That's a year of the XJ

Finally got round to washing the grime off. It was all high speed A1 filth from the trip up to Yorkshire before Christmas and it looked OK, really. Sort of streaked, like speed blur! But there was salt on there, so I gave the car a good rinse and then a caress with my Meguiar's wash mit.

Started the engine and number four pot doesn't fire straight away. It chimes in after a minute but there's no damp or bad connection that I can see. Suggestions please...

Spent some time on the greasy windows, too, and tidied the boot. It's looking grand for the new year. I feel some relief at having kept this going for 12 months (with a couple of lengthy lapses that annoyed a few of you). I suppose I have to keep going now. CD of the year: American Idiot by Green Day.

North to mum

Drove to Malton to see my mum. Clouds of steam coming out of the grille when I stopped for a sandwich and that ominous hot coolant smell crept into the cabin. I opened the bonnet to discover the header tank cap balanced precariously on the front of the cam cover. I'd forgotten to replace it properly when I'd checked the fluids yesterday.

Torrential rain on the way up and back gave me lots of practice at parking the wipers myself. My timing is perfect now. I will keep your instructions, though, Crispin. Do the wipers' inability to park constitute an MoT failure?

Careful when you switch tanks

Ran both tanks quite low this morning and then switched from right tank to left tank on the garage forecourt with the ignition off.

Five minutes later, the engine lost power on the dual carriageway, showing all the signes of running out of fuel. I switched back to the right tank and the problem cleared, then flicked to the left again without trouble. It's my guess that a lack of current to the changeover switch caused the tank swap to fail and left me high and dry.

Right battery at last

Fitted new Optima Red Top battery - correct size this time. It still needed spacers adding to the rods securing the battery frame because it is about 20mm shorter than the old Lucas.

Much faster turning over now, due to doubled cold cranking rate of the new Optima. Fingers crossed for winter.

Help from a follower

Many thanks to Crispin Thetford who has emailed me extensive instructions for fixing my wipers. That's brilliant Crispin. My big worry is that the work will go the way of many tasks on my list - if I manage without fixing something for a month, I might never get round to it. As long as I can time the switch right, I can live with the wipers not parking themselves.

The other thing I ought to do is set up a page of messages from visitors to this site. I get lots of fascinating emails from all over the world and need to find a way of sharing them with you all.

Wiper parking problems

Driving to work today, I used the wipers and they refused to park. They just stop wherever they are when I turn off the switch. If anybody can tell me how to repair this, please email me: martyn.moore@emap.com

Old battery back

Replaced old battery in anticipation of arrival of new, correct size Optima Red Top. Fixed washer bottle too.

Washed the car for the first time since the Beaulieu Autojumble in September. It was a disgrace. Keep having to go to the window and look at how bright the paint seems!

Back on track

Bought new washer bottle connector (70p) and took the Jag to the Peterborough F1 Autocentre to get the tracking sorted out. I find the lads at F1 helpful and interested in the old car. They took time to explain how all the laser gizmos work and how my front wheel alignment was about ten degrees out.

They also pointed out a perished steering rack boot that will cause it to fail its MoT in February if not replaced. It's the nearside one. I bought a pair when the offside failed last year, so I need to fit the other one before the test. For about £30, F1 adjusts the wheel alignment and will check and re-set it within six weeks. Perfect.

Bad taste

Fitted new Optima battery - wrong size but made a wooden spacer to fit. Dropped washer bottle and broke right-angled pipe connector that passed through the bottle lid.

Burned the inside of my mouth with concentrated screenwash trying to fashion makeshift pipe connector. Abandoned job in disgust. Mouth sore.

Still pulls

Adjust front wheel bearings at the workshop and re-packed them with grease. Quieter running, but still pulls left.

Rumble, drift

Noticed the car tends to drift left a bit. Might need wheel alignment checking. There's also a bit of a rumble from the front wheel bearings. They're adjustable.

Warm feeling

Drove to the National Restoration Show at Stoneleigh where the Jaguar was on display on the Practical Classics stand. Had a hell of a job driving between stands to get into position.

Decided to work on the car on the stand. Replaced the broken air intake actuator in front of an audience.

Driving home I experienced the heating system with full vacuum for the first time ever. It's amazing. The actuator can be opened and closed by degrees and the variable heat control has been restored. Fantastic.

Lucky find at Stoneleigh

Went to Jaguar Spares Day at Stoneleigh and found a new old-stock air intake actuator for just £7. Bargain.

Back in action

I have been using the Practical Classics MG Midget for the last few weeks, so the Jaguar has been neglected of late. Midget went to the NEC today, so the XJ is back in action.

Running repairs, but not to mine

Drove to the Beaulieu Autojumble in the rain. Jaguar on display at the Practical Classics stand. Gave it a good wash when I arrived. Many people recognised it and came to talk about it.

Bought a couple of spare headlight switches, which was a good thing because I burned out another on the way home on Sunday night. Terrible weather but a lot of fun with News Editor Nigel Boothman's Rover playing up. Fixed wipers with hawthorn twigs and finished just as the rain stopped.

Oil change

Changed oil at the workshop. Replaced the very tired-looking Millers Classic 20/50 semi-synthetic with more of the same. New filter, too, but had to re-use the O-ring because I couldn't pick it out of its seat.

It's not leaking and the car sounds much healthier.

Cop out

Used hire car for Goodwood Revival. Shame on me.

Near miss

Gave a talk at the local MG Owners Club meeting. Parking outside the pub, the handbrake cable gave way and the car rolled backwards into a main road, right in front of a new Mercedes, which missed it. Nobody hurt, just embarrassment. Blimey.

Started first time

Jaguar started first time after three weeks standing in lots of rain. Washed it and polished out all the streaks.

Home!

Car is where I left it. Phew.

Meanwhile...

Monterey, California. Drove a Ferrari 250 GTO - uncomfortable, noisy, smelly… and fabulous! Missing the XJ6, though. I think she would be appreciated here.

Hard-earned rest

Fly to San Francisco. Car to sit for three weeks.

Long rest coming

RS200 arrived for our trip to the Le Mans Classic. Looks like the Jaguar won't get to go overseas this year.

Classics on the moors - Heartbeat country

Up early with coffee and toast while I detail the car again. We got caught in showers coming up to Yorkshire yesterday. Meguiar's Quik Detailer Mist and Wipe is brilliant for this kind of job.

Arrived at Goathland station around noon for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Vintage Vehicle weekend. Classic cars on display at each station along the beautiful preserved railway line. Spent an hour or so chatting with the very friendly, hospitable organisers before heading off to Grosmont.

Grosmont is where my dad was born and he worked on the railway in these parts, so it's a sentimental journey for me.

We left Grosmont for Egton Bridge then on to Rosedale, grounding the exhaust downpipe on a particularly savage moorland road that just catches out the suspension - slow down! Up the imposing Chimney Bank and on to Hutton-le-Hole.

The Jaguar is really running sweetly and only that irritating vibration at 65mph and the lack of overdrive to spoil things. She might even be up for the Le Mans Classic next weekend if we have to.

North again

Got up early to prepare the car for the trip north. Wash, towel dry, sprayed tyres and cleaned interior using Meguiar's car care products.

Replaced the speedo with a similar reconditioned item I'd picked up at a Jaguar Spares Day a couple of years ago for just £15.

I also rigged up my 240V inverter to run from the cigar lighter. I bought the inverter online for about £35 and it's perfect for powering the mains adaptor for my laptop computer. This allows the kids to watch a DVD (Stitch! - The Movie) while Laura and I listen to Jonathan Ross.

New speedo and odometer work perfectly. Heading north on the A1 we hit queues at the roadworks near Newark but the temperature gauge held steady, despite the fact that the viscous coupling on the fan still hasn't been replaced.

New blood

Practical Classics's deputy editor Ben Field and I drove out to the Practical Classics workshop to change the oil.

Rolled the Austin Devon project car off the ramp and stuck the Jaguar in the air. Dumped the hot oil and removed the filter housing. Cleaned up the housing and inserted the new filter bought at Beaulieu in May. It wasn't possible to fill the housing with oil due to its horizontal mounting and slow -turn bolt securing. Left the rubber seal in place because it was hard to get at. I've kept the new one in case it starts leaking.

Poured in 8.25litres of lovely golden Millers Classic 20/50 semi-synthetic oil. Ben removed the coil/distributor lead and I cranked the engine to get oil moving again. Dipstick level perfect.

Started the engine and watched for the oil warning light to go out. Pressure gauge needle rose steadily. Engine sounds much quieter.

Rattly engine

Drove the kids to swimming lessons and thought how rattly the engine sounded. Back at home I added about a litre of water to the header tank and filled the overflow tank halfway. Is that core plug leaking again? No sign of it.

Oil level is good, but it's very black.

Overdrive's out

Put car on axle stands to check the overdrive. The switch is OK and so is the feed through to the solenoid, so that's where the problem is – the electrical actuator at the back of the gearbox. The wiring gets warm when the power is fed to the solenoid, so I've disconnected at the unit and the switch on the gearstick.

Don't miss the odometer!

Going to meet friends at the Birmingham branch of the Classic Car Club. They're heading north in a beautiful Mercedes 350SL for a few days. I'm going to see them off and chat with the CCC guys who often help us at the magazine.

Nice gentle drive but overdrive has stopped working again. May be the faulty switch. Must check it out.

On the way home on the M6 the odometer rolled over to 00000 again. That's 200,000 recorded miles with one engine rebuild around 170,000.

Road being straight and traffic being light, I grabbed a snapshot of the speedo, only to discover the odometer had stopped at 00000! Even a significant mileage reading can make something go wrong!

Need air!

Family business attended to (Mum's out of hospital), I must head south. But not before a quick visit to Ikea in Leeds for some shelf brackets, oh and another half dozen conversations with talkative Yorkshiremen who seem to live life a little more slowly than I'm used to and will chat about the Jaguar for ages.

The ventilation has packed up and it's still hot and sunny. I fix the vacuum-driven vent flap in the Ikea car park and make a mental note to throw some Swarfega in the boot with the water and old towels.

The M621 swings past the football ground at Elland Road and it almost feels like a relief to see that it's still there. After the drama and crises of last season it felt like Leeds United had been obliterated rather than merely relegated. Make a mental note that Ikea is just two minutes from the stadium. Women can happily while away the duration of a game in Ikea, can't they?

It's been a 350-mile weekend and the Jaguar has performed beautifully.

Soul food

I've always had a thing about the longest day, and try to do something special.

Put two hours of Emap-related work in before leaving Barton-le-Street at 11am. Warm and sunny. I recently bought the boxed set of Steely Dan's best-known tunes and I've saved that for today too.

First stop, Huttons Ambo and the 'swing bridge' my dad took me to when I was small. The footbridge over the River Derwent is little more than steel cable and railway sleepers and swings dramatically when you cross.

Next, Kirkham Priory. My mum was born in one of the railway cottages and I used to swim in the river and totter across the fast-flowing weir as a kid. Really beautiful.

Then I headed up through Westow and Leavening and on to Thixendale. I was surprised how many memories were associated with old-girlfriends. It's a mark of my age that I'm only now appreciating the drive through this scenery for the uplifting experience that it truly is. Back in my teens I was obviously too randy to notice. Was that all I used to do?

No. I used to ride motorcycles around Burdale Quarry. After hiking to the mouth of the old abandoned railway tunnel, I climbed up into the quarry itself. It's 25 years since I used to ride a 250cc Ossa around that quarry, but I remembered every climb, jump, turn and dip as if it was yesterday.

My route of reminiscence took me to Fridaythorpe, Millington, Huggate, North Dalton and Middleton-on-the-Wolds. Shocking memories of a mis-spent youth bring a smile at every turn. This kind of trip is really good for the soul.

Heading north

Briefest of Father's Day exchanges with the girls before I hit the road.

Beautifully smooth, uneventful journey from Peterborough to Barton-le-Street listening to the CD given away free with this month's Word magazine.

Daughter to the rescue!

The bad thing about riding a motorcycle much of the time is that your Jaguar starts to sulk because it's being ignored. Only started on four cylinders this morning and sounds like a bag of nails. I have a long journey to Yorkshire tomorrow, so must check everything over.

Oil level is just below normal. Will top it up, but should try to change it before Goodwood next weekend. Squirted a few drops into the twin SU carburettor dashpots too.

Water needed a litre, but the seeping core plug seems to have sealed itself. Decided to replace the old top hose that went back on when the new one burst a few months ago. It is very badly cracked and perished.

Took the hose and the oil filler cap to Millfield Autos, the local Asian-run motor factor who seems to stock everything. They haven't got an exact match, but have a long hose with more twists than a Sixties High School dance. It costs £8 and will probably make two for the Jaguar.

The oil filler cap that leaks oil is sealed with a rubber gasket from a thermostat costing 50p.

Fitting all of the above on the driveway, I remembered that the bonnet had developed an irritating habit of popping open on the passenger side. It doesn't open right up, but the spigot pops out of its catch. After adjusting it right down I discovered to my horror that the bonnet release catch wouldn't release that side – I'd adjusted it too far. Daughter Charlotte came to the rescue by pulling the lever at exactly the right moment as I applied pressure. Phew. North Yorkshire here we come.

The price of comfort

The great thing about riding a hard-sprung sporty motorbike much of the time is that it makes driving your Jaguar feel like riding on air. You have to accept it's not that easy to overtake, though.

What is it with some drivers? Is the art of overtaking being lost? Some people will sit behind a slow vehicle forever. Now, I'd never advocate dangerous nor even high-risk passes, but some people just seem to switch off!

Anyway, needed to be smart for work today, so it's back to 14mpg just as I was starting to get used to 40.

Jaguar enthusiasts

Washed the Jaguar with the new range from Meguiar's, the NXT Generation wash, tyre cleaner and polymer polish. It's very, very good. The car hasn't looked this shiny for months.

Fabulous day out in the car at the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club's 20th birthday bash at Thoresby Hall, Nottinghamshire. Wonderful venue, wonderful day.

Started out at the York and District Region tent and chatted about their Castle Howard event in July. That'll give me a good excuse to go and see my mum. The York branch is quite new and they are keen to grow their membership. If you live in the York area and love Jaguars, John Darkin would like to hear from you: johndarkin@hotmail.com

I found an interior light lens at the first autojumble stall I stopped at – £1. I found a set of switches at the next one for a tenner and then had to stop to join Sir Stirling Moss, his lovely wife Suzi and my friends at Footman James for lunch.

Went back to the autojumble later to look at a lovely old Jaguar dealership sign. It had been sold and I was told the stallholder had let it go for £125. I thought it would have been more expensive than that, so regretted not asking earlier. I'm still not very good at this autojumble business!

Still, happy with my light lens and a nice set of photos for the magazine, I wandered back to the car and chatted to John, a reader from Ireland who knew my name, all about my car and said nice things about the magazines. Really nice guy.

Drove home in the warm sunshine listening to Steely Dan's Greatest Hits and then the top 40 on Radio One.

Mind your Manor

Went to the Louis Vuitton Classic at Waddesdon Manor and met up with Classic Cars managing editor Phil and his lady, Trish. Bumped into dozens of friends and ended up taking the photos for Phil. Enjoyed the day on the bike but the leathers got some looks. Strange, with so many men in pink.

Switch back

Used the car for work on Thursday when a friend left her car on our drive and blocked the garage door, imprisoning the motorbike.

Took the opportunity to clean up the contacts on the overdrive switch and insulate it all with vinyl tape. It works again.

Old car to the new cars

I went to the Motor Show at the NEC on the Triumph but called in to see Tim at XJ Services, Corby. He thinks he has most of the bits I need in stock but he was busy fixing an electrical problem on a XJ40 (rather him than me!), so I said I'd email him a list.

Yellow puddle

Thought it was about time I checked the fluids. Oil is fine, water needed about a pint, which isn’t bad after a month.

Checking the oil I noticed a small pool of bright yellow/green coolant sitting at the bottom of the block near the sump/bellhousing joints. I wiped it clean and started the engine. A brief trickle ran down the side of the block and then stopped as the engine warmed up. I suspect a leaking core plug that re-seals when it heats up. It’s hard to see it because of the exhaust manifold.

Bike tomorrow if it’s dry. Have a look at the weekend.

Bad timing

Overdrive switch on the top of the gearknob packed up this morning. I now have two wires poking up out of the stick and if I push them together when in fourth gear, the overdrive still kicks in. So it is the switch and I saw one of those at Beaulieu last week. Damn!

Showing off

Nothing to do with the Jaguar, really, but tonight I won the Emap Automotive Editor of the Year award for my work on Classic Cars. Cool.

Here come the excuses!

Sorry about this, but I got the Triumph Speed Triple taxed and tested today. The Jaguar might be taking it a bit easier for a while. A 750cc motorbike takes me a lot further on £20 than a 4.2-litre saloon!

Bare-foot driving

Left the Jaguar at Beaulieu overnight so Ben and I drove in in the Golf Gti. Some New Forest half-wit in a Land Rover tried to run us off the road, but otherwise the drive down from Lyndhurst was enjoyable.

Hot. Got burned. Bloke with all my Jaguar parts had gone home! Resumed search and only ended up with a single switch and a cheap oil filter. Beaulieu is tough if your list is all one model and very specific. I bet I looked through a dozen boxes of light lenses. A Jaguar Spares Day at Stoneleigh or Farnham is much more fun for me.

Left for home in hot sunshine. Driving in my bare feet and shorts. I love doing that. I have this theory that driving feels sort of sexier, the fewer clothes you’re wearing. I’ve only explored this theory as far as shorts and bare feet, you’ll be pleased to hear. But with hot summer nights around the corner…

Left after Ben but caught up with him at the end of the Newbury bypass. He’d broken down. The AA man recognised my Jaguar. Hi Mike.

Beaulieu disco car

Washed and polished the Jaguar on the stand, wound down the windows and set my camp Seventies disco CD on repeat play. Surprise of the day was an elderly, very distinguished gent who peered inside the car. I expected him to turn up his nose at Sister Sledge but instead he started to dance! He also bought a subscription.

Set out around the autojumble with a list: oil filler cap with good rubber seal; set of centre console switches; driver’s side interior light lens; viscous-coupling for cooling fan; vacuum-operated fresh air vent actuator and anything else that might one day fail on a short wheelbase, light blue, manual gearbox, 4.2-litre, Series 1.

I found the switches, a filler cap, a good hubcap and an as new steering wheel all at the one stand. I’ll go back tomorrow and drive a harder bargain in the afternoon.

Off to Beaulieu

Friday night, heading for Beaulieu where the Jaguar will feature on the Practical Classics stand at the Spring Autojumble.

I left it late to allow the Friday evening rush hour time to disperse. Set off from Peterborough around 7.30pm. Fabulous warm evening for a long drive south.

Ten minutes out of Peterborough on the A1(M) I smelled burning oil and the cabin took on that misty appearance that you might normally associate with Benson & Hedges. I pulled off onto the hard shoulder and the smell got stronger. So it was definitely me then.

A pool of oil had formed on the exhaust manifold (the guard is missing) and it was bubbling and smoking away merrily. Two years ago I fitted a very oil oil filler cap that had ‘JAGUAR’ cast into it. The rubber seal had perished so I fashioned a temporary gasket out of cardboard. It was leaking like a stuck pig, as they say in Yorkshire.

I gently removed the cardboard ring, replaced it the other way round and tightened the cap as hard as I could. I checked it twice before Beaulieu and it wasn’t leaking anymore.

Met news editor Nigel and deputy editor Ben in the Passage to India restaurant in Lyndhurst at 11pm. Very late for chillies that hot!

Racing south

Enjoyed driving home down the A1 accompanied by work colleagues in their various modern cars and motorbikes. The Jaguar gives a good account of herself up to about 85-90mph but I don’t like to sit at that speed too long.

Photo shoot

Went out to Thorney to photograph a nice white Midget for an advertisement feature about the Nikon D70 in Classic Cars magazine. I think the old boys in the garage were impressed with the Jaguar.

Drove up to Grantham for an Emap Automotive conference at the Belton Woods Hotel.

Will it start?

First day back at work today after a week's holiday. The car has stood for well over a week and seen some rain. Faint deposits of Dinitrol from inside the doors have streaked the sills where the rain has run from the drain holes.

Electric clock has kept perfect time. Turn the key and listen for the ticking of the fuel pump. Turn again and it starts first time, instantaneous. Runs sweet as a nut.I shouldn't be surprised, really, but I am pleased.

Grudge

I'm not the kind of bloke who carries a grudge... but... Sigh. One year ago today I parked the Jaguar outside Tesco in Peterborough. As I was checking that the boot was locked, a woman opened the passenger door of a Renault Sport Clio V6 and whacked it against my door, creating a horrid little dent smack, bang in the middle of an otherwise perfect panel.

I contained my fury and pointed out the damage. To my horror she denied it, despite the fact that I watched her do it! I showed her how the door matched the dent but she remained unconvinced. I asked for her phone number and she reluctantly gave it so I was left with that, her first name and the car registration number (Sally, WK02 EOB).

Over the next few weeks she failed to return my calls. When I finally got to speak with her, she again denied denting the car, refused to provide details of her insurance and then hung up. I've given up now, of course. But I'm reminded of that hideous woman every time I get in the car. There's one dent in my car and she made it. Terrible that I'm still angry with her 12 months on, isn't it?

Sunday run

Gave the Jaguar a good wash today. No time for polish. Oil and water both looking good.

I've got Total LRP four star in at the moment and the car seems to start better. Mind you, it's much warmer weather too.

Went for a joy ride. Still fretting about that diff. After 15 miles it was almost too hot to touch and hold, but not quite. Hadn't kept off the brakes through the village, so it could be that heat transfer from the discs.

Calm down

Drove back to Peterborough from Flitwick via Shefford to avoid traffic around Bedford this morning. Slowly up the A1, easy on the brakes into work. No smelly diff oil today either but I'm tuned-in to every bump and whirring noise.

Cooler diff

Enjoyed a lovely early morning run down to Flitwick Manor for the classic magazines' conference. Diff quite hot on arrival at the hotel but not smelling of hot oil.

Hot diff!

Drove to Essendine to meet a restorer this afternoon. It was warm and sunny.

After driving down to Peterborough on the back roads I noticed a smell of hot gear oil as I got out of the car. The diff was very hot to the touch and all the heat was in and around it. It always has a thin film of oil on it.

I'm not sure if the heat from the inboard rear discs (they sit either side of the diff casing) is causing the smell. There is no rumble or whine from the final drive, but a slight clunk when power is transferred.
Please God, don't let it be a diff-out job again!

Nobody wants to send me a light lens, then...

Nearly bought another Series 1 XJ6 today. It's light blue with dark blue leather, just like mine. It's a 1968 4.2-litre automatic and it looks destined for the scrappy. Dragging it back from the West Country put me off when all I need right now is that interior light lens!

Lost lens

Noticed the driver's side interior light lens is missing. It's a push fit on the door pillar and falls off every now and then, usually into the rear footwell. Nowhere to be seen this time. Must've come off during all the fun and games at Rockingham yesterday.

Found a long-lost glasses case, though. Scant compensation. Anybody got a light lens they can sell me?

The Top 100 shoot

Met Karen (Practical Classics art editor and director of today's photo shoot) at work at 07:30 and set off in the sun for Rockingham.

Greeted owners at the gate with goody bags then drove down through the tunnel, past the pits and out onto the track. Took up position on the grid with 90-odd other classic cars.

Four photographers, one on cherry-picker, two on startline gantry, one on track. Staff positioning cars, owners very patient. Two parade laps of Rockingham, one for stills one for TV. Clouds gathering.

Live TV (ITV lunchtime news) interview from top car park. Heavens opened. Still wet as I write this, four hours later.

Getting the 'goody bags'

Drove out to office with daughter Katy. Big Practical Classics photo shoot tomorrow at Rockingham Motor Speedway and the XJ6 is in the top 30 of Britain's favourite 100 classic cars, voted for by the readers.

Loaded 100 'goody bags' (snack, magazine, instructions) for car owners coming to the photo shoot. Storm broke just as we started to fill the car.

Pockmarks

First good wash in weeks. Discouraged by number of blisters and pockmarks that have appreared over the winter. Still looks good, though.

Checked all hoses for weak spots and adjusted alternator belt. Got my daughter Charlotte to take my picture for Practical Classics while my hands were dirty!

What's that smell?

Two roundabouts out from work I detected a whiff of coolant. By the time I joined the slow queue onto the business park the temperature gauge had nosed its way above normal. I steered into a convenient slip road just as the steam emerged from the side of the bonnet.

Split top radiator hose, less than a year old and bought from Martin Robey because the kit promised Kevlar reinforcement. Very disappointing performance. It's split like a rotten tomato.

Sat in the car proof-reading pages for Practical Classics until the engine cooled and the traffic queue had died down.

Borrowed the Porsche at lunchtime and went home for the old hose I replaced a year ago. It hadn't failed so I kept it – waste not want not, as we say in Yorkshire.

Day two CCL!

Another early start. Took the planned route into the show from the Ace Cafe but it had a couple of awkward traffic light junctions. Should have done the 'wrong' route again.Good drive home with the publisher's PA listening to Chris Rea and heading into a huge storm at sunset. Neat.

Cheerleader in the back

Left hotel early for the Ace and then followed the Starsky and Hutch Gran Torino down to the show with the Capital Gold VIP competition winners. The motorcycle escort rode straight past the A1000 turn-off and we all followed him. He took us a much better route, though.

Oh yes, I had a Starsky and Hutch cheerleader in the back, too.

Interior smells lovely. Called at office just to check my emails. Bomb scare. Left keys on desk and couldn't leave for London until after lunch.

Drove to hotel in Hendon then up to Alexandra Palace. Show looked good.

Damp patch

Cleaned inside of car for VIPs at Classic Cars Live! this weekend. Found damp patch in driver's footwell. It seems to radiate from the floor-bolted hinge of the accelerator pedal.

New gaiter fitted

Finally got round to fitting the offside steering rack gaiter. Pulled it over the track rod keeping locknut in position to avoid wheel alignment problems.

Replaced light switch (last one from a spare set). Got MOT certificate sorted too. Legal again.

Ace night

Drove down to the Ace Cafe for the Classic Cars meeting. Left early to try the Alexandra Palace drive-in route. All OK round the North Circular but got lost at Fortis Green. Made it up to Alexandra Palace eventually. City looked amazing.

Took winding route home and burned out another headlight switch. By-passed the switch to get home. Must fit a relay.

Plug scrub

Topped-up oil and water. Cleaned spark plugs. Most are a very light brown or grey with light carbon deposits on outside of bend in outer electrode. Cleaned, gapped and oiled threads.

Didn't start engine. Not going anywhere. Home DIY hell.

Free those windows

Gaiters didn't arrive this morning. So went out with the intention of washing away the salt and giving the car a quick polish, if only to spoil what started as a lovely spring day. It always rains if I polish the Jaguar.

Got bogged down in the repair of the door pocket instead, and decided it was a good opportunity to sort the creaky window action. Stripped the driver's side door and removed window winder mechanism. A flat coiled spring on the wound arm was dry and rusty. Cleaned and oiled it and then worked the mechanism, trapping a flap of skin on my finger in the gears. Ouch!

Window winds smoothly, though. Firmed up broken door pocket and had to pack up to take the kids swimming.

Drive to Brooklands

Ordered steering rack gaiters from Martin Robey - half the price quoted by SNG Barratt, hope they're not half the quality.

Drove to Brooklands for the Penrite Award lunch. Editors of classic car magazines meeting to discuss nominations for the Penrite Person of the Year Award. Enjoyable and interesting. Brooklands quite busy but it's mild and dry. Quite a few young mums with children.

Rotten drive back, caught in a jam on the M25 round the north-west section. Car never missed a beat but the slight shudder at 65mph is annoying on these long dual carriageway runs.

I thought it would disappear when the Dunlops were fitted and the wheels balanced but it hasn't. Unless a weight has flown off, I must suspect something else. Propshaft maybe? I would have expected to feel it through the gearstick if it was in the drivetrain, but there's no evidence of that.

I'll need to get the tracking checked after fitting the steering rack gaiters, so I'll get the wheels balanced at the same time.

Droopy pocket

Driver's side door pocket fouled on door trim when opening door. Temporary fix with silver Duck tape.

Will it pass?

Started fine this morning. Checked all fluid levels and added 500ml oil, a litre of 50/50 coolant/water and enough battery top-up to cover the plates. Maybe a full charge at the weekend will give me another month or so.

Failed MOT for split gaiters on steering rack.

A lovely evening with friendly people

Another jump start needed. Time to think about a new battery, I fear.

Giving a talk at the South Lincs Jaguar Drivers' Club this evening, near Boston. Nice evening, talk went well.

Wonderful driving home from about 22:30. Richard Allinson plays some great music on late night BBC Radio Two. Driving across the Fens at night reminds me of being at sea – large black expanses either side and strings of lights on the horizon like a distant coastline.

Jaguar running very well with charge meter sitting at normal. I could have driven all night.

A long, hard day

It couldn't have been a worse start to the day. For the first time in two-and-a-half years, the 32-year-old car failed to start this morning. A combination of short runs, heavy battery drain and a dusting of snow during the night proved too much for it. Jump start from my wife's Rover at 06:30.

Clutch much worse. I only get one shot at moving off now and if I hold the pedal down the car starts to creep after a few seconds. Parked in the space by the exit at work, pointing outwards and spotted a solitary magpie. Ben later commented, 'That's the parking of a man with a dodgy clutch.'

Many thanks to all of you who wrote to offer advice. You all correctly diagnosed a leaking seal in the master cylinder.

David Marks rang at 11:00 to say the master cylinder had arrived from SNG Barratt and that he had a slave in stock. He never reseals hydraulics and often finds that a new master cylinder will quickly expose weaknesses in the rest of the system.

By noon I was ready to tackle the 40-mile journey from Peterborough to Nottingham with virtually no clutch. What followed was a virtuoso performance of clutchless driving. The challenge of approaching every junction and roundabout in neutral and selecting just the right gear for the next gap in traffic thrilled me and frustrated the hell out of everyone behind me. If you followed a very slow XJ6 along the A52 today, I'm sorry.

David Marks took just over an hour to swap the master and slave cylinders and bleed the system. The only unexpected task was the need to drill one of the slave mounting lugs to accept an oversize bolt that had remedied a stripped thread in the past. The pedal box needs to come out and the new master cylinder is fitted on the bench.

The master cylinder cost £64.63 (inc VAT) from Barratt, which was more expensive than Martin Robey, but Robey's didn't have one in stock. The slave was £48. Carriage on the master cylinder (£14.68) and David's time resulted in another sheet of paper to hide from my wife. But it was all worth it to feel a smooth, strong clutch pedal for the first time in weeks.

I enjoyed the A606 down through Melton Mowbray and Oakham, winter sunshine, white clouds and a heavy snow shower creating a stunning skyscape.

At the Shell filling station some dolt had tangled two pump hoses and when I stretched the unleaded nozzle for the far side tank, the diesel nozzle flew out of its holster and took two chips of paint out of my nearside rear wing. It was that bloody magpie's fault.

Clutching at straws

I have a worsening problem with the clutch. During stop/start town traffic the clutch starts to 'clear' and 'bite' deeper and deeper into the pedal travel, until at its worst, the clutch starts to drag. Gears become difficult to select and even with the pedal right to the deck the plates are still engaged.

But if I take my foot right off the pedal, and allow it to recover for a few moments, a good pedal action returns.

I've tried bleeding the system and it doesn't improve. There are no apparent leaks where air could be getting in and it doesn't lose any fluid. Pumping the pedal, a typical remedy for a dragging clutch with air in the system, actually makes it worse.

Any suggestions out there?

TV star car

Bet you wondered where I'd gone! Spent all day filming for the documentary to go out on Men & Motors later in the year. Cameras stuck to the paintwork (with duck tape!) and inside the car to get some wild angles. Did about 30 miles round and round the same loop of roads in the business park. Viewers will be gripped.

Taxi!

Picked up Phil at Longthorpe. He's getting the tracking sorted on the Porsche 911. A damp start for the Jaguar, but it fired straight away and ran on six, quietly and smoothly. Today's CD: Fallen, Evanescence.

Oil level

Exactly one litre of oil brought the level back to the top mark on the dipstick, just 439 miles since I last filled it. Is this normal? It also needed a lot of water, but I hadn't checked that since I replaced the split hose.

Snow joke

The winter weather arrived today and all the drivers decide to show how crap they are. It's 17:10 and all the frozen roads are blocked by ineptly-driven cars. I'm going out myself now, and I may be some time.

Cool kids

Taking the kids to school the heater wasn't working and there was steam coming out of the grille. Inspection at home revealed a split hose between the water pump and header tank - one of the few not renewed last year. I had a spare.

All the pots

Started on six this morning. Lovely. Today's CD: Pulp, Different Class.

Washing off the salt

Bright sunshine convinced me it was a good day to wash all the salt off the car and restore the shine. The emergence of the hose and bucket had its usual effect on the sun and I finished wiping the brightwork with a GT85-soaked cloth just as the rain started.

Secured the door handle and dried all the HT leads and gave them a blast with WD-40.

I'm away, not the cat

I'm away in Switzerland so the father-in-law is in charge of the Jaguar. He tells me it started on only five cylinders again this morning but cleared when it warmed up.

Blue haze

Can you overfill the dashpots on SU carbs? It's such a satisfying job, squirting oil into those big alloy receptacles, even though I'm never quite sure what it does. Anyway, filled 'em to the brim on Sunday and every time I started the engine, there was a slight blue smoke haze from the exhausts. It quickly cleared and now it's gone altogether.

Great day out at Lance McCormack's Romance of Rust workshop in Ealing and then on to the Ace Cafe.

32.7litres of fuel filled it up after 102 miles. That's 14mpg round town/six mile commute. Gulp!

Cool music

Today's CD: The Jam, Beat Surrender.

32 today!

Happy 32nd birthday LAB 320K. After spending £12.99 on a new, more powerful washer pump, I discovered it was probably everything but the pump that was at fault. The non-return valve in the tank was sticking, the pipes were badly-routed and the joints were leaking. But I'd put the new pump in by the time I discovered all this. The resulting blast of screenwash is astonishing.

Also astonishing was the fact that I needed to add 1.5litres of Miller's Classic 20/50 semi-synthetic oil to bring it up to the mark and the coolant was low by about a litre. Time for a consumption check – everything topped-up nice at 196,111 miles.

Went for a run and just got to thinking how well it was all going when the door handle came off in my hand.

Fuel consumption test

156-mile round trip to the Autosport Show at the NEC. Good show. Put 42litres of Optimax in at Thrapston on way out and used left tank for a fuel check: 19.7litres in at Thrapston on return 109 miles later = 25mpg, assuming odometer is accurate. Juddering at 70mph, wheel balance? Screen washer packed up; tried to suck out blockage. Halfords Apple fragrance tastes dreadful.

Early start

Reluctant start at 06:50 (me and the car) but at least it was on six cylinders straight away. Sat until the temp gauge moved and the exhausts had created their own weather system. Battery gauge showing -ve charge, needs a good run. Today's CD: Ten Summoner's Tales by Sting.

The Fens

Drove the family out to Whaplode Drove. Blimey, it's like Nebraska out there; straight roads and big skies. Fellow journalist Gary Inman, out for a ride on his motorbike, spotted the Jaguar from miles away and gave us a wave. Collected wife's little Rover from servicing at WH Brand and enquired about trade-in price. Maybe not yet. Jaguar behaved perfectly. 28 miles. Total recorded mileage: 195,879.

New Year niggles list:

Leaking offside rear quarterlight; headlight switch worn-out; occasional dragging clutch (improved after adjustment and replaced return spring); rust bubbles on nearside front wing; vacuum leak in heating system at air vent; cooling fan fluid coupling worn out; pulls to left under heavy braking; wheel balance vibration at 70mph.


Most recent 2003 fixes: massive adjustment of tracking to correct 'dead' steering and prepare for new Dunlop SP Sports; Dunlops fitted (£147 each) with immediate improvement in ride quality - firmer; starting only on five cylinders remedied by six new NGK BP5ES (v-notched electrode) spark plugs (£2.05 each).


You can click here for a brief summary of my ownership of the car, some previous history and a more detailed specification.