1984 Jaguar XJS passenger car from North America - Comments

When I got the car the owner had just put a new gas tank in because it was leaking so it had a gas smell, but I took it out with a mix of putting charcoal, and a couple of apples in the trunk.

Also when I got the car the radio did not work well the tape player was messed up and the preset buttons stuck. So after three months of dealing with this I pulled it out and installed a pioneer premier radio which cost $360

With a five year warranty for the radio. Along the line I installed a Jensen 600watt HLX amp with four SPL 6X9's and one infinity kappa perfect 12' sub woofer.

About eight months after I had the car something went wrong with a valve or a cylinder which no one knew what was wrong

Not even the jaguar shop, and my dad being a trustworthy person believed them on many things and ended up wasting about $1600 on trying to fix this engine in turn I got pissed and pulled the car out of the shop and took it down to my grandpas since he has about every tool imaginable and pulled the engine out (note to all who decide to do this you will find your jag engine has more junk than most Buick's and are about as tight as a diesel to get out suggestion have a lot of patience and with a few cuss words here and there and you got it made) and with the purchase of a conversion kit $1500 I put a Chevy 350 engine in the car and it works properly now.

Now its nine months and I'm starting to think the speakers in my car are messed up and are wearing out so again I will be installing new speakers soon.

The car was fast, but now it is faster

Plus it still steers like a dream.

The old engine I sold to someone who wanted to use it as parts so I have a little bit of cash in my pocket and I'm happy to get rid of the engine and I'm thinking about upgrading my amplifier to a Memphis belle one of these days.

I never liked the backseat no room at all my fiancee can't even fit back there and she is petite, but hey fixes the problem with the sub woofer, and other speakers that you can't put in the trunk due to the gas tank so what I did was put my sub between the driver and passenger seat and mounted the four 6X9's onto the sub box and ran the wires from amp in the trunk to the speakers in the backseat.

Also about the new engine I put in it could I get a few words on what to put on it to make it faster I'm getting different opinions on this.

What a shame you have destroyed a lovely british classic by messing about with stereo systems and sticking an american engine in it. You appear more concerned with the amount of power the boogie box kicks out than the engine. Please do not get me wrong, I am a big fan of American cars and their big V8s, but feel that transplanting these engines into a jag negates the whole point of having one, why not just buy a mustang or something?

I have an early XJS (1979) V12 which has never given any mechanical trouble - although the electrics are as usual full of gremlins. The engine in this pulls like a train, is quiet and smooth, if a little thirsty and has the potential to tune to racing car spec (TWR got 700BHP plus out of their 6Litres)

Anyway, enjoy your jag, at least it will be cheaper to service and repair now! (and it won't break)

Actually I would have kept the car the same execpt for the fact the jaguar company that I took it to would have known what was the problem was, but I was look at $5-10k to fix either a problem with the wiring/valve/cylinder/engine so if that didn't fix it it was either rebuild the engine buy another engine or as I was told you can put a chevy V8 of your choice in it by buying a conversion kit from johns cars which rebuilding this engine was going to cost $15,000+ or to get another engine would be the trouble of finding one then buying it around $6000 and hope nothing else will go wrong with it and going through the same process or putting a Chevy 328-454 engine that you can buy for a much lesser price and can overtime rebuild yourself which I'm going to be a mechanic when I get out of high school, and through 8months of trade school, but it just turned to be the fact my grandpa had a 350 and he gave it to me for free and I just had to buy the kit from johns cars and put it in.

That great english car has been destroyed what a waste of a jag.

My brother in law has just put a Jaguar v12 in his Trans Am. It drives lovely and goes well; but sounds wrong. The engine should have stayed in a Jag.

I own a 1980xjs which I have been restoring for 6 years and the motor is so beautifully smooth. My plan is to leave v12 in the car even though I know I will be plagued with oil leaks just like my sons was. As far as economy is concerned LPG is the way to go. One can still enjoy the comfort of beautiful car plus cheaper running for long trips. Dual fuel does work well on jaguars in Australia. I also own a series 2 LWB 1974 which I purchased with a 350 in it. I have done 5oo, oooklm without any major oil leaks which says a lot for a coversion. The V8 has a great note, but the V12 just runs so smooth and has an exhaust note of it's own. A V12 without oil leaks would be perfect.

I am truly heartbroken. The "mechanic" you went to was a sorry example. In my experience, only neglect will kill these engines. They are more durable than any other I can think of unless over-heated (due to cooling system neglect). Over-heat them (or any other aluminum engine) and you'll drop a valve seat or loose a head gasket, but certainly not the end of the world (sure, it's smack-you-up-side-the-head dumb...). These engines are completely conventional for the purpose of any engine work you would need done. I wish you had the benefit of more experience with this car before the failure. There is no "V-12 Boogyman". The XJS was designed around this great engine. The G.M. transmission is another story.