I've had this Jag since 2004 and it has always been slow to start. Just hit 80,000 miles. Turns over for 3 -5 seconds before starting every time. Dealer repair has tried any number of fixes and nothing has worked. Dealer mechanic now says 2001 and 2002 have Nicholas Engines and that's the problem. Anybody else experience this with 2001-2002?

 

You mean nikasil? What fixes has the dealer tried?

 

the early engines did have Nikasil coated cylinders (google it) but if its lasted this long it should be fine, id start by checking battery and that it has the right oil in it

 

Additionally, I would start suspecting a failing fuel pump or battery. if the crank speed sounds strong - think fuel pump. If the cranking speed is weak - suspect a failing battery.

 

Thanks to all who have replied. The battery is less than 3 months old. Thanks also for the clue to google Nikasil - Doh, my bad on calling it Nichols...combo of mechanic's accent, and my hearing. That already helps a lot. So are the 2001 and 2002 Nikasil engines notoriously bad...er, much less good, as my mechanic is telling me?

 

At 40K mi. Tech thought he'd solved it. Replaced leaking "Fuel Injection Rail Shrader Valve". Started quicker for a few weeks...(I guess). Then back to 3 second starts.


At 60K Thought it might be spark plug seals, and valve cover gasket leaking. Replaced all and Gasket Cam Cover. No real effect on slow starts.


At 62K mileage - Replaced Coil-On Plug IGN - all 8 Coils. Mech thought they had it this time for sure. But not really. Still started slow.


70K - Knowledgeable friend suspected or pinhole causing vacuum seal lead to be the problem. Checked for it and vacuum seems to check out ok.


80K - Just had service and more head scratching about slow starting. Blamed it on Nikasil engine. I will say, the dealer's been great about giving me free loaners as they've tried to figure this out, but damn.


Had all regular services, etc. but so far nobody's been able to figure out why this beautiful car takes so long to start.


Believe it or not, "Jenny" (named by my daughter for the lovely Brit female GPS voice) hit the 80K mark as I pulled into the driveway coming home from service and another bout at the mystery. No answer. Love her but I sure wish she'd start right up.

 

Thanks for that suggestion. Just changed the oil at dealer with full service and put also put in an oil additive to try raising compression to see if that would help.

 

check ltft at idle and 2500 when up to temp to check for vacuum leak

 

Again, have the fuel pump checked.

 

If the cranking speed seems normal, my hunch is fuel leaking past several of the injectors when the engine is shutdown. This would cause a double whammy. First, it would take longer for fuel pressure to build up to normal. Second, the leaking fuel would wash the oil from the affected cylinders, resulting in temporary low compression.

It could also be fuel draining back to the tank through a faulty check valve. This would still cause the low fuel pressure at initial start, but not the cylinder wash problem.

Two quick troubleshooting ideas:

Before starting, cycle the key on and off several times without engaging the starter. From this forum I learned normally the fuel pump runs for several seconds to build fuel pressure before start, but that timing is based on expecting to have some residual pressure. If the residual pressure is too low, cycling the key causes the pump to run briefly each time and thus build up normal pressure.

The other thing to do is connect a fuel pressure gauge to the Schrader valve. Then you can see how much the pressure bleeds down with the engine off. You could also check the pressure from the pump. As others have suggested, you could have a marginal pump or a faulty pressure regulator.

 

Thanks, for the suggestions. I've tried several variations on the key solution to get the fuel pressure up before engaging the starter. That doesn't seem to help. Will check on the fuel pump. Thanks.

 

Have you tried changing out the starter motor

 

Have you changed the fuel filter?

 

Have you changed the fuel filter? If not, I would do so - if you notice brown fluid or any small particles coming out of the filter - odds are your fuel pump is DOA.

 

I have a similar problem, though when cold, it starts up right away or if it is just turned off for a very short time. If I leave it for more than 20 minutes and try to start it then it takes a couple of long cranks to get it running. I do believe I have a vacuum leak as I can hear a high pitch whistling noise and my mechanic believes it's from the seal on the exhaust manifold. He's done leak tests and can't find the issue for some time. I have a 2002 4.0. S-Type.

 

I have a friend who also suggested that it could be a vacuum leak. Mechanic hasn't been able to find a leak though.

 

did anyone ever resolve this issue?

 

I resolved the hard start, I believe I had my mechanic try to trace down the vacuum leak. He took apart the engine and then put it back together. So seal somewhere.. I don't remember but it starts like a charm always after that. Replaced a few vacuum lines. I do hear a whistle somewhere every once in a while so I know I have a small vacuum leak somewhere but the care starts up very strongly, even if I don't drive the car in a couple of weeks or so.

 

I have had the same problem for the last year ever since I had a fuel injector service done. I have also tried the key solution with no luck but I always try the simple stuff first. The suggestion that there is low fuel pressure seem to be the next simple route to take and I had three codes come up in the past, P0442 - EVAP system large leak, P0450 - Fuel tank pressure sensor and P0456 - EVAP system small leak. When I got these codes around two years ago there was no problem with slow starting. At that time the only problem was a slight gas smell just after filling the tank then it went away so nothing was done about the codes.
A couple of good suggestions related to low fuel pressure were:
(1) faulty check valve and fuel leaking back into the tank. Where is the check valve and is it easy to get to?
(2) Bad fuel pressure regulator. Same question, where and easy to get to?
(3) fuel pump - I have seen the video on replacing this with a $10 pump from ebay and it looks very easy.
If none of these work, checking into fuel leaking past the injectors when the engine is shut down will probably be given to the repair shop I go to.

 

Yes. I shipped the car up to The Sports Car Shop in Eugene, Oregon and they solved it by changing all of the fuel injectors. It's been starting perfectly ever since.