Hello All,
My Name is Tom and I'm located in Brownhelm Station, Ohio (Vermilion, Ohio).
I'm a total Jaguar neophyte. My knowledge base, thus far,of Jaguar vehicles is as follows:
-They look really cool.
-There seems to be a lot of green ones.
-I can't afford one.
-The Logo is cool
-I once lifted the hood on an xj12 (?) and went EEK!

I'm here, hat in hand, because I was contacted by an older fellow with "electrical" issues with his 98 XJ8. The "electrical" issues go way beyond wiring, but I'll look for the proper sub-forum to post about that.

I'm a former Ford Master Tech and have been a "Car Guy" most of my life. I left the business in 2000 but still can't keep my hands clean. I'm currently a Retail Systems Technical Specialist for a large grocery chain, basically I fix cash registers all day. I also have a growing side business doing custom vehicle wiring and mobile climate control repairs. Folks look at me like I have 2 heads when I tell them that I actually LIKE rewiring cars and rebuilding AC systems in my spare time.

I sure hope you fellows will help me with my very first Jag experience. If this one comes into my shop I want to learn all I can about it and it's brethren.

 

Welcome to the forum Tom,

Good to have you here with us at Jaguar forums. In addition to finding the information you need for the possible repairs to the XJ8, you could be surprised at the low cost of these vehicles.

Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/xj-x308-xj8-xjr-27/ to the X308 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the US MID West Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/m...n-mo-oh-wi-39/ to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

welcome to the forum and the Jag family - plenty of info and support here just follow the links Graham provided - enjoy

 

Hi Tom,
It’s great to have you as part of this awesome forum, and welcome from the Midwest Region.
This forum has plenty of great advice for the all Jaguars including the XJ8's. One thing I would say is check the condition of the battery before delving too deeply into the electrical issues. As a week battery throws a lot of codes and causes all kinds of electrical "issues".

Please check out the link in my signature, this will help you link up with the Midwest members that are local to you.
Good luck on getting this XJ8 up and running again.

 

Tom; I have no idea what percentage of the members here bought their cars new. Obviously more than few did, but many of us are in your situation. Keep your eyes open, and you might be surprised to find that you can, in fact, afford a Jaguar.

 

Welcome to the forum Tom,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome Tom, just remember whatever it says on the outside, electricals all work more or less the same! Good luck !

 

Hey there and welcome aboard....... good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums
If you need any further help with the site, please just ask any moderator, veteran member and we'll be glad to assist.

In the meantime, any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information

There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features. Please Jump on in and enjoy the site........
See you in the forums....

 

Welcome to the forum, nice to have you with us.

 

Thanks for the awesome welcome Guys!
I'm in a bit of a holding pattern, waiting for the gentleman to get the car to me. I really need to lay eyes on it so I know exactly what I'm working with.

It's a bit of an albatross. Apparently the original motor failed. Someone sold him a 3.9(?) V-8 from a 2002 Ford T-Bird with the assurance that it would "drop right in place".
The motor was bolted in place but work stopped when it came time to connect the electrical (fuel injection, sensors, etc). He has a new engine harness that, supposedly, just needs repinned to the original connector. I have my doubts that it's going to be that easy. That's all I know at the moment.

The owner is in his 70's and a really nice fellow. I'd like to help him out of his dilemma. However, I'm trying to avoid a situation where I have a cobbled, non running vehicle in my shop with no good answers for the owner and a lot of time ($$) invested.

I'll start a thread in the appropriate sub-forum once I have it here and see just what I've got.

 

It sounds like an interesting challenge. I've fallen for the "it'll drop straight in" line a few times myself in the past!

I'm looking forward to seeing exactly what it is when you do finally get your hands on it.

Graham