1999 Jaguar XK8



Hello my fellow forum friends, hope all is well with you all as we approach the holiday season.

I am having an issue I hope you would be so kind to help me with...

I was stuck in the daily family van with the kids longer than usual and neglected driving the Jag, so the Jag battery drained.

I tried to jump start the car with the van,
jump starting it usually works when I let the Jag sit too long, but now jump starting did not work no matter how many times I tried or how long I let the van send charge at 2k rpm, (yes i had my 7 year old push the van gas pedal), but the Jag starter just won't turn

Even tried starting the Jag in Park or neutral, still no starter action

Everything seems normal with dash lights and system check phase.

So I removed the battery and recharged it using a battery charger, then I re-installed the battery, attached negative lead then positive lead, (should I have reattached the positive then the negative instead?)

then tried to start the car again, samething, it goes to system check, but it still doesn't prompt the starter to turn,


Even though I recharged the battery, I tried to add more power by jump starting again, but still can't get past the system check, starter does not turn/activate.


Tested fuses with tester or visually inspected them,

tested/inspected those in trunk and those under the hood, all seem good, they either light up or the ones I removed to inspect visually look fine.

Is there a specific procedure I need to follow or that I missed?

Is there a reset or something that would allow the starter to turn after reinstalling a recharged battery after drainage or complete removal/disconnect and reinstall?

or is there something else?


Thanks alot, much appreciated

Sid
hiveloSidE

 

Sound like your starter motor, or worse engine, has seized.

Can you turn the engine over by hand, using a spanner on the front crank pulley??

 

Always good policy to connect + first on a - ground vehicle.
I would disconnect battery & leave for 30 minutes or so.
Check that crash isolate switch has not been inadvertently operated.
Check fuse D6 in the fascia fuse board, RH side on UK car, not sure if different on US, this controls the key recognition module.
Connect + terminal.
Carry out a hard reset - " ignition fully on, touch negative lead to the postive cable which is connected to the battery, for a couple of seconds and then reconnected the negative cable to its terminal ensuring you get a nice clean contact first time, jaguars, like me get easily confused.
Hopefully you will be in business again

 

Remove the positive cable, touch to the negative battery terminal for 30 seconds. Reconnect the cable, rub your key across the negative battery terminal.Then restart the car. If it does not work, check for a blown fuse in the passenger side fuse panel near the door, then the driver side, then the trunk.

Beware, for us with roadside assistance. A lot of roadside assistance companies will not jump start a Jaguar, meaning your dead battery will cost you a royal headache.

 

If I'm reading correctly, the starter wouldn't turn before you R&'d the battery. It should have turned with the jump start, even if it didn't fire up. These cars are apparently pretty sensitive to jump starting and if you don't follow the recommended procedure, you risk damaging the electrics. Main things to remember: don't let vehicles touch; do not run the booster vehicle as it can cause a spike that can affects things like the instrument pack. Hopefully this is not the case; it's not super common but it happens. First step is to see if there are any codes stored. Good luck.

 

First jump starting a jaguar is a bad practice, it can and often will cause un-necessary problems that you do not need.

I Would first see that you have power to the starter you could have a High Power Protection fuse blown. A no response from the starter could be caused by many things from no power to an exciter ring use the attached procedure to help guide you to a solution.

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Are you sure your battery has accepted the recharge? It sounds as if you may just have a bad battery.

The jump starter does not provide adequate current to start this car in most cases.

 

you guys may be right, my Jag sat for months and started right up, you could have a bad battery or cables in the trunk or corrosion on your fuses or all the above.Cheap fixes, have the battery tested

 

Hi again, and thanks to you and everyone that has been kind enough to try to help.

About the jump starting, I did mention that I was using another running vehicle,

not a portable jump starter if that's what you meant.

thanks again, much appreciated

 

Hi and thanks for your responses as well.

This time I let mine sit for over a month but with the alarm activated, does yours sit for months with the alarm on or off?

I thought the alarm system might be draining my battery with time.

I think the longest time my battery can stay out of use for is maybe 2-3 weeks, more than that usually requires a recharge or jump, usually just a jump.

I never had any issues with starting using a jump except once when it wouldn't work right away, took quite a few tries.

Thanks alot, much appreciated

 

WhiteXKR was saying that working through the jumper cables, even with a running car as a power source, may not start the car if your battery is dead-dead.

I may have missed it, but which of these two cases do you have?
- When you try to start the car, dash lights stay lit, voltage gauge (if you have a 3-gauge) reading stays at, say, 10 volts or higher.
- When you try to start the car, dash lights go dim, voltage drops way down.

On jump starting: There is some danger to the car here but, as with any modern car full of electronic bits, it can be done reasonably safely by following two rules to the letter:
- Never make or break a connection while either car's ignition key is "on". Pull the keys while doing this.
- The last connection made, the first broken, should be to a ground point away from either battery.

 

Hi and thanks for your response, much appreciated

It is the first option;

- When I try to start the car, dash lights stay lit, voltage gauge reading stays at over 12 volts
but there is a red light that comes on in the gauge.

Thanks alot

 

OK, that's not what we'd expect if it's a dead battery causing the car not to start. I think we need to look elsewhere.

 

You cannot trust the voltage gauge...it is not an real voltmeter, it just indicates very, very broad ranges.

I strongly suggest removing the battery and taking it to Autozone or Advance Auto for a free battery test to eliminate the battery as a possible cause before digging into more complex causes. The electronics in this car need a steady, clean, consistent battery. A weak battery and jump starts will cause power interruptions and spikes that can cause all manner of problems.

 

Certainly worth testing the battery. Then we rule it out or replace it.

I have somewhat more confidence in the voltage gauge (and dash lights) telling us something useful here. My gauge gets it right to within less than 1 volt.

 

Hi, I tried almost all of it but didn't solve the issue.

The part i am not certain about is when you said i should
"Check that crash isolate switch has not been inadvertently operated."

I'm not sure how to check it or where it is.
On the driver and passenger sides in the fuse boxes/boards/panels all the fuses were good when tested or visually inspected.

Also on the driver side there is a rubber covered part with a plug attached to it but i didn't see any reset or anything on it.

Where is the the "crash isolate switch" and how to I check or reset it?

Thanks again Palantir, much appreciated

 

Hi, i tried the suggestion but it did not solve the issue, though all fuses seem fine when tested or visually inspected.

Thanks alot Aode06, much appreciated

 

Hi, thanks for the response...

Please be so kind to explain where the starter is located and the easiest way to access it please?

Where is the "High Power Protection fuse" ?

Thanks again Gus, much appreciated

 

This information is in the No Start link i provided you.

The inertia switch is installed next to the fuse box in the LH end of the fascia. When activated, it de-energizes the ignition relays in the engine compartment, driver's side fascia and trunk fuse boxes. It also removes ground inputs from the BPM and windshield wiper stalk switch. This stops the engine and fuel pump, unlocks any locked door, and de-energizes unnecessary electrical systems. The switch is reset by pressing down on the rubber cap on the top of the switch. If your doors lock, windows, seats and the wipers work and the dash lights up then all should be good, but if it makes you feel better reset the inertia switch.

 

Hi, I went to get the battery checked today at 2 different places where they both tested and said the battery is good.

One of the tests showed a voltage of 12.54

and the other gave me a print out saying the following;

"Marginal Battery"
Voltage 12.54
623cca
Rated 775cca
Temperature 89 degrees

Thanks alot WhiteXKR, much appreciated