The great Garage Massacre!

It wasn't a dark day, it was just night time!

The final report!

It was tough, but the final victim has been dispatched. A total of three cars have been sold. They have all been Jaguars. There was one addition, so far. The current vehicle count is four!

As I noted in a previous post, I never thought that I would be able to sell the XJS. But that wasn't the case. 

When my Mark VII was being loaded onto the carrier, one of my neighbors asked me if this was a sad moment.

Absolutely not, I told her.

My Wife did display a bit of regret as she has always liked the looks of the XJS.  She felt that it was certain to increase in value, ...someday. It's been out of production for 26 years. Shouldn't that have been enough time? I will concede that it is a beautiful looking car. But we just never hit it off.

When my Wife told my Son that I had sold the Jag, he said that he thought that I was going to keep that one. However, as he is learning the lesson as a new home owner, that there isn't always enough room to hold onto everything.

For myself it was all about moving forward. I had wasted quite a bit of time with the car. If I was really going to make a commitment and fix it, I would have done it years ago. My goal is to enjoy my hobby as much as I can, for as long as I can. There are no guarantees in life, I've been pretty fortunate so far. There are people around me that are dealing with the limitations and challenges of aging, and acceptance that they are reaching the end of their lives. This is a difficult but inescapable fact. Our Time is not unlimited. Just as Peter Egan has written,"There are only so many Summers left."

For me, it was a big relief getting rid of my last Jaguar. I certainly have no regrets at all. First, because it was the only way that I could keep my '96 Mustang, and second, it opened up some space.... that I get to fill! 

I suppose that many are tired of hearing that I'm just not too interested in most new cars. 

It's not just the "been there, done that" attitude.  

I have owned many older Cadillacs and a couple of Lincolns. While modern versions are better cars, they seem to have lost most of the old swagger and magic. Escalades sell because they are what's left of the Cadillac legacy. The new Navigator and its sibling the Aviator, have recaptured the aura of the Lincoln legend. 

There are a lot of desirable and affordable cars out there available at reasonable prices. These newer cars will be in much better condition, and will not require a complete rebuild or restoration. Just a little maintenance, repair, cleaning up, and detailing.  These newer vehicles are also more compatible with the requirements of modern driving. Almost anything gets better mileage than a '56 Cadillac, a '66 Riviera,... or a 12 cylinder Jaguar XJS!

So that is where I'll be directing my attention. Time to pick the low hanging fruit!

This is the last time that I rehash my whole Jaguar experience. Chapter closed!

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving Day, and wish everyone well for the upcoming Holiday Season. 

 The End of the Affair.

Metaphorically speaking of course!
I actually saw this movie.

I might suppose that involvement in an Affair is something that is propelled by romance, excitement, lust and the desire for adventure. Whether it's involving humans or cars, many of the same factors might apply. Owning an older Jaguar is definitely not something that a reasonable person would want to get involved with. It's all about the romance.

I suppose that it could be seen as kind of sad that I never made a real commitment to my XJS. I've had the car for well over five years, but it just sort of sat around. It never became a priority. I did do some work on it. I changed out the transmission myself, lying on my back in the garage. I changed the plugs and ignition module. I even spent the bucks for a new set of tires and a new battery, which was one of my first expenses. 

Currently it still needs some ABS work, maybe an accumulator ball. a new convertible top, interior work, and of course, the front suspension. It's always the suspension. 

It actually runs quite well and starts easily. 

At least until Today! 

The last time I took it out onto the driveway, it ran out of gas. I thought that maybe the temp sender unit had died again, so I pulled the socket and jumped the terminals. Eventually I put gas in the car and it started fine.

I had forgotten to reattach the plug and the car wouldn't start. I cranked and cranked with no result. I tried to push the car out of the garage so that I could open the hood and take a look. I could only move the car a couple of feet, I know that the thing is heavy, but I can usually get it out. I was discouraged and sweating, the tow was coming today to pick up the car! Of course on the day I was going to sell it, that was the day that it acted up! I couldn't even open the hood since the front of it was under the "drive under" table. 

Maybe something was blocking the wheels? I had seen a yoga mat ( not mine!) that fell off the table, but ignored it in my haste. As it turns out it fell under the right front wheel and was like a parking chock, the wheel couldn't roll over it. I checked under the car and saw it, so I fished it out and resumed pushing. I moved it far enough to open the hood and saw that I had forgotten to reconnect the coolant temp sender plug. I snapped it on, and the car started immediately! 

I backed it into the driveway and let it heat up. I had connected my new jumper box for the last few tries which kept the battery from going flat. So it looks like the sale will go through. 

So why didn't I want to keep it? 

That is the question. 

"A thing of beauty remains a joy forever" Unfortunately,
a pain in the rear lasts just about as long.

Like all affairs it started out quite passionately, I was determined that I was going to bring this car up to an outstanding level.  The car itself was a worthy enough candidate.  It was certainly a handsome car with an outstanding pedigree. My particular example was well preserved, especially for an older Jag. Many times these spend years in "storage." Sometimes well protected, other times not. Of course, it needed "things," wasn't that part of the attraction? I was hoping that we would become a team, beating back all the haters and would end up triumphant. 

It could have happened, maybe it even should have happened, but it didn't.

Perhaps because I never actually bonded with the car. I never got a chance to drive and enjoy the car ...ever. It was never a real runner. I was able to drive it short distances for short periods, and that was it. I have always been a firm believer that the auto/human connection develops through interaction. You have to use the car, you have to drive the car, it's important to go places in the car. While I have always liked cars, I have always liked driving and going places more.

I didn't overlook the car because I didn't have the extra money. I'd been saving up money for awhile. When I finally accumulated a few extra bucks, I ran off and bought my 2006 Mustang! I preferred to spend the money on a different car, not spend it on the Jag. 

When I finally decided that I would be willing to pay a mechanic to work on my car, I found that I couldn't find a decent shop. One shop didn't want to work on such an old car, "Where's the service history?" they asked, another didn't know what they were doing, they wrote me up an order for almost ten thousand dollars worth of work, without mentioning the visibly shredded lower arm bushings. My regular mechanic politely but firmly declined. 

Then I accumulated a few more extra bucks, and instead of spending it fixing up the Jag, I find myself looking for something different. 

 I'm always looking for new cars to drive, but I certainly had to get rid of some from my existing stable. 

The dilemma has been that I haven't been able to sell the Jaguar. I tried on the Jaguar forum, as well as the AACA forum, but there was never even a nibble. I couldn't believe that there was nobody out there that wanted it.  I kind of decided that I would just have to hold onto it. It might be worth a little money sometime in the future. 

So that left the '96 Mustang. Though I didn't really want to sell it. I have invested a lot of time, money, and heart into this car, and it's been good to me. It is in great driving shape. This is the kind of car that could appeal to a high school age kid. It is certainly cheap enough, but for an under 25 year old male, the insurance would be too high. By the time that same kid hit 25, he would probably have a decent job and would be looking for a newer or nearly new model. I remember how I had offered the car to the guys at the oil change place, and the smog station, While they liked the car, they just weren't interested. I see it as a perfect starter hobby car for the mature car collector.  Something that is dependable enough to use daily, but nice enough and interesting enough to take to Cars and Coffee events and drive it as a hobby car. It was perfect for someone...like me.

I have seriously considered selling it, but I didn't think that I would be able to find the right buyer. I tried to sell it on the AACA forum. No dice. I dreaded putting it on CraigsList! It's not that I really wanted to sell it, but I needed the space, I couldn't add another car to the mix, one had to go, but I didn't think that it would, or could be, the Jag.

Lately, I've had my eye on a Lincoln Navigator, don't ask me why, but I've always liked the earlier models, especially the 2002 and up with the upgraded interior. I also like the front end with the Mark type grille. It is kind of big, about as big as my F150. I also like the Aviator, which looks almost Identical to the Navigator. The Aviator had higher spec chassis and brake specs, a German steering rack, as well as the Mach One motor. A DOHC, 32 Valve 4.6 V8 producing 302 hp.  It was the hot rod Lincoln SUV, and it also has that beautiful interior. These are based on the Explorer platform, so they are smaller and narrower, easier to park and maneuver. I did like driving my '97 V8 Explorer.

I saw a green Navigator on CL that became an object of fascination. The feeling became so strong that I even made the long trek out to Rancho Cordova.  I just had to see it and see if that would get it out of my mind.  For several reasons this purchase didn't work out, but I kept looking and then found an Aviator, also in Sac, where else? 

I always want a "new" car, but I need to make some space. I reasoned, "If I'm going to lose money selling one of my cars, why should it be my Mustang? I love that car. Why not sell the Jag that I'm kind of indifferent to? But could I really sell it? Nobody seemed to want it.

I had sold my XJ6 on Carvio, but when I contacted them about my XJS and my Mustang, I never even heard back from them. Talk about a hard rejection! 

So I thought that I'd look into one of those online junk car pick up services. That would give me my bottom line price. Even if they only offered me 700.00, that would be something. If that was the case, I thought that I would call a Jaguar forum member that I met at the Blackhawk show, and offer him the car for 700.00. 

I tried the site, Peddle. I entered my  car's information and the quick offer was 2,640.00. Well, I could live with that, so I continued through the process and the offer went up to 3,340.00. Now, that was more like it, so I accepted the offer. 

This is a significant episode in my automotive life. It is the closing of a chapter that will probably not be revisited. Chances are that I will never desire to own another Jaguar, or any other European car. There are people that enjoy having a more challenging and demanding automotive relationship, but I've discovered that it sure ain't me! Give me a Ford! 

Besides the money, the most important thing is that this decision will allow me to keep the '96 Mustang. I told my Wife that I could keep that car until my dying day. And now, there will be room in the garage for both of my Mustangs! 

I am sure that I will find something to fill that spot in the driveway!

We all have heard that old saying, "That it is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all."

I will agree that is absolutely true, especially if you can end the affair with a check in your hand!

 I guess that this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

"Peak Lincoln"

"A Millionaire's Yacht on Wheels!" 

But the heart wants, what the heart wants!

The dash is styled to recall the '61-'63 Lincoln Continental.
My Dad had one, and I got to drive it.

I ended up driving an extra 250 miles to check this Navigator out.

I've always been curious and somewhat intrigued by these luxury SUVs. The Lincoln Navigator is the top of the line vehicle from the Lincoln Motor Company. For the second generation of the Navigator, Lincoln got it right. A new high end interior along with an impressive dashboard. This is a world class interior in my opinion, it reminds me of the interior of my old Jaguar XJ6. 

It might sound funny, but one other huge attraction is the color combination, Aspen green with a tan interior. My favorite color combination. I haven't owned a vehicle with that combo, yet, though my F150 comes close. Forest green, with a grey interior. I did have my '70 Mustang custom painted Highland green several years ago. 

I now find color to be a big factor in how much I like a car. I want a bright exterior color with a light color inside. One of the reasons that I bought my '06 Mustang was the bright blue paint with a tan top and interior. The interior is livened up with silver panels on the dash and console. The door panels have black areas as well as the lower dash and console.  I find it cheerful.

Strange how I once had an all black Harley Davidson XLCR and Cadillac Seville. 

Obviously these SUVs are spacious, quiet, smooth riding, powerful vehicles. Loaded with luxury and convenience features and aids, these are really a throw back to the great American luxury cars of the '50's and 60's. They also have a tremendous presence on the highway. Fuel mileage? If you have to ask, then you can't afford it! That's what they used to say!

Even with that in mind, it will get better mileage than my '56 Cadillac. It actually matches or slightly exceeds the mileage that I used to get in my '77 Coupe de Ville.

Isn't this just a big tank? Not exactly, while it's no Smart Car, the standard length model is only 205.8 inches in length. This is 20 inches shorter than full size luxury cars like an old DeVille, which measured 225 inches, and two feet shorter than a Lincoln or Imperial! My long bed F150 stretches out to 229.8 inches, could it really be two feet longer than that Navigator? I don't find that it's hard to manage at all, and I don't ever feel guilty driving it. Loaded or empty. 

These, of course, have much more interior room for passengers and cargo, then those big old Cadillacs of yore.  The third row seat is spacious, with more headroom and more importantly, greater foot space than my Flex. Like the Cadillac Escalade, these are favored with large active (affluent) families.

Aren't these just a dolled up Ford truck? Well, Yes and no. They of course share there basic platform with the  F150. But they have their own wheelbase and they are equipped with an independent rear suspension.  They also ride on air suspension. The engine is not shared with the truck line. This is a larger displacement version of the DOHC 32 valve Lincoln V8. It is tuned to provide the wider power band needed for a truck. The 5.4 puts out 300 hp. along with 335 lbs. ft. of torque, which is adequate, but it's no Raptor!

The body is quite different and distinctive, somehow they convey a sense of dignity and prestige, but with good taste. At least in my eyes! I prefer this generation of Navigator, with the "Mark" style, chrome center radiator grille. The later models have a wide grille that matches the wide tail lamps, not a bad look, but the earlier model is a classic.

Peak Lincoln.

There is no comparison when it comes to the interior, which really sets these vehicles apart. A similar design is found in the Aviator, these are so much more distinctive than those found in any Ford truck. These have a real luxury interior. These are nicer inside than a Town Car. Lincoln has even outdone these with the current Navigator and Aviator.

Current gas prices will cause anyone to give mileage a real consideration. I have never had a really long work commute, my longest was back when I worked in Downtown L.A. and that was only a little over twenty miles, one way. My commute over the last thirty years was only only a bit over twenty miles combined! And now, I'm retired.  EPA rating is 12 city/17 freeway. Obviously this isn't very high, but you have to compare it to similar vehicles. If you compare it to a comparable Toyota Sequoia with EPA ratings of 13 city/17 freeway. However it's towing capacity is only 6,500 lbs. as opposed to the Nav with 8,000 lbs. The Toyota doesn't even have IRS. 

Comparing it the popular Chevy Tahoe, we find that with the smaller 4.8 engine mileage is 15 city/19 hwy. With the larger engine, mileage would drop a bit to 13/17

How about a 2003 Honda Pilot? Even with a V6 it's only 17 City/22 freeway.

These are EPA ratings, which are theoretical. What really counts is actual, on the road mileage, under the foot of a specific driver. My standard is long freeway trips at 70 mph. Both my Mustangs can return 25+ mpg. My Flex varies between 22-24 mpg. though on one recent trip to Sacramento I saw 28-29 mpg. I must have had a tailwind! My V6 F150 can average 20 mpg. provided that I stick to the speed limit. I once achieved 21 mpg. I am a careful, smooth, very steady, driver. I modulate my speed so I can avoid abrupt acceleration and braking. You will see the opposite of this displayed everyday on the road, drivers speeding past you, then braking hard to stop for traffic, just a few seconds ahead of you! My goal is to keep the wheels turning, without impeding traffic behind me. 

So do I really want one of these things? Yeah, I think that I do. 

The why of this equation is difficult to explain, especially since I've currently got that Flex, which basically is a lower, front wheel drive Expedition. I kind of think about them as an alternative to a '50's or 60's Cadillac or Buick. The Nav is a big machine, but not that big, and at least the Nav is more useful than those old tubs, and returns almost twice the mileage. It will be a hobby vehicle. I don't see it being driven that much, I've got plenty of alternate vehicles.

A more salient point is that my Wife did not recoil in disgust when I showed her pictures of the 'Gator. I know that she would prefer that I not return to my preference for big old vintage Cadillacs! She gently suggested that I concentrate my interest on vehicles made in this Millennium!

I attended a car show on Sunday morning, at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville. the all British show. After the show, the Navigator was still on my mind. The problem was that it was located up in Rancho Cordova near Sacramento. It was far, but I was free for the rest of the day, and maybe, just maybe, I  needed to see the car and just get it off my mind. So what the heck, let's go!

I called the dealership to make sure that the Nav was still there, and they told me that they closed at 4:30. For some reason that didn't sink in. It was already almost 2:00 as I was finishing my burger at McDonalds.

I had made four trips up to the Sacramento area this last month, and I thought that I was tired of looking at the same scenery on I-80.  So I decided to double back down 680 and go east on 580, over the Altamont Pass and go north on I-5. For a change in scenery.

It was a change of scenery alright, a lot of open spaces before I reached Sacramento! From Danville I was almost halfway to Sac, probably less than an hour and half out. To back track, my Garmin told me that it would take almost two and half hours to reach my destination. But I was committed, my Garmin didn't give up on telling me to make a U turn and head back up 680 until I passed Livermore. I should have listened! 

Long story short, I made it in time to see the Nav and check it out somewhat. The dealer had hundreds of cars and trucks jammed tightly on the lot, no hope of getting it out before they closed. It was pretty much what I had expected. If my adventure with the 'Gator moves forward, I'll go into more detail. 

It was after 5:00 when I headed back. Traffic wasn't too bad until I passed Davis. then all lanes slowed to a crawl until I passed Dixon. Crawl as in 0-5 mph. There was some construction and there had been a crash earlier, though the road itself was clear. But it was w/b I-80 on a Sunday afternoon, there's always a deluge of drivers coming back to the Bay Area after a weekend out. It took me over three hours to make it home. 

I've got no room to complain, I'd made my choice, so why complain?  At least I got to listen to several of my favorite CDs on the way back. I racked up another 300+ miles on this trip, the '96 ran like a top. I'm gonna miss this car when I sell it. 

 Hmmm, selling the '96, it may not be as easy as I've thought. My Wife has gently "suggested" that I not add another car without eliminating one. 

 I did not want a cold air kit on my new Mustang.

My Wife bought me that plenum cover for Father's Day
 just after I bought the car. It looks Boss!

However, it came with a K&N unit.

According to the website, this open intake is worth 16 h.p. Maybe, but I think that most guys like the increased intake roar. The K&N filter is an oil treated element, it passes more air, but traces of the oil eventually contaminate the MAF sensor, tripping a trouble light. That's what happened to me, it tripped a "wrench" symbol. I stopped the motor and restarted it, the light went out. This weekend it happened again, but this time instead of going off on a restart, it also tripped the CEL. It was running a bit poor, reduced performance mode, I'd read about that. I pulled over when I got a chance and restarted it. The wrench disappeared, the CEL remained lit but it seemed to be running okay. I will clean the MAF sensor when I get it home. Hopefully that might be all that it takes.

For some reason I thought that I had to remove the throttle body to access the MAF. As I backed out the nuts that hold the plenum cover on, one nut didn't want to come off. Instead it backed out the stud holding the throttle body in. I guess that I had cross threaded it when I installed the cover. It took some filing and a repeated tightening and loosening and careful filing before I could remove the nut. Then I broke out my tap and die set and cleaned up the threads on the stud. 

All I actually had to remove was the plastic intake tube after I removed the air filter itself and disconnected it from the throttle body. 

There it is.

 

It's important to be careful with the intake, you should never touch the wire element itself. Most importantly, only use the proper spray cleaner, not WD40 or anything else. It's easy, just spray away, that cleaner is extremely volatile and drys in minutes. This may work for this problem, if not I'll have to replace the sensor. It's also a good idea to do this as periodic maintenance. This can also improve fuel economy in some cases.

I could have sworn that I had a half filled can of spray somewhere in the garage. After almost a half hour of looking, I was still unable to find it, so off to the parts store. 

That little can cost me 12.00 plus tax.

Since I already had the plenum cover and intake tube off, I decided to do something about the red positive battery cable that runs alongside the left side of the intake manifold. I think that it stands out too much. I had considered using a length of black fuel line, split and installed on the wire. I realized that it had been covered by a plastic split wrap that had been torn off. Luckily I still had some left after working on my "70 Mustang.

That red really stands out!

Some guys like brightly colored conduit or even that chrome 
spiral wrap.

I used a couple of sections, I think that it looks better by hiding the red cable.

A definite improvement. Ford built a great engine
but didn't do much with the presentation!

Hopefully this mark will remain visible.

Since I had access, I thought that I would use a paint marker to put a reference mark on the crank pulley. This way I might get a heads up if the crank pulley starts to shift position. Especially since the pulley on my Daughter's '07 Mustang disintegrated unexpectedly. Now that was  unusual. I will keep an eye on that mark as a precaution.

I buttoned everything back up. I hope that cleaning the MAS sensor will cure the problem. I'll probably have to use a code reader to erase the trouble code. I always hope for the best.

Looking Good!

It took a few days but I finally got some time to start the engine and check if the warning lights went out. I'm happy to report that the wrench is gone as well as the CEL. I can't believe that I've been so busy that I still haven't gotten a chance to take it out for a test drive. I'll provide an update in a future post.