Hey guys I'm having some issue's with my jag. So when I start the car in the morning for some reason some of the symbols on the dash cluster turn off and on and so does the little screen were the climate control setup is at. It'll do it for about 5 to 6 minutes and stop. I also noticed that the headlights also go bright then dim. I got my battery and alternator tested and and both are perfectly fine. Any ideas?

 

Manny, sounding like you are having a power wire issue with your car. I would start with connecting a multimeter across the cigarette lighter of your car and be monitoring the voltage right after you start the car. It should do something to the effect of be at 12.6 VDC before you start the car. It will dip to around 11.0 VDC as you are starting the car, jump up to around 14.5 VDC as the motor catches and then remain there for say 15 seconds and then slowly ramp down to 13.7 VDC where it will stay. If you see the voltage jumping around with the lights (most likely dropping to say 10 VDC), then this would confirm a power cable issue.

If it is a power cable issue, then we will need to figure out where this is occurring and figure things out from there. You can try starting up the car and turning the headlights on and then opening the hood and wiggling the battery cables 1 at a time to see if you can cause the lights to flicker when you touch a cable. That will be a good first check.

 

Thanks thermo for the response I appreciate it.. I'm going to try this right now and see what I find out. I will be responding back very soon. Thanks again

 

Hey thermo so I got to the battery and I moved the power cable ( labeled red) once I wiggled it around the lights on the inside flickered. Tried doing it to the other cable (labeled black and nothing happened

 

manny, sounds like your positive battery cable is going bad and it is making and breaking connection. Your local auto parts store will have a generic cable that will work for your car and you can replace the cable yourself for fairly cheap ($20 or so). It is best if you have a second vehicle (or can borrow a friends car) and remove the cable and take it with you. That way you can find a cable that will match up exactly.

 

Thanks thermo I appreciate the help. This is a stupid question I know but the power cable is the one from the battery terminal to the altanator? Or would you have some instructions on how to replace? Thank you again

 

Thanks thermo I appreciate the help. This is a stupid question I know but the power cable is the one from the battery terminal to the altanator? Or would you have some instructions on how to replace? Thank you again

 

manny, yes, it is the cable that comes off of the battery and runs over to the starter (not alternator, there is a separate wire that runs from the alternator to the starter). The replacement is pretty straight forward. Not too difficult of a job. All the connections are bolt connections as I recall.

 

Ok thanks for the help!! I'll start this on friday and I'll keep you posted. Thank you