I have a 2003 X-Type and I went out to start it today and it would not turn over... I did not hear any clicking noises at all when attempting to start and all the lights were on including the high beams and they did not dim out once. I immediately checked the battery terminals & connectors and they were heavily corroded. I cleaned them off and after cleaning the car did start momentarily and ran for about 5 minutes until I decided to turn the car off... now the car will not turn over at all... the terminals are clean and once again with all lights on the power does not dim out with the lights at all... I'm trying to figure out exactly what's the problem... I'm thinking starter or battery, but honestly I don't know the 1st thing about vehicle repairs... someone please help!!!

 

Noble, odds are, you are looking at a bad starter based on your lights not dimming. If you had a bad battery cable, I would expect the lights to dim. If you want some tests to do to confirm a bad starter, let me know. I can help you out there.

By the way, welcome to the Jag Forums. You will like it here and will find a lot of people that will help you out in all sorts of ways. What part of VA are you in? I'm down in the southern tip of Maryland and am always helping members out with their cars. Also be aware that we are looking to get a group of us together for a car show in September in the Richmond area (see the bit about Concours d'Elegance) in this section. I am planning on being there. Last years event was quite the show. Hopefully we can see you there.

 

That's what I thought... I was hoping it was just the battery but it definitely seems like the starter... as for tests I don't know the 1st thing about anything other than basic troubleshooting... I'm in SWVA, Roanoke to be exact... I'd definitely be interested in getting together with more Jag owners... Although currently my X-Type is pretty much stock with the exception of the SIRIUS radio installed...

 

Looks like I'm having more of an issue... I took it to my regular mechanic who narrowed down the problem to being the ignition switch... which they unfortunately could not fix... he said he was able to get it started but any unexpected bump or jolt would make the vehicle turn off... with that being said I immediately took it to the local dealer here... Crossroads of Roanoke. Here's where the BS begins... they supposedly ran tests on the car, gave it the diagnostics test and found nothing... said they checked the ignition switch mechanically and electronically and found nothing... I think he said they reset the computer on the car and was able to fix it... or so I thought... I've had the car back 2 days and here on the 3rd day the vehicle will not turn over again... same problem as before... lights turn on inside and out radio plays, but the vehicle will not start! I'm about to go crazy with this vehicle... can someone please tell me what's going on??? Should they have replaced the ignition switch in my vehicle? Or is this even the problem??

 

My usual modus operandi with trouble shooting is -- "go for the simple things first". You found badly sulphated battery terminals. Good work. But there's more. Check ground strap from batt. -ve to chassis. Check ground strap engine to chassis*. Check for corrosion/tightness main terminal of starter motor*, and solenoid terminal if there is one*. Any marked with * can leave auxilliaries working but no cranking. An old mechanic's trick here is to hold the key on 'start' for a good while, then go round trying all the heavy-current terminals, nuts etc. for warmth. Battery terminals have been favorite for this. They can LOOK good but still be high-resistance as far as 400amps is concerned. Also, with someone else holding the key to 'start', bash the starter motor with a chunk of hardwood, end-on. If you suddenly get cranking, you've a duff starter motor with worn brushes/commutator, or a sticky solenoid. Good luck.
Leedsman.
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Leedsman I love your simple/cheapest approach. Just 1 Hour ago I fixed my wife's riding lawnmower (she loves to ride around mowing several acres on the weekend, NO STRESS from the workweek job) 'no-start' fault with the same logic. The mower cranked slowly, would not start but the earth wire was 'smoking' when the key was turned. I found the wire and connectors old and corroded. I replaced the wire with #6 copper and new connectors. My wife mowed the property and I was back in my shop sipping a beer and fixing more broken things that need fixing!!!

Have a good Memorial Day weekend and remember why we honor the fallen heros.

bob gauff

 

Just remembered, I used to get this no cranking now and again with my XJ6. It was a slightly dodgy start-inhibit switch in the gear shift lever. I just took it out of park and banged it in again a few times and it always started. I think there's another inhibit switch for the brake pedal. Try pressing a bit harder. Sorry I'm a bit late with that one!
Leedsman.

 

Noble, there are a few things that we can check here. The easy thing is to try turning the ignition switch to the RUN position, shift the car into neutral (make sure your E-brake is set or keep your foot on the brake) and then attempt to start the car (car will start in either park or Neutral). If the car starts ever time in Neutral, then you have a bad switch on the tranny.

The next thing we can play with is to open the hood and access the fuse box there. I will need you to remove relay R10. Swap it with relay R15 (high beam/fog light relay). Does the car start every time this way? If yes, then you have a bad relay, replace the old relay R10. If that does not fix it, what I will need you to do is to get some 22 gauge wire and strip back about 1" of insulation and remove the relay in the R10 position. I want you to wrap the bare wire around terminal #1 and then reinstall the relay. With a multimeter connected from this wire you just added (red lead) to chassis ground (black lead), attempt to start the car. Did the multimeter jump up to 12 VDC (above 11.0 VDC)? If no, then that is confirming a bad ignition switch or you have a wiring problem between the ignition switch and the relay. If you did get 12 VDC on terminal #1, then remove the relay (R10), remove the wire, attach the wire to terminal #2 and reinstall the relay again. Now, when attempting to start the car, does the multimeter indicate less than 1.0 VDC? If yes, then this confirms a bad relay. If the voltage is up around 12 VDC, your ECM has issues and more than likely will need to be replaced. If you are getting something between 1 and 12 VDC, that would indicate a bad wire (Green/orange wire) between the relay and the ECM.

Hopefully you know a little something about how to use a multimeter and that way you can prove it to yourself. Something else you may want to try is when you turn the key to start the car, try wiggling the key around a little bit to see if it will make contact here and there. That will also let you know if the ignition switch is having issues or not.