My 2003 X-Type, 3.0 will simply not crank at all; no crank no start, only a clicking noise when the key is turned. The motor seems to be "locked up", as there is simply no movement at all. All electric is working (lights, radio etc.) and battery was recently replaced after power issues (fyi: previous owner had installed a non-stock, battery which was too small/insufficient voltage). Tried a new starter, but still no crank!

Background on issues: Minor A/C and coolant issues, but nothing affecting performance. Recently started experiencing problems with rough idle, cutting off when idle or reverse, shaky feel, trouble accelerating, smell of fuel, etc. However rough, the vehicle was still running until now. Was in the process of troubleshooting this (Testing O2 sensors & Fuel pump) when suddenly one morning it would not crank. The car ran roughly fine (as usual) when parking the night before, but when starting up the next morning, there was a loud rattling noise (i.e - sounded like the Bendix gear of the starter was not engaging the flywheel). I turned it off and checked under the hood for anything that could have been hung up or out of place, but everything appeared normal. The car re-started a few times, but no improvement and the noise would not subside; after a few re-starts the car refused to crank - only a "click-click-click". As I stated I've already tried replacing the starter, and there are no other visibly apparent issues.

I read something about a Crank Position Sensor causing the previous rough idle issues I was having, could that cause an engine to seize/not crank? What could this be other than REALLY bad news?? PLEASE help me troubleshoot this!

 

NCBeachbum, odds are it is a bad battery. Yes, the battery may be fairly new, but that does not mean it can't be that. The other possibility is a bad battery cable (either positive or negative). A bad battery and/or a bad cable could also be causing your rough engine issues.

If you can get your hands on a multimeter, I want you to connect the red lead to the positive battery post and the black lead to the negative battery post (make sure the multimeter is set to a VDC scale). The battery should be reading 12.6 VDC. If you are at 12.5 VDC or less, then the battery is not at full charge, put the battery on a charger and get it to 100% before continuing on. With the battery at 12.6 VDC, attempt to start the car as you are watching the multimeter. With the car cranking, what voltage does the multimeter go to? If it is dropping below 11.0 VDC, you have a problem with the battery. If it is up around 12.0 or higher, you most likely have a bad cable (see below on how to figure out which cable it is). If you are in the 11.0 to 12.0 range, then you either have a questionable starter (unlikely in this case, but possible) or there is something going on with the motor.

If you are thinking it is a cable issue, what you will need to do is to take the multimeter and first have the red lead on the block of the motor (any bare metal spot) and the black lead on the battery post itself (not the clamp, but the lead post itself). Attempt to start the car again. Did the multimeter jump up over 1.000 VDC? If yes, the ground cable between the block and the battery is toast and/or the clamp on the battery post has a lot of corrosion on it. If you were under 1.000 VDC, move the multimeter leads so that the red lead is on the positive battery post (the lead portion, not the clamp) and the black lead on the large post on the starter. Again, attempt to start the car. Did this jump to over 1.000 VDC? If yes, the wiring between the battery and the starter has a problem with it and it needs to be replaced. If no, then that wire is good.

If either of the wires are up near 1.000 VDC but not over, it may be enough that it is causing the starter to not have enough umpf to roll the engine over, especially if both of the cables are showing a high, but not out voltage.

As for the crank shaft position sensor, that would not cause the motor to roll over. The motor can run with this sensor completely removed from the car as the computer would then look at the camshaft position sensor to get an idea of when it needs to fire each cylinder. It would cause the motor to run rough, but it will still run. So, relax and rest assured it is not that.

Like I mentioned above, odds are, it is your battery that is giving you your troubles at the moment. If not that, then cables. A side note on the cables, you do not have to buy Jaguar cables. If you can pull the cables off of the car and make your way into an auto parts place, they will have cables hanging on the wall that will do what you are after. Most guys replace both cables for around $30 total and an hour or so of their time.

 

Have you checked Fuse F34 - 30A in the Engine Compartment Fuse Box. This fuse was only added for MY 2004.25, but later 2003 registered cars were built to a later spec so you might have it. It protects the starter motor solenoid and if it's blown you may just be hearing the starter relay clicking. Worth a look!

 

I'm having the same problem. Changed the starter and the battery cables, check all the fuses and all were fine. The only thing out of place is the alarm light in the center by the shifter. It flashes repeatedly after I turn the key to II position, but I get nothing... Can any one help?

 

acerek, if the security light is flashing, then yes, you will not get any crank of the motor. You need to figure out why the security system of the car is not accepting the key. It could be something as simple as the ignition is not making good connection and therefore the key is not sending the needed signal to the security computer, could be that the key somehow got damaged and is not sending out a signal. Could even be something inside of the security computer not functioning properly. I would say based on what you are seeing, a trip to a local shop would be in order to have them connect up a computer and see what all is going on. Unfortunately, you are looking at digital signals and there is no way to use a multimeter to see what is going on here.

 

Thanks, Thermo! Much appreciated.

 

Thank you for your replies!! Thermo: the battery seems to be in working order - haven't actually tested the voltage but fairly certain it's not a power issue. I don't recall seeing the security light flash, but definitely about to check. Are there any other suggestions or possibilities I can check for??

Armstrong: I looked for the fuse, but that one doesn't exist on this model. I did check all the fuses tho, hoping you were onto something. *sigh* No luck, but Thanks for the tip.

 

No flashing security light :-(

 

Try turning the key to II position and see what happens to the alarm light by the shifter. If it remains flashing, you have the same problem as I do. I looked it up in previous threads and they mentioned the alarm immobilizer. Or, the key not making proper contact. otherwise, is time to call the DEALER... :-(

 

No... not a security issue; although now I really wish it was. It's looking like I may have a seized engine on my hands!!! Trying to turn the crankshaft manually does not work - NO engine movement!

Any ideas why this would happen? Or more importantly, are there any other possible issues I can check for that would cause the motor to lock up, OTHER than a seized engine?

**Fingers Crossed**

 

Beachbum, if you are putting a wrench on the lower pulley and the motor will not turn, i would first try removing the accessory belt and then seeing if the motor will turn then. I have seen one case where the A/C compressor seized and that was enough to make it appear that the motor had seized. But, if you remove the accessory belt and you still can not spin the motor using a breaker bar (18" in length), then that pretty much confirms a motor that has seized (unless someone else knows a trick that I can't think of at the moment).

As for what would cause a motor to seize, i would venture to guess based on what you are describing, you had a failure of the oil filter and that tossed a lot of junk into the oil system and that plugged up the passages, which then starved the motor of lubrication. But, because you blocked the passages in the motor (the oil pump was still working), the oil pressure sending unit was still seeing pressure, so, it didn't throw a code or light the low oil pressure light on the dash. But this is all just a guess. Granted, I would have thought you would have heard a lot of racket from the motor if this happened. But then, it could always be that a bearing failed as the motor was running and as long as the motor was still turning, it would be fine. But, once the motor stopped and the bearing cooled, it now has tons more friction which is way beyond the capability of the starter to overcome.

 

Okay!! Thanks. I will update you tomorrow after I try this...

 

Unfortunately the engine would not budge!! So sadly, I am looking at a seized engine... for no apparent reason!! Less than 100k miles... ridiculous!

Looking to replace the engine, however does anyone know if replacing parts would be cheaper/more efficient? Although I have no idea which parts would need replacing at this point :-o. The local auto salvage has an engine with 124k miles for $900...

 

I scanned this thread when you first posted and thinking the battery / cables advice would fix the issues, hadn't read it in detail until today.

The 'rattling' may not be as extreme as valves colliding with pistons but, with an engine that won't turn, has to be a lot more than a jammed starter motor.

When you say 'won't turn' you do mean with a socket on the crankshaft nut and not just won't turn on the starter? Once certain it was seized, my curiosity would force me to start stripping it to determine the cause but you may just want to get out of this issue as fast as possible with least expenditure.

As a veteran of several Jaguar engine destructions in my youth, the easiest, fastest, lowest cost approach is to fit a replacement engine. The important consideration is always to check the provenance and suitability of the replacement. These usually come from an accident damaged vehicle. Seeing and hearing it running is a major plus, although not always possible. Some period of money-back warranty is essential.

The replacement should ideally be from same MY and model to be a straightforward shoehorn.

Graham

 

Acerek, I hope this isn't too late to be of use to you, but while researching another problem, I found that the LED in the security system flashes in a varying sequence to indicate the nature of the problem. Can you report what the flash sequence is in your X Type? Eg two flashes/pause/three flashes/longer pause/.........repeated, would mean Code 23. Might be able to narrow the cause down for you with a bit of luck!!

 

Hello Astromorg. Thanks for contacting me, much appreciated. As for the alarm light, it flashes repeatedly, with no pause. unfortunately, I have taken the car to the dealer and I'm waiting to see what they have to say... I'll keep you posted.

 

Sorry for this comment, if you already did it. Did you pull the spark plugs out prior to turn over the motor per Thermo's comments? These need to be out.

Also, I just had the similar issue with the car not turning over. Pulled the starter out because it was clicking and wouldn't turn over. I took it to O'Reillys and they checked it for me. It was good. I brought the battery in, even though it was year old and had 12v. The battery was bad, there wasn't enough amps.

Just a couple of things before you give up. GOOD LUCK!

 

I've been following this thread with great interest, and am with the majority of the crowd on this; that it sounds more like the battery or cables.

Jeeves12 is spot on about pulling the sparkplugs: the engine is very high compression, and even you use an 18 inch breaker bar on the crankshaft after taking the belts off, it still might be too difficult to turn over.

Try this one little trick also before you give up:

Turn the headlights and the heater fan motor on for 120 seconds before you try and crank it over with the key. Leave the drivers door open, and then look at the interior ceiling light as you turn the key to "Start".

If the interior light dims wayyy down, the headlights go out, and the fan slows or stops, then you have sucessfully diagnosed it to be an electrical problem!

We all hope it is that simple of a problem!

Best of Luck.

 

YAAAAYYY!!! A HUGE Thank you to Jeeves12 and Bruce in North Dakota, you have given me renewed hope in my Jag!

Bruce: I tried your quick trick, and you are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT!!! When following your instructions, the interior light went waayyy down - almost off completely, the headlights turned off, and the heater fan stopped completely. Awesome news - I am ecstatic! I am going to remove the spark plugs per Jeeves12 advice next, and based on this, I'm assuming/hoping I get some movement.

So... My question is: Now that I have a confirmed electrical problem, what should be my next step?

Thanks so much!

 

Also, need to thank Thermo!

Thermo: Thank you! Had I had access to a multimeter, I could have diagnosed this as an electrical problem with your instructions awhile ago (doh!). I plan to obtain a multimeter today and proceed with your suggested tests. Is there anything additional I need to be looking for while doing these tests?