Jaguar XJ-S. Manual - part 154

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ELECTRIC MIRROR ADJUSTMENT SWITCHES: When the parts man at a Jag dealer was asked about these
joystick switches, he had the part number memorized! We’re talking junk here, and they charge $85 each for the two
of them. Note that for ’92 the joysticks were replaced by a fancy electronic adjustment scheme, and the following ideas
do not apply.

Note: The mirror circuits are always hot, even with the ignition off. 12VDC won’t electrocute you but it may cause
burns or blow a fuse, so you may want to remove the appropriate fuse or disconnect the battery before working in this
area.

Glenn Waterfield sends a description of how to rebuild the joysticks: “I was able to very carefully remove the pins
holding the body of the switch together and strip down the pieces and clean the corrosion off them. To re-assemble the
switch I did not want to try to reuse the metal pins that originally held it together since I will probably have to clean
them again, so I found a tap just barely larger than the pin hole, a 4-40 I think, and carefully tapped the hole and put in
three 4-40 nylon machine screws. If you try this I would recommend a clear work area with no carpet to drop the
unbelievably tiny bits and pieces into.”

If you’d rather just get rid of the junk switches, the following is a replacement scheme.

Make a flat rectangular panel to replace the original chrome escutcheon. You can make this out of
anything you think would look good in your car -- chrome-plated steel, sturdy plastic, sheet metal
covered with leather, elm burl, etc.

Go to an electronics supply store and buy four toggle switches. They need to be “mini” or “submini”
(“micromini” will also work if you find any, but you need to drill smaller holes in the panel), “DPDT
momentary center off”. This means that they not only need to have three positions, but need to
return to the center position by themselves when released. The current here is very low, a 3-amp
rating will do. Once you find such switches, they should be only about five bucks each. Technically,
a DPDT momentary center off rocker switch would also work -- if you can find one small enough to
fit four of them in the car.

You may also want to buy some Molex connectors, such as Radio Shack catalog no. 274-236 and
274-226, to replace the hokey originals.

Mount the switches on your panel. The upper two should be mounted vertically and the lower two
horizontally, since there will be one up/down switch and one left/right switch for each mirror.

A soldering iron or gun is required here. Connect wiring as shown in Figure 32. Note that each
wire connects to two terminals.

If you’d like to see a photo of the author’s installation, go to:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/xj-s/book/MirrorSwitch.html

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It is also possible to use only two DPDT momentary center off
switches instead of four by adding a DPDT switch (non-
momentary) to switch from left mirror to right. With this
selector switch, a center off position provides a “lock” so the
mirrors cannot accidentally be moved; while not strictly
necessary, it wouldn’t cost anything, either type switch is
readily available.

Glen E. MacDonald went this route. “Not wishing to junk the
chrome escutcheon, I used the three switch alternative, ie. two
of RS 275-637 (one each for vertical and horizontal adjustment)
and one of RS 275-626 (to switch between left & righthand
mirrors).  I found that the former switches could be very tidily
mounted where the original joysticks were (in the escutcheon)
by utilizing suitable diameter caps from magic markers, pared
for length and drilled to accept the switch. The mirror selection
switch is small enough to mount unobtusively in the leading
edge (front portion) of the escutcheon. It works like a charm
and, in my opinion, looks quite professional!”  Figure 33 is
based on MacDonald’s input for wiring these switches.
MacDonald cut the connectors off the original switches, and
therefore the illustration shows the connectors and the wire
colors from the original switches as well as the harness wire colors -- note that some mirror joysticks may have P wires
instead of R.

DOWN

B (Ground)

P (12V)

B (Ground)

RIGHT

MIRROR

LEFT

MIRROR

Figure 33 - 3-Switch Mirror Wiring

Note: the author’s local Radio Shack claims they no longer offer the 275-637 momentary switches nor any acceptable
substitutes, but similar switches are available at most other electronics supply houses. A suitable switch is made by GC,
part number 35-018.

DOWN

RIGHT

LEFT

PKS

PNS

PGS

PUS

Wiring for left mirror shown; wiring

for right mirror is identical.

Figure 32 - Electric Mirror Switch Wiring

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It may also be possible to utilize the mirror switches from some other car. More and more cars use electric mirrors
these days.

Once your mirror control switches are operational -- original or replacement -- it would be a good idea to wrap some
plastic around the assembly before installing to keep rain that gets past the window seal from getting into the switches
and corroding the contacts.

Door Locks

There have been at least three different electric door lock schemes used on the XJ-S. The pre-H.E. had solenoid-
operated locks powered through a pair of relays, one for lock and one for unlock, and controlled by a center-off rocker
switch on the console. One relay is located on each side of the car within the footwells. It is this system that is
described in Section 86.25.00 of the ROM. This system was apparently worthless from outside the car, but Mike
Morrin says it isn’t too difficult to add an aftermarket remote control locking system to it.

With the H.E. came a more automated version of the same solenoid scheme. Each solenoid had an arrangement of
microswitches, capacitors, diodes and resistors added so that each solenoid could control the other solenoid. The relays
that formerly were controlled by a rocker switch were now activated by a capacitor discharging through the coil. As a
result, the rocker switch on the console was eliminated; moving either lock, either by the key from the outside or by
moving the lever on the inside, would actuate both locks. This is the system that is described on page 86-23 of the
©1982 Supplement, although it also shows a boot lock that apparently didn’t really exist until much later.

Finally, the solenoid type locks were replaced with motorized locks. The difference is readily apparent; before the
change, the door locks operated with a clunk. After, there is a quick whirring sound as they lock and unlock.

Robert Warnicke: “If you care, some of the early saloons didn't have electric locks at all, or at least my '73 XJ12
doesn't.”

Note that the Haynes manual is totally worthless on door locks.

If the locking system isn’t working right, one obvious thing to do would be to remove the door panels and lubricate all
the joints in the linkages and make sure they’re all adjusted properly and moving like they should. Mack Kamna says,
“As in the case with all lubrication, use the stuff sparingly. If you use excessive amounts, by giving the "grime"
something to stick to, you are creating the very thing that you are trying to prevent: abrasion and thus wear of the
parts.” See also the note on the linkage clips on page 472.

There have been a couple reports of people getting out of their Jags while leaving the engine running, and when they
closed the door they could hear the click as the car locked them out. The cause is unknown, but be forewarned. Also,
see “Breaking In” on page 473.

MOTORIZED DOOR LOCKS: Julian Mullaney reports on the locks going nuts in his ’91 convertible, apparently the
motorized type: “All three solenoids went rapidly from lock to unlock for about ten seconds, even after I removed the
key from the barrel!! This wouldn't stop until I replaced the key in the lock and forced it to stop oscillating. I almost
expected it to blink its lights, start up, and drive away without me. Weird.” Randy Wilson explains, “Nah, not weird.
It's fairly common with that era XJ-S, and more than a little amusing to play with. On those cars, the power lock
sensors are not position dependent; rather, they are motion dependent. What happens is a lock mechanism gets a bit
stiff. You unlock the door, the sensor detects the motion and all drivers go towards unlock. The stiff mechanism causes
the lock linkage to deflect a bit from the load. When the driver deactivates, the linkage springs back a bit. The sensor
sees this motion as travel in the lock direction, and kicks the drivers into lock mode. Linkage deflects, drivers
disengage, linkage springs back, sensor sees motion in unlock direction, drivers go to unlock.... repeat until end of
battery. Or until you jam down on the linkage long enough to ride out the cycle.

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“The cure is to remove both door panels and clean and lube the lock system. The gumminess is usually in the striker
assembly.”

Nigel Spratling says: “The door lock actuator is actually a sealed motorized unit made in Germany. I had a problem
with mine and I took the unit out and very carefully cut it open along its seams. Once apart I took out the electric motor
and carefully disassembled it by prying open the lock tabs next to the brush carrier. The motor is actually a Japanese
Mabuchi 12volt device and they are prone to developing 'dead' spots on the armature when used infrequently (i.e.,
when used for a door lock). After extracting the brush carrier, I cleaned the brushes and also cleaned the armature
contacts with some fine emery paper followed by washing with alcohol.

“Once the motor was reassembled I applied 12 volts to it to test it and it ran like a champ. I then reassembled the whole
mechanism and refixed the two halves together with glue and duct tape (you can't see the lock mechanism inside the
door, so duct tape is perfect ☺).

“The locks have been working perfectly for over a year since the repair and it cost nothing but time and patience. If it
fails again I will buy a new Mabuchi motor from a hobby shop.”

Considering the nature of Spratling’s problem and solution, the motorized door locks might be yet another place where
using the system on a regular basis might help keep it working longer.

BOOT LOCK: According to Mike Cogswell, electric boot locks were introduced in 1989 models. According to his
dealer, they cannot be retrofitted to earlier models.

Note that the later cars with electric boot locks have a 3-position keyhole. This is explained in the owner’s handbook,
but who reads those things? If the battery is dead and you obviously need to get into the boot to do something about it,
turning the key either left or right won’t work; you need to turn the key to the middle position, straight up. Mark West
says, “The lock has two functions. The first is to override the electronic lock, in case you want to keep a nosy valet out
of your goods. The second is to allow you to actually open the trunk using the trunk latch without having to operate the
door locking mechanism. When the key is turned to the middle position the trunk latch may be operated independently
of the electronic locking mechanism. Using the key in this manner, you can open the trunk without unlocking the rest
of the car. It's a time-saver if you haven't installed an auxiliary alarm system. If you do have an alarm, don't try this
without disabling your alarm. It makes a very loud noise... kinda embarrassing in a shopping mall parking lot.

“It will only work with the larger of the two silver keys. One is the "valet" key and only opens the doors; it is smaller
and has the concave butt end. The other key, which is larger and has a convex end, will operate the trunk lock, gas cap,
glove box, etc.”

KEY FOB LOCK: According to Mike Cogswell, the key fob security systems were introduced in 1989 as a dealer-
installed option. Apparently these cannot be fitted to earlier models.

ALARM SYSTEM RESET: Victor Naumann provides a resetting procedure: “Each year is different; try
disconnecting the battery, wait 1 minute. Reconnect the battery. If the lights flash and sounder beeps every few
seconds you are halfway home. Have all your remotes, security looks for five signals. You must press each remote at
least once and all of them for a total of five presses. The security should work then. If the sounder does not sound ,
you may need to disconnect the security backup battery next to the security ECU and the do the process.”

Windshield Wipers

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