NCbeachbum - Please post, if you get the car running and what was the final issue. I guilty of this, you're so happy that the car is running that we forget to post the final problem resolution. This is a great forum. Lots of information to get you pointed in the right direction. and a BIG THANKS to Thermo. He knows his stuff.

 

Just take the battery out and have it tested. If it's good, buy cables. If it's shot, buy a new one!

(Don't even bother pulling the plugs / multi-meter tests / etc.)

Glad it's working out for you.

 

Beachbum, having a meter with a quick response bar on it will help, but, you can also get the same thing using an analog meter too. A digital meter can be a little slow responding when you are looking at the numbers.

 

Okay, here is an update:

The initial reading on the multimeter was 12.4, so I took the battery to Advanced Auto for testing and charge (which was just purchased in August). They said the battery tested fine and fully charged it. The new battery reading after full charge was 12.8.

Per Thermo's instructions we then read the meter while attempting to crank the car - the VDC dropped to 8.4 - 8.0; returning to +12.6 after each crank attempt. Going by the range thatThermo provided, this reading should indicate a bad battery issue; So how is it possible that the battery would test "good" in the store?? Is there something additional I need to look for/test? More importantly, should I just go ahead and replace battery and cables? Is there any potential reason this would not solve the issue?

* Side note: After the third or so attempt to "crank" the vehicle while reading the meter, the starter began smoking momentarily (Reminder: this is still the brand new, out-the-box starter). Is this a cause for concern? Is this any indication to where I should look next?

Thanks guys!!

 

NCBeachBum, a smoking starter is just saying that it is getting hot. When doing multiple cranks where the starter does not turn, it will get very hot due to excessive current draw.

I would say that your next check is to pull the plugs to verify that you have not some how hydro-locked the engine (how this could happen, not sure, but I have seen stranger things). With the plugs removed, give the motor a quick turn of the key to see if the motor spins. If the motor still will not spin and it is not able to be turned with a wrench, then this is confirming bad bearings in the bottom of the block due to a loss of oil.

As for the voltage dropping excessively, the store probably only does a 50 amp draw or something of the like. That may or may not prove the problem. I would say to try this check. Turn the ignition key to the RUN position. Put the A/C system in manual and turn the fan on as high as it will go. Then also turn on the headlights and also turn on both seat heaters. This should give you about a 60 amp draw. If you have a good battery, the battery voltage should drop to about 12.0 VDC. If you are seeing it drop to say 11.5 or lower, then that is confirming a weak cell. Seeing 8.0 or so on a multimeter during a crank where the motor does not turn, it is possible that you can see that . The 11.0 range is assuming that the motor is turning, which reduces the current that the starter pulls. But based on the voltage dropping to 8.0 or so, your starter is pulling about 300 amps or so, hence the smoking you saw.

The big thing that has me scared for you is that you can not turn the motor over by hand. I know it is not an easy thing to do, but you should be able to roll the motor. Because you are not able to do that, the news is not looking good. Hopefully you can get the motor to roll because you have a blown head gasket and you simply filled a cylinder with antifreeze and the motor is hydro locked. We can all hope. that would be much better than a trashed engine.

 

I agree the battery is most likely the culprit. I have seen of this particular car that if the battery falls to a low voltage then the key will have to be replaced or reflashed..The center console security light will start flashing repeatedly and this isnt good.My buddy had this to happen to his..Battery went dead,then he replaced the battery then it started for a few days ,then it stopped all together,and once he sent it to the dealership to reprogram the key,the module would not respond....I hope this is not the case...keep us posted

 

Okay, thanks Thermo. I am still holding out hope that this could be an relatively simple fix... but am getting a little worried again. In your opinion, do you still think this is a bad battery or electrical issue at play here?? Is it possible that the low VDC reading on the battery (approx. 8 VDC consistently) could be due to the extra strain of the starter against a seized motor?? Would this also cause the low power signs I saw yesterday (dim interior and headlights & fan turning off)?

Beginning to get extemely frustrated with this car!! :-o Going to remove the spark plugs next, and hope for the best! Can you please provide instructions or a link describing how to properly remove the spark plugs? Thanks again!

 

Beachbum, it can still be an electrical issue. But, what has me really worried about the whole thing is that you have tried to roll the motor by hand and have not been able to. I admit that it will take some umpf to get the motor to roll, but it will roll by hand. This is especially true because of the higher than normal compression of these engines.

If you can, try connecting a multimeter directly to the starter itself. You should see a little bit of a voltage difference (under 1.0 VDC) between what you saw on the battery and what you will see on the starter. Again, if you are seeing more than that, then you are looking at a battery cable.

As for removing the upper half of the intake to access the plugs, do the following:

-push down on the vacuum lines and then using a flat blade screw driver, lift up on the ring around the hose, allowing the hose to come up at the same rate as the ring rises. Remove both vacuum lines
-on the back side of the intake (between the intake and the firewall), remove the two 10mm bolts back there supporting the intake
-In the pocket between the throttlebody and the intake, remove the 2 support bolts (10mm) there
-remove the air box from the car, disconnecting it from the intake
-Undo the 2 connectors for the IMT valves and also the connector for the intake air temp (top center of the intake)
-remove the 8 bolts on the top of the intake and then rotate the intake to gain access to the COPs. Cover the top of the motor with a cloth. Do not fill the holes with cloth due to rotating the motor in a little bit and the chance of sucking the cloth deep into the motor.
-remove the COPs by removing the 8mm bolt holding the COP in place and then use a spark plug socket to remove the plug. Take a look into the hole to see if you can see any water or other foreign substance.

At this point, you will be able to roll the engine. As you roll the engine, be looking for any squirting liquid or the like coming out of the plug holes. It should be obvious if the motor is rolling at this point. If in doubt, keep the driver's door open and watch the dome light. It should dim slightly, not go completely out if the motor is now rolling (starter is going to have an easy time rolling the motor due to no back pressure on the pistons due to the compression of the engine).

 

Sad Update: Okay... so, removed spark plugs and tried to roll by hand... STILL no engine movement!! Assuming I've followed all the tests and procedures correctly, it looks like I am in the market for a new engine :-(. Quite strange for such a low-mileage engine!!

Is there possibly anyone in the Valdosta/Tallahassee area that is available to come out to provide a second opinion??? Also, any suggestions for low mileage used or salvage engines would be greatly appreciated.

 

NCBeachbum, well, if you have pulled the plugs and the engine still not turn by starter or wrench, then that pretty much confirms it for me. Sometimes the strangest things can happen. Without pulling the engine apart, it is hard to say what may have caused what happened. Do a look around the local wrecking yards and see what they can do for you. There isn't a big call for the jaguar engines like ours. So, you may be able to get it cheap. You may want to also consider looking on a place like e-bay and sending out some questions to the people that are dismantling cars and see what they would want for the engines that way. may be able to get a decent deal. From there, you would either need to turn the wrenches yourself to swap out the motor or find a local mechanic willing to swap the motor for you. Plan on about $1000 for a local shop just to swap the motors. Not a tough job, but does eat up a lot of time.

 

I have had the same issue with many cars. I still have my money on a bad battery (had several that test fine but are indeed bad due to ground fault in the battery). Also the other issues have been an issue with corrosion inside the battery lines that is undetectable but when I pulled all the positive line feeds and replaced them..no issues at all started just fine.

To date I have had 3 cars/trucks do this to me and its been the same solution each time. I replace all the positive and negative lines (dremeling and sanding down where each contact for a fresh connection) and replace the battery regardless of it testing fine and viola...fixed.

 

I have been reading this thread from when it started and although I am far from one of the most technically savvy members on here it just seems strange that all of a sudden your engine would seize up without warning. There are tons of threads on here related to issues with both the battery and cables on our cars thaqt cause some very weird symptoms. Although your battery has been recently replaced maybe there are other things in play that have caused it to go bad in a short amount of time. Before buying a new engine why not at rule out it is not a battery/cable issue? Those would be really cheap and simple to try compared to an engine. You had mentioned the car was running rough previous and from your description it seems that there would have been some kind of CEL on or codes thrown that might help diagnose your problem further. I hope it turns out to be something simple.

 

NCBeachbum - Checking here, did you put the car in neutral before you tried to turn the motor over?

Unless you heard the motor let go - loud knocking noise or it just stopped on running on you, no motor isn't siezed.

Have you taken the battery to someone to test it? I had two battery myself and seen several others show 12v, but still be bad. The cells inside deteriorate.

 

UPDATE: Hello all, and thanks again for all of your input and troubleshooting. Unfortunately 'all the kings horses' couldn't get this one running again, and we had to buy a replacement engine. But thankfully we were able to do so and we are now in the process of removing/replacing the engine with a newer, even lower mileage one...

However we have reached a slight snag which I could really use some assistance with: Please see my new post:
HERE

Thanks again!!

 

mine when out can't start the car 1600 bucks dealer said cluster when to bad );

 

My cluster went bad car won't start it's in lock out dealer said 1600 ); sucks hate this car 2005 xtype 3.0 it's garbage !!!

 

[QUOTE=Timster00;836758]mine when out can't start the car 1600 bucks dealer said cluster went out fork ); xtype is junk );OTE]

 

I joined to let the forum know this but I'll probably need advice on other things.
I have a 2004 x-type in nice condition that I let sit for 2 years in the garage. It ran fine before. Now it would not crank. I tried several batteries and jump starting, nothing. I put a 16mm socket and 18' breaker bar on the crank pulley and it would not budge. However, I found it would turn the other way, counterclockwise. I doubted it was the belt with something else seized because it would not give in the slightest clockwise. It was like a rock solid jam of some kind. However, I did take the belt of anyway and it turned and then car started easily. It was actually the alternator that is frozen. That seems strange because you would think the belt could slip with that much torque from the breaker bar or the rubber stretching would be at least slightly noticeable but I'll take it! Now I have to figure out how to take the alternator out and see if I can fix it or get a new one.

 

Fascinating thread even though not being that mechanically minded myself; if it had been the engine; if one knows what they are doing is it a huge job to take the engine out? the mechanic with my jag's issue said the engine would need to come out for him to replace the auto box.

 

Excuse me NCbeachbum, I don't want to be Smart A., but you're a little ignorant, when you ask for advice, Thermo tell you to check the battery and you keep say the battery is not the issue, I don't know how do you try to turn the engine, with 8 inch handle wrench? But I know as Jeeves12 said if you don't remove the spark plugs it's almost impossible to turn the engine and it not likely you did! Next time try all the advises before com to the conclusion. Forgive me for my smart A.
I once have my car could not crank, and find out the A/C compressor clutch was seized, after replace it the engine just start it right up.