XJ40; A tremendous Jaguar

No matter how XJ40 is perceived, it’s still a marvelous car to drive; even in poor state it always feels serene. I think that XJ40 is probably a Jaguar to suit all tastes and pockets. Although there are still some very poor examples that can be seen on roads, however on the other hand we can see some very nice cars too. Anyways let’s take a brief look on its history and then gradually move on for the topic.

October 1986

2.9and 3.6 litre introduced.

Standard and Sovereign Spec.

October 1988 – September 1989

3.6 litre XJR available

4.0 – Replaces 3.6 litre

September 1990

3.2 – Replaces 2.9 litre

1993

XJ12 Sovereign finally available

1994

Production of all XJ40 models ends.

Specifications

           

Model	Year	Engine Capacity	Max Power	Top Speed	0 to 60 mph seconds
2.9	1986 - 90	2,919 cc	165 bhp	117 mph	9.6(Manual) 10.8(Auto)
3.6	1986 - 89	3590 cc	221 bhp	136mph	7.6(Manual) 8.8(Auto)
3.2	1990 - 94	3239 cc	200 bhp	132 mph	8.5(Manual) 9.5(Auto)
4.0	1989 - 94	3980 cc	235 bhp	140 mph	7.4(Manual) 8.1(Auto)

XJ40 was not initially designed for the V12 engines because Jaguar’s plan was probably to deliver something to its customers by shortening their expense figure, even in fuel. You can buy an XJ40 in very reasonable price and if you selected 6 cylinder engines that were initially designed for XJ40, then you’re going to save good fuel money in future.

Mechanically speaking, 6 cylinder engines are robust and almost trouble free if dealt with care and love. Piston breaking problem across the edge of the crown were also reduced by the Jaguar engineers. In fact, all the problems that people faced in the starting models of XJ40 were fixed many years ago by the Jaguar. Actually, when XJ40 first went on sale, it wasn’t ready for this world. History showed that those early customers played an unwitting role in Jaguar XJ40’s development. But there were rare instances of head gas-kit failure even in early models. Let me add that many problems were eliminated with the introduction of 4.0-litre models in1989.

Today, the big problems are with the electrical circuits of the XJ40. Its warning indications were so innovative and aesthetically pleasing in past days, but today they can become the cause of great exasperation. One warning light tells if a bulb fails, another warns of faulty ABS, but seriously they can all lie. By you can identify the fault easily on its circuit board and then can solve it by soldering a bridging wire to connect right circuits together.  

It is absolutely fair to say that the XJ40 is not a Jaguar that has had the best fortunes during its lifetime as far as reputation amongst the buying public goes. I mean problem with the early cars which were abolished with the introduction of the 4.0 – litre models in 1989. But it shouldn’t be forgotten that fundamentally XJ40 was an exceptionally good car, and one that – when it worked properly – represented a huge leap forward over the outgoing Series 3 XJ6.