2006 XK8 with 128,380 miles. No OBDII codes present per my two scanners (one a generic Harbor Freight CenTech, one an iCarsoft i930)....

Went out this morning to do my weekly 25-mile jaunt in my wife's XK8 to keep it happy and healthy. Noticed a very faint but constant ticking sound coming from the right rear quarter panel (this was before getting into the vehicle so the key was still in my pocket). Decided to start the engine and go ahead with my 25-mile jaunt to see if the ticking would disappear afterwards. The car drove normally with no issues. Upon returning home I shut off the ignition, removed the key, got out of the car, and walked back to the rear quarter panel. The constant faint ticking was still present. I opened the trunk lid and leaned in to listen. It sounded as if the noise was coming from the right rear taillight assembly. I removed the interior taillight assembly's plastic cover and then unplugged the taillight assembly's electrical connector. The constant faint ticking continued...

We all know how sounds can seem to be emanating from one area when they are actually coming from a different area. What other components in that general area could be the source of this constant faint ticking sound? Could the long-dormant CD changer be the culprit? As far as I know, that device has not been utilized since we acquired the car in February 2012....

Any suggestions of what this might be and what steps to take in order to resolve it are much appreciated....

 

only thing I could think of from the right side is maybe one of the relays chattering?? Possible low battery voltage causing this or relay itself going bad

 

Good call Steve. The fix was to disconnect the battery for several hours and put my neighbor's CTEK charger on it. Once charged and reconnected, the constant ticking noise magically disappeared. This battery is nearly four years old so the wise move is to go ahead and replace it. Yet another example of the strange electrical quirks these cars throw at us as they age....

 

Unfortunately I spoke too soon. My old battery would only charge up to 12.1 volts so I replaced it with a proper new battery this afternoon. The ticking sound returned immediately....

The noise may be coming from the CD changer. When I select the CD player mode on the dash, I get an E-01 error display on the audio system screen. And when I slide the CD magazine door to the right and then press the green eject button, nothing happens....

Is there another way to eject the CD magazine from the CD changer unit?

Steve mentioned the possibility of chattering relays in post #2 above. What relays might be located in that right rear quarter panel area, and how do I get to them?

 

Two things:
1. Have you tried pulling the fuse that powers the CD changer?
2. Have you checked the power antenna to see if the raise/lower motor is trying to do something with the antenna?

 

The CD changer is a prime suspect. Also in the right side are the convertible top pump and fluid reservoir.

You can download the wiring schematics at the link below:

Jaguar XK Electrical Guide 2006

Cheers,

Don

 

twinsemi,

Thanks for the suggestion to pull the CD changer's fuse. I will locate it and do so....

The power antenna raises and lowers normally when the audio system is turned on and then is turned off....



DonB,

Thanks for the wiring schematic. I need to figure out which audio system this car has. Because it is a 2006 Victory Edition, I assume it has the Premium Alpine system but I could be wrong....

 

Pulling fuses indeed nailed down the issue. I tried a 10-amp head unit fuse, a 5-amp head unit fuse, then the 40-amp convertible top pump fuse. None of them made any difference. But when I pulled the 10-amp antenna motor fuse (no. 9 in the trunk fuse box), that did the trick. Silence at last. By the way, Jaguar could not have made the embossed fuse position numbers any smaller. Good luck reading them if you do not have both a magnifying glass and a decent flashlight....

As mentioned before, the antenna goes up and down properly when the audio system is turned on and off. So what is making the constant ticking sound even when the ignition switch is off and the key is in my pocket? Would it be the motor itself or is there a relay or a solenoid that is the likely culprit, and how do I figure it out?

 

The antenna motor assembly has a clutch built in to protect the motor in the event the antenna mast is obstructed or seized. I think it also has limit switches that stop the mast when it reaches either the up or down position. Maybe the down switch has stuck or failed so the motor is continuing to attempt to retract the mast?

 

Don,

Thanks for that information. I wonder if the antenna motor components and functions are described in JTIS. I will take a look at JTIS sometime this weekend. But with temps in the mid-to-upper 90s expected into next week, any additional work on this issue can certainly wait for cooler weather....

 

I doubt JTIS will offer much inner detail on the antenna motor assembly, but you might find something online by searching for antenna information from Harada (Japan & Mexico), Hirschmann (Germany) and possibly Laird (U.K.). I know Harada and Hirshmann have made retracting/extending mast antenna motors for Jaguar. Laird makes the roof antennas for the XF and F-Type.

Cheers,

Don

 

SNG Barratt sells a new antenna motor assembly for $582. Sure don't want to have to pony up that much cash to fix this issue. And I am still searching for another way to get the CD magazine to eject from the changer unit. If anyone has any tips on how to do so, please post them here....

 

rapping on the CD changer with the rubber end of a large screwdriver has always worked for me . After you hit the eject button tap sharply 2 or 3 times on the metal part of the face (not the sliding door ! ). The CD carrier / cartridge has always popped out for me with this method.

good luck.

Z

 

Thanks for the screwdriver handle tip, zray. Worked like a charm....

Now if I can figure out why the antenna motor assembly ticks like a bomb all the time whenever I plug fuse no. 9 back into its slot in the trunk fuse box, I can move on to other chores....

 

Thinking about your antenna clicking, one possibility is that the Nylon rope gear that raises and lowers the mast has broken somewhere, and the broken end of the gear is jamming the mechanism, preventing the retracted position switch from cutting power to the motor. It's not difficult to remove the mast to inspect the rope gear. You just loosen the nut around the mast, turn your radio on, and carefully guide the mast and rope gear up and out of the motor housing.

If you find that the rope gear is broken, replacement masts with attached rope gears are available on ebay for less than U.S.D. $20.00. But you may need to open the motor housing to remove the broken rope gear end.

 

My thought process would be that if the rope or the gear is indeed broken, the mast would not be able to raise or lower properly (as it now does every time the radio is turned on or off)....

 

Hi,
Wouldn't it be easier to unplug the power connector directly at the antenna instead of pulling the fuse?
Or are you certain it's the motor? Removing the antenna isn't a big job.

Regards, Willi

 

I believe pulling the fuse is easier....

 

The rope gear is longer than necessary, and its end can break but leave enough of the gear remaining to operate the mast.