pmccarthy Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 One of my toys is a lovely Series 3 XJ6, about the nicest one I have seen. I have owned it for 25 years and love to drive it, or rather I did. About a year ago the ride became harsh and the handling really deteriorated. I changed the ball joints and all four shocks, but it didn't get much better. I have been thinking of selling it. Yesterday when I went to check the tyres, the pressure gauge snapped in half. I keep a pressure gauge in each vehicle, so I got the one out of the Prado. It showed the tyre pressure was about 50% of what it should be. I went around the car, all four tyres were the same. So I pumped them up to what the Prado pressure gauge said they should be. Suddenly all was wonderful again. I drove the car for 200 km and it is just as good as it ever was! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 Look after the coolant. Cars and machinery don't like being left idle. They hold a lot of oil and need a good long warm up. Nev 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetrack Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 Let me guess, you've been buying Chinese tyre gauges? The only ones to buy are those made in Europe, U.S., and Taiwan. I have a Michelon gauge that I use to check all the others against. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomadpete Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 Not stupid at all. We've all fallen for overthinking a fault, then to our embarrassment, discovered we had overlooked the simple things. Now you can get out and enjoy one of the simple pleasures of life. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmccarthy Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 (edited) 23 minutes ago, onetrack said: Let me guess, you've been buying Chinese tyre gauges? The only ones to buy are those made in Europe, U.S., and Taiwan. I have a Michelon gauge that I use to check all the others against. Hard to find a good gauge. The reliable one I bought in 1970. The others, pencil sliding types and round gauge, bought from Autobarn or Supercheap for around $15 each, I now distrust and will check them all. Edited April 4, 2023 by pmccarthy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmccarthy Posted April 4, 2023 Author Share Posted April 4, 2023 42 minutes ago, facthunter said: Look after the coolant. Cars and machinery don't like being left idle. They hold a lot of oil and need a good long warm up. Nev It always gets at least an hour's run, but probably only once a month. I change the coolant every five years. I know the alloy heads can be a problem if coolant gets old, but this has seemed sufficient. It is the last year model before Ford bought Jaguar and ruined them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 Ford didn't ruin Jaguar. They had no new designs on the books for the future and it's now run By TA TA. The V 12 wet sleeve motor is Troublesome and the studs on the six go a long distance through the coolant and sometimes break off and are very difficult to replace. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Koreelah Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 The battery is the other victim of infrequent use; mine failed me a couple if times recently after my car was ignored for a week or two. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
facthunter Posted April 4, 2023 Share Posted April 4, 2023 A little "smart" charger is a must. Nev 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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