Did I mention I bought a 15 year old “hot” Jag with a check engine light on, bad tires, and other unknown problems?
Right.
So imagine my surprise when I get under the car to discover the wild world of shit that needs doing.
Which is to say the goals of today were to:
- Change the oil
- Find the exhaust leak
- Find what is going CLUNK in the suspension.
I was somewhat successful.
New Findings
Accessory Belt
Holy forking shirt balls that belt is a time bomb! New belt and tensioner are on order. I’ve never seen a belt this bad...
It almost looks like it was rubbing on something?!
There seems to be a lot of debate about what is the correct part number for the supercharger belt so... I think I’m going to not replace one. Dumb decision, but I’m going with it.
Rear Suspension Bits
Looks OK overall but the rear tie rods and anti-roll bar links both look... sad. New components should be here on Tuesday.
Upper Radiator Hose Balloon
Oh man. The upper radiator hose is plump. I assume that means the entirety of the cooling system needs to be gone over. I’m putting that on the TODO list, but not sure when I’ll be ready/willing/able to deal with that.
Hood struts
While they seemed fine when I was inspecting the car, once outside a stiff breeze causes the hood to slam shut. New Jaguar struts are ALL THE MONEY, so I opted for the $20 ones off Amazon. Fingers crossed!
Super Effed Front Right Tire
Like srsly. How... how does that happen!?
Hopefully an alignment (and new tires) will fix this.
Exhaust Leak
I think I found it? It appears that whoever hollowed out the cat did so by cutting it in half and re-welding it. I’m going to guess the welds failed. I certainly couldn’t find anything in-bay that was leaking.
Upper Control Arms
Look bad, but don’t have any play... yet. Putting them on the TODO list, but not very high up.
Other Weirdness
I mentioned in an earlier post the Jag came with some all weather floor mats in the trunk. Upon further investigation, they appear to be factory floor mats for a...
...wait for it...
Mercedes S-Class.
WTF?
Anyway...
The car is really growing on me, even as the repair bills grow too. I like the color, the performance, and the feel of the car. Provided I can keep it on the road, I think we’re going to be good friends.
Or it’ll all blow up and I’ll sell it for parts.
Either or.
