Jaguar XJ-Series Electrical Glitches

cdputzier

Friend has a 1996 xj6. Acts like the fuel pump is not working, at the same time, the radio wont work. when the radio works, the fuel pump works. Relay? Fuses to radio and fuel pump are both good. thanks

scottthorn

The engine is turning over, but it just won't start? I had that problem with my 98 XJ8 and thought it had to be the fuel pump. Turned out I just needed a new battery, even though it all sounded normal when trying to start. I assumed having a full-power battery is needed because of the V8, but maybe the V6 has the same quirk?

gas6

yes - mine did this once. At traffic lights the front seemed to lift slightly and then the yellow air suspension fault light came on. It stayed on until I got home when I did the usual "if all else fails restart the computer" action. ie I disconnected the battery for 20 minutes (it's in the boot under the spare wheel cover - just take the + lead off), replaced the lead and all is well - it never returned again. NB don't leave your keys in the boot when you disconnect the battery - without any power you can't open the boot lid without the key!!! and you will need to put the security code into the radio to get your sound working again - it should be in your manuals folder.

gas6

super car - had one for 5 years it was purrrfect. Watch out for the ones pre 2000 - they had issues with timing chain tensioners and the nikasil bore problems - there is an engine number after which all is well, sadly I don't have this any more. Having said that, my car was a 99 and the engine was smooth and quiet and never missed a beat. Sold it at 95,000 miles.
Go ahead - great car. The later 2003 onwards is even better, but watch out for paintwork bubbling on early (2003) ones.

ceekdee

I have this strange thing happening... If I have to brake quickly to a full stop, the battery gauge drops and occasionally drops low enough to make the car die. From then on for the rest of the time I'm in the car when ever I come to a stop or slow way down for a turn the idle drops or the car dies or it turns into the limp home mode... my car is a 97 xj6 with 150,000. miles... any clues. My mechanic who is a german car specialist (who loves me and takes really good care of me, and I trust) is stumped... the voltage on the battery checks out fine. :confuse: I am going on a road trip in Oct. and don't want problems... any clues?

jagzilla

Hi All,

Just registered after reading all of the posts on this topic. I have experienced most of them already on my '99 XJ8, including the headlights going out at night, and most recently the driver window not rolling down and also the sunroof closing on it's own after opening it. OK, I did have to get a locksmith to tear into the driver's door panel recently to read the key code to make a temp to open my trunk with the key left in it while at the fishing pier changing clothes. Oops! The window problem eventually corrected itself after about 3 weeks of driving with it shut surprisingly. Now I have a major problem after returning from a NC mountain river tubing excursion this past 4th. of July weekend. The car did great all the way there and back from Raleigh, and then the throttle stuck as I got in town and I had to hit the brakes real hard to get it to stop before plowing into another car at the first traffic light. Ugh! The car stalled and hasn't run since then. My now disappeared mechanic had told me a year earlier the throttle controls looked like trouble down the road and he was right. Good man, but can't find him now to deal with this situation. After walking to work for the past 2 wks. only a mile or so away, I decided to purchase a backup '97 XJR with low mileage which I will finalize on Monday. Sweet! No problems with it that I don't know about yet, but stay tuned to this channel for updates. OK, so now I was also previously wondering if disconnecting the battery cable would possibly reboot the entire computer system's monitors in case they got freaked out by the sudden stop I had to make on my '99 XJ8. I saw the fail safe mode light flash on just before it stalled in any case. It knew it was in some sort of predicament, but maybe over reacted. Any ideas or clues around here while I continue to search for a new mech to work on it?

Cheers,
Jagzilla

goodkitty

Hi, did you ever figure out what was wrong with your car. I have a simular problem myself on my 1996 XJ6, 4.0 116k miles. I tried starting it and heard a click but knothing happened at the switch. Checked the battery and found it to be low at 9.3V so I added another battery but every thing acted like it was in a low voltage mode. Installed a new battery but still no response. Guages etc. now bright but no dome, trunk or head lights. I do have little lights on at the bottom of the head lights. I then shorted the starter and car started but I couldn't take it out of park. I removed the lock pin and put in nuetral to see if it would start but nothing. Checked every fuse this car has which is crazy and they were all good. I do hear some relays clicking in the battery compartment when someone turns the switch. A real nightmare to say the least. Perhaps it's the computer I don't know. Can you offer any help?

Thanks,
Goodkitty

LotusExige4me

Hello,
I am not sure I ended up replacing the whole wiring harness on the drivers side. This solved a lot of problems, very expensive but now it all works. not sure if that helps or not. If you want a harness try car-part.com they are a salvage yard type thing and you can put in what you are looking for. With the jags one bad wire and the whole car is NFG, Good luck Brian

goodkitty

I have a 1996 XJ6, 4.0 116k miles. I tried starting it and heard a click but nothing happened at the switch. Checked the battery and found it to be low at 9.3V so I added another battery but every thing acted like it was in a low voltage mode at the panel. Installed a new battery but still no response. Guages etc. now bright but no dome, trunk or head lights. I do have little lights on at the bottom of the head lights. I then shorted the starter and car started but I couldn't take it out of park. I removed the lock pin and put in nuetral to see if it would start but nothing. Checked every fuse this car has which are everywhere and they were all good. I do hear some relays clicking in the battery compartment when someone turns the switch. A real nightmare to say the least. I don't think it's the shifter module perhaps it's the computer I don't know. I bought the Jaguar parts and service manual off Ebay but it dosen't offer good trouble shooting help or identify and follow the serries of relays and modules as to what they do or how to test them.

CAN ANYONE OFFER SOME HELP?

Thanks,
Goodkitty

jaguar13126

I have a 1988 Vandenplas with an electrical issue with the brake lights. i have replaced the rear lamp relay module with 2 different ones and am still getting intermittent failure of the brake light. I have also re-wired the grounds. Any hints?

:confuse:

Mr_Shiftright

When you say intermittent do you mean the lights sometimes work sometimes don't?

Have you check the brake light switch itself for loose wires, etc? I'm not sure if yours is brake pedal activated or master cylinder activated (mechanical switch or hydraulic pressure switch).

jaguar13126

yes it worke moest of the time. when it does not work i can rap the rear module ant the light comes on.

Mr_Shiftright

Oh well then---a bad ground I would say.

scottthorn

I got it to a shop that knows what they are doing - they had to replace the transmission module, engine module, and key module - all used, and several thousand dollars later - everything was fine. 3 months later, I turned the key and nothing! It's back at the same shop - they say the transmission module is gone again and that it is a very rare thing, so they are keeping it for a while to drive around and see if there is something else that might have caused the failure. I'm considering getting it running and selling it fast, even though I love it.

- Scott

mrendon

My car too low light came on and after a while my suspension failure light came on just trying to find if someone had this issue before and what to do? The dealer said it might be the compressor @ a 1000 dollar repair. Please help.
2005 JXL

jaguar13126

I have an issue with the turn signal. The turn signal does not work when the brake is applied. I have replaced the rear lamp module with used part and the same thing still happens. I still get the lamp out warning in the driver information center. are there any fixes for this with updated modules? Any suggestions? :confuse:

denny_88_xj6

I've only had the car for a few months, the oil pressure gage has never worked. It goes from 0 to MAX as it pleases. I suspect the sending unit is flakey. Does anyone know the specs on the sending unit, the resistance range it uses? These sending units are almost impossible to get and very expensive. I would like to try to adapt one from another car. If I can find one that works, I would be happy to share the info.

oldtataowner

1998 XJ8 driver's door window problem...window stayed up. Was told i needed a new module. Disconnecting the battery worked but only for about 6 window operations. Fixed everything by removing the door module, cleaning up the terminals with a soft brass brush and applying contact cleaner before re-assembling. Good luck,

oldtataowner

1998 XJ8 driver's door window problem...window stayed up. Was told I needed a new module. Disconnecting the battery worked but only for about 6 window operations. Fixed everything by removing the door module, cleaning up the terminals with a soft brass brush and applying contact cleaner before re-assembling. Good luck,

johnwesley1

Does anyone know where i can find an ing. ECU for my 1991 jag. xjs v12 ? The last six numbers of my vin. are 176362. I am looking for the engine ECU I would be interested in a new one or a good tested used one. I tried jagbits with no luck. I guess that is my problem as the car has no fire from the coils. i replaced the coils with the same results. If anyone could help me out I sure would appreciate any help. thanks

Mr_Shiftright

you might try www.car-part.com.

maybe www.johnscars.com

also some guy splitting up XJSs petroske@tds.net

www.vintagejag.com

www.jaguarsouth.com

I've never done business with these people, so the usual caveats apply.

johnwesley1

thank you very much i will give these a try

mrsjag

Try PartsTrain.com