Hi All,

I have recently bought a 1998 XJ Sport 3.2 V8, lovely car but unfortunately as I am finding out they do have their electrical faults. The car runs like a dream and the Autobox is smooth so day to day driving is fine. I have the following electrical problems

Key Fob does not work, I can put the car into learn mode (i think). the light flashes near the gear shift although no sound from the alarm?! I have cleaned the contacts which were completely black but still not beeping or light flash when trying to programm the keys!!

Rear Tail Lights/Front Fog lights do not work at all. The bulbs look fine on both. Should I change them anyway and hope it works?

Wiper blades have a mind of their own. They take ages to turn off and they never stop in the correct position.

Also the light for the clock and the individual buttons on the radio console etc do not work although the display is lit.

So far that is all i have to sort out, If anyone has any advise on any of the problems above please do help.

The main issue is sorting the key fob, could i buy a new one off ebay/amazon etc? What part number would i need if so?

Thanks in advance LT

 

Welcome tabz89....

Overall, you should find answers doing searches from the task bar above, for each issue, but here's some suggestions.

Your fob is probably toast, my originals are gone and I'm down to one that works consistently on a used pair I picked up (and I've cleaned my contacts also). I don't know what your encoding procedure is for your year, but on my 2000 the horn didn't honk either but took the code. My procedure requires the driver door to be open for it to. As for buying a new one, they are pricey, I don't know how deep your pockets are? To search for them use the part number on the back of the fob. If you get one from eBay, be sure they have returns and is why I also like Paypal to get your cash back.

Fogs...check to be sure the switch is connected in the dash. Its somewhat easy to get out after you pull the wood trim. You can also check your switch contact continuity while there. As for the rear tail light, have you check the plunger switch under the dash connected to the peddle? It could simply be out of adjustment.

The wiper thing could be a number of things, I'm betting a bad drive motor. That'll probably take some probing time with a multi-meter.

The clock has its own bulb, pull off the wood trim (4 corner press clips hold it, same on all 3 panels), unscrew the 4 screws, pull forward and disconnect lead, turn it around and there's the socket. Be sure to be care screwing the case back in. The plastic is probably brittle and you can easily crack/brake the plastic, if its not already. Radio may be toast, but your previous owner may have been in behind it trying to put in a 3rd party radio and gave up and didn't seat the connector on the back properly?

 

Hello,
Welcome to the Forum. I may be able to help you out with a couple of things.

The fobs do expire, they have a hard life. They get dropped, jammed in front doors and the buttons pressed many thousands of times. Jaguar changed the fob in 2000 so the buttons are micro switches rather than just contacts and the frequency changed. I have a 1999 fob which I paid to have renovated with micro switches, it works and I would sell it to you if you like?

When you say rear tail lights, do you mean Rear fogs or any of the rear lights? It could be something as simple as a fuse, or as Highorse says the switch unplugged.

I noticed you write this in the plural sense, the car should only have one single wiper in the centre of the screen. Unless someone has attempted to fit dual wipers, I'll assume this is a typo. Again, probably the motor wearing out and it's not a major job to replace with a newer one for a competent home mechanic.

The clock is easy as HH says, and if your radio is an issue I also have one from a 99 car which will work in yours. Again they changed the radios in 2000 to allow for the nav system so a 2000+ radio won't work in your car.

Any Photos of the car?