2004 S-Type ECM replacement
#21
Hi Sarahtonin, here is my easy thread to follow about the boot leak.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...r-boot-197740/
My crazy dashboard behavior was due to a defective earth clamp on the lead to the battery which had intermittent connection issues. The fault started quickly and necessitated a quick fix. I would suggest checking the cars earth connections.
Regards to the generic battery problems the guys are spot on. I have read stories on here that buying a new battery has solved these multiple issues even when the old battery tested fine. These cars are very electrically sensitive.
Good luck !
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...r-boot-197740/
My crazy dashboard behavior was due to a defective earth clamp on the lead to the battery which had intermittent connection issues. The fault started quickly and necessitated a quick fix. I would suggest checking the cars earth connections.
Regards to the generic battery problems the guys are spot on. I have read stories on here that buying a new battery has solved these multiple issues even when the old battery tested fine. These cars are very electrically sensitive.
Good luck !
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Sarahtonin (03-20-2018)
#22
The most likely problem with your RECM is water ingestion. Has the leak been corrected yet? If so, is it possible to open the cover on the RECM to fully dry it out? If the housing can be opened, I'd try that first before considering a replacement. Might save you a lot of money and aggravation.
Any mechanic used to electrical (as opposed to computer or electronic) things should have no problem knowing that and working on it.
#23
Hubby said there is a little drain outlet inside the area below the gas cap that was plugged up causing water to back up in the spare tire compartment. He has since unplugged the clog and sucked the water up with a shop vac. He spent quite a while on it I'm not sure all the he did, or could do rather because I have had to take the car to hospital. I am very relieved to hear that it may be plug and play. Can someone please give me a link to this free workshop manual?
#24
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Sarahtonin (03-20-2018)
#25
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Hubby said there is a little drain outlet inside the area below the gas cap that was plugged up causing water to back up in the spare tire compartment. He has since unplugged the clog and sucked the water up with a shop vac. He spent quite a while on it I'm not sure all the he did, or could do rather because I have had to take the car to hospital.
Was the water deep enough to reach any of the electronics? Even if not submerged, perhaps all that water vapor trapped in the compartment was enough to cause trouble. Has the car behaved itself since then?
And here's hoping your Dad is okay.
#28
The water wasn't deep enough as far as we can tell. It may have been able to splash up there during turns, hard to say. It's been pouring rain here for a few days and today the car was not wanting to start again. Thanks for the well wishes. He is alive and hitting on the nurses so I'take that as a good sign.
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#32
Hi, Sarah: Sad to say but you won't get very much money for a car with all those issues. A better choice would be to get a professional grade scan tool that reads Jaguar codes and then bring the information found via scanning to the forum. There is a lot of knowledge here and people seem more than willing to help.
#33
Hey Karl, it's me, Steve, back over here in this thread that caught my eye about ECM's. Now I have a question about those. If you read my other thread you'd know that I was questioning if my ECM was bad so I'm looking for the same answer you are, is it a plug and play module? Mine is a 2002 S type and a 2000 S-type just hit the wrecking yard yesterday. A used ECM is only $20 there. I don't want to spend the rest of the day running all the way over there and taking it out if there is a test to see if I really need one.
Thanks
Thanks
#34
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SteveLeighton (04-08-2018)
#35
Thank-you JagV8 for this answer. Now......what to do? I conducted a test to verify my fuel pump is working and giving pressure to the fuel rail by tapping into the #7 relay in the boot and yes, it works. Plugging everything back in, the car still won't start and no pressure gets to the fuel rail. I'm lost on what to check next but the RECM is suspect. Do you know of a way to isolate, test or otherwise discover if that module is defective or not? And if it is bad, will one out of a 2000 S-type work and/or does it need to be programmed at a dealer? Do VIN numbers matter on this? A 2000 just came in the wrecking yard the other day and I want to grab it if that will work. The yard is a bit of a hike from here. I'd rather know of a test before I either get that one or order a new or used on online.
Thanks for your help as always. You're awesome!
Thanks for your help as always. You're awesome!
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Sarahtonin (04-10-2018)
#36
Well, for starters, head back over to your existing thread. One thread, one thread, keep repeating that to yourself. It's just way too easy for details to get lost or overlooked with open questions in multiple threads:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...2/#post1873265
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...2/#post1873265
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Norri (04-08-2018),
SteveLeighton (04-08-2018)
#37
Thank-you JagV8 for this answer. Now......what to do? I conducted a test to verify my fuel pump is working and giving pressure to the fuel rail by tapping into the #7 relay in the boot and yes, it works. Plugging everything back in, the car still won't start and no pressure gets to the fuel rail. I'm lost on what to check next but the RECM is suspect. Do you know of a way to isolate, test or otherwise discover if that module is defective or not? And if it is bad, will one out of a 2000 S-type work and/or does it need to be programmed at a dealer? Do VIN numbers matter on this? A 2000 just came in the wrecking yard the other day and I want to grab it if that will work. The yard is a bit of a hike from here. I'd rather know of a test before I either get that one or order a new or used on online.
Thanks for your help as always. You're awesome!
Thanks for your help as always. You're awesome!
#38
I watched a video on Youtube that showed a guy replace his RECM with no problems on a 2003 s type, so we are praying we dont have to program it either. Does your car ever read Restricted Performance, Apply Park Brake or say the boot or doors are open when it is in fact closed by any chance?
I put on my orthopedic thinking cap and got to wondering if such a module really needs to be programmed after installation? JagV8 says so, and I trust him without hesitation. I have no experience swapping modules on my Jag, so I have no firsthand report. But I gets to thinking how come YouTube guy says it's okay, but JagV8 says just the opposite.
The service manual clearly states a module needs to be programmed, but then I started reading between the lines. The manual was addressing the installation of new module, fresh out of the box. But maybe it's okay to swap in a used module from a similar car, as that is already programmed? Just thinking out loud, so please don't take this as gospel. (Remember, the main PCM can NOT be swapped between vehicles, as it is programmed per VIN and cannot be overwritten. The manual is very clear about that one.)
However, I'm still of the firm belief that the modules themselves rarely go bad, unless damaged by some external factor like water ingress, for example. You mentioned having a bunch of water in the trunk, but the module sits up high enough to avoid getting soaked. So what gives?
Round 2 of professional grade thinking. Open the wiring diagram for your car, courtesy of Gus:
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...x2062004en.pdf
Use the search function (control F if no taskbar in your PDF reader) and look for "CA156". This is the common ground for a multitude of items in back, including the RECM, the parking brake control module, the fuel pump relay, etc. If this ground CA156 was not making good contact with the body (corrosion from getting wet?), that could cause the intermittent problems you've been experiencing with multiple systems.
It won't cost anything but a bit of your time to track down this mystery ground. Page 22 of the manual (page 24 in the PDF) vaguely shows the location at the right side of the trunk.
I'm not a big fan of the Jaguar wiring diagram format. There appears to be at least 6 wires connected to this ground point, possibly more, but none of the diagrams show it as such. With multiple wires connected to a common ground, if the actual ground connection is bad, you can actually backfeed voltage from one module to another via what is supposed to be a ground path. Trust me, this can cause all sorts of weirdness. I'd hunt down that ground and give it a good inspection and cleaning.
Last edited by kr98664; 04-11-2018 at 12:33 PM.
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Sarahtonin (04-12-2018)
#39
Thank-you for your reply Sarahtonin,
I've been on this thread for over a month, gone through test after test and still no luck. I'm certainly not looking for a quick fix. I just want to make sure that I've checked everything possible here at my house before I surrender to having it towed into a local dealer and spend a fortune. This morning I'm going to go over there and ask them one simple question; can I replace the RECM with another one I found in a wrecking yard without having to have it programmed. I've gotten mixed answers to that in here. The last thing I need/want to do is go get the one I know about, pull mine out, put the other one in, not have it work and discover that even if I put mine back in, it would need to be re-programmed by the dealer. That's the big question now. No, my car never reads those warnings. It just says, "don't you wish you still had your '56 Chevy now"?
I've been on this thread for over a month, gone through test after test and still no luck. I'm certainly not looking for a quick fix. I just want to make sure that I've checked everything possible here at my house before I surrender to having it towed into a local dealer and spend a fortune. This morning I'm going to go over there and ask them one simple question; can I replace the RECM with another one I found in a wrecking yard without having to have it programmed. I've gotten mixed answers to that in here. The last thing I need/want to do is go get the one I know about, pull mine out, put the other one in, not have it work and discover that even if I put mine back in, it would need to be re-programmed by the dealer. That's the big question now. No, my car never reads those warnings. It just says, "don't you wish you still had your '56 Chevy now"?
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Sarahtonin (04-12-2018)
#40
@Steve. Lmao, My husband just mentioned to me that we should just buy an old classic vehicle, and no matter where we are or what the problem he can diagnose and fix it. I reminded him that is only if we can get a hold of the needed replacement parts. His first ride was a 50 Chevy he rebuilt and suped up for racing. I thought back to the best cars I grew up with, leaning towards getting an old VW Bus, I have pretty good resources for parts and I can fit the entire family in it. But wouldn't mind having another 69 Mach I, Mustang, though that would be more for vanity's sake, rather than the dependability. After driving my Jag I haven't found a car that compares as far as the silky handling and over all drivability though.
As far as the programming risk, we are in the same boat. We are not really wanting to give loads of money to a dealership to repair a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. I am wondering why the RECM was never recalled as it appears to be a common issue. Have you pulled out your RECM and read the entire label? Ours was a replacement part Made in The USA, where as virtually everything thing else is made in Germany. On the bottom there is a message reading "This is a programmable part". I am assuming that confirms our fears that it will require programming. As far as finding a replacement RECM I am planning to retrieve the part number by calling a Dealership like the Ebay seller suggested. I will ask about the programming as well. Fingers crossed they will be willing to give me some solid answers.
As far as the programming risk, we are in the same boat. We are not really wanting to give loads of money to a dealership to repair a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. I am wondering why the RECM was never recalled as it appears to be a common issue. Have you pulled out your RECM and read the entire label? Ours was a replacement part Made in The USA, where as virtually everything thing else is made in Germany. On the bottom there is a message reading "This is a programmable part". I am assuming that confirms our fears that it will require programming. As far as finding a replacement RECM I am planning to retrieve the part number by calling a Dealership like the Ebay seller suggested. I will ask about the programming as well. Fingers crossed they will be willing to give me some solid answers.