I love reading these forums cause there is a ton of informative posts. I know most of my problems have already been stated on these forums but suggestions, tips and links will be helpful especially when my problems get more specific. My Jaguar is not starting. I originally had a sunroof leak this winter that I'd been patching up. After a hard nights rain, I came out the next morning to see my jag covered in condensation all over windows, dash, seats and floor. I did what I could to dry it out and unaware of how big of a problem it was I tried to start it. It didn't crank and instead set off beeping noises and fading lights. The map lights and rear lights worked but not the dome light. The dash showed all warnings. Shortly after the lights faded and beeps stopped the battery seemed completely dead at this point I probably should have disconnected it but I was upset at myself and didn't want to mess anything else up before leaving to visit my family.
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All I could think about was my dead Jaguar, I finally got back to it a little over a week ago and have been attempting to dry it all out with dehumidifiers, fans and heaters, I still need to wet vac. The roof is covered and the condensation seems to be gone for now. Today was finally a warm day and I opened up the trunk to get to the battery, it was damp and the was a puddle of water where the spare tire is. I cleaned it up and dried it out. I loved driving my jag and I want to understand every bit of it. Im assuming there will be electrical issues but the next thing I plan on doing is unhooking the battery and testing it's voltage.
thanks for reading, hopefully this sad experience will lead to me gaining common sense and getting the jag back on the road.
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Not sure where you are in Jadland,

but,

With that amount of water ingress I suggest:

Get the car under cover, and in a dry place to work on this time consuming problem.
Remove all you can from the boot/trunk, taking snaps as you go, dry out everything, and by that I mean EVERY electrical connection you can find.
Move to the cabin, locate the main ECU in the RH kick panel, unlug it, remove it, tip the water out, dry what you can see. That ECU may be damaged, as they dont like water.

Find, and that will be the fun part, the water leak, and seal it, repair it, whatever, coz until that is sorted, the above will be a waste of time.

 

If I had just gotten a car cover I would probably not be in this dilemma although I also have more minor problems. I'm just going to try and do as much by myself and then see where I'm at. Now since there should be limited rain I will be starting off this project. My car is dry, I have been using fans and dehumidifiers while opening the doors when it was sunny. Hopefully there is nothing seriously wrong but I'll need to figure it out.
1st) I want to disconnect the battery without causing more issues and clean off the residue. I'm thinking baking soda and toothbrush, open to suggestions. I tested it and it has very low power. Hopefully this is my main problem. I have a friend with a battery​ charger that I'm waiting for him to bring over.

 

Don't know how long that white connection has been unplugged also can't seem to find where it would plug in.

 

ill go home Nd take a pic for u.
that postive battery cable is one of my problems.
i need a new one. my car does what u desribe when my cable is loose

 

That white wire is the leftover wire that is used when the cars are in transit from the factory to the dealer. AFAIK it serves no use after the transit connector is removed once the car is delivered.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ry-wire-48176/

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That battery is WAY TOO SMALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Group 49, MB88 or H8 is the recommended battery.

bob

 

Thanks for the replies, it's good that wire is nothing to worry about. I had heard before that jaguars usually have bigger batteries but this one was working adequately before and only about a year old. I'm going to try and charge it, it might be better to just buy a new battery although I really want to check if I have more electrical issues.

 

Jaguars need really STRONG and healthy battery to get started and stay in good working order. Otherwise it will give you all sorts of signals and warnings that will drive you nuts. I would start with the battery, cable connections and ground points as these may all compromise conductivity after your car has gotten wet inside-out.

 

I bought baking soda for the white corrosion on the battery terminal. I also got some qp electrical cleaner, all purpose lubricant and di-electric grease.

 

HI Jaglife , looking at your picture I can't see any thing wrong with your + lead why do you think it needs replacing ? Also you have read the comments about the size of the battery , so I would take note of the advice .

 

Doesn't look like it is properly vented, either. You need to sort that.

 

Yeah I definitely need to get a battery that is the right size but I want to clean everything up as well. How should I properly vent it?

 

Find the end of that hose that is near your Positive terminal and exits through the grommet behind it. Other end should be flopping around free somewhere at the bottom of the battery......attach it to a nipple that should be at the top of the battery on one end or the other. Since I don't see one, you'll have to "make do" and I've found a wiring butt-connector or bullet-crimp connector can make an able substitute, with a bit of RTV sealant to help out. You should find a round port at the top of the battery on both ends. Plug one and attach that hose to the other.

 

I disconnected the battery terminals, and charged my current battery to 100. I'm cleaning off the white corrosion with baking soda water mix and a toothbrush. My trunk and interiors seem to be dried out after I covered the sunroof, I took a look at the rh and lh heelboards and it didn't seem wet. I bought electrical cleaner and all-purpose precision lube but I'm hesitant to mess with all the electrics until I better identify the cause. My problem causing the no start might be just a battery gone bad, but there could be a battery drain, an electrical short or serious electrical water damage. Buying a new battery and getting it properly vented is a priority although I'm thinking of just reconnecting the charged up battery just to see what the electricals are doing. I don't know if I'd even try to start the engine. Before I get back to being able to drive it out on the road, I'll move it to flatter ground. Then I can do things like change oils, lube parts, check tire pressure and as much preventative/restorative maintenance I can. Thanks for all the replies, suggestions and tips so far!

 

If you suspect that any electrical components including ECU and other control modules that you can easily get too and may have got wet , it may pay just to disconnect the connectors to make sure they are dry inside . A hair dryer maybe useful as well...good luck hope it all turns out ok .

 

I reconnected the charged up battery and luckily everything turned on. I was even able to crank it and start the engine. The dash worked and didn't show any extra warnings. I was very low on gas which I don't remember being the case. This is very good news! I still have the broken vented roof and I want to turn this into me figuring out some preventative maintenance. I need to repair multiple interior things and want to be able to drive it confidently instead of worrying about something going wrong. Thanks for all the information so far. I am definitely still considering a new battery but want to see if their is a battery drain, I'll test the voltage tomorrow.

 

A voltage drain and a battery that does not hold a charge will both result in lower voltage unless you left the battery disconnected.

 

We use our XJ6 mostly for short drives as it is my wife's daily.
So lots of using the starter but not tons of time recharging on the alternator.

The car had been parked for a week since we were both traveling and when I started it and went for a quick errand, I noticed the car was acting a little lumpy at idle. Since I found that it started a little lethargic, I decided to put it on the charger and "top up" the battery. When it got to a float charge after an hour or so, I took it out for another drive. Car fired up with authority and the lumpiness at idle I had experienced a couple of hours earlier was now gone.

Yes, having the right sized battery and having it fully charged on these cars does make a difference.