Car wont start? READ THIS FIRST
#1
12-28-2009, 02:04 AM
Car wont start? READ THIS FIRST
Well, I noticed that there seems to be a lot of "my car won't start" threads running around here, and generally they get to wearing on the people who have to repeatedly answer them or they just go unnoticed and sink to the bottom of the forum never to be addressed again. I'm new here and thought I would add a contribution from old school personal experience on the topic. Also this is very basic stuff, I'm not getting into the nitty gritty, there are other people on this forum for that. But they would be much happier answering your questions if you have gotten through this first imagine. It shows that are willing to put some work in your behalf and not just leeching. (/rant)
Disclamer: I am NOT a certified mechanic! I am hobbyist with a pretty good amount of experience. I know my way around a car. I also run an auto auction and know how to get the quick and dirty answers as to why something isn't starting in a few minutes, and without a lot of tools.
I take no responsibility for you blowing up your car or yourself or burning off your eyebrows. That said if you are not an idiot this should be pretty straightforward.
So without further adieu..
Step 0
Rule out the obvious, is there GAS in your car?!?
Is your mass airflow sensor hooked up? it's the only electronic device between the air filter and the throttle body, so just look for wires going into your intake tube. This device meters the air for the ecu so it gives the proper amount of fuel per unit of air.
Look for (or listen for) leaks in your intake tubing after the mass airflow sensor. (usually this will not keep the car from starting but it is possible)
Also, is there an obstruction in the exhaust? If you heard a rattle coming from under the car before the car stalled or before you parked the car and now it won't start, it is possible that the honeycomb inside the catalytic converter has broken loose and is obstructing the exhaust. (try having someone turn the car over and feeling for exhaust gass at the tail pipe.
Step 1
Climb into your car. Turn the key to the on position. do all the dash lights light up?
If yes: you have power to the car congratulations! you have eliminated a whole host of problems! proceed to step 1.5.
If yes but very dim, your battery is low on power, get it jump started and let it idle for a bit. If it dies shortly thereafter your alternator is either toast, or on it's way out. What is an alternator you ask? well that's simple, an alternator is a small generator attached to your big engine (just the opposite of generators you see at construction sites and in buildings) it creates juice to keep the battery topped off and supply power to all those nifty gadgets in your car like spark plugs, and headlights ect. if it continues to run just fine than your alternator is jsut fine and your battery may be toast. If you shut off the car and it will not start back up for the same reason, dead battery.
If No: Check the connections on your battery are they clean or dirty and crusty?
If they are crusty, grab a can of classic coke and scrub the terminals with a wire brush or whatever you have handy and a little Coke. (coke is great for cleaning battery terminals)
Now, tighten up those cables and check the other connections. Are they loose or nice and tight?
once they are squeaky clean hop back in the car and check for dash lights again. if you still have no dash lights check the fuses. both under hood and in car under (usually) the drivers side dash.
STEP 1.5
So you have power to the car, the battery is good, and there is gas in it. You have checked the fuses and relays and they are good.
Does the car turn over?
If yes: Move on to step 2
If Not: Does the starter make a clicking sound? or no noise at all? Does it give a few clicks or one big click?
Try tapping the starter with a hammer or a pipe while someone else cranks the car over. This is an Old school mechanics trick. I have only seen this work on a handful of occasions but it is worth a shot, none the less. especially if your starter is accessible.
Step 2
You have power to the car, the battery is good, and the car cranks but doesn't start now what?
Take a second to think about how it turns over. Does it turn over strong and feel like it "wants" to start? Or does it "spin freely" like it isn't connected to anything?
Fortunately for you. engines are very simple in their design, they are just big air pumps. are gets sucked in combusted, and blown out. So theres 3 things you need to check from here , Fuel, Spark, Compression.
Fuel- first turn the car off completely, in the case of jaguars, the fuel pump is in the trunk, so pop the trunk. If you can, have someone else turn the car to the "on" position. Then listen for an electrical hum or a whir. If you are not sure if you heard it, try it again, it should only last a second or two. this noise is the fuel pump turning on. Which means that at least fuel is getting out of the gas tank.
If you didn't hear the fuel pump, you probably found your problem. Go double check the related fuses ad relays, if they are good congratulations you probably isolated the problem. However, another good way to be sure is in step 4.
If you heard the fuel pump and the car doesn't start move to step 3
Step 3.
Check your spark,
an easy way to do this is to pull a spark plug and a coil. have someone turn over the car and look for the spark in the plug. it should be a hot blue spark. if your spark is a yellow or orange, its weak, and probably indicates a bad coil. If you get no spark check the other coils to see if it's just a bad coil or two or if something else is going on. you can check each coil this way. Another way if you don't have any tools handy (I don't recommend this BTW but it works in a pinch, is to take at the dipstick wipe it clean and stick it in the coil pack or plug wire. Rest it in such a manner that the spark will travel down the dipstick and jump onto some metal, like a valve cover bolt.
If you have no spark at all, check all related fuses and relays. If this doesn't solve your problem...Go find a phonebook, your gonna need more help than I can offer you over the internet.
If you have spark continue to step 4
Step 4
More fueling to check. Get a can of "starter fluid" Available at better auto supply stores everywhere, and maybe even walmart. undo the air cleaner hose MAKE SURE THE Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)is still in the loop. The MAF will be easily identifyable because it's the only thing between your throttle body and your air cleaner with electrical components in it! you will see a plug, with wires, going into your intake. MAKE SURE THIS IS STILL attached and that the starter fluid goes through it, but don't spray starter fluid directly into the MAF. In fact for sake of ease, just open up the air cleaner box and pop the filter out. Now, spray a liberal amount of starter fluid into the intake hose.
If the engine feels like it's going to catch (more so tha before) give it another shot. If it catches your problem lies between the fuel pump and the engine (or bad fuel) now move to step 5
If you still get nothing move to step 6
Step 5
so far you have checked the battery, the spark and the fuel pump, you have also found that the car starts using starter fluid. You have isolated the problem to a fueling issue! congratulations! pat yourself on the back! The gas may have gone bad from the car sitting or the injectors are gummed up (or other injector problem) or the fuel filter is clogged.
Heres a quick and dirty check for the fuel filter/ fuel pump...you will see a nipple on the fuel rail on the passenger side. it is a Schroeder valve (like the one for your car tires) pop the cap off grab a small Phillips head and poke it. If fuel flows out of it you have fuel pressure. if you have a fuel pressure gauge this is where you would hook it up and check the pressure to make sure the egine is getting enough fuel. For now if we see a good flow we will assume that it's getting adequate fuel. In theory this would isolate the injectors or bad gas or fuel pressure regulator. Work from the cheapest part. IE. a tank of fuel isn't going to break the bank, and a fuel filter should be replaced occasionally anyway and is a good place to start. so drain and refill the tank, turn the car over a bit and make sure to clean out the lines and install a new filter. If the car has been sitting a reallllly long time you may need to have the injectors cleaned or replaced.
Step 6
Compression check.
So you have fuel and you have spark and you still can't start the car?
If there's no horrible clanging noises coming from the car it's time for a compression test...
your going to need a compression tester for this, available at sears for 65 bucks or auto parts stores for not much more/less.
Should you go this route however you pull the fuse for fuel and spark, screw the threaded end of the compression tester into the spark plug hole (remove the spark plug first obviously) turn it over 5 good turns or so and check the gauge. if it's between 135-160 you have great compression. (provided that it's holding the air and not leaking) on a side note, if your car has lower compression say like 110, don't worry about it, as long as all the other cylinders are within 10 percent or so it isn't such a big deal. if you have low compression squirt a bit of oil into the cylinder and retest, if the compression number skyrockets back up then you have some cylinder wear or aging piston rings. This is called blow by and you will probably find oil in your intake tube as a result. If however you find that the pressure doesn't go up with a lil squirt of oil, more than likely you have bad valve stem seals. if you find no compression in one cylinder it's probably bent valves or less likely catastrophic piston or ring failure. Though it is possible to have a ba head gasket show bad compression on one cylinder generally you will find that two adjacent cylinders have bad compression in th eevent of a head gasket failure. More over head gasket failure will also be evident by overheating (within minutes usually) and oil that looks like chocholate milk. Additionally you may find oil in the coolant resevoir or a skim layer of oil floating in the radiator.
if you have good compression, spark, and fuel see step 7
Step 7
check the timing
More than likely at this point your timing is off. If you are reading this, timing is probably a little much for you and you should seek a professional.
So there's my quick and dirty non starting diagnosis. Techs and ASE guys, PLEASE feel free to add or take away or dispute or confirm anything I have said. Additionally feel free to add Jaguar specific traits to this. SUch as the blowby being caused by the high sulpgher fuel eating the Nikasil bor lineing.
Here's a worthwhile addition from another thread.
Check your throttle body!
Disclamer: I am NOT a certified mechanic! I am hobbyist with a pretty good amount of experience. I know my way around a car. I also run an auto auction and know how to get the quick and dirty answers as to why something isn't starting in a few minutes, and without a lot of tools.
I take no responsibility for you blowing up your car or yourself or burning off your eyebrows. That said if you are not an idiot this should be pretty straightforward.
So without further adieu..
Step 0
Rule out the obvious, is there GAS in your car?!?
Is your mass airflow sensor hooked up? it's the only electronic device between the air filter and the throttle body, so just look for wires going into your intake tube. This device meters the air for the ecu so it gives the proper amount of fuel per unit of air.
Look for (or listen for) leaks in your intake tubing after the mass airflow sensor. (usually this will not keep the car from starting but it is possible)
Also, is there an obstruction in the exhaust? If you heard a rattle coming from under the car before the car stalled or before you parked the car and now it won't start, it is possible that the honeycomb inside the catalytic converter has broken loose and is obstructing the exhaust. (try having someone turn the car over and feeling for exhaust gass at the tail pipe.
Step 1
Climb into your car. Turn the key to the on position. do all the dash lights light up?
If yes: you have power to the car congratulations! you have eliminated a whole host of problems! proceed to step 1.5.
If yes but very dim, your battery is low on power, get it jump started and let it idle for a bit. If it dies shortly thereafter your alternator is either toast, or on it's way out. What is an alternator you ask? well that's simple, an alternator is a small generator attached to your big engine (just the opposite of generators you see at construction sites and in buildings) it creates juice to keep the battery topped off and supply power to all those nifty gadgets in your car like spark plugs, and headlights ect. if it continues to run just fine than your alternator is jsut fine and your battery may be toast. If you shut off the car and it will not start back up for the same reason, dead battery.
If No: Check the connections on your battery are they clean or dirty and crusty?
If they are crusty, grab a can of classic coke and scrub the terminals with a wire brush or whatever you have handy and a little Coke. (coke is great for cleaning battery terminals)
Now, tighten up those cables and check the other connections. Are they loose or nice and tight?
once they are squeaky clean hop back in the car and check for dash lights again. if you still have no dash lights check the fuses. both under hood and in car under (usually) the drivers side dash.
STEP 1.5
So you have power to the car, the battery is good, and there is gas in it. You have checked the fuses and relays and they are good.
Does the car turn over?
If yes: Move on to step 2
If Not: Does the starter make a clicking sound? or no noise at all? Does it give a few clicks or one big click?
Try tapping the starter with a hammer or a pipe while someone else cranks the car over. This is an Old school mechanics trick. I have only seen this work on a handful of occasions but it is worth a shot, none the less. especially if your starter is accessible.
Step 2
You have power to the car, the battery is good, and the car cranks but doesn't start now what?
Take a second to think about how it turns over. Does it turn over strong and feel like it "wants" to start? Or does it "spin freely" like it isn't connected to anything?
Fortunately for you. engines are very simple in their design, they are just big air pumps. are gets sucked in combusted, and blown out. So theres 3 things you need to check from here , Fuel, Spark, Compression.
Fuel- first turn the car off completely, in the case of jaguars, the fuel pump is in the trunk, so pop the trunk. If you can, have someone else turn the car to the "on" position. Then listen for an electrical hum or a whir. If you are not sure if you heard it, try it again, it should only last a second or two. this noise is the fuel pump turning on. Which means that at least fuel is getting out of the gas tank.
If you didn't hear the fuel pump, you probably found your problem. Go double check the related fuses ad relays, if they are good congratulations you probably isolated the problem. However, another good way to be sure is in step 4.
If you heard the fuel pump and the car doesn't start move to step 3
Step 3.
Check your spark,
an easy way to do this is to pull a spark plug and a coil. have someone turn over the car and look for the spark in the plug. it should be a hot blue spark. if your spark is a yellow or orange, its weak, and probably indicates a bad coil. If you get no spark check the other coils to see if it's just a bad coil or two or if something else is going on. you can check each coil this way. Another way if you don't have any tools handy (I don't recommend this BTW but it works in a pinch, is to take at the dipstick wipe it clean and stick it in the coil pack or plug wire. Rest it in such a manner that the spark will travel down the dipstick and jump onto some metal, like a valve cover bolt.
If you have no spark at all, check all related fuses and relays. If this doesn't solve your problem...Go find a phonebook, your gonna need more help than I can offer you over the internet.
If you have spark continue to step 4
Step 4
More fueling to check. Get a can of "starter fluid" Available at better auto supply stores everywhere, and maybe even walmart. undo the air cleaner hose MAKE SURE THE Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)is still in the loop. The MAF will be easily identifyable because it's the only thing between your throttle body and your air cleaner with electrical components in it! you will see a plug, with wires, going into your intake. MAKE SURE THIS IS STILL attached and that the starter fluid goes through it, but don't spray starter fluid directly into the MAF. In fact for sake of ease, just open up the air cleaner box and pop the filter out. Now, spray a liberal amount of starter fluid into the intake hose.
If the engine feels like it's going to catch (more so tha before) give it another shot. If it catches your problem lies between the fuel pump and the engine (or bad fuel) now move to step 5
If you still get nothing move to step 6
Step 5
so far you have checked the battery, the spark and the fuel pump, you have also found that the car starts using starter fluid. You have isolated the problem to a fueling issue! congratulations! pat yourself on the back! The gas may have gone bad from the car sitting or the injectors are gummed up (or other injector problem) or the fuel filter is clogged.
Heres a quick and dirty check for the fuel filter/ fuel pump...you will see a nipple on the fuel rail on the passenger side. it is a Schroeder valve (like the one for your car tires) pop the cap off grab a small Phillips head and poke it. If fuel flows out of it you have fuel pressure. if you have a fuel pressure gauge this is where you would hook it up and check the pressure to make sure the egine is getting enough fuel. For now if we see a good flow we will assume that it's getting adequate fuel. In theory this would isolate the injectors or bad gas or fuel pressure regulator. Work from the cheapest part. IE. a tank of fuel isn't going to break the bank, and a fuel filter should be replaced occasionally anyway and is a good place to start. so drain and refill the tank, turn the car over a bit and make sure to clean out the lines and install a new filter. If the car has been sitting a reallllly long time you may need to have the injectors cleaned or replaced.
Step 6
Compression check.
So you have fuel and you have spark and you still can't start the car?
If there's no horrible clanging noises coming from the car it's time for a compression test...
your going to need a compression tester for this, available at sears for 65 bucks or auto parts stores for not much more/less.
Should you go this route however you pull the fuse for fuel and spark, screw the threaded end of the compression tester into the spark plug hole (remove the spark plug first obviously) turn it over 5 good turns or so and check the gauge. if it's between 135-160 you have great compression. (provided that it's holding the air and not leaking) on a side note, if your car has lower compression say like 110, don't worry about it, as long as all the other cylinders are within 10 percent or so it isn't such a big deal. if you have low compression squirt a bit of oil into the cylinder and retest, if the compression number skyrockets back up then you have some cylinder wear or aging piston rings. This is called blow by and you will probably find oil in your intake tube as a result. If however you find that the pressure doesn't go up with a lil squirt of oil, more than likely you have bad valve stem seals. if you find no compression in one cylinder it's probably bent valves or less likely catastrophic piston or ring failure. Though it is possible to have a ba head gasket show bad compression on one cylinder generally you will find that two adjacent cylinders have bad compression in th eevent of a head gasket failure. More over head gasket failure will also be evident by overheating (within minutes usually) and oil that looks like chocholate milk. Additionally you may find oil in the coolant resevoir or a skim layer of oil floating in the radiator.
if you have good compression, spark, and fuel see step 7
Step 7
check the timing
More than likely at this point your timing is off. If you are reading this, timing is probably a little much for you and you should seek a professional.
So there's my quick and dirty non starting diagnosis. Techs and ASE guys, PLEASE feel free to add or take away or dispute or confirm anything I have said. Additionally feel free to add Jaguar specific traits to this. SUch as the blowby being caused by the high sulpgher fuel eating the Nikasil bor lineing.
Here's a worthwhile addition from another thread.
Here is an update, finally got her started yesterday after a couple of days of trying. Started strong and ran for an hour with no problem, started today after a couple of cranks of the starter, so fingers crossed this was just an issue with flooding and nothing else. A few tips for others with this same problem.
1. Tried the gas pedal to the floor and cranking on the starter for 60 seconds, this did not work for me even after trying it four times. I was very worried about the starter as well as getting smoke from burnt oil back through the air cleaner.
2. Removed the plugs again and squirted oil into each bank, replaced every thing and tried again, still no luck
3. left it a day and then pulled everything again and left the plugs out and the cylinders open for 2 days, my theory was to let nature take its course and allow excess fuel to evaporate
4. Squirted more oil in but made sure this time to get a long enough tube so oil got to the back of the cylinder and ran down around the pistons rather than on top. Figured more oil was better than not enough.
5. Cleaned all the plugs and coils etc and put it all back
6. Pulled the fuel pump fuse (20amp No 7 in the trunk fuse box) turned the engine on the starter for 15 seconds to distribute the oil around the pistons
7. Replaced the fuse and then with the gas pedal to the floor turned the key, started straight away. Most important tip here is to have your garage door open or the car outside, the smoke was pretty intense.
Not sure whether it was the oil or leaving the plugs out for a couple of days that finally fixed it. My advice is if the cranking method does not work the first time and you can turn a wrench then take the time to pul the plugs and squirt some oil in, I used about 10 pulls on a small oil can for each cylinder and do both banks.
So now i have a working car again and a lesson learned about starting it and then shutting it down without letting it warm up.
Thanks to all for the advice
1. Tried the gas pedal to the floor and cranking on the starter for 60 seconds, this did not work for me even after trying it four times. I was very worried about the starter as well as getting smoke from burnt oil back through the air cleaner.
2. Removed the plugs again and squirted oil into each bank, replaced every thing and tried again, still no luck
3. left it a day and then pulled everything again and left the plugs out and the cylinders open for 2 days, my theory was to let nature take its course and allow excess fuel to evaporate
4. Squirted more oil in but made sure this time to get a long enough tube so oil got to the back of the cylinder and ran down around the pistons rather than on top. Figured more oil was better than not enough.
5. Cleaned all the plugs and coils etc and put it all back
6. Pulled the fuel pump fuse (20amp No 7 in the trunk fuse box) turned the engine on the starter for 15 seconds to distribute the oil around the pistons
7. Replaced the fuse and then with the gas pedal to the floor turned the key, started straight away. Most important tip here is to have your garage door open or the car outside, the smoke was pretty intense.
Not sure whether it was the oil or leaving the plugs out for a couple of days that finally fixed it. My advice is if the cranking method does not work the first time and you can turn a wrench then take the time to pul the plugs and squirt some oil in, I used about 10 pulls on a small oil can for each cylinder and do both banks.
So now i have a working car again and a lesson learned about starting it and then shutting it down without letting it warm up.
Thanks to all for the advice
Last edited by viscoussquirrel; 01-05-2010 at 09:50 PM.
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#3
12-28-2009, 06:11 PM
Good post, just a couple of points, not all fuel pumps are in the trunk, some are in the tank and some are not.
"Well officer you see it's like this '(coke is great for cleaning battery terminals, my friend told me so)' and that is why I have a pound of the stuff in the glovebox"!!
"Well officer you see it's like this '(coke is great for cleaning battery terminals, my friend told me so)' and that is why I have a pound of the stuff in the glovebox"!!
and a LOL on the coke
#4
12-28-2009, 07:51 PM
Veteran Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
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#5
12-30-2009, 06:05 AM
#6
12-30-2009, 08:32 AM
Can I add some other potential steps
First is the starter motor seizing. I have called out a breakdown service once for that. I had power but the engine just churned over and nothing else happened. The mechanic banged the starter with a hammer and the car started instantly. He siad I could either go and get a reconditioned starter fitted, or risk it and see if it was a one off. I went for replacing the starter motor.
Second and people do make mistakes, check the fuel guage!
Third and I have had this happen to me as a prank, check your exhaust. Someone once blocked my exhaust with a potato! It took us ages to figure out why the car would not start!
First is the starter motor seizing. I have called out a breakdown service once for that. I had power but the engine just churned over and nothing else happened. The mechanic banged the starter with a hammer and the car started instantly. He siad I could either go and get a reconditioned starter fitted, or risk it and see if it was a one off. I went for replacing the starter motor.
Second and people do make mistakes, check the fuel guage!
Third and I have had this happen to me as a prank, check your exhaust. Someone once blocked my exhaust with a potato! It took us ages to figure out why the car would not start!
The following users liked this post:
draddog (10-25-2015)
#7
12-30-2009, 11:36 AM
Can I add some other potential steps
First is the starter motor seizing. I have called out a breakdown service once for that. I had power but the engine just churned over and nothing else happened. The mechanic banged the starter with a hammer and the car started instantly. He siad I could either go and get a reconditioned starter fitted, or risk it and see if it was a one off. I went for replacing the starter motor.
Second and people do make mistakes, check the fuel guage!
Third and I have had this happen to me as a prank, check your exhaust. Someone once blocked my exhaust with a potato! It took us ages to figure out why the car would not start!
First is the starter motor seizing. I have called out a breakdown service once for that. I had power but the engine just churned over and nothing else happened. The mechanic banged the starter with a hammer and the car started instantly. He siad I could either go and get a reconditioned starter fitted, or risk it and see if it was a one off. I went for replacing the starter motor.
Second and people do make mistakes, check the fuel guage!
Third and I have had this happen to me as a prank, check your exhaust. Someone once blocked my exhaust with a potato! It took us ages to figure out why the car would not start!
Good point on the starter, as well as making sure there is gas in the car. How could I forget that one.
Trending Topics
#8
12-30-2009, 12:23 PM
#9
12-30-2009, 06:12 PM
Veteran Member
Squirrel,
Are you scooter trash too? Guess you can go around Oahu twice before lunch.
I was out with a group for an overnight scooter ride and one of the guys had a new Goldwing. One of the group, who will not be identified, poured about a 12" puddle of oil under that brand new Wing during the night.
Best practical joke ever.
Are you scooter trash too? Guess you can go around Oahu twice before lunch.
I was out with a group for an overnight scooter ride and one of the guys had a new Goldwing. One of the group, who will not be identified, poured about a 12" puddle of oil under that brand new Wing during the night.
Best practical joke ever.
#10
12-31-2009, 01:12 AM
Squirrel,
Are you scooter trash too? Guess you can go around Oahu twice before lunch.
I was out with a group for an overnight scooter ride and one of the guys had a new Goldwing. One of the group, who will not be identified, poured about a 12" puddle of oil under that brand new Wing during the night.
Best practical joke ever.
Are you scooter trash too? Guess you can go around Oahu twice before lunch.
I was out with a group for an overnight scooter ride and one of the guys had a new Goldwing. One of the group, who will not be identified, poured about a 12" puddle of oil under that brand new Wing during the night.
Best practical joke ever.
#11
01-02-2010, 09:44 AM
Senior Member
#12
01-09-2010, 12:46 AM
#13
10-31-2010, 12:13 AM
Senior Member
Car won't start reply
I had this problem on the way home from purchasing the car Texas to Florida! I found the electrical crimp terminal on the starter solenoid was broken and the wire was just touching the terminal. The harness was pulled so tight the engine torque eventually broke it. Of course the previous owner never experienced any problems. If everything lights up when you turn the key but nothing happens..i.e. motor won't turn over..this could be your problem!
#14
05-23-2012, 11:51 AM
Member
ok first checked fuel pump fuse.. its ok engine turns over cranks but barely can perceive a sputter.as far as fuel pump it is not in trunk could be behind back seat but before i pull the seat out i am going to change plug coils and plugs needs it anyways and drain the gas.I live at 9000 feet so if the ethanol crap gasl has been sitting two weeks like it has. condensation could become a factor at this altitude.would like to change fuel filter does anyone know the location ( 2000 xj8 vanden plas).120000 mls.so it needs changing.when I pull plugs will get back to you because have had oil in plug wells since I got this model my other 98 xj8 never has and the vanden plas had the seal changed by previous owner so that is another issue.I have as much time needed to go through all this.I have a 4x4 and the 98 xj8 running fine.but I would like to just get this one running so I can get garage to change timing chain and do throttle body as I am sure won't hurt.You all are so helpful and I am grateful.
#15
05-23-2012, 01:17 PM
Member
getting there
I pulled air filter and all the plugs but no tell tail sign there oily plugs but not so bad as ever before .Not starter cranks fine just no catch.will try starter fluid in filter box next.is there any way I can fix bad gas by adding octane boost or dry gas or is that ust fiction if I do get started no matter how rough it runs Ill run it to empty and put a good premium in.well thats gonna be a while since I am in no hurry today .so I will update tomorrow.but let me know if octane boost will help.
#16
05-23-2012, 01:31 PM
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Perth Ontario Canada
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If your gasoline is bad, there's no additive that will fix it. There again, it's unlikely that your gas is actually bad. Contrary to myth, E10 does not go bad in two weeks or two months or two whatevers in a sealed system like your XJ8.
You might want to post your question in the XJ8 specific section.
XJ ( X308 ) XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
You might want to post your question in the XJ8 specific section.
XJ ( X308 ) XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
#17
05-23-2012, 10:26 PM
Member
bad gas long storage
thank you all for your help I bought some octane booster and dry gas then sprayed the heck out of the air filter box after removing the filter and it worked.So whatever was the cause octane booster,dry gas,cleaning the plugs or starting fluid or all combined.I did manage to get 120k miles engine to start and run.I am grateful for those who took time as always to address my situation and I am sure without a combination or an understanding of all your combined knowledge it would have costed me a lot of money in both towing fees and the usual greed driven uneeded costs the dealership would have
added.not that they are not necessary I just don't advise you go to them blind towed in and such.Now I can replace and improve my favorite vehicle without the pressure of duress and an 80 mile tow bill.I still want to replace fuel filter and fuel pump.Some choice parts of the throttle assembly and the timing chain.I hope to do fuel related repairs myself as well as maf replacement .I'll leave timing and throttle repairs to the jag mechanics.thank you all thus ends this thread successfully.thank you thank you thank you all...
added.not that they are not necessary I just don't advise you go to them blind towed in and such.Now I can replace and improve my favorite vehicle without the pressure of duress and an 80 mile tow bill.I still want to replace fuel filter and fuel pump.Some choice parts of the throttle assembly and the timing chain.I hope to do fuel related repairs myself as well as maf replacement .I'll leave timing and throttle repairs to the jag mechanics.thank you all thus ends this thread successfully.thank you thank you thank you all...
#18
01-10-2018, 05:26 AM
Veteran Member
I know this is a ye olde thread but could I point something out? In step 1.5 you say something like "checked fuses and relays all good". But you do not say which fuses and relays or where they are.
You also do not mention, or I have missed it, the bit where the gear inhibitor can stop you from cranking the engine?
I currently have a non cranking engine and think its the Starter relay. Just got to find it now.
Right side edge of car in engine bay............ I think.
You also do not mention, or I have missed it, the bit where the gear inhibitor can stop you from cranking the engine?
I currently have a non cranking engine and think its the Starter relay. Just got to find it now.
Right side edge of car in engine bay............ I think.
#19
01-10-2018, 10:00 AM
Veteran Member
#20
02-26-2018, 09:07 PM
I just had my Jaguar not start for the first time ever! I have owned a normal XF and now an XFR, I had no clue what was wrong!!!!!
My gas tank said I had 14 miles to go .... but nope, I was out of gas ..... first time it has ever happened to me in 22 years of driving! Ugh, so bad for the car and SO embarassing!
My gas tank said I had 14 miles to go .... but nope, I was out of gas ..... first time it has ever happened to me in 22 years of driving! Ugh, so bad for the car and SO embarassing!