V6S Break Down

L

LordOxton

New member
Being the diligent sort of chap that I am, my V6S was recently treated to new gearbox oil & sump, new diff oil and new supercharger oil.

The gearbox oil was sourced from Smith & Allan (£6.65/l), the ZF sump from Autodoc (£64), the diff oil from the Jag dealer (£35/l) and the supercharger oil from Powerhouse (£24).

Not only does this represent a *huge* saving on Jag prices, Jag won't sell you any oil for the supercharger on the basis that it's sealed for life. Eaton beg to differ, as I'm sure you all know.

Anyway, the work was carried out by my local Jag specialists who looked after my E Type for 20 years. They were happy with all of the lubes & parts I supplied. Trust me, they double-checked everything.

So, there I am on a sunny day with the roof down after the work has been done...all of a sudden...strange noises and lots of smoke...oh no!!!

I quickly pulled over, the car was recovered back to my house, my mechanic mate's diagnostic machine was attached and misfire faults were reported on cylinders 5 and 6.

Coil packs or injectors were suggested by 'those in the know'. OK, I'll start with the basics and check the plugs while we're in there I thought. What a pig of a job!!!

This is what they looked like:

https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/download/file.php?mode=view&id=7559&sid=84358e4ad04ab5eb6c2741c85c95bd25

These plugs were changed at 42k miles by a Jag dealer according to the service history. That would suggest they've done 16k miles.

Anyway, I changed the plugs and *nothing else* and the car is running fine again. Who'd a thunk it!

Lesson : assume nothing about the work that has supposedly been done in the past...
 

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Very relieved, especially as I paid a lot less than the £110 Jag want for the NGK plugs...handy to have mates in the trade :-)
 
What do you think was wrong with the plugs?
They do look very smoked up as though your engine was running rich, but would that alone cause your breakdown?
As a novice, they do not appear "worn out" to me.
Would appreciate any insight you may have.
 
Did you have the injectors ultrasonically cleaned and inspected for hairline cracks at the same time?
I’d be somewhat wary if not - hopefully if needed your contacts have good access to injector removal kit too.
They used to be sold in kits but now are only available singularly. If you know of a cheap place to buy them it could be of use to others now mileages are building.
 
I did nothing apart from replace the plugs.

I was going to move onto testing the coils next, and then the injectors, but it make sense to only isolate one thing at a time.

The plugs were supposedly replaced at 42k (16k ago) but I felt it was important to check them to rule them out.

There have been no faults reported since then and the car appears to be running fine.

Fingers crossed...
 
Well I hope you’re right and it was plugs, but doesn’t feel right to me.
All the plugs look about the same and don’t look worn out, but difficult to tell on an iPhone.
Wouldn’t be surprised if a fault reappears soon.
 
Not being one to pke around inside mt new F-Type for no reason, I have no idea how easy it is to check the plugs.
BUT, if not too difficult, I would suggest you pluu the plugs again and check to see if they are smoked/black again.
Unless some thing has chnged since I did used to mess around with engines, they should be grey/white - not black.
Black would suggest a fuel problem, posible as suggested, your injectors.
 
Changing the plugs on this car is a right royal pain. I'd be interested to know how long a Jag mechanic thinks it should take.

There are lots of pipes & rubber shield type things to remove. Disconnecting pipes without breaking anything requires caution. Not everything wants to come undone as easily as you might hope.

The coil bolts are torx and hard to reach. Dropping torx bits and coil bolts is very easy. Torx sockets are of limited use due to access. A torx bit wrench is essential. A very long one with an adjustable head angle and reversible ratchet borrowed off my mechanic mate saved the day.

Then there's the plugs themselves. The recesses are narrow, deep, angled and hidden away. I needed my mountain bike torch just to find them. You need a 14mm plug socket to hold the plug firmly or you'll struggle to seat them cleanly on the way back in. Plug 2 (middle near side) deserves special mention due to the suspension housing that's slap bang in the way. I tried lots of combinations of ratchets, unions, flexible connectors & extension bars.

The only bigger pain-in-the-butt job I've done is Honda V4 motorbike carbs. I'm not pulling them out again unless I have no choice!
 
Thanks, I understand and shll never feel motivated to do that job!
One last (probably useless) thought is whether this could have been related to an engine oil overfill?
Might explain the black plugs.
 
LordOxton said:
Being the diligent sort of chap that I am, my V6S was recently treated to new gearbox oil & sump, new diff oil and new supercharger oil.

The gearbox oil was sourced from Smith & Allan (£6.65/l), the ZF sump from Autodoc (£64), the diff oil from the Jag dealer (£35/l) and the supercharger oil from Powerhouse (£24).

Not only does this represent a *huge* saving on Jag prices, Jag won't sell you any oil for the supercharger on the basis that it's sealed for life. Eaton beg to differ, as I'm sure you all know.

Anyway, the work was carried out by my local Jag specialists who looked after my E Type for 20 years. They were happy with all of the lubes & parts I supplied. Trust me, they double-checked everything.

So, there I am on a sunny day with the roof down after the work has been done...all of a sudden...strange noises and lots of smoke...oh no!!!

I quickly pulled over, the car was recovered back to my house, my mechanic mate's diagnostic machine was attached and misfire faults were reported on cylinders 5 and 6.

Coil packs or injectors were suggested by 'those in the know'. OK, I'll start with the basics and check the plugs while we're in there I thought. What a pig of a job!!!

This is what they looked like:

https://www.ftypeforums.co.uk/download/file.php?mode=view&id=7559&sid=84358e4ad04ab5eb6c2741c85c95bd25

These plugs were changed at 42k miles by a Jag dealer according to the service history. That would suggest they've done 16k miles.

Anyway, I changed the plugs and *nothing else* and the car is running fine again. Who'd a thunk it!

Lesson : assume nothing about the work that has supposedly been done in the past...
Click to expand...

Would you be kind enough to share the links/part numbers for these fluids please?
 
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