So, my question is... in an older Jaguar.... are Grille badges detrimental to the cooling of the car. Let's say I have about 4 radiator grille badges on the car. How much will this affect the cooling of the engine and the wind entering the car through the radiator grill?

I have a few badges that I want to display on a car, but with 4 badges, covering about 40% of the radiator grill surface area, will I be seeing any overheating problems soon?

Let's say, for example on a Series 1 XJ or Mark X, which would have a larger grill than say a series 2/3 XJ.

2001 Jaguar XJR
1987 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas
1986 Jaguar XJ6

Submitted by SC20-30420CJ on Tue, 01/22/2008 - 11:00

Certainly, covering up some of the grill opening will have some small effect on the efficiency of the system, Man Shun. The best cooling would be to remove the bonnet and wings altogether and run with the engine out in the open! However, I've run XJ saloons like yours with grill badges and never had any cooling problems with them. If a car ran hotter with grill badges, I'd tend to think it had cooling problems to begin with due to poor maintenance in the past. In good shape, even your V12 car should be just fine. The reputation for Jaguars to run hot is undeserved.

Best regards,
John Testrake
Jaguar Association of Greater St. Louis
74 XJ12L rhd, 85 XJ6

Submitted by NC43-62049 on Mon, 01/21/2008 - 12:52

I agree, the XJ-S always reads just under "N" and is also regularly serviced by a specialist.

My wife does all the loving but none of the maintenance.

The issue with the XJ-S (and maybe your cars) I believe that it does not enough exercise which I am warned will lead to trouble in the future.

Regards,
Dan Lokun
Toronto Canada
90 XJ-S, etc.

Submitted by silver007@shaw.ca on Sun, 01/20/2008 - 10:08

Art Dickenson.
1983 XJS GT "Silver"
Pacific Jaguar.ca

Hey Manshun,
owners I have known on a long term basis have always stated that their temp gauges read just below the N . Their cars however have been lovingly cared for and serviced as nec. There is the area in between the radiator and the a/c radiator that gets full of debris over the years and needs cleaning once in a while. I have used the fail safe type thermostats in my cars for years now, if they fail, they fail in the open position, so there can be no overheating problem there. Also it is a good idea to retain the front lower spoiler, this directs air into the cooling area to also help @ lower speeds... Art

Submitted by manshun@usys.net on Sun, 01/20/2008 - 04:04

hahah I think i've confused running hot with overheating. I think what I am trying to say is ... will it run significantly hotter if there is less air intake and air cooling which would normally contribute to the water cool design somewhat...

2001 Jaguar XJR
1987 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas
1986 Jaguar XJ6

Submitted by manshun@usys.net on Sat, 01/19/2008 - 18:15

I am referring specifically to badges mounted directly to the radiator grill, as not all cars are able to be fitted with a badge bar. At the same time, not all badges can be fitted to a badge bar.
Grill badges would therefore block some of the airflow... and so even at highway speeds, the car may not be sufficiently cooled.

2001 Jaguar XJR
1987 Jaguar V12 Vanden Plas
1986 Jaguar XJ6

Submitted by silver007@shaw.ca on Sat, 01/19/2008 - 11:16

Art Dickenson.
1983 XJS GT "Silver"
Pacific Jaguar.ca
Back in the day enthusiasts would mount their badges on a badge bar, usually I believe on either side of the grill area. Probably heat would be m,ore of a problem in town or in slow moving. Once up to about 30 mph, airflow should normally cool a radiator / cooling system in most engines, however it all depends on the variables , driving style, thermostat operation , how clean are the internals, is the antifreeze at correct concentration, has it been changed every three years, etc.
As with any component proper care and maintenance will prolong its effective use, and also overall value to the next owner.