Hi, Trying to figure out how much this is going to hurt. Car has been driving fine (21,000 miles). Suddenly, all warning lights came on. Here is a partial list:
Check Engine, Gear Box Fault, Brake, low tire, some triangle, Stability Control Not Available, Battery. Also, would not shift as normal but I'm told that's because it went into limp mode. When I got home, D on the gear selector was blinking and would not go into park. Turned car off and let it sit a while, then was able to start it and move it.

Called my local mechanic and he said something is probably seriously draining the battery and told me to put it on a trickle charge overnight before bringing it to him. When I did that, I could see the battery was very low (don't have a reading). This morning, car started fine and just check engine light on. Mechanic said there were 40+ codes and I should take it to the dealer because it's probably something they've seen before. The battery in the car is only1 1/2 years old. Could it be something that simple or will am I about to get pounded. The info and knowledge I get from others on this forum have helped me before so THANKS in advance.

 

First thing to do is to give the battery a good charge - that'll eliminate a potential cause of random electrical faults.

Also, have you had anything plugged into the OBD port recently that could have drained the battery (annual emission test seems to be a good candidate).

Do you know what the 40+ codes were? When I had a flat battery I got loads of codes when every module reported the low voltage.

 

Without seeing what the codes are or were, hard to pinpoint anything at this stage.

Make sure the battery is charged and have it tested.

If the battery is deemed good, then you'll have to see if any of those 40+ codes return. My suggestion would be take it to someone who has SDD and can give you a printout of the all the codes, then we can go from there if need be

 

Probably this. I had the same thing to a lesser degree (CEL and a few low voltage codes). It happened after I left the car sitting for a few weeks without driving it and without having it plugged in. Lesson learned. Car stays on the tender all the time now.

 

Check the battery terminals and the ground. I had a case where the pinch bolt on one terminal clamp was tightened all the way down, but wasn't pinching the (tapered) terminal. When I'd hit a bump everything would go crazy. I found the problem by wiggling all the big cables around the battery to see if anything was loose. Something was.

 

Yes, it's the battery...disconnect the battery negative lead at the stud on the trunk floor. Wait 30 second, reconnect...but definitely make sure the battery is fully charged. No need to visit the dealer if the lights go off. You might be due for a new, FULLY CHARGED battery.

 

But, the present battery is only 1.5 years old?
Perhaps (as noted on other BATTERY topics) the new battery wasn't fully charged at installation. But, would THAT 'kill' it?

 

A battery which has been fully drained - gone "dead" - has been damaged. And finding that a relatively new battery (such as the stated year and a half old battery) is defective from new, or has developed defects, is by no means rare. It happens. The symptoms point to a battery problem (assuming that the OBDII port has not been accessed).

 

Got an update from the dealer. Battery recharge is not going to cost me anything. I switched Service Advisors. Latest is that the battery checks out ok and they traced it (or so they say) to something called the ECM. It's been a couple years since my software was updated and they think (again, so they say) that may be it but if not, it's the ECM. They said the grounds are fine. Thoughts?

 

I would listen to the folks on the forum. The dealer is seeing $$$$ and you are about to be a lot poorer.



I would get that battery on a charger until it is fully charged then clear the codes and see if the warnings return. Then more than likely you will be buying a new battery, which a lot less expensive than the ECM.


If you look back you will see many examples of dealers saying the battery is fine, when it is not.

 

So my question is, something is causing the battery to drain and they are saying it's not the battery, then what does recharging do? If I have them clear the codes and I recharge it again (which would be the 3rd time) shouldn't I expect the problem to re-appear? This wasn't a one time thing. Or, just let them update the system since it's been 2 years anyway and then, if they try to sell me an ECM, pull it out of the shop? Just trying to understand. Thanks.

 

Jaguars are very sensitive to battery voltage. Most folks keep their Jaguars on battery maintainers. There are many places that will test your battery for free (auto zone, advance auto parts...etc) If you charge up your battery with a charger until it is fully charged and the errors go away then you have your answer. If they come back then you need a new battery.


This is the C-Tek model I use on all my cars.

 

Can't tell you how many times I've heard 'battery tested good' from dealers or shops, but it ISN'T. Was a LOAD TEST performed?

Here's a video on how to chase down parasitic drains in cars. If this type of process doesn't find a fault, ask to have the 1.5 year old battery replaced...and tell 'em you want to new one FULLY charged before installation.



Here's an oft-pictured chart of battery voltage Vs. state of charge (measured after an overnight 'rest'). Our F-Type batteries are AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat).

 

Also: I would think the battery was disconnected at some point, but if not, whatever’s causing the drain might not have rebooted. Be sure the battery was disconnected at some point to reboot everything.

 

I have had load tested batteries that indicated they were good and they were not! Does not matter how old the battery is with a Jag do yourself a favor and replace it. 40 + codes and I spect 75% + are low voltage codes. I've had/have a lot of Jags and everyone of them demand a perfect battery. This battery thingy with Jaguar is nothing new. Most top end rides are voltage sensitive. Not all. But most.

 

Yeah, I've had a guy refuse to sell me a new battery because mine had "tested okay". I went home and bought a better one cheaper online and all my problems went away (well, the car related ones)!

 

They are still screwing around with the car. Finally paid attention to what I told them when I took the car in. I told them all the lights came on while I was on a bumpy road and the reason I suspected it might be important was because a few weeks earlier, I had some lights come on after going over a speed bump. They had all the lights off and the car was holding a charge just fine. When they took it for a road test on a bumpy road, lights came back on. I suggested (a couple of times) a bad ground or loose wiring harness. Now they say they are speaking with the Jag Tech Line (whatever that is). I guess it's the go to people when the local mechanic is stuck. On a somewhat related, but separate note, I have a CTEK charger which I use when I'm not going to be driving the car for a while. I have been using the alligator clips because I'm afraid to start hooking things up to the terminal block next to the battery. I see that CTEK has a cig lighter plug option. Was wondering if anyone is using it on an F-TYPE. I'd love to use that instead of hooking up to the battery. As always, thanks everyone for your guidance.

 

That won't work because the socket is ignition-switched. Stick with the clips until you've got it sorted - that's how I connect mine but that's because I've been too lazy to wire it in properly.

 

Hold on...making a permanent connection for the CTEK unit - that you never have to fiddle with - takes about 10 minutes at most and is very, very easy. Why would you bother with the alligator clips? That is far more fuss than making a permanent connection.
And it is correct that the cigar lighter socket will NOT work because it is live only for a very brief period after the ignition is shut off.
Finally - it is obvious by the history of the problem (bumps=lights/limp mode) that you have a loose connection somewhere. The place to start is with the battery itself and then the connection to the body on the trunk floor (which you suggested to the dealer.) Have they verified those connections?.

 

Hi All,
Did you miss me? My car is still with the dealer and they are working with the people at Jag corporate (or whatever it is). Good news is they have not been trying to run up charges. I switched Service Advisors and had a very candid discussion with him and the Service Manager. Anyway, they got all the warning lights off but, I reminded them this all started when I first went over a speed bump slowly then after that cleared just by basically turning the car off and letting it sit, three weeks later it appeared while I was on a bit of a bumpy road. I really felt it was some kind of bad connection either a ground or some other thing. I fully explained this to the first Service Advisor who basically did not note that in my file. When I told that to the mechanic, he seemed to feel that was an important detail. So, when everything looked good he went for a ride over a bumpy road. Sure enough, all the lights came back on. Basically they started looking for some type of bad connection.

They have traced it to the "Can Bus" under the center arm rest area of the car. Pretty sure this is how he described it. They are trying to trace the exact wire/wires where the problem is. Told me they know the communications coming from the front of the car are fine but not making it to the trunk area. I understand I am probably not saying all this right, but I'm not a mechanic. Service Advisor said if the communications are not right and a circuit is being left open because of it, that would explain the voltage loss also.