Trouble shooting for fun and profit. No mention will be made of desperation.

Nothing to be worried about here!

Not the sight that warms the heart of the DIYers.

The Jaguar V12 is a complex assemblage of every automotive engineering feature that you could possibly imagine. Gazing into the gaping maw of the engine compartment, the uninitiated might imagine that it looks like a gigantic shark got a nuclear reactor stuck in it's mouth!

Changing the 12 sparkplugs in my XJS. Epilogue.

It aint over until it's over.

Do you remember those great Quinn Martin television series like the Fugitive, Cannon and the Streets of San Francisco? They were always narrated by a dramatic, gravel voiced announcer, The segments were always divided into individual "Acts" then followed by an Epilogue.

Changing the 12 sparkplugs in my XJS, Act Three.

I picked up a few things that I thought might help.

I left off last week after removing all the sparkplugs.

Changing the 12 spark plugs in my XJS, Act Two.

It's a tight fit.

This is my working space, It's kind of tight but I can't complain. I'm just glad to have my car in the garage. Those white drawers, the two roll aways, and my roll-about work table let me make the most of the space. I'm very happy to have my XJS warm and dry inside. That's where a collector car should live. Right now my '96 Mustang is sleeping right beside it. After the Tahoe trip I took the Mustang out of the rotation for a couple of weeks. The XJ6 has been my daily for a while, it's going into the garage soon. It's important to keep all the cars "exercised" so that problems that can evolve from disuse don't occur.

Changing the 12 spark plugs in my XJS, Act One.

This is the engine before I started.

Even without doing any research I knew that it is going to be a very complex and labor intensive project. I went to the Jaguar forums to look for some advice. One of the members Doug D. gave a pretty good rundown. First thing that he advised was to relax, take your time, and look carefully to see just how things are assembled. The first part of the operation requires removing much of the components that are bolted to the top of the motor.

What could I buy for around two grand?

photo source: dreamstime.com
I'd better up the ante, two large ain't going to buy much!

Why am I even looking?

Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory!

photo source: the web

This is a phrase that any old Jaguar enthusiast is well acquainted with.