Hey guys, my Jaguar battery died over the winter storm we had here in New England a few weeks ago. I have a 2001 S-Type. I want to jump the battery in the trunk but I don't have a proper ground. They say you are not suppose to use the negative terminal as a spark could ignite the fuel tank underneath. The ground I am suppose to use is a rod in the middle of the spare, but it is missing in my car. Does anyone know how to jump this car from under the hood just be on the safe side? I heard there is a positive terminal somewhere near the firewall. And plenty of grounds up near the engine. Let me know if any of you have any ideas for me.

 

Don't jump it at all. Charge the battery. If it's dead, replace it. A "small" mistake when jumping can write off a car of that age.

 

Put a slow charge on it or give it a new energizer....

 

There was a woman on here several months ago who had someone try to jump start her car. Sounds like it was a total disaster.
Please don't make the same mistake...

 

If it was an EMERGENCY situation, i'd just use the neg terminal. Leave the trunk open a bit to evacuate any possible fumes. I wouldn't want to do this at all but if it's a dire situation you take risks.

If it is anything less than that, charge/replace.

 

I gave 2 people jump starts so far, and no issues.....once with a stock battery, and the second w/ a red top optima

 

Jump starts don't hurt anything. BUT I wouldn't leave the other car (with the good battery) running. Just jumper the two batteries, and start your car with the other known good battery. There's a bolt next to the battery where the neg cable attaches to the frame you can clamp to.

You may have to drive around for an extended period of time to get enough charge in it via the alternator to insure it starts again. Also you can hurt the alternator and voltage regulator if your battery has a dead cell.

Best it to put it on a charger and see how it reacts.

George

 

Check behind the passenger side wheel well liner. There is suppose to be a set of terminals for emergency use if you can't get the trunk open. I never got around to checking if they are there or not??
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I seem to recall that they are.. Just don't blame me if you take out the liner and its not there... LOL..

I do remember seeing the power lines and a junction block in the rear section of the wheel well when I had it out to change the front fog lamp housing. It is in the same place that they put the fuel filter on the other side.

 

A quick note: if driving it be 100% certain you have valid insurance (a legal requirement here). Being a father's car is not likely to provide any cover at all.

 

That's interesting. I was actually speaking to a couple friends from your side of the pond recently, and they were explaining how that works over there...

Here in the states, as long as the car itself has insurance (in the name of the legal owner), and the operator has a valid license (and permission from the owner), you are pretty much covered.

George

 

OK guys I will see what to do. The thing is I just put in a battery new from the Jag dealership before Thanksgiving. It was a motorcraft battery. I use my jag very little and since putting in the battery back in november, I have only put maybe 30 miles on it. I am usually good with starting the car up every other day or so, but that storm made it impossible for me to go out and start it. I know the alternator is prolly not charging due to me not running it enough.

As far as insurance, the car is under my father's name. And I think he just removed it and left that standing insurance on. The one that protects you in case of a natural disaster or tree limb falling on it.

These cars are so sensitive with electronics so I usually double check on the forums before I do anything.

 

Leaving the battery connected but not properly recharging it will likely kill the battery. Car batteries are not designed to be treated that way. A battery conditioner may be the tool you need

 

2 days ago, I was jumping the jag with my honda. With no luck for 25 mintues, I discovered the jumper cables had a broken connection somewhere. I took that as a sign that maybe I should just wait to jump and maybe physically take the battery out and have it recharged somewhere.

 

Best bet is to disconnect the battery in situations like this. Any battery will go flat with the idle draw of the electronics if the car isn't used for several months.

The battery chargers / conditions are good for convenience. I use one sometimes on my convertible, BUT they add wear and tear to the battery. Basically each battery only has a fixed number of charge / discharge cycles, so topping off the battery takes from it's overall life.

The one thing you want to avoid like the plague is dropping below 9v. That's when a cell fails, and the battery will not hold a charge at all, because the good cells will discharge into the bad one.

Take care,

George

 

geez so much fear.............. if the battery is dead and for some reason you cant get in the trunk(like you never lube and use the key in the trunk lock) allsyoudo(<<<Texas speak) is use the jumper cables under the hood to power the car to open the trunk DO NOT try and start it. hook the cables up to the OTHER car, the neg to the engine, and open the engine compartment fuse box. Those empty spade terminal at the back of the fuse box are wired power+....ALLSYOUDO(that word again) is touch the + jumper to it and pop open the truck with remote or switch on dash or trunk button. Then hook up the cables to the battery( the issue is not gasoline fumes, but Hydrogen offgases from the battery) these can cause an explosion but todays batteries especially Jag trunk batteries are externally vented to outside the trunk(unless you or someone else didnt install the vent tube again) Ive hooked to batt term for years without issue. I talk on my bluetooth while driving occasssionally too as well as use a skill saw with the guard pulled back. I even(dont flame me) use a electrical cord with a broken off ground terminal....
The only issues are the new cars that have a battery monitor the is hard wired to the ecu to monitor battery condition and charging. if you hook directly to the neg post and not a ground stud, the ecu doesnt SEE the voltage going in an therfore doesnt maintain the battery correctly. It also meens that when you replace the battery in the new XK, XJ, and XF you have to reset the battery counter/monitor useing IDS and WDS, yes that meens a trip to the dealer, for yes a charge you wouldnt have had to do when replacing a battery in the past...Aint life grand with all this fancy technology

 

Let us know when you get to the tongue in the electrical socket stage ...

No the new electrical complexity is not all lollipops and butterflies. Personally I think there are way too many distractions being placed in today's cars. This nation of idiot drivers doesn't need any more help in that direction unless it's to remove the driver function completely! But how boring would that be?

 

Thats why there are cameras, aprk sensors, dopler radar for cruise that will even brake if you get to close to another car cause you fell asleep while driving, oh and an alert if the car notices that you fell asleep cause of head tilt/drop. Im sure there are more but thats what comes to mind
hell i drank out of a garden hose when i was a kid and didnt wear a helmet when riding my bike either.....

 

****, I did that too. Is that why we are so ****ed up?

 

Do you have an electrical supply where the car is stored? A Battery Tender (that brand or any other quality brand like Schumacher) float charger may be a wise investment.

Sidebar: I fused my wedding band to my finger when rigging up a small electric winch on my Jeep to the battery, using jumper cables to extend the length of the winch cord. I was high centered in a ditch in the middle of nowhere and had no other recourse. My bumper winch was off for repairs. The one lead bounced off the side of the car and arc'd to my ring. Creative cursing ensued.

Moral of the story: don't be a dumbass like me.