Don't you just hate it when you in to fix something and end up breaking something else?

Well, as I posted in another topic, even though I got new alternator, all new positive and negative wires, and also a new battery about 6 months ago only, the battery light has reared it's ugly head again once again after 6 months of light free daily driving.....

Anyway, I went in there today with the intention of cleaning and tightening battery connections as well as changing the coolant reservoir to engine/pump hose. I changed the hose in 20 minutes and hardly lost any coolant. And then I started tightening the connections......basically, I tightened the positive cable to the starter so much the prong snapped right of!! . Now I can't even start the car, however after **several** hours I managed to just remove the solenoid part from the starter (Where the broken prong is), to take it to the auto-parts store, and not one of the idiots at any of about 8 parts stores where willing to look and see if any of their solenoids looked similar. The solenoids are the same ones used on most ford starters and despite my pleas and eventually lies that I was looking for a solenoid for a Lincoln LS.", they just wanted to sell me a complete starter. Fortunately they are on the Internet for 30 dollars, but I will have to wait till mid next week for that., and I am not even sure that the solenoid will work since when I removed it a small plastic part from the tip broke inside the starter.

 

Yea that sucks breaking stuff and waiting for parts from the internet. How much was your starter solenoid? I just looked on ebay for x-type starters and they weren't too much... Waiting is the difficult part. One thing I was going to recommend, it might not "fix" your problems but it will help... Try a thick set of engine ground wires. You can get a decent set on ebay for about $20-30. They run from the negative terminal of the battery to various points on the engine and engine bay such as the throttle body, the intake manifold, the headlights, the transmission, etc. Basically they ground out any electrical noise and really help your engine idle better/run smoother. I have used them a few times on a few different cars, including my x-type and it made a noticeable difference immediately. The car runs so much quieter with grounding wires. Also acceleration is better too. I wasn't sure if it would help on a car like a Jaguar but sure enough, it made a big improvement. Maybe because it's about 10 years old and the stock ground terminals are getting a little older. Anyway, I've always found the thicker grounding wire kits to help almost any car.

 

You might also look into a voltage stabilizer. Basically the concept is they are a set of backup condensers that charge off the battery and when power draw jumps you have the voltage stabilizer there to even out any drops in electrical power. This is good for when you have your headlights on, stereo, and a/c. Also helps start the engine quicker. PS A lot of people on here will say they are 'snake oil' but they work if you get a good brand. There are a lot of cheap ones and counterfeit brands out there. I put one in my car and haven't noticed much of a difference but it did include ground wires which I felt a difference right away. Overall I guess I have never noticed a lack of electrical power in my car since I installed the voltage stabilizer. Most of the time it just sits there in the engine and blinks and I forget about it, but it does its thing.

 

With as much respect as I can muster ... why do you again trot out this wholly inappropriate myth of buying and fitting multiple additional ground cables and voltage stabilizers to an electrical and electronic platform that has already been carefully engineered by Jaguar for correct operation.

Of course, there is much in your concerns that we agree and endorse. All the electrical and electronic components must be maintained in top condition. I totally agree that all cables should be regularly inspected, connectors cleaned and securely fastened. We need to be vigilant that no cables are ever pinched by engine parts or chassis. Fuses should be drawn, cleaned up, checked and re-inserted. In addition, all insulation needs to be intact - not just to prevent shorting, but also to prevent water ingress which would otherwise lead to corrosion. Finally, we smear the battery posts with petroleum jelly as a moisture and corrosion inhibitor.

But these myths of some magical benefits from fitting multiple additional ground leads or (worse) the injecting of voltage stabilizers that were never designed to go into the wiring, have been debunked each time you raise them. It is a complete waste of time and money; exhibits no demonstrable benefit; has no sound basis in science; and only serves to confuse others. Worse, the stabilizer may compromise the already taxed battery voltage or compromise sensitive network comms.

If it makes you feel good, then great, fit dozens into your own car ... I defend your right to do so. I am not seeking argument; nor am I taking a swipe at you ... just these silly unfounded myths. I really believe in our accountability ... imho, if you advise someone, you have a moral responsibility to do it wisely and correctly.

So please, please ... don't keep pushing these myths into forums where we try to apply sound, rational and provable science to the challenge of helping others.

Regards,
Ken

 

@04Xtype04.....Thanks for the replies.

The solenoid was about 30.00. The reason I just want the solenoid instead if a new starter is because removing the starter does not seem like a pleasant experience at this point. The only concern now is that the plastic tip of the solenoid broke of inside the starter, so hopefully the new solenoid will work without a problem.

As far as a voltage stabilizer is concerned, I do not think I would want to go that route myself. I need to figure out what my real problem is and resolve it. But thank you for the suggestion.

 

"voltage stabil", what now? Oh, that old rip-off. Just say NO.

 

... while still meeting other criteria such as cost and ease of assembly.

Using the X308 as an example, here are just a couple of points to note:

- the connection of the front ground strap at the chassis end is
dependent on the threads of the self tapping machine screw
cutting through the paint to conduct electricity. the mating
face of the ring terminal sits against factory paint

- the connection of the rear battery ground to the chassis is done
using a stud of about 4mm in diameter with the ring terminal sitting
above a flange no bigger than 10mm. the ring terminal face gets
nowhere near the chassis itself

- the false bulkhead stud connection depends on passing current
through the thread interfaces between the nuts and stud rather
than having the terminal ring faces directly contact a flange

The above are all non-optimal configurations for those important
joints. Yet, Jaguar engineers chose them. They are however
well suited to fast assembly. All are known points of investigation
in the X308 section when power problems arise. There is no reason
to believe that the X-Type engineers had any different design
goals than the X308 engineers.

Many X308 models also have a large factory fitted condenser in the
fenderwell with the stated purpose of protecting the alternator
from certain operating conditions.

Excluding the sound system, many modern cars draw 70 amps
while underway. That's a lot of juice. And don't forget the even
greater demands made while spinning the starter.

When people fit an aftermarket grounding system on some vehicles
their observed improvements might be due to masking existing
deficiencies in the grounding system. That might be the original
design or neglect over time.

Sometimes those deficiencies can be overcome by going over the
existing system and improving the connection points. This is very
possible on the X308 where the cables are of sufficient size and
very good construction, but the connections as new are inadequate.

 

You will have better luck finding a solenoid from a VW Jetta with the Jatco 5 speed (09A) because they mount the same way. They might even interchange but I don't know for sure.

The VW Jetta (1999-2004) uses the JF506E and the starters look VERY similar.

I have never tried to interchange because I never seem to have both VW and X-Type in the shop for starter faults.

bob gauff

 

This is very true. In both my E type and XJS, I have found plenty of "what where they thinking" items from electricals that can fry in the hot V of a V12 to ECU's placed connectors up in the path of water, Jaguar in particular suffers from these eccentricities.

 

OK forget about the voltage stabilizer. The results with those are debatable. They are probably unnecessary on a car like an x-type. I only got one because I read a magazine article which showed a very slight increase in torque and horsepower with them on, and they are supposed to also slightly improve gas mileage and stereo sound quality. Given all the good things I heard about them, I went and bought a decent looking one for about $35. (not the fake purple ones you see everywhere on ebay). Did it help? Well I don't really notice but I have never had a problem with my lights dimming or flickering or anything like that and my car is pretty efficient. For the most part it just sits in the engine bay and blinks, but I like knowing it's there if it does something however slight.

As for the thicker grounding wire kits you can buy ebay, I guarantee you they work. I will bet you the $25 you spend on them that you will immediately notice a positive result in how smooth and quiet your car idles after properly installing them around the engine bay. There are articles you can read as to where are good points to ground in the engine. Good places are: The throttle body, the intake plenum, the headlight area, the transmission, the firewall area, etc. Your car already comes with grounding wires, if you look around the engine you will see some thin ground wires bolted to various areas of the engine bay, but they are not good enough. Especially after 10 years of driving, you will notice a difference with thick grounding wires. It's kind of an old hot rodders trick. They aren't for everyone, but if you want your car to purr to it's full potential, I guarantee you will be happy with investing in grounding wires. I have put them on 3 different cars, including my own, and in every case, they make the engines run so much smoother, better, and quiet at idle.

 

Ok, the grounding kits I can see working. I personally prefer to sand the paint of the chassis grounding points, solder new connectors.

 

Spike, I can offer any solutions for you unfortunately other than you have my sympathy and that I hope you can finally get to the bottom of it as I know you have been battling with your car for a long time now. What you are describing I cannot say I have ever read another thread on here with an issue like that. Have you wired something non-stock in since you got the car or did any other mod to it? Is there any evidence that a previous owner might have altered the wiring in the car in any way? Or maybe has the car ever been in an accident that you know of?

 

Thanks for the reply. No known accidents on the car or aftermarket kits.

Today I solved the starter solenoid crisis, new one came in and after battling with it, fit properly and the car is as before, starter operative. Now I will resurrect my battery charging light topic, since it's still doing that