Question-Thank you so much.When I went to clean off the distributer cap as you instructed there was a
clip on the side where the wire was obviously meant to go. Once the wire was placed on the clip,
the engine started right up. Of course, now I have a fine mist of antfreeze spraying around after I
replaced the upper radiator hose. The ring clamps appear to be as tight as they can be. I may
have overfilled the radiator, but I assume this would not cause antifreeze to spray on the engine.
What are the odds that the new hose is defective? Do you suggest I repostion the hose and use
new ring clamps? I am very appreciative of your quick response. Even with the leaking hose, it is
comforting to know I can start the engine.
Bob------------------------
Followup To
Question -
Hi Howard,
I just bought a 1959 Jaguar XK150. I changed the upper radiator hose and accidently
disconnected a wire. The car will now not start and I can't seem to find where the wire goes. The
wire comes off from main wire cable that runs along the right side (left when you in front of the
car looking back). The wire branches and one goes to the thermostat where it clips on. The other
branch (diconnected) has a white clip on the end is hanging. Its reach is only about 12 inches. It
is hanging down just forward of the SU Carbs.
Any suggestions where I should look to find the male side of this clip? Any help would be greatly
appreciated.
RK
Answer -
Hi Robert,
Your discription is not enough info to tell you where the wire goes or even if it has anything to
do with the car not starting.
However, I can give you a method of diagnosis. You said it won't start, do you mean that the
starter spins the engine but it won't fire up? Or do you mean the starter does not even spin the
engine?
A white clip does not mean anything but the color of the wire itself does. What color is the wire?
If the starter motor works OK and it just don't fire up, there are some things you can look at. You
should use a 12 volt test light to check the wire before you try to connect it anywhere. You can
do major damage by plugging it onto the wrong terminal. If it is an original wiring harnes the
color may be gone so testing the wire will be necessary before you try to connect it to any
terminal.
What we need to know is, Is the wire hot (current in it) with the ignition switch in the ON
position? Test it with a 12 V test light or volt meter, don't scratch it across a ground to find out!
Next, It is difficult not to get a lot of coolant all over the distributor when changing an upper
radiator hose, so dry the cap off (outside and inside)
Look on the side of the distributor and see if there is one small wire connected to it. With a test
light or volt meter check for power (12 v.) at one of the small terminals on the coil with the key
ON. If none of this nets you a fix, e-mail me with results of these tests and I will try to guide you
to a fix.
Howard
AnswerHi Robert,
Good, glad you found the problem. As for a mist of coolant, it may just be left over coolant that spilled down on the radiator. Or as you suggest, you may have over filled it. As coolant warms up it expands and older cars did not have expansion tanks so it would spray out of the filler vent.
Drive the car until it gets warm and park it on a clean spot of concrete and shut it off. If you have a large piece of cardboard slide it under the front of the car. Then with a good light look at all the joints and hose connections for dripage. When an engine is warm the coolant has expanded and pressureized the cooling system. Even though the engine is shut down, the pressure is still there or at least untill it cools down. Feel on the bottom of all joints that have any coolant including heater connections. Mechanics have a pressure pump that they can pressurize a cooling system when cold but heating up the engine works almost as well. If any drips are found and corrected, check the coolant lavel and reheat the engine by driving it and repete the close inspection. It can take several attempts to eliminate all leaks. The 150 is a fine car but requires maintance. I started working on Jaguars when the 150 was new and there are very few cars on earth that could match it. I would advise that you get a service manual and set up a service maintance schedual and stick to it. It is easy to wander into major problems if it is not maintained. There are no new 150s to replace it. I hope this helps. You can visit my website if you like at,
http://www.mg-tri-jag.net
Howard
