Stupid Me

[pmccarthy]

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!

 

[facthunter]

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

[onetrack]

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.

[nomadpete]

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.

[pmccarthy]

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

[pmccarthy]

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.

[facthunter]

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

[Old Koreelah]

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.

[facthunter]

A little "smart" charger is a must. Nev