Jiminy Kriket

Have you tried different H4 bulbs in your stock housings?
On my xf the headlights were woeful (aftermarket housings) and i was recommended to try Tungsram +60 H4 bulbs and what can i say.
It out performed my old mans BA with stock headlights and they were 100 times better than what i had in the xf.
The bulbs are still rated at 60/55w so they don't strain the wiring to the headlight housing either.
I know Narva and Hella also do an improved ouput range, so maybe try some better bulbs in the stock housings and see how they go.
For less than $30 from my local truck and trailer supplier i couldn't be happier with my headlights.
 
Exactly what i'm running in my car.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HEADLIGHT-GLOBE-TWIN-PACK-TUNGSRAM-MEGALIGHT-PLUS-60-12V-60-55W-H4-50440MPU-/161068803090?hash=item258072e412:g:rNkAAMXQlgtS6Ia1

Heater boxes are identical. Pretty sure that all you need to do is as deandx said, just remove the electronic control unit and slot the cable and clip for the manual control into it.
 
Might need a couple of goes at it to get the position of the cable right in the flap arm.

Heater boxes are identical. Pretty sure that all you need to do is as deandx said, just remove the electronic control unit and slot the cable and clip for the manual control into it.
 
Might need a couple of goes at it to get the position of the cable right in the flap arm.

Is the rocker cover breather hose connected securely? The elbow appears to be off the throttle body in that photo you posted.
 
And the idle control hoses are connected together? Just blank those off with some electrical tape for a trial, i think that'll be where you are leaning out at idle.
 
The port on the back of the throttle body is before the throttle blade, then you have it going straight to the plenum chamber. That would be one hell of a vacuum leak.

what revs does it idle at? Does it idle smooth or is it rough as guts?
 
When my carb setup used to play up like that it was usually the brass plug/corrector jet on the passengers side of the carb fouled up with crap from somewhere.
 
I'd be checking that first. While you are in the carb area, as dave said check the filter on the fuel in side of the carb. 
 
And also look for split or loose vacuum connections on the carb itself. Always a bother those things.

what revs does it idle at? Does it idle smooth or is it rough as guts?
 
When my carb setup used to play up like that it was usually the brass plug/corrector jet on the passengers side of the carb fouled up with crap from somewhere.
 
I'd be checking that first. While you are in the carb area, as dave said check the filter on the fuel in side of the carb. 
 
And also look for split or loose vacuum connections on the carb itself. Always a bother those things.

Thanks guys, was a real pain to find that is for sure.
 
Done now though. We have owned that car for 3 years and it has only just now cut that 3rd wire. What a pain.

All hail to the soothing sounds of Metallica whilst sorting out satans handiwork.
 
Righto, where the hell do i begin. Fuel pump wiring checked out fine. 1st problem out of the way.
 
2nd, get into the fuse panel again and look for where the short is coming from. Check.
 
Found that if i pulled the eecV relay the short on the eng fuse went away. Righto.
 
Check for shorts on the eecV relay wires, found 1. On the bloody red feed wire that powers everything that the ecu sees... Damn.
 
Traced the harness back until i got under the air box, then i found this little demon hiding in the shadows.
 

 
You see that innocuous looking self tapper screw above the 3 wires that are all torn up? That was dead set driven through the centre of the loom pulling it hard into the inner guard.
 
Thank you to the panel beater who screwed that back in after it's large front end impact.
 
So, all fixed now. Wires reinsulated, loom rewrapped (and wrapped in a piece of heater hose just to be sure to be sure) and the little bastard of a screw cut short.
 
Since we have owned the car we have had only 3 issues with it (in 3 years).
 
1 - Every time you hit the starter the battery would blow (The red wire in the middle is the starter solenoid wire)
 
2 - The neutral safety switch was ineffective (The red/Blue wire above the starter wire is one of the 2 neutral safety wires)
 
3 - The ENG fuse would blow when the ignition would turn on (The red wire at the bottom of the loom)
 
All sorted with some beer, frustration and some sailor speak.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions, very helpful.
 
Onto the next drama.....

Thanks guys, was a real pain to find that is for sure.
 
Done now though. We have owned that car for 3 years and it has only just now cut that 3rd wire. What a pain.

All hail to the soothing sounds of Metallica whilst sorting out satans handiwork.
 
Righto, where the hell do i begin. Fuel pump wiring checked out fine. 1st problem out of the way.
 
2nd, get into the fuse panel again and look for where the short is coming from. Check.
 
Found that if i pulled the eecV relay the short on the eng fuse went away. Righto.
 
Check for shorts on the eecV relay wires, found 1. On the bloody red feed wire that powers everything that the ecu sees... Damn.
 
Traced the harness back until i got under the air box, then i found this little demon hiding in the shadows.
 

 
You see that innocuous looking self tapper screw above the 3 wires that are all torn up? That was dead set driven through the centre of the loom pulling it hard into the inner guard.
 
Thank you to the panel beater who screwed that back in after it's large front end impact.
 
So, all fixed now. Wires reinsulated, loom rewrapped (and wrapped in a piece of heater hose just to be sure to be sure) and the little bastard of a screw cut short.
 
Since we have owned the car we have had only 3 issues with it (in 3 years).
 
1 - Every time you hit the starter the battery would blow (The red wire in the middle is the starter solenoid wire)
 
2 - The neutral safety switch was ineffective (The red/Blue wire above the starter wire is one of the 2 neutral safety wires)
 
3 - The ENG fuse would blow when the ignition would turn on (The red wire at the bottom of the loom)
 
All sorted with some beer, frustration and some sailor speak.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions, very helpful.
 
Onto the next drama.....

All hail to the soothing sounds of Metallica whilst sorting out satans handiwork.
 
Righto, where the hell do i begin. Fuel pump wiring checked out fine. 1st problem out of the way.
 
2nd, get into the fuse panel again and look for where the short is coming from. Check.
 
Found that if i pulled the eecV relay the short on the eng fuse went away. Righto.
 
Check for shorts on the eecV relay wires, found 1. On the bloody red feed wire that powers everything that the ecu sees... Damn.
 
Traced the harness back until i got under the air box, then i found this little demon hiding in the shadows.
 

 
You see that innocuous looking self tapper screw above the 3 wires that are all torn up? That was dead set driven through the centre of the loom pulling it hard into the inner guard.
 
Thank you to the panel beater who screwed that back in after it's large front end impact.
 
So, all fixed now. Wires reinsulated, loom rewrapped (and wrapped in a piece of heater hose just to be sure to be sure) and the little bastard of a screw cut short.
 
Since we have owned the car we have had only 3 issues with it (in 3 years).
 
1 - Every time you hit the starter the battery would blow (The red wire in the middle is the starter solenoid wire)
 
2 - The neutral safety switch was ineffective (The red/Blue wire above the starter wire is one of the 2 neutral safety wires)
 
3 - The ENG fuse would blow when the ignition would turn on (The red wire at the bottom of the loom)
 
All sorted with some beer, frustration and some sailor speak.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions, very helpful.
 
Onto the next drama.....

All hail to the soothing sounds of Metallica whilst sorting out satans handiwork.
 
Righto, where the hell do i begin. Fuel pump wiring checked out fine. 1st problem out of the way.
 
2nd, get into the fuse panel again and look for where the short is coming from. Check.
 
Found that if i pulled the eecV relay the short on the eng fuse went away. Righto.
 
Check for shorts on the eecV relay wires, found 1. On the bloody red feed wire that powers everything that the ecu sees... Damn.
 
Traced the harness back until i got under the air box, then i found this little demon hiding in the shadows.
 

 
You see that innocuous looking self tapper screw above the 3 wires that are all torn up? That was dead set driven through the centre of the loom pulling it hard into the inner guard.
 
Thank you to the panel beater who screwed that back in after it's large front end impact.
 
So, all fixed now. Wires reinsulated, loom rewrapped (and wrapped in a piece of heater hose just to be sure to be sure) and the little bastard of a screw cut short.
 
Since we have owned the car we have had only 3 issues with it (in 3 years).
 
1 - Every time you hit the starter the battery would blow (The red wire in the middle is the starter solenoid wire)
 
2 - The neutral safety switch was ineffective (The red/Blue wire above the starter wire is one of the 2 neutral safety wires)
 
3 - The ENG fuse would blow when the ignition would turn on (The red wire at the bottom of the loom)
 
All sorted with some beer, frustration and some sailor speak.
 
Thank you for all the suggestions, very helpful.
 
Onto the next drama.....

I'd go for a devcon or loctite 2 part epoxy. There are a couple of different types, the kneading type and the liquid type. I've used the liquid type with good success. The kneading type i have found to be labour intensive, takes a bit of effort to get into all the nooks and crannies.

I'd go for a devcon or loctite 2 part epoxy. There are a couple of different types, the kneading type and the liquid type. I've used the liquid type with good success. The kneading type i have found to be labour intensive, takes a bit of effort to get into all the nooks and crannies.

If you read the values on top of the relay on that board, it's only rated to 10 amps. You would need to feed a larger relay to run the thermo off that board.

Or you could go the way i have gone and run 2 separate temp switches in the water, 1 turns on at 85 degrees, off at 80. The other turns on at 90 and off at 85. All i have done is run them to 2 separate relays and then powered each fan from there. Cost about $40 a switch.

Or you could go the way i have gone and run 2 separate temp switches in the water, 1 turns on at 85 degrees, off at 80. The other turns on at 90 and off at 85. All i have done is run them to 2 separate relays and then powered each fan from there. Cost about $40 a switch.

I can't comment on those 2 particular design of rims, but i have had to repair plenty of Advanti rims through work.
 
Normally bent, not cracked. Plenty of big pot holes in my part of the country.

The old man's XW was factory front bench, with the compliance plate saying it was a 6 seater. All he had to do to get the front centre seat belt in was to double up the bolt tags on the existing bolts that already affixed the other belts to the floor. If you look at how the rear belts are done, that's how he did the fronts. I think he may have gotten a pair of centre bolts from the rear of another car to get the should length right.

Exactly right Gerg. The genuine XF T5 bell housings have the long clutch cable and passenger side throw out lever. And yeah, the outer layer gets glass hard deposits in it from the moulding material normally. On really good sand castings it doesn't happen because they preheat the sand moulds to prevent inclusions. With cast iron, the quicker the cast cools the harder the material gets. That's another reason you can get a hard skin on the cast iron is rapid cooling of the outer layer and slower cooling of the inner.
 
 
Well, that explains the 9" mix and matchery i saw in the other thread. Sometimes you need to think outside the box to make things work the way you want.

With the intake threads, they are 5/16" UNC standard. When they strip they just happen to clean up to the tapping size for 3/8 UNC (same thread as the exhaust bolts), which is what i ended tapping 3 of those threads to after some dodgy mechanic had a go at my first crossy head.
Drilled the hole in the manifold to 10mm and wound the 3/8 tap straight into the threaded hole and job done. Just be sure to get all the ally chips out of the rocker area.

Update time. Got it solved. Number 5 ignition coil silicon boot was damaged causing it to arc from the spring inside to the cylinder head. EEK.
 

You see that little grey dot. That there is the problem.
 
Looking closer at the dot you see this...

 
Little bastard thing had me looking everywhere for the issue. New plugs and coils and it's purring like a kitten even from dead cold. Beautiful. Thanks for the suggestions as to what it may have been.

Update time. Got it solved. Number 5 ignition coil silicon boot was damaged causing it to arc from the spring inside to the cylinder head. EEK.
 

You see that little grey dot. That there is the problem.
 
Looking closer at the dot you see this...

 
Little bastard thing had me looking everywhere for the issue. New plugs and coils and it's purring like a kitten even from dead cold. Beautiful. Thanks for the suggestions as to what it may have been.

Update time. Got it solved. Number 5 ignition coil silicon boot was damaged causing it to arc from the spring inside to the cylinder head. EEK.
 

You see that little grey dot. That there is the problem.
 
Looking closer at the dot you see this...

 
Little bastard thing had me looking everywhere for the issue. New plugs and coils and it's purring like a kitten even from dead cold. Beautiful. Thanks for the suggestions as to what it may have been.

Update time. Got it solved. Number 5 ignition coil silicon boot was damaged causing it to arc from the spring inside to the cylinder head. EEK.
 

You see that little grey dot. That there is the problem.
 
Looking closer at the dot you see this...

 
Little bastard thing had me looking everywhere for the issue. New plugs and coils and it's purring like a kitten even from dead cold. Beautiful. Thanks for the suggestions as to what it may have been.