Hey folks,

Hope everyone is doing well.
I know there is a TON of information on this site but personally I find it difficult to navigate. So now I will get chewed out by admin.
Anyway, a while back I posted that my car wouldn't start. Suddenly it started. It's back to not starting again. I cleaned all the connections and finally got my wife out to turn the key and there is a prominent clicking noise coming from the starter when the key is turned. Can someone please steer me in the right direction? Poor, broke, unemployed and can not afford a mechanic at the moment.

Thanks to everyone and have a great day.

 

parforbob I don't know your expertise so here goes!
1-- test the battery for voltage 13.5, anything under that COULD cause a problem IF the starter is binding or weak.
2--If it clicks your getting power but the contacts in the solenoid could be pitted(not transferring the voltage to the starter motor).
3--starter windings could be open and the power is going nowhere.
4-- You can jump start the car, sometimes the extra voltage will overcome a bad solenoid or weak starter ) jags are sensitive so hook it up correct and NO sparks
5--I have (on other cars) bypassed the solenoid to test if the motor is bad with a screwdriver as a last resort (don't touch anything but the posts).
6-- If you call a towing company to jump it make sure they don;t use a 24 volt system,(some do)It;ll spin it over BUT fry the sensitive components,$$$$.
7--Use a jumper to bypass the power cable(red) to the starter, could have high resistance.
ITEMS 5,6,7 are kinda last resorters so use good judgment, start simple.
I've been where your at so good luck

 

Thanks for that advice Bill.
I tested the battery and only 10.5. However I did try to jump start it from another vehicle with no luck. Perhaps it just didn't sit long enough. I have a charger on the battery right now. I'll wait for it to fully charge and then try it. I have 3 other batteries I might be able to check with. I believe I am capable of performing all the steps you lay out. Diagnostics is a problem for me though.
I love my Jag and it seems easy to work on. I've had two or three things happen and it seems that each was easy to repair!
I'll keep you posted and once again I appreciate the info.

Bob

 

Turn the headlights on and then try starting it. If they dim out when you turn the key to the "Start" position, yank the battery out and replace it with a "fresh" one that is known to be in good shape.

10.5 volts leads me to believe you simply have a bad battery.

If that doesn't fix the problem, you have more cleaning of connections to do, or a munched starter.

Good luck! Let us know the results of that simple test.

 

After hooking the charger for a while, went out tested the battery, tested at 13.33 so I cranked up the charger to 6 amps hit the key and it fired right up. Battery shopping I go.
Thanks again for the advice, I'll let you know how it goes.
Once again the Jaguar Forum has come to the rescue!
Thanks everybody and have a wonderful day. Mine just got a whole lot brighter! :-)