake problem!

[cpjitservices]

Heres my Fred

 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Heh, I noticed you'd changed your avatar, but I hadn't realised that it was the real life Crispian J. Hotson.  Brilliant!

I know right, it's awesome. Gonna print the pic off and put it in the BM. Hopefully it will absorb the energy,  fix itself, get a personality swap and stop being a pain in the arse. 

 

Yea, I'm relying on magic now.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

7 hours ago, cpjitservices said:

Ohhh glad ive found this as I have added another S type to the fleet - this will be my third!

 

I have brake issues!

I need help! Its mint apart from the brake problem!

You have pm!

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

She sailed through the MOT with no advisories, flipping right too! Had a sneaky peak underside and everything is looking alright, needs some descaling of the rear subframe and tidying though to prevent future issues, it's just really dry under there.

Next up, I heard a springy boing noise when pulling up at home the other other day. I had a quick scout of the vicinity but all springy things appeared fine and the car drives as normal, so I don't know what that was... or do I?

Finally, don't do the following kidz. I did and wish I hadn't. The unit usually shines up great with a bit of coconut scented wosh'n'wacks but every time I washed it I gradually realised that she was showing her age on the paint condition, scratched, marked and hazing. I decided  that the time is now to 2 cut and polish on it and see where we get with it. Well, I was doing this outside and the first cut took absolutely ages... 1 whole working day in fact because I knew that at least half of the paint on the near side and rear end had some sort of overspray on it and it presumably had been once parked under a decorator who had coated the same side with tiny spots of white gloss paint. I needed to get all of this off as it felt rough! Towards the end of the day it started to rain and I would have continued but I had the MOT booked so I had to wash the compound off and drive in the rain to the test center.

As the car dried on the ramp, it slowly developed into one giant hologram which was not easy on the eye, but pretty trippy all the same. Today, I had to wash the car again to get all the debris off of it ready for stage 2, fine cut.

That didn't take nearly as long and the results looked promising, I was however, beginning to hate my polisher machine thingy having held it for nearly 20 hours or so. Once that was done by this afternoon, I had to wash the car again, but this time, every nook and cranny needed eliminating of white residue... It took so long, was tedious as hell and I really wasn't feeling like becoming a vehicular detailer for a living. How those people do that every day is beyond me.

Once washed and cleaned off dry I hit it with some fancy smelling wax which compliments the wash stuff I use on it. I put the wax on by hand for that loving finishing touch. Then I started to take it off and it rained, not a lot, but just enough to stop me taking the wax off. I didn't get mad and shout at the clouds, I just calmly packed up and went indoor leaving most of the car with a hazy finish. I'm going to have another go tomorrow to get it off but as a positive, it is on there so the paint is now protected. 

I took the opportunity to cut the headlamp lenses too despite using that kit last year, it hasn't held up and the plastic is yellowing again. To be fair to the kit, the lights were in a mess and it produced good results but at the end of the day, it was just a few bits of sandpaper and some magical fluid which hasn't fulfilled it's claim of UV protection.

I also had to take the battery off today as well for a good charge. Doing the door locks, cutting, the weather and the MOT all took it's toll and I was greeted with all the Christmas tree lights (ABS, TC and BRAKE) on the way back from test, signalling a low battery voltage. It took a while to complete the charge so it was low. 

Already, waxing on it, she feels smooth and silky rather than textured wallpaper and frustratingly, from a distance the car will look exactly the same! I can hear my curtain twitching neighbour audience already "...he's been banging on that motah for three days now and it looks no different"!

I can see that when or if I get this wax off tomorrow, she'll be a beut!

I've learnt a few things along the way.

1) The British weather is bad most of the time.

2) Car paint is not made from papier mache and you can work it.

3) Plastic headlamps are rubbish.

4) I do not ever want to be a car valeter, respect to those that are.

5) Wax makes a lot of different materials look nice but it is not nice to my hands.

6) There are a lot of bends, rubbers and corners hidden away in Stype door shuts, to get white residue out of them takes about 8 days.

So, with all the luck tomorrow for fair weather and avoiding omgsnokaos, I should get it completed for some pictures where you will look and see a black jag which looks exactly the same as before. 

Oh, and that springy noise? yeah, it was just the bottom length of the radiator frame detaching itself from the radiator and allowing most of the cooling mesh to fall out and the water channels to sag... nothing too bad!

 

[stripped fred]

I can't wait to see photos of the finished product. As soon as mine is fixed I'll give it a go over. I'm embarrassed to say I've never polished mine, but your motivation and progress are giving me the kick up the backside I need 👍

I wonder what a radiator costs for these 🤔

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Cheers, glad to be inspiring. Diesels are different to petrols but the cost is anything from a £30 manky used unit to a £700 Jag item.. Average after meerkat is about £40- £50 ish.

 

As for the waxing, well I looked out the window, got changed and the stuff together, went outside and yeah, it's now raining. Thought I'd tidy the shed as it looked like it was stopping but no, it's getting worse. Now I'm wet and stuck in the shed. I can also rule out becoming a weather girl as a potential career.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

 

Whadya think? Maybe a bit of moar tyre shine? Lock on the door went again so I just threw my toolbox through the window. The over all results are just a bit disappointing.

 

In fact and in reality, I'm not touching the car until Monday now due to the current OMGRAINKAOS and OMGSNOKAOS due tomorrow.

[bezzabsa]

I used to be a Valeter at a VX garage in 1989, actually loved it..hated Black cars with a passion as you could spend all day going round and round and round....white and that pale yellow they used to do were brill LOL

Every Saturday was spent doing the inlaws cars, then mine, then bro in laws..I used to love it..

then got fed up of some asshole either scratching the cars, or throwing mud etc at them..

so mine gets washed either at Asda or when open the local immigrant car wash..

I have a polisher, cutting paste, various wax and polishes but have No desire to dig into it

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

You're not missing much man. I suppose it would be a much better ball game if it was in a unit under some good lights in the dry, maybe with a heater, cold refreshments and with no time restrictions. There are those mobile guys though, I suppose they have a little tent thing maybe. 

You are right about black cars though, I had one some years ago from new and it never looked clean after it dried. 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Looking at the weather today, -65, everything freezing and a shower of bird shit from a nearby tree occupied by horny Starlings, it was the perfect time to go and wipe that wax off the Jaag!

After I was done, I had to go and get me sunshades because, she was bright...

^ There's 14 British cylinders just there.

For the benefit of this site, I made sure to get the wheely bins in shot and some council gate posts although the Hawthorn has been removed from the hedgerows, so they are not 'original spec'.

I also got an injun shotz

This has the added bonus of ghetto kerb ramps so my neighbour can just cruise right on up onto the shingle.

This car never* fails to amaze me. As a reward for looking absolutely fucking lush, she's getting new shocks on the front on Monday- weather permitting of course.

 

[cpjitservices]

20 hours ago, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

Looking at the weather today, -65, everything freezing and a shower of bird shit from a nearby tree occupied by horny Starlings, it was the perfect time to go and wipe that wax off the Jaag!

After I was done, I had to go and get me sunshades because, she was bright...

^ There's 14 British cylinders just there.

For the benefit of this site, I made sure to get the wheely bins in shot and some council gate posts although the Hawthorn has been removed from the hedgerows, so they are not 'original spec'.

I also got an injun shotz

This has the added bonus of ghetto kerb ramps so my neighbour can just cruise right on up onto the shingle.

This car never* fails to amaze me. As a reward for looking absolutely fucking lush, she's getting new shocks on the front on Monday- weather permitting of course.

 

Great looking motor mate! 

What year is it? Has it got the Facelift interior?

[stripped fred]

I need to give mine a damn good polish when I get it back...

[OM646]

1 hour ago, cpjitservices said:

Has it got the Facelift interior?

Nope, his has the early dash, but in the last pages he fitted a X202 glovebox in it 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Welcome. Continuing our 'kerb side mechanics' series, today we went and looked at the front suspension. I used this car for a daily commute through that London last year for about 2 months, early starts and an abandoned city due to the covids meant we could test the cars agility through those desolate city streets with some enthusiasm. 

Unfortunately the mayor of London has a secret, stealthy way of keeping road speeds down and that is by not fixing them, and letting the tarmac erode down to the cobbles in many places. Of course, continuously swerving and occasionally hitting 5 foot deep potholes took it's toll on the Jagwar and she ended up edge feathering the very recent front Goodyears. A tell tale sign of buggered dampers. This made the daily Motorway trip out of there increasingly uncomfortable by giving vibrations at high speed almost like defective wheel balancing, bang on a speedo displaying 80mph in fact.

 

I haven't done these dampers before. I got a front set of Monroes for it, middle of the road parts. I am pretty sure that these are the first set of standard dampers I have actually bought for a car... ever. 

When they turned up some months ago, I'm always a little bit dubious in my mind that I've got the right part and that the right part has been sent, because I have the rare X200 and I always fear I'll end up with X202 parts that just don't fit right. I get the impression that there is a wide bunch of suppliers who think an SType is an SType from start to finish.

So looking at the dampers in the box, they are beefier than what I've already got on there but what interested me the most was their simplicity. I'm probably a bit used to doing inserts on the BM but these have a bolt mount on the bottom and the usual thread at the top. This swap was going to be easy!

It wasn't. So far as car jobs go, it's fairly straightforward but I made the mistake of preparing myself for a breeze of a job. First off, I got the car up and wheel out of there. Fortunately it was fairly clean in the well as I'd been there on inspection last year and cleaned and greased stuff. Then I went to get a socket on the bottom shock mount... I can't. The drop link is in the way... here we go! Undone the top of the drop link nut but can't swing it out of the way because the thread is too long through the ARB, so undone the bottom nut, removed the drop link, got a jack under the ball joint for some arm control to free the bolt from the lower shock mount... out she came.

The top was easy enough with no dramas, after that messing about on my 'easy job' I hoped for plain sailing... nope.

Cracked the top mount nut, and set about the spring to compress it. Now, for years I've used those threaded bar type compressors. they do the job and can bind up sometimes but the key is to compress the spring evenly. I noticed that the spring itself is a conical form, narrower at the base than at the top and I was struggling to even get my compressor clamps in the windings. The spring winding is fairly close to the shock and the clamps are too long, hit the shock and don't seat on the spring properly. Great, this isn't going to work.

I searched through my toolbox and found my engineering hat. Put that badboy on and went and got my grinder. After measuring A and adding B but subtracting the longitudinal angle of 72 degrees and dividing that by the complete series of quantum physics for dummies, I chopped off 20mm from each clamp and about 70mm off the threaded bars because they were just way too long. By doing this, I created special tool 'Jaguar S type X200 front spring compressor 12-763'.

Now, my air compressor has been in storage for a while, I got it out last week but the lines are shot and I'd like to service it before I fire it up, so without that, I was on manual winding duties and it took ages.

The 'easy job' was going splendidly. 

6 and a half hours later the spring was off and how the damper was performing (or not) could be revealed.

No leaks and she's still very stiff to force down, hand hurtingly stiff. I was expecting to see more and there was...

She's been beating on the bumpstop. A similar fresh contact mark was evident on the bumpstop itself. These dampers are also very thin in construction and I couldn't determine a makers mark or part number. The lower bush dust boot was cracking too. The car has done say 108,000 miles, are these originals?

Still, moving on, the new damper was offered up, a new bumpstop included was fitted and it was put back together with some slippery copper in contact places to avoid any unwanted noises and reduce corrosion.

And then, as Mr Haynes once said 'refitting is reversal of removal'!

I did find however that there is a void behind where the damper fits in the mounting tower which has accumulated and amazing amount of crap over the last 20 odd years and there was minimal corrosion but where it was, it was attacking the chassis legs. This was cleaned out and a liberal coating of a special oily substance was applied in here. Not eating this car on my watch M8!

Refitted, the well was cleaned up once again to a standard where I am happy to work in there again and rechecked the bits that are supposed to be able to move at some point, will be able to.

All that faffing and rolling about in the kerb took a lot of time, way longer than it should have so as a reward, I've left the near side for tomorrow!

With one side replaced and the other existing, the old bounce test, once performed on second hand Anglias across the country, can really show the difference, she dives down on the nearside. 

Tomorrow, we'll get the other damper out, clean up the well and torque up the bolts once the weight is back on the suspension. Then test drive, and I can't wait because I reckon that these dampers have been soggy for quite some time. London just finished them off!

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

On 2/13/2021 at 1:09 PM, cpjitservices said:

Great looking motor mate! 

What year is it? Has it got the Facelift interior?

Cheers. It was registered in Jan 2000 but I've found many parts on it to be stamped 1998. My limited knowledge reckons that it's the last of the X200, based on the Lincoln LS platform with Ford-ish electronicals. Shortly after came the X200.5 which had old body, revised interior and then came the X202 with revised body, interior and a closer association with Ford. Further revisions were made up to 2007.

Here's a wiki although I'm not stating it's factually accurate.

1999 S Type

While we are here, after light discussion with a dedicated forum, I changed the 'predecessor' on the Wiki to the older S Type from the 60's as it said Rover SD1 of all things but it says 'page not found'. There is a page but I can't fathom how to make it a link, so if anyone is bored... go ahead.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

OTHER SIDE!

Boring update of exactly what I done yesterday but on the passenger side with test drive result bonus content.

Firstly, this void behind the strut, it's going to be an issue and is acting like a big basket for all the road rubbish to hide in, once the strut is on, you aint cleanin in there so like the other side, I pulled out stones and crap, cleaned it up good and then applied my special formula rust prevention fluid. 

"It don't look pretty, but neither does a 25mm structural rust hole."

Formulated in the very bowels of the land rover V8 for exactly 9758 miles or 1 year, whichever comes first, this fluid guarantees total protection from penetrating corrosion until it eventually washes off or my money back. Basically it's used oil and it's going to seep into those seams and protect on it until I want to get in there and paint something on it. Which probably will never happen now I've replaced the shocks, but that stuff is locked in. Total piece of mind.

Strut went back in, for some unknown reason it was a bit of a bugger locating the threads through the top of the tower, I needed a bar to hang off the bottom arm but it went in eventually.

Now, with the wheels on and the car on the deck, I set to torque the bolts and nuts I'd messed with. It aint happening. How are you supposed to get a torque wrench in there and lever on these things is beyond me. So, plan B involved lifting the car, removing the wheel again and then jacking on the lower suspension until it was around road height- there's always more than one way to skin a cat M8. I was surprised to find that the link rods are not very tight at all, 48Nm or something, goes against my very fibre, but I'll trust* the Jag technical manual.

What else... oh yeah, the road wheel. I noticed some heavy black deposits on the inside and some of it was looking loose or peeling? Weird...

WTF is that? Well, I had a closer look. The rim has damage to the corner on the edge lip, as you can see above by the glorious chamfer... I tried to work out what may have caused this. All I could come up with was a lower arm catastrophically failing but then I found a 'stop mark' in the grind. This is a tell tale sign of a rim being dragged on a tyre machine as they fit a tyre, how do I know? Because I've done it!

This black stuff had brush marks in it! Someone has painted this on the rim... what's it hiding? Why? Who knows? 

In the interests of safety, I removed it all with a wire brush.

Dunno, she's clean. 

All back together, it was test drive time and OHMYGODD, it's like something is holding up the front end! It has support and just feels... level?, firm? safe? I can't think of another word. We have a result and that's what counts.

 

 

 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

Good News!

The Jaag has completed over 100 miles and nothing has fallen off. Changing the shocks has transformed the ride and that's just great. Even gooder news is that once I almost reached my destination I heard a faint bong coming from the head unit whilst the bluetooth was playing. I recognised this bong as a sat nav speed limit change alert. I looked puzzled at the unit and pressed the Nav select screen which has done nothing for about 6 months and there it was...

It's has come back to life!? What the?

It continued to work right the way home. I can determine the following:

Installing an Alpine into the X200 acts as a built in diagnostic cpu. When the front shocks are worn the sat nav will fail to operate until they are replaced. Very helpful.

[stripped fred]

Look at you, you flash bugger with your new shocks and working satnav! Good work there sir 🏆

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

The old Jaag has been behaving itself pretty much just as any 20 odd year old car would, but over the last few days of smoking about, sorry, wafting about to and from work, 100 miles a day, 80% of which is motorway, I noticed a change. What change you ask...
Well, I'll tell you... A change in smooveness. Now I know, there is this vibration at high speed... and that was scheduled to be ironed out this weekend but the 'car' (also known by various swear words) seemed to be 'dragging' and this sensation got worse until we have today when the characteristic rumble of a smoked wheel bearing emerged.
Seemingly coming from the front off side, increasing with wheel speed and moaning at me through the steering wheel with a continuous quick but faint vibration at any speed above 41.6mph. I got that feeling one gets when one senses their machine is about to grenade and leave one stranded in the middle of nowhere and so, I eased of the gas, limping it to work.
Once parked I done the scientific test of feeling the hubs for excessive heat. All were fairly cool except the off side rear which was close to meltdown temperatures.
Fairly obvious then. Why the noise from the front?
I need to fix on it this weekend, so I took the valiant decision to play parts darts and purchased two rear bearings.
At home time and dreading my 50mph journey home being overtaken by artics, I kept it cool in between the torrential pour downs and the journey was slow and steady. Upon arriving home I immediately went and got the digital temperature lazer beam thing and measured each hub. The fronts were between 49 and 50 and the rears were between 42 and 45, the higher being the off side rear... they all felt fairly cool too. The noise was as loud as ever all the way back though. This leads me into thinking that the noise is actually being generated by the sodding front tyres and their sketchy wear from the exploded shocks that were on it and now they are rolling like old land rover tyres and that I have an intermittent dragging (manual) handbrake on the off side rear as it rolls freely 95% of the time and the pads are even.

So tonight, I can't be arsed jacking it up in the rain and will use the back up Discovery tomorrow, because breaking that too makes so much sense.
This weekend I'll be rotating the tyres and see if the noise goes to the rear, obviously checking me bearings and swapping out the front lower arm bushes with rock hard track plastic. If all that goes well and I actually manage to reassemble it and drive it to work on Monday without any of the two vibrations rattling my teeth, then some sort of miracle will have occurred. 

We need to ask ourselves, what is the cause of this? What else is going to break? Why is this writing blocked in white?

[Six-cylinder]

15 minutes ago, Crispian_J_Hotson said:

The old Jaag has been behaving itself pretty much just as any 20 odd year old car would, but over the last few days of smoking about, sorry, wafting about to and from work, 100 miles a day, 80% of which is motorway, I noticed a change. What change you ask...
Well, I'll tell you... A change in smooveness. Now I know, there is this vibration at high speed... and that was scheduled to be ironed out this weekend but the 'car' (also known by various swear words) seemed to be 'dragging' and this sensation got worse until we have today when the characteristic rumble of a smoked wheel bearing emerged.
Seemingly coming from the front off side, increasing with wheel speed and moaning at me through the steering wheel with a continuous quick but faint vibration at any speed above 41.6mph. I got that feeling one gets when one senses their machine is about to grenade and leave one stranded in the middle of nowhere and so, I eased of the gas, limping it to work.
Once parked I done the scientific test of feeling the hubs for excessive heat. All were fairly cool except the off side rear which was close to meltdown temperatures.
Fairly obvious then. Why the noise from the front?
I need to fix on it this weekend, so I took the valiant decision to play parts darts and purchased two rear bearings.
At home time and dreading my 50mph journey home being overtaken by artics, I kept it cool in between the torrential pour downs and the journey was slow and steady. Upon arriving home I immediately went and got the digital temperature lazer beam thing and measured each hub. The fronts were between 49 and 50 and the rears were between 42 and 45, the higher being the off side rear... they all felt fairly cool too. The noise was as loud as ever all the way back though. This leads me into thinking that the noise is actually being generated by the sodding front tyres and their sketchy wear from the exploded shocks that were on it and now they are rolling like old land rover tyres and that I have an intermittent dragging (manual) handbrake on the off side rear as it rolls freely 95% of the time and the pads are even.

So tonight, I can't be arsed jacking it up in the rain and will use the back up Discovery tomorrow, because breaking that too makes so much sense.
This weekend I'll be rotating the tyres and see if the noise goes to the rear, obviously checking me bearings and swapping out the front lower arm bushes with rock hard track plastic. If all that goes well and I actually manage to reassemble it and drive it to work on Monday without any of the two vibrations rattling my teeth, then some sort of miracle will have occurred. 

We need to ask ourselves, what is the cause of this? What else is going to break? Why is this writing blocked in white?

The white background is formatting and I can remove it in word, but guess it can be done finding the correct command on here.

Sorry the noise on the Jag I can't help you with.