I've been doing some research here and elsewhere on the web and I'm wondering if the collective can help focus my efforts and where to go from here. I am plagued by the intermittent cruise control unavailable warnings when I either idle too long or go for a long drive. If I am just driving back and forth to work and it's not too hot out the code will eventually clear and not come back unless one of the above three parameters are met (idling too long, long road trips or very high ambient temps).
Here are the intermittent warning lights on my dash:





So far the two things I've found out is it can either be caused by a faulty ABS sensor which will require getting my codes read or it can be a problem with the electrical system which necessitates either checking the ground wire or installing a new battery. According to the receipts that came with the car when I bought it there was a battery installed via a mom and pop shop somewhere in Bradenton, FL. The battery is simply listed as 'AZ' so I'm assuming it is an AutoZone battery.

My questions are: Is there a code reader I can get that will sufficiently show all the codes these ECM's throw and also what are the chances this battery went bad after a year and a half? Money is kind of a priority right now and with the history I've had with these cars I would consider purchasing a code reader if it does everything required to diagnose these cars.
In addition, kind of a bonus question, what are the chances that the car is misfiring and causing this? It doesn't seem to have the power my last '04 did but then again that was a couple years ago and I'm coming from an '11 XF with the 5.0...

 

chknhwk, as for a reader, you are going to get what you pay for. With that being said, you do have some options. do you have an Android based phone? If yes, then I would look on E-bay and see if you can find an "ELM 327 bluetooth device". This is going to be an interface between the car and your android based phone. After getting the ELM unit, look on say Google Play and download an app called "Torque". It is free. This will allow you to read codes for your car.

Now, when it comes to the ELM unit, you will most likely find that there are 2 versions out there. You have the V1.8 ones that are going to be cheaper, but they have a catch to them. Then you have the V2.1 ones. They are more, but it may be what you need. The big difference between them is that the V1.8 ones are only good on up to 2004 vehicles. Jaguar made a change in 2005 as I recall and from 2005 to present, you need the V2.1 one.

If you are someone that needs a lot of bells and whistles, then you can spend an extra $5 and pay for a registered version of Torque and that will unlock a few more features, including a dyno.

As for electrical issues being the source of your problems, it is very possible. Batteries are going to last however long that they feel like it. Yes, you can shorten their life by draining them deeply a few times and also over charging them. But, if a battery gets a wild hair, it will just fail. If you know the manufacturing lines of batteries, the only difference between most batteries is the length of the warrantee. Most batteries are made on 1 of 2 assembly lines (Either by Exide or Johnson Controls). Walk into any auto parts store and look at the batteries sitting on the shelf. Find 5 different manufacturers of the same size battery. Look at the plastic case. Look a lot alike? Most likely they do. Same case, same internals, just the cheaper battery has less warrantee.

In your case, I would open the hood of the car and then start the engine. Let it idle and get up to temp. Make sure to turn on your headlights, dash fan on high, and the rear defroster (can even throw on the seat heaters if you are feeling froggy). Keep an eye on the dash to see if your problem pops up. After 5 minutes or the fault coming in, cup your hand over each battery terminal (DO NOT TOUCH!!!!!). Does one/both of them feel like you are going to burn your hand on it (see, DO NOT TOUCH!!!!!)? If yes, then that is a bad battery cable. If it is about the same temp as the rest of the engine bay, then odds are the battery cable is good.

If you need more help, just hollar.

 

I could try putting as large a load on the electrical system as possible but I fear this may not show me what we need to know as the problem crops up from simply idling, whether or not there is a large electrical load on the system. Now as far as checking the cable temp I did not think of that. I may give that a try. (Wish I had seat heaters, however... Might be a necessity in Boston!)

Thermo, I did a quick search on the google-device and found If this is the device you are talking about I'll order it now because THAT I can actually afford!

 

Hmmm, that product is getting some pretty mixed reviews in the answers section - I'll hold off on this until you chime in with whether this is the product I want. The price is right but I'm not getting a warm fuzzy reading some of the comments...

 

For a lesser expensive bluetooth Android OBD, this one is consistently rated in the top 3 by numerous sites =

 

chknhwk, yes, that is the device I am talking about. In my experience with owning these, I tend to see 2 issues. The one I mentioned in that you need the correct version for your vehicle (ie, V1.8 for earlier X-types, V2.1 for later) and the second being that you need to look in the associated paperwork that comes with the device and find the code for the bluetooth. The ones I have had, the code will be either "0000" or "1234". You may have to put in the one, see if it works and if not, back out, attempt it a second time and put in the other code. I also have a process I go through to make sure I get a good connection:

1) insert ELM device into OBD port
2) turn on car to get dash to light up
3) turn on bluetooth and manually have the phone connect to the ELM unit
4) start Torque

This process seems to work every time for me. When I try to cheat the system, sometimes it works, some times it doesn't.

 

Update: I received my BAFX OBDII bluetooth device interface this weekend and plugged it in yesterday after work. I was rewarded with the following two codes that cropped up as I was sitting in the parking lot with the vehicle running for some time: P1111 and C1175. I have started shopping around for left rear abs sensors and have questions on the Bosch units - has anybody had issues with them? I am looking at this one.
Good news is I can clear some codes with the pro version of the Torque application.

 

Well I ordered it, I'll let everybody know well I make out with a Bosch left rear ABS sensor.

 

chknhwk, what we have found is normally the sensors are fine, it is the band on the CV shaft that will rust and break free. If you pull the sensor, you can shine a flashlight into the hole and see the band just floating inside. Unfortunately, this will most likely mean replacing that CV shaft.

If you want to check the sensor, you simply remove the sensor and connect a multimeter to the two pins on the sensor (set multimeter to the 2V DC scale). Carefully, pass a large metal object near the end of the sensor. You should see the multimeter move (having an analog meter or a digital one with an analog bar is very helpful here). The closer and faster you can move the metal object, the larger the pulse will be on the multimeter. But, you also stand a higher chance of hitting the sensor too. So, use your best judgement. I normally find a large screw driver to be very useful in this testing.

 

Thermo, thanks for the insight! I will try to give that a go today if I get a chance to borrow my friend's driveway. I just have to see if I can find a multimeter - mine is in Florida with the rest of my tools...