Replacing License Plate Lamp Assemblies

As you can see from my parts book diagrams the part you refer to is made up of two sections the metal boot lid "Plynth" and the smaller mazak materiel chromed unit that houses the reversing lamps and number plate lamps the inner chromed piece attachs to the metal plynth and then the whole assembly attachs to the boot lid what holds it all on to the boot lid will be a number of nuts/washers the parts book diagram shows 10 in total which you undo from the inside of the boot lid , you CANNOT release the chromed lamp holder without FIRST removing the metal boot lid plynth from the boot lid itself ,this is one complete assembly made up from TWO seperate parts that need assembling together before mounting on the boot lid .you then remove it from the boot lid as "one piece" .it was 1995 when i last did this one but i think im right in saying thats how they remove?!

my advice would be to be careful removing the metal plynth unit from the boot lid itself these have a reputaion of "rotting for fun" if its never been off from new? there will be an element of it wanting to "stick" to the boot lid there are rubber wether strips between the plynth and boot lid also ,what tends to happen is the rubber weather strips along the top of the plynth leak and allow water in, the metal plynth then starts to rot from the inside out

if its sticking ?? when you try to pull it off the boot lid ?then thats proberbly the retaining bolts fastened to the metal plynth that have an element of rust around them a great liquid aerosol product for helping release rusted nuts bolts etc is called "Plus Gas" its been around since Noah was a lad' you can buy it at motorist accessory shops a liberal spraying of that on the affected area ought to help it release the plynth from the boot lid

these two are a PIG to assemble up from new and fit ! i DO remember that one!!,

i replaced the lot for brand new when i began restoring my car mid 1990's the plynth, chromed lamp unit, new boot lid and all the fittings and wether strips i replaced for brand new items, as far as im aware today neither the metal plynth nor chromed lamp holder are available new any more all discontinued from Jaguar today which makes replacing a rusted/rotten boot lid metal plynth difficult

the chromed mazak lamp holder is not made to a good quality either i remember remarking on the quality of finish on the new lamp holder unit having paid the high price Jaguar wanted for one back then a new unpainted boot lid was £400 and the total cost of a new unpainted boot lid plynth chromed lamp holder wether strips and chromed side strips that fasten via pop' rivits to the plynth were again close to ANOTHER £400 so £800 for a new boot plus painting and that was back then what it would be today i shudder to think ! kind regards

id recommend getting hold of either an original green backed XJ-S pre-facelift parts manual or one of the later Revised Jaguar Heritage ones that contain more information both discontinued new unfortunately but i have a friend with a small supply of new shrink wrapped jaguar heritage ones if you struggle ??the parts book diagrams can offer a better understanding on some items as to how one part fits to another aftermarket workshop manuals are not often as acurate

they are also invaluable for new part numbers on items you may require regards

please note anyone interested in obtaining a genuine XJ-S parts manual?? these do not include information on the later post 1991 face lifted models 1975 to 1991 models only

This post has been very helpful, I too am removing the plinth off the boot lid but this is to get to the lock. I am unable to lock my boot as the barrel doesn't seem to turn. I am right in thinking this should turn anti-clockwise to lock?

other way round ! i think thats why you are struggling ,clockwise to lock, anti clockwise to unlock ,silly question but are you using the right key? usually a seperate stand alone key for the boot lid on earlier models ,im not sure what key on facelift models ? its not the same key that operates the door locks on my 81' , if its not been used regular it might want some lubrication squirting in there? just a gentle press down on the boot lid with finger pressure only until you hear a "click" to engage the boot lid locking mechanism, these locking mechanisms are "fragile" in the boot, they can get bent out of shape if the boot lid is "slammed " down, that can also affect key lock operation regards

The chromed mazak Jaguar emblem with reverse & license plate lamps does come off without removing the "Plynth", at least on my 1986. The 6 screws are a real pain to get back in but it is possible. The trick to removing the chromed Jaguar & lamp assembly is to forcibly remove the 6 screws attaching it to the "Plynth". I cleaned up some rust on the "Plynth" and put on the new license plate lamp assemblies and put it back together. :-)

i would definately recommend you going a stage further and removing from the boot lid plynth and inspecting if you dident do so ???, the metal plynth unit itself is a notorious rust trap on these early cars,water ingress can rust them out from the "inside out" ive had it ,!

they can be rotten on the reverse side of the unit that sits against the actual bootlid ,once rusted through there is nothing that can be done with one, many "used part " ones are going to be similar the plynth and lamp unit are both long discontinued from jaguar as available new parts

its well worth removing and cleaning the back of the plynth unit and inspecting /cleaning the boot lid area behind the plynth also once they start to rot through then thats the end of them, and again given the ages of early H.E. cars today prevention is the best way forward with these,

having replaced a good 70 percent of bodywork PANELS for then available new originaL Jaguar panels back in the early 90's on my 81' H.E., i have one word for the quality of British Leyland manufactured metals on all these early cars, AWFUL! .regards