More Trouble Than It's Worth?
by Dan Burger

Why would anyone want a Jaguar? We’ve all heard the stories. A naive enthusiast has his (or her) head turned by the Jaguar’s comely beauty. He thinks he has the car of his dreams, but what he ends up with is a torturous enigma that saps his strength and steals his money.

Didn’t your car buddies warn you about sleeping with Jaguars?

" The rumors about Jaguar often lead to the wrong impression about this enthusiasts’ dream machine."

Let me tell you how the E-Type, more commonly known as the SK-E in the United States where most of them reside, has been beleaguered by rumors. Ever hear the one about a guy named Lucifer who was the QC inspector at the end of the Coventry, England, assembly line?

Most of these cars have not had an easy life. Despite their wealthy-class station, the SK-E was often victimized by owners who knew little about the care and feeding of exotic machinery. As a point of comparison, you wouldn’t treat a high-performance Corvette, Shelby Cobra, or Hemi ‘Cuda like a pick up truck. Because the afore mentioned cars were more often owned by enthusiasts, they were run hard, but they were also maintained well. There was attention to details.

For many owners, the Jag was just a glamourous toy, too complicated for their nonautomotive-type brains and behaviors. In recent years, the car has been finding garage space in the homes of real enthusiasts. People are buying, driving, and showing greater respect for this thoroughbred automobile.

Take a look at the XK-E. It’s a drop-dead gorgeous car, guaranteed to get you noticed anywhere and anytime. But don’t be blinded by its unmistakable sex appeal. Look at the mechanical aspects that are a major part of the Jag mystique.

The original SK-E was technologically advanced, but it was evolutionary, not revolutionary. Its engine and transmission were carry-overs from the SK-150. They were road tested for years before the advent of the E-Type. What’s scary about a dual overhead cam, 3.8 liter (231-cubic-inch), inline six cylinder engine with aluminum heads? To begin with, how about three SU carburetors. A synchronization nightmare?

“This problem most often comes from trying to synchronize worn out cars,” says restoration expert Brian Anderson, owner of Classic European Restorations, in Oceanside, California. “The volume of fuel needs to be the same through each carb. If the butterfly valve moves 5 degrees in the first carb, it must have 5 degrees in the other two.” Unless all the carb parts are working properly, the results will be a car that is difficult, probably impossible, to keep tuned.

Eventually the three-carb system was replaced by a two-carb design on Jags coming to the United States. Was this proof that the three-carb design was flawed? No. The first year of emission standards dictated the change. The resulting power loss was recovered by boring the cylinders to a 4.2-liter (258-cubic-inch) capacity. This engine is considered smoother than the original, but it never duplicated the performance numbers of the original. To facilitate the cat’s quickness off the line, lower gear ratios were implemented, but the 4.2 engine didn’t rev as freely above 3500 rpm, therefore the pounce lacked some of the previous quickness. The lower gears (usually found in the U.S. export cars) also had owners looking for another gear when cruising at 75 mph. More stringent smog restrictions in this country ultimately led Jaguar to the V12 in order to maintain its performance standards. It’s widely assumed that the smooth-running V12 is the performance champion for all E-Types, but even the 12 couldn’t out accelerate the original six.

It’s true the early XK-E Jags (the 3.8s) were equipped with nonsynchromesh “crash box” transmissions. The shifting action in these gearboxes is noticeably heavy and slow.

A concours restoration requires authenticity, including the correct transmission, so for those folks, the art of double-clutching becomes a requirement. But enthusiasts who prefer driving comfort with a minimum of modification, there are options.

All 4.2-liter E-Types were equipped with synchromesh transmissions beginning in 1964, and these can be retrofitted. In fact, many car received this transplant years ago. Depending on how the owner wants to use the car, a gear ratio change could be part of the change as well. A second option is substituting a modern five-speed (or six-speed) transmission.

Not long ago, dropping a five-speed into an E-Type was about as likely as painting flames across the hood. What was once a sacrilege is now accepted by driver-oriented owners, according to Jason Len, owner of XKs Unlimited, one of the largest Jaguar parts suppliers in the world. His company sells parts to restore cars to original condition as well as to put them on the road. Yet he acknowledges their most popular items are bought by owners intent on keeping E Types on the road. When the 3.8s were in XK-150s, they were mated to overdrive transmissions, but the XK-E didn’t have room for that unit. The modern five-speed can be squeezed in.

Other popular modifications include upgrades to the suspension, such as heavier springs, shocks, and sway bars. “Ten years ago these cars were bought as investments.” Len says, “now more enthusiasts are driving the cars.”

What other horror stories have you heard about Jaguars?

Overheating problems are real. Summer temperatures in most of the United States put the heat on a car built for England’s climate. The small air intake in the original XK-E was enlarged in 1968 and again in 1971 in an effort to reduce the overheating tendencies. Len says heavy-duty radiators and multi-bladed, high-powered fans are popular for combating this problem.

As with most 30-year-old cars, years of neglect have clogged cooling systems, and Anderson advises that the engine cooling passages be thoroughly cleaned to maximize cooling efficiency. He also noted the passages were designed so much of the recirculating water bypassed the radiator, causing the engine to run hotter – perhaps a good idea in England, but a detriment when Jags are driven on hot days. Modifying this bypass will also mitigate the problem.

And what about the Prince of Darkness, an insulting moniker given to the Lucas electrical system? “Most of these problems are corrosion related,” Anderson says. “The contacts on the original switches and components are not sealed and are more susceptible to corrosion than modern electrical systems.” Modern electronic ignitions are superior to the original points system and will alleviate some of the nuisance regarding hard starting. Also, the fuel pump has its own set of points that can be troublesome. These, too, can be replaced with solid-state electronics to gain reliability. As with all cars that only get occasional use, a fully charged battery is essential to a healthy system. Without that, you’re going to have problems and it doesn’t matter what company has its name on the components.

Yes, the Jaguars require an attentive owner willing to follow a more strict maintenance regime than most cars require. But most enthusiasts dote over their cars anyway, which is just what an XK-E requires.

If you are buying one from an owner who hasn’t had the means or the patience to maintain it well, you may be buying a package of trouble. Be a smart shopper: Learn the differences among the models, know how you will use your car (occasional or frequent driver or show), make a commitment to maintaining the car in top running condition, and make acquaintances with members of the Jaguar Club.

The main thing is don’t be scared away by tongue-waggers who have no first-hand experience with the cars.