Jaguar XJ-S. Manual - part 2

 
 

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8th is engine type 

B=3.6 4VB 
C=3.6 4VC or 3.6 4Y 
D=3.6 4VD or 4.0 4Y 
E=3.6 4VE 
K=5.3 F 
S=6.0 
V=5.3 A 
W=5.3 B 
X=5.3 C 
Y=5.3 D 
Z=5.3 E 
 

9th is Transmission and steering 

3=Auto RHD 
4=Auto LHD 
7=manual RHD 
8=manual LHD 
 

10th is model or year change 

A=XJ-S original spec 
B=HE coupe 
C=AJ6 coupe and convertible 
D=V12 convertible 
E=facelift (1992-) 

except for USA, Canada and Korea where from 1981 the 10th letter indicates year of build starting with 
B=1981.  Skip the letter I, so J=1988. 

 

11th is emission control equipment 
(up to 1987: manufacturing plant, C=Browns Lane) 

 

12th-17th are the vehicle’s unique number. 

Andrew Stott says, “My car is UK spec, pre-HE, made in 1979, D-Jetronic. The VIN is JNAEW1AC101185.  One 
confusing thing is that the character in the VIN that denotes the transmission and steering is a '1' and according to the 
books it should be a '7' as it is a manual RHD car.  In Skilleter's XJ-S Collectors Guide, he gives details of the last 
production XJ-S manual.  It was made in 1979 and had a VIN of JNAEW1AC1018xx; this would suggest that the '1' in 
the transmission character position is valid for a RHD manual car.” 

Now, if you have a US-spec car, there is a tag within the left edge of the windshield that carries a totally different VIN 
number.  This VIN corresponds to the following scheme, from the “MOTOR import car crash estimating guide” for the 
US: 

1st-3rd Position - Manufacturers Code 

SAJ=Jaguar, United Kingdom 

 

 
 

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4th Position - Model Line 

A=XJ6 
A=Vanden Plas 
C=Sovereign 
F=XJ6 
H=XJ6, Sovereign 
K=Vanden Plas 
M=Majestic 
M=XJ12 
N=XJ-S/XJSC 
P=XJR/Sport 
S=Jagsport 
T=Rouge/Classic 

 
5th Position - Class/Restraint 

A=Passive Seat Belt (87-89) 
T=Driver Air Bag w/Passive belt 
V=Active Seat Belt 
W=Driver Air Bag (90-95) 
X=Driver & Pass Airbag 
Y=N. American Spec (83-87) 
Y=Passive Seat Belt (89-93) 

 
6th Position - Body Style 

1=4 door sedan 
2=2+2 Convertible 
3=2 door Cabriolet 
4=Convertible 
5=2 door coupe 

 
7th Position - Engine Code 

0=5.3l 12 cyl, Calif. 
1=4.0l 6 cyl, Supercharged 
2=4.2l 6 cyl, Calif. 
3=4.2l 6 cyl 
3=6.0l 
5=3.6l 6 cyl low compression 
6=3.6l 6 cyl high compression 
7=4.0l 6 cyl 
8=5.3l 12 cyl 
9=4.0l 6 cyl 

 
8th Position - Transmission & Steering 

4=Automatic (LHS) 
8=Manual (LHS) 

 
9th Position - Check Digit 
 

 
 

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10th Position - MODEL YEAR 

D=1983 
E=1984 
F=1985 
G=1986 
H=1987 
J=1988 
K=1989 
L=1990 
M=1991 
N=1992 
P=1993 
R=1994 
S=1995 

 
11th Position - Assembly Plant 

C=Browns Lane, England 

 
12th-17th Position - Production Sequence Number 

Alex Dorne had a US-spec car shipped to Sweden, and reports that the process included removing the VIN tag at the 
left side of the windshield -- possibly to avoid confusion between this VIN and the one under the hood.  He was 
allowed to keep the windshield tag.  Also, the VIN under the hood also appears on the aluminum panel inside the trunk, 
just to the right of the latch.  He postulates that this may have been stamped as part of the Swedish import procedures as 
well. 

 

ACTIVE SEAT BELTS?  They don’t look very active.  Peter Cohen clarifies:  “It means that if you are not "active" and 
"actively" fasten your seat belt, it ain't gonna be fastened.  As opposed to "Passive" seat belts that are motor mouse 
driven.” 

 

WHAT’S IN A YEAR?:  Now that you have deciphered your VIN and know for sure what year your XJ-S is, do you 
really know what year your XJ-S is?  If you live in the US, perhaps you’ve noticed that each model year seems to 
appear several months before the year itself, which certainly makes it doubtful that the car was actually built in the year 
it’s purported to be.  Apparently, the “model year” is a term that varies from country to country, and -- of course -- the 
US has the least rational definition.  Peter Cohen says, “For those interested in trivia, here's how it works:  In the US a 
given model year can only be manufactured to be offered for sale on a single January 1st.  That's the only rule.  This 
can result in the following (more or less true) example:  A certain 1996 model of vehicle began manufacture in 
December 1994, was put on sale 2 January 1995 and continued to be sold as a 1996 model until September 1996 
(although legally they could have been sold until 31 December 1996). This is not to say that one that remained unsold 
on 1 January 1997 would have become a 1997.  It is the date that it is intended to be sold as a "current" model that the 
regulation applies to.  So, that's what happens when marketing types run amok. 

“I find it particularly galling when you go to buy a used car. You will be asked the same price for a 4 year old car as for 
a 5 year old car. You don't know what you are buying unless and until you remember to check the manufacture date, 
and even then it probably won't help your bargaining position. 

“On US spec vehicles, the certification label should say something like "This vehicle meets all US specifications...in 
effect for model year 19xx."  IMHO, that is what year a US spec car is, regardless of the manufacture date or what's on 
the title. 

“When you get outside of the US, "year" becomes too simplified of a question.  I don't think that non-North American 
spec cars come labelled with month/year of manufacture.  In England, cars are referred to by their registration letter, 

 
 

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which changes on 1 August each year.  So a leftover model becomes next years' car by virtue or having the newer 
registration letter.” 

John Littler adds, “In Oz, date of manufacture is required on the ADR compliance plate.  We have a nice simple system 
where a car made in ’88 is an ’88 model.” 

Unfortunately, this MY hogwash can’t help but cause some inconsistencies in this book.  For example, one person’s 
quote might describe a fix on his ’88 when somewhere else it’s made clear that the problem shouldn’t even exist past 
1987.  There is simply no way to correct such things in everyone’s direct quotes, although whereever possible attempts 
are made to clarify which configuration a quote is intended to reflect.  In general, if this book states that something 
applied to a particular range of model years, please allow about one year of leeway before deciding whether or not it 
applies to your car.  

 

XJ12 STYLES:  For the benefit of those XJ12 owners who read this book, I am including some info on the various 
different cars that have all been called an XJ12.  The following is courtesy of B.J. Kroppe:  “XJ12s were made in Series 
III body style until 1992 (yes, alongside XJ40 6-cylinder models).  XJ12s in XJ40 body style were made for one year.  
Whether it was only one-half of a year or a full year, it was 1994.  XJ12s in X300 body style were made from 1995 - 
1997, when the V12 engine was retired from production. 

 

Series I XJ12 5.3l 

1972 - 1974 

 

Series II XJ12 5.3l 

1974 - 1979 

 

Series III XJ12 5.3l 

1979 - 1992 

 

XJ40 XJ12 6.0l 

1993.25 - 1995 

 

X300 XJ12 6.0l 

1995 - 1997 

 

XJ-S 6.0l 

1993.5 - 1997 

“Note there were no XJ40 5.3l cars produced.” 

Steve Lipscombe explains why the Series III XJ12 continued long after the XJ40 was introduced:  “The first XJ40 was 
certainly designed with a narrow engine bay to prevent the British Leyland management forcing the Rover V8 unit on 
them.  Later, when privately owned, they redesigned the bay to take the V12.  This was before the Ford takeover and 
the X300.” 

 

CABRIOLET:  David L. French, a US owner, describes the Cabriolet:  “It has the body profile of the convertible that 
was made later but has a 3-piece removable hardtop.  T-tops up front and a fully removable hardtop on the rear.  Totally 
factory made.” 

Since the Cabriolet lacks the buttresses of the coupe, it stands to reason that the body isn’t as stiff in that area.  Jaguar 
apparently addressed that problem by adding “ladders” underneath the rear suspension.  Julian Mullaney reports:  “The 
ladder brace was fitted to Cabrios from the factory.  Quite crude looking.  You can easily spot it on a cabrio just looking 
from the side.  I think it connects the chassis with steel bars fore and aft of the diff.  It passes under the diff.  The ladder 
frame does not connect to the subframe, it is definitely a chassis stiffener.” 

The Cabriolet was apparently offered in 1986-87-88 model years.  David King says, “There were at least 1900 
Cabriolets shipped to the US and all were V12s even though it looks as if in the rest of the world the AJ6 was the more 
common engine for the Cabrio.  There were a total of 5014 Cabriolets built during their production run: 5013 Jaguars 
and a one-off Daimler.” 

 

HESS & EISENHARDT CONVERTIBLE:  The XJ-S was designed in an era that never expected to see a convertible 
again; they were expected to be outlawed for safety reasons.  For many years, the only way to get an XJ-S convertible 
was to hire one of many aftermarket customizing outfits to cut the roof off your coupe.  By the mid-80’s the expected 
ban on convertibles had failed to materialize and convertibles were making a comeback, so Jaguar responded by 
contracting with Hess & Eisenhardt in Cincinnati, Ohio to make convertibles from coupes to be sold as new cars at the