Hey group, My 2008 S TYPE 3.0 Litre is giving me a message, " fuel filler flap open" and it is of course not. Fueled up, drove it, sat all day, fired off last night and there it was. All seems to be ok at the fuel door. I changed the air filter out a couple of weeks back, and cheated the install by not removing everything to get the air box out, just gently worked it till I got the new filter in. No check engine lights and that all seems good, so Im doubting there is a connection to that, but I could be wrong. Any simple things I need to check ?

 

I didn't know that S-types has such a warning. My 2003 certainly doesn't.

Is there a sensor that's stuck?

 

Well, I guess thats what Im trying to find out here...

 

Nor have I

 

Lol! Wait....don't tell me...by MY 2008, Jaguar decided to do the design work to fit a sensor to the fuel flap, rather than redesign that abortion they've been peddling as a latch?!? Hey, the 2003 version certainly had it's shortcomings, but stands head&shoulders above the 2005 "redesign,"....so yeah, in retrospect, probable best they didn't make another attempt at it.

 

I'd try lubricating the latch mechanism and working its moving parts gently, as maybe it is stuck and causing the sensor to see it as open even though the door appears closed. Maybe have someone inside the car activate the fuel door switch while you watch what's happening with the door open?

The other guys are right, these latches - at least on the earlier MYs - are crap and prone to breaking. So they've gotta be lubed often. Many of us with earlier MYs don't have a sensor telling us that door is open.

 

^^ What he said....

You have a much better chance of your fuel filler door latch going the distance if you keep it lubed with white lithium grease. My 2005 S-Type's latch mechanism was replaced at least twice under warranty prior to us purchasing the car in December 2008. By carefully cleaning the latch assembly with a rag and applying a generous dollop of fresh grease several times per year, my latch assembly has remained intact and functional....

The plastic latch pins are indeed fragile. If you do not keep them slathered in lube, it is just a matter of time before they snap off....

 

I had a quick peek through JEPC and don't see any sensors that would set off an open latch warning (?)