Any news?

 

Hi without going into great detail I have abs light on codes show both speed sensors faulty,throttle body faulty this could be stopping cruise control working I could list all codes if required don't have with me at moment but highly unlikely all these would be from a mech prob.A jag technician had said the loom on the bulkhead above the rear exhaust manifold gets very hot and because wires are so thin they melt and this is where my fault will lie.Will be speaking to him again then will be attacking car later this week.

 

cpcbaleno, first off, welcome to the Forums. Please stop by the New Member Section and tell us a little bit about yourself. You will find that we are a very friendly bunch and as part of that, we like to get to know one another. This will also give you a chance to meet those that make this place what it is.

As for your problem, doing some investigation into this sort of problem, what I have found is that as the motor gets used, the brushes wear inside the throttlebody and over time, the springs loose tension and cannot hold the spring down on the electric motor inside the throttle body properly. This will start giving you codes and will also cause the cruise control to not work (since the computer is taking control of the electric motor and since it knows it is not working correctly, it assumes that the motor will cause you to loose control of the car and therefore will not activate the cruise). What you need to do is to remove the electric motor off the side of the throttle body and then remove the motor that is under the black plastic cover. Once you get the motor apart, you can use a little bit of IPA to clean the commutator (copper part) and then give the springs a little tweak to give them a bit more pressure for the brushes. From there, you can reassemble everything and you should be good.

On a side note, there have been instances where the plug for the throttlebody has gotten damaged and that has resulted in what you are seeing. So, give the plug a good look over and like you already mentioned, the wiring harness can become damaged, but this will be obvious if you look at the wiring harness as normally you will see exposed copper wiring. If you need to fix wiring, let me know. I can help you there too.

 

Cheers thermo will do the motor and a good 2nd hand body is reasonable,my main prob is with the abs light which I have all the codes for.As with all but 2 of my x-types I've owned, I have Lambda sensor probs a pain but not a prob.I have C1165 & C1175 right & left wheel sensors + ABS C1235/C1236 both rear wheel speed signal missing this would explain why speedo occasionally cuts out.This would suggest some sort of wiring prob I will check all connections and earths do the motor as you suggest change the lambda's see where we are.Then my other 1 has auto box solenoid prob gotta get some time.Thanks for your help

 

i have a problem when i put my right indecator on the rear fog light flashes at the same speed as the indecator can any body help

 

Since I was the one who originally started this thread, I thought that I should put an update or "my ending" to it. I originally got on here because I bought my 02 X-type and it had a couple problems. Within the first week, a couple problems turned in to ten or more problems and things just kept getting worse. Thank you THERMO for all the help and thank you to INNZANE for getting those tail light connectors/wires for me to replace the burned out ones. I think the last thing that I mentioned was that the brand new battery all the sudden was draining to dead in just two days or less of sitting on my driveway. I was told to pull fuse F25 for the GEM Module. I did, but that didn't help. Then the car was locked and the remote wouldn't work and the driver's door handle wouldn't open. It took almost two hours to get back inside the car since it was with a dead battery and no way to get inside of any of the other doors since only the drivers side door has a keyhole, I couldn't even get into the trunk.

Then came the cold weather and I just let it sit with a drained battery and decided to either save up a TON to fix all the issues. TONS of electrical issues. TONS of suspension problems. Or I decided if I didn't want to fix it all, I would just sell it as is. But, since the car was so unreliable since day one of me getting it, I never went to the BMV to title it in my name. I noticed on my title while it said 95,707 miles ACTUAL from the dealer, the previous owner marked the mileage as NOT ACTUAL. Lucky for me I saved the original ad for the car that said low miles, "only 95,707 actual miles" and I knew that was false advertising. I met with the dealership and told them that even though it's been since July that I bought the car, they still were at fault and we could go to court or they could give me my money back in credit towards a different car and they agreed. After 3 days of trying to charge that battery, I finally got the car running and I dropped it off at the dealership. I still have the title for it but they don't have anything that I'm interested in. They asked me what I wanted and said they'd get it at the auction and would make sure it wasn't a piece of junk like the Jaguar was.

I own a 2012 Hyundai Elantra so I just originally bought the Jaguar to have as a "fun" car. My Elantra is nice and sporty looking and is very reliable but it's an automatic and is boring to drive. I used to drag race my old 1990 Mustang LX 5.0 with 410 rear end, off road h-pipe and flowmaster exhaust, hurst short throw shifter and NOS Nitrous Oxide but all that was 15 years ago and I miss having a car with a stick shift and some bells and whistles on it. I used to own a 1988 Jaguar XJ6 and it had more problems than any car I've ever seen, until I was foolish enough to buy another Jaguar. I figured with Ford wiring and a Taurus engine with a manual transmission, it would be a great car. I couldn't of been more wrong. So guys, if you had to go without your X-Type, what comparable car would you get? I honestly miss my 1999 VW Passat. It was a 30V 2.8L 6-cylinder with a 5 speed manual. Black on black leather. But, the newer Passats are not as sporty and almost impossible to find with a stick shift. I'd like a 4 door like the X-type but it doesn't have to be a 4 door, it just has to have a back seat. Suggestions anyone?

When I saw the dealership drive off with my Jaguar, I really thought to myself that I am going to miss that growling exhaust and the beautiful body design of that car. It's too bad that the Jaguars are prone to so many electrical and suspension problems or I'd just get another X-Type manual again. For all of you that helped me work on the car, thank you! I will post back what I end up getting. I am glad that I got rid of that headache though. I just need suggestions of another car that I can have for a "fun" car without it being a nitemare.

 

Glad in the end it worked out for you. Surprised after all that time the dealership took it back. But to be fair, when you bought the car you knew it had a bunch of issues and knew that the price you paid factored into that. To say "It's too bad that the Jaguars are prone to so many electrical and suspension problems or I'd just get another X-Type manual again" seems a little unfair. You get what you pay for most of the time. It sounds like the particular car you bought had a rough life or suffered some kind of water intrusion or some other event that caused a number of the problems you face. There are a lot of members on here with cars of that vintage where the cars have been very reliable. I think in this case you bought a known lemon more than the Jaguar X-Type is a bad car in general.

I know this might seem odd, but maybe consider another X-Type with a better history or without any apparent problems when you buy it. It could satisfy everything you are looking for now that you have a better idea what to avoid. There are a ton of those out there and they are pretty inexpensive. Good luck! What are you having them buy for you as a replacement?

 

Thanks for the update, your car has crossed my mind a few times.

I am on the opposite side, I got my 02 cheaper than yours was, and 3 years ago. It had sat in police impound for over a year. All it needed was a new battery, 3 years later and the battery just kicked it today from the cold, but the Jag is still going, proudly sporting the P0174 still.

I would not rule out another x, they are nice when they are nice.
I went thru the same thing with a Land Rover, bought it knowing it needed work, but it was the special edition and so HOT! I got the motor fixed perfect but then the electrical gremlins started to surface and the dolla signs got bigger and bigger, so I took a loss and unloaded it. But I will be back one day and own me another rover.

You are alive and now stronger, use it to your advantage, don't be to gun shy.

 

Tedh,
I would go for a Mazda Miata. I hear they are fun, reliable, and they've been made for many years so you should be able to find one at reasonable cost. But you may want to leave it home when it snows.

 

Alfadude, I thought about getting another X-Type but I have just read so many bad things on them. I know this is a biased site, only on google Jaguar don't look so hot. I went and looked at a car and then I did some internet research. I was called out to look at a 2002 Ford Taurus SEL. It was fully loaded with power moonroof, 6 disc cd player in center console, leather interior, digital climate controls and more. It had 101,803 miles which is low for a 2002. It was more than my X-Type's 95,707 miles but those miles were fake. I know that Tauruses are a dime a dozen but that makes getting parts cheap and easy. Most Tauruses have a 12V engine with a 4X4S weak transmission but this Taurus has the lively 24V DOHC Duratec engine paired with the 4X4N better transmission and the car was very peppy and that engine and transmission were both great. Too bad it's a Taurus and has no sex appeal like the X-Type had.

So for fun, I went home and got onto KBB.COM before committing to the Taurus. This isn't what I had in mind for my "fun" car but it would make a good first car for my son. I have a Volvo 850 GLT T5 Turbo manual which I had planned to give to my son but I don't want his first car to be a stick, just one more distraction. I've had the Volvo for over 10 years but it has set in the garage for the last 5 years. It's just getting too old but it is still dependable and has never let me down like the Jaguar. KBB.COM suggested retail price with 95,707 FAKE miles and the options comes up with a retail price of $3270 in excellent condition, which it is not. Same year Taurus on KBB.COM entered in with more miles 101,803 and the options. Blue book value for the Taurus is $4997 suggested retail value. That is sad, shows just how bad these Jaguars are. When I had my Jaguar and my taillight connectors were burned up, Jaguar could not sell them to me because they were Ford wires and they broke up. Ford could not sell me the wires since they no longer were involved with Jaguar. I called and checked endless junkyards but those wires were all missing because the problem is very common and not enough parts for people. Thank god INNZANE came through finding a junkyard X-Type with the connectors and wires that I needed. But people shouldn't have to do that just to get some taillight connections. That is just one reason these cars have no resale value. Reliability problems in the 80's and 90's with LUCAS/BOSCH awful wiring design made me say that I'd never buy another Jaquar. But with Ford being involved, I got an X-Type and they have terrible electrical designs as well according to TONS of people on google sites. Now they are owned by TATA in India. They were so ugly in the back, I felt Jaguar was done, but now they are looking good again. Maybe if Jaguar proves themselves with TATA running the comany, I may buy another one in the future. So, my 02 X-TYPE AWD retails for $3270 with 95,707 miles on KBB.COM. The 02 Ford Taurus SEL with Duratec engine and options and with MORE miles but original miles, 101803, had a suggested retail value of $4997, beating the identical AWD Jaguar with less miles listed! This says it all folks! Now, the Taurus was a blast to drive with that engine and tranny combo but for one, my son wants it and two, I don't want an automatic Taurus as my "fun" car. So, here is what I've come up with so far.

1. I've driven a 2008 SAAB 9-3 TURBO stick shift VIGGEN. I know Saab is dead, but they still make parts for them and they are dependable. They looked nice in the later years and are a blast to drive.

2. BMW M3 stick shift or M5 stick shift. I know expensive, but an earlier year, like 98 and up would work if it's dependable.

3. VW Passat Stick Shift. I had a 99 VW Passat stick. It had a 2.8L 30 valve V6, not the usual 1.8 Turbo. I only ever had to do one repair on that car and I did it myself. Sold it with 196,000 miles. But a 99 is too old now and the more recent Passat years are ugly. Maybe a middle year Passat with a stick would be nice.

4. A more affordable and maybe more sensible option would be to get a stick shift Mini Cooper Supercharged? Seems like you can grab one of those for $6000 in good condition.

I would say Audi but I know they are complicated and I don't need AWD. FWD or RWD would be fine as I won't be driving it in the winter.

5. Mitsubishi Eclipse or Eclipse Spyder, stick shift. But are they reliable?

6. I've always loved this brand but not this car in an automatic, a Hyundai Tiburon. My main daily driver is a 2012 Hyundai Elantra and I've always had really good luck with the Hyundai. My brother had a Tiburon with the 2.7L V6 and I was not impressed, but it was an automatic and I know they made it in a stick shift as well as a 6spd.

7. Beginning to do my research on a fast Subaru but again I don't need the AWD.

Any thoughts on these picks or can you think of something else to recommend?

Sorry for making this long guys. I'm picking up the Taurus tomorrow.

 

I don't think the numbers you have "say it all". If you look on the NADA guide, you get (for 2002 model years, both with 100K miles):
Taurus SES: $5125
X-type: $6250
On Edmunds.com you get:
Taurus: $3947
X-type: $4638.


Not that I have anything against the Taurus, I have owned 5 of them over the past 2 decades, the latest being a 2002 model. They're OK, but not without their problems. Carcomplaints.com gives them a "beware the clunker" rating. Transmission failures are a common problem. A big problem is rust, especially for the rocker panels. The 1996 model I had rusted there and also right through the gas tank, so that one went away. The 1999 model I owned had a transmission issue. Aamco was anxious to fix it, but first I took it to a body shop, and once they saw all the rust, they recommended I trade it in. Bought another (2002 wagon) because that's what the wife wanted. So far, so good but I can see the rust developing everywhere. Also, the cheap interior is falling apart with "leather" peeling off the door panels.


As far as the Saab goes, it you enjoy chasing after quirky electrical problems, then that's the car for you. Don't know much about the other cars you list.


Overall, any car for $5K or less is going to be a constant work in progress. And, I don't think we are biased on this site, we're just "enlightened".

 

You keep saying the Jaguar let you down and was not dependable. I don't get it. You bought a car with tons of issues you knew about before you bought it and still bought it anyway thinking you could fix everything. The price you paid accounted for the less than pristine condition. Then the car could have any amount of miles on it. You knew nothing about the history of the car and when you found out the issues you bought it with were more than you could handle/wanted to tackle you say it is because Jaguars are not reliable and dependable. Although a lot of early cars had some teething issues, in all the years I have been on this site I don't think I have heard of one that had all the issues your particular car had. I still think it was your particular car than the marque itself is bad. You took a gamble and it didn't pay off.

 

NADA is hardly the most accurate car pricer out there for starters. Next, my Taurus is an SEL not an SES, big difference. KBB.COM actually factors in what real people are paying for the car and what dealers are able to actually sell it for. And yes the OLDER body style Tauruses, pre 1999 were junk but the 2000-2004 body style was completely different, it wasn't so cheaply made. And yes they had their share of weak transmissions but if you read what I typed I admitted that Tauruses with the basic 12V 3.0L have a basic transmission and they have problems. BUT if you get a 24V DOHC 3.0V6 then you get a completely different transmission that does NOT have problems. Oh yeah and what is just one of the many problems on the Jaguar X-Types? Yep, bad problematic automatic transmissions. You must've added every option for the X-Type and took away every option for the Taurus to get NADA to say that the X-Type is worth more, because it is not. I'll admit they are a little more closer on NADA, but on a site that factors in zipcodes and the areas, factors in more options, and factors in what people are actually paying for them, the X-Type is worth about half. X-Type $3270 and Taurus SEL $4997.

 

I don't know, when I went to kbb.com I put in the 3.0L model with leather, cd player and sliding sunroof as the only extra options. I even put in an Indiana zip code, and I got $4205 as the "fair market value." I attached a screen shot showing this result.
Of course, prices vary widely. For a car of 2002 vintage the car's condition, maintenance, accident history, etc. play a big part in what it will sell for. Also, the car models reputation factors in, and no doubt the x-type has suffered in this regard. But in my opinion, having owned both Taurus and x-types, I do not think the Taurus is vastly superior to the x-type regardless of trim level.
But, I wish you the best of luck with your new Taurus. Maybe you bad luck with the x-type will even out and you will have a great experience with the Taurus.

 

I am probably well placed to comment here because I have a 2002 X-Type, 2.5 which is close to the car in question.

We have all had Fords, Vauxhalls, and other manufacturers cars that have been lemons - you know, the ones that were probably built on a Friday the 13th at 4pm with the workers rushing to get it finished before going home.. in that respect Jaguar is no different to the other manufacturers..

Equally we have all had cars that we thought would never last and seem to go on and on and on without failure.. Jaguar is no different to other manufacturers in this respect either..

You picked up a Jaguar very similar to mine, just with a little more equipment and the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car ( :-) )

But where I am sorry you obviously picked a lemon, I am equally glad I picked my one as after two years of ownership I have only replaced the radiator, had the water pump gaskets resealed and serviced her twice.. despite people saying transfer cases break, gearboxes fail, electrics can be poor - I have had none of these issues (well so far - fingers crossed)..

It is the luck of the draw - but I know a lot more people with good 2002 era X-Types than bad ones..

My first ever Jag, which I really fell for (an XJ V8) lasted me two months and then overheated!!

But I accepted that it was a lemon and moved on.. now I have my X-Type.. I don't believe any one car shows you the overall build quality of a manufacturers cars, which is why despite lemons from time to time I still buy cars manufactured by those same manufacturers..

The clincher is that the secondhand Jaguar market gives you potentially so much more for your money than any other luxury car manufacturer with a little bit of a plus - in the UK at least secondhand Jaguars now cost more than they did when I got mine because people are more aware of the brand.. so mine is actually worth as much as it was when I got it despite more miles on the clock!

I park my X-Type anywhere, it gets noticed.. even though it's not an XJ... I can find it easily in a car park, it sounds great, it's comfortable and it survives school runs, commuting, shopping trips all without any ado..

In my experience yes Jaguar has some lemons (mainly due to poor servicing and maintenance if honest) but also some great cars, at fantastic prices secondhand...

 

I have not heard good things about the taurus either, but I guess the bad things are told much louder than the good things. My parents had the tranny crap on theirs.
I had a hyundai once, dam thing would never idle, had to always work the gas pedal. FInally got another car, sold the elentra to the junk man, just to spite me the dam thing started and idled for 2 hours when I went to clean out my stuff before the tow truck got there, but it was an ok car.

ANother car to mention is maybe the speed6 series from mazda, there is an awd in the line, pretty fast too.

 

I went back to KBB.COM and the dealership price with 95,707 miles which we all know now that mine didn't have, was $3207 in excellent condition which it wasn't. Same search with the Taurus and it comes up as $4997 and that's with more miles (101803). Now my X-Type was a 2.5L, not a 3.0L and it was a manual, not automatic, and it had no sunroof and my Taurus does. But, it was AWD which the Taurus is not. Plug those features in and you should see the Taurus is clearly worth more IF you pick 24V engine option. Anyways yes I agree the X-Type looks better but if I had to pick between a dependable piece of crap or a beautiful wallet hungry car that had more things wrong with it then it had working, I'd go with plain and dependable.

Just like Jaguar automatic transmissions are known to be bad, the Taurus transmission is also known to be bad and they commonly go out all the time. BUT there are TWO Taurus transmissions. If you get the basic 12V 3.0 Taurus, you will get the junky transmission. It's probably the same transmission they put in the Jaguar. IF you upgrade and get a 24V DOHC 3.0 Taurus engine, then it needs the better transmission to keep up with the performance of the car. I can say Tauruses are junk, if you are talking about the basic 12V Taurus. Or I'll keep saying Tauruses are great cars if you pick the right engine/tranny combo. The LOOKS of the Jaguar looked much better than the Taurus except my high dollar Jaguar did NOT come with a factory sunroof and my Taurus has a factory sunroof, electronic adjustable gas and brake pedals, and a MACH 6 cd sound system which sounds so much better than the expensive Jaguar that had a burned out radio screen, another common problem with the Jags. On Hyundai, if you buy one that's been abused then you get what you pay for. A lot of poor people and young people buy Hyundai but that issue has been getting better. But I always bought new Hyundai Elantras, drove them over 2000 a week and would sell them in perfect condition with 300,000 miles on them. I've had 6 Hyundai Elantras all that I've driven to 300,000 and between all 6 of them, the only things I've ever replaced was window wipers, front brake pads ($11 per set), and tires. Thats it! Never did I replace any other option or part on any of those 6 Elantras and I got great prices for them when I resold them. Now my new Elantra is different. It's very sporty looking now and not so plain. But it has a totally new engine in it now as well. It now has a 1.8L with timing chain instead of a 2.0L with timing belt. I never had to change my timing belts because when I got them all inspected they were always ok. Age hurts the belts more than mileage. I've also had the 2.0L with a 5speed stick. Now I have a 1.8L with a 6 speed automatic. I wish they still made the 2.0L with the 5 speed but my 1.8L is much faster probably due to the extra gear with the zippy 6 speed automatic. It's a totally different car so I don't know if this one will last 300,000 miles or not, we will see. But so far I've only had to put a pair of wiper blades on it and everything has been fine.

 

"On Hyundai, if you buy one that's been abused then you get what you pay for."

That sounds like what happened to you with the Jaguar.

 

Except Hyundai cars are half the price compared to the X-Type. 1/4 the price compared to a real Jaguar. Also I forgot to mention the rust. The Jaguar had rust when you opened up the doors by the hinges towards the floor. BIG holes on both sides. I could fit my foot through them. I've heard this is common for this area to rust. So see again, yes Taurus had some rust issues but it was half the price new as a X-Type. But for every problem you mention about the Taurus (12V cheap one only), I can mention a common problem with the X-Type. Can't even get parts for them. When I needed parts, Ford AND Jaguar wanted nothing to do with the X-Type. I don't blame them. I too want nothing to do with another X-Type.

I have had two recommendations on fun cars. A Mazda 6 was a great idea. Actually in 2005 I owned a Ford Five Hundred. It had that great Duratec 24V DOHC motor but in 2005 they offered two different transmissions. First one, a CVT 1 speed transmission which had issues. I opted for the 6 speed transmission and what a blast that car was to drive. But, it was known to have a transmission valve sensor go bad and by the time it went bad, you needed not just the $1250 valve sensor but you needed a whole new transmission. Most transmission shops would not touch that transmission and I received quotes as high as $7000. The transmission would jerk out of first gear and harshly jump into second. This happened when the car was 3 years old and had exactly 100,000 miles. That particular transmission was used in the Mazda 6 as well. I know Ford rectified the transmission problem and use this transmission still today. This transmission is in Ford, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota models. BUT, if they make a Mazda 6 with a manual transmission, that maybe the way to go.

On the Saab comment about always having to mess with wires, I used to own a 1999 Saab 9 3. The Dot Matrix screen always was losing pixels (common for Saabs) but I never had any electrical issues that effected drivability or reliability. It is just so hard to find a car now in a stick shift that I like!

 

Tedh, I'm not sure why you keep coming back here. Every time you bad-mouth the x-type only to sing the praises of your 13-year old Taurus. This may have escaped you, but across the top of the screen it says "Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum" not "X-type haters forum". We get it, we know the x-type has its share of problems, but we're determined to meet those challenges and keep that Jaguar in our garages. Why? Well, for a lot of us the x-type is the only Jag we have a hope of owning. And, maybe there's something about a Jaguar that attracts us - maybe others can explain this better than I can.