So I kind of knew what I was getting into, but I pulled the trigger today on a 2002 2.5L manual X-Type with 80k miles... for $3,000 Im not really angry im excited for my new challenge, but I am a little worried.

Its in great condition, EXCEPT FOR....

1. Check Engine light came on, while driving home
   
2. Codes: C1165 and C1175
3. ABS Light on
4. Speedometer not working
5. Cruise Control not working
   
   
6. Air Bag light On
   
7. Rusted Rotors that squealed
8. Constant whine while driving above 20 MPH ish
9. Slight burning smell coming from engine compartment once I got home
10. Fuel gauge is super slow to register after filling up
11. Smell coming from AC like something died in the vent a while ago
12. Found animal poop in engine compar

tment?

Okay so like I said, I expected some of this but not all of it. The first group of brakes, rotors, ABS, check engine light, and Speedo, Im guessing are all inter connected.

I need to prioritize and start working through these... where should I start?

The car had been sitting for at least 9 months

 

The C codes are wheel ABS wheel speed sensors so sort that out first. Do a search for lots of useful info. The speedo and cruise may get their inputs from the wheel sensors (but I'm not sure) so you might solve a bunch of problems at once. I wouldn't worry about the smells to start with.

The animal poop may be a serious problem (just kidding).

 

USMC, welcome my brother in arms (Squid here). LIke was mentioned, start with the wheel speed sensors. That should solve your cruise issue, speedo issue, and the C1165/C1175 codes. Since you are back there and will have things apart, probably want to also do the rear brakes as you will have it all apart already. Odds are, the reluctor rings on the rear wheels are shot (remove the speed sensors and look down the holes, you should see what appear to be silver teeth there, no teeth, reluctor rings have corroded and fallen to pieces, common issue). You might be able to get new rings (about $40 delivered to your house via e-bay) or you will have to replace the rear CV shafts which will have the reluctor rings on them.

When it comes to brakes, if you are looking like you are going to need to replace rotors/pads, look on e-bay and they have some nice slotted rotor/ceramic pad setups for around $200 (does all 4 wheels). I have had this style setup on my car for 4 years now and it has been great.

As for the burning smell that you are experiencing, odds are someone just did an oil change on the car and they got some oil on the exhaust manifold and what you are experiencing is the oil burning off. It should clear itself in another day or two.

The A/C smell should go away once you get the poop out. Worst case, roll the windows down and turn on the dash ventilation system and while you are out of the car, spray a bunch of Lysol into the ventilation intake (under the cowl, passenger side). The Lysol will help pull any remaining smell out. Just make sure to let the Lysol vent out of the car before going for a drive.

 

Thanks for the info, I will be playing mechanic all weekend, doing the radiator on my wifes car, then I get to play with mine. I will start with the rear wheels and take it from there. Probably do the oil and any other greasing and lubricating that might be easy.

I identified the poop as being from a squirrel! (I love google images)

I have a feeling the smell may be of squirrel urine or even a dead mouse somewhere behing the firewall or up in there. I notcied that some of the 'insulation' under the cowling was pulled down and torn, I figured someone either did work in there or an animal got in there. Lets hope its not a carcus.

Thanks thermo, my fellow Dept of the Navy brother. That sounds like a good deal on ebay, I was looking at rockauto, simliar price but not drilled and slotted like these for $170 deliverd!

 

Let me guess, you didn't drive the car before buying?
#1 thing is to find whine problem and pray it is not transmission
2. Find out what codes mean and post here, some codes are very serious and have to be repaired before driving, some are no big deal, you can drive and not worry about them.
Most common problem with ABS light is damaged wheel sensor wire, second is bad ABS module, check codes in autoparts store and post here.
Rusted rotors can be cleaned by sliding over pavement, it will clean one side, clean another side with drill with wire brush. Don't forget to clean rim and hub contact surface.
Clean engine compartment, check for oil leaks.
Hopefully wires are not chewed up by mice.

 

Thanks for the info, I drove it before purchasing, but didn't get up past 30 and I didn't hear anything, and I didn't drive it far enough for the check engine light to come on. I should have brought my scanner and checked if any codes were in storage. I probably could have knoked another $200 off the price. I don't know what happened that I didn't notice the speedo not working! I knew the air bag light was on, and knew about the rusted rotors. I think a good cleaning, new fluids, and grease will get me 90%. She has been neglected for a while, but daddy is here to make her feel better!

 

USMC,

Welcome from a newbie as well.

Recently bought an '04 V6 that sat for more than a year with an occasional 'around the block'.

Nice car but as soon as the a/c was turned on, what I thought was a light odor from sitting was in reality an overwhelming noxious stench. Seemed familiar as I had the same thing when I first took out our jet skis after sitting all winter.

Nest of mice. And in the Jag, it was a nest in the cowl against the cabin filter (which I've heard/read referred to as a pollen filter). It was quite large, perhaps a 3 or 4 family unit!

Remove the wiper arms, the black plastic cowl cover (5 clips a the front edge) and you will likely find evidence of furry inhabitants. I ended up replacing the filter, $60 at Jaguar. Local parts stores told nothing available aftermarket but someone on the forum may have better info.

Took some odor killer, didn't try Lysol and that sounds like a good idea, but odor didn't go away til filter change. A bit of odor but gradually going away. Fabreze vent clip kills any residual,

Last note, plastic cowl seemed 'glued' to the windshield and I was a bit reluctant to force anything but gentle lifting popped it loose.

Hope this is some help.

 

USMC

Should've included this previously.

The wiper arms are secured with a nut that a 13 mm wrench or socket will address it. The nut I s under a plastic cover that looks much like the metal arm but simply lifts up and pivots out of the way. I used a small puller to get the arm off as they wouldn't just lift off. Minor corrosion on the stud/arm made it a bit sticky.

Before putting all together, a dab of anti seize might be in order.

 

Perfect, Im convinced that what it is, I have smelled it before,(i wont go into details) Sounds like a filter change is in order, ill add that to the memorial day weekend project list!

 

New cabin air filters on E-bay are going for $10. Bought one last week and it works great.
Part # MIAFD02155C


Welcome to the forum and good luck with you new Jag!

 

#1 problem for airbag light is bad clock spring, read codes. Some car had bad connection, I just reconnected connector under driver seat.
Good luck with your car, I have exactly car like yours, I am going to drive it first time tonight after engine repair. Mine has many problems to deal with.
Reconnect speedometer.

 

Welcome USMC_KAK

(wow - cut and paste got your avatar and everything :-) )

I just brought home my 2004 2.5 5 speed last weekend - and have the 1165 code appearing intermittently in common.

I hope you're as pleased with your car once you get it all sorted as I am with mine - good luck!

 

Well today got a new Issue, I put a fresh battery in the key fob, good news is the key fob works, bad new is that it does not "lock' the doors. It unlocks them, but does not lock... I am also having an issue with the driver side door opening. I am guessing they are related. I have figured out the "push in near the handle, then slowly lift" trick to get the door open. I guess another common issue...

 

Jimbo looks like we are in the freshman class of new owners. I hope you enjoy working on cars as much as I do, it looks like the first semester includes lots of 'fixes'.

 

LOL - I think you got THAT one right!

I've been fixing cars and ... (intermittently) enjoying it for jeez - 4 decades now - so - yeah - I bought mine hoping NOT to have to work on it "much" - but I'm a realist.

My "play" car is a 1989 Toyota MR2 that I and my friends rebuilt from scratch - except for the chassis and the fuel tank, not much original is left on it so ... that car will give me perspective!

oh - and my second key fob ... I replaced the battery and NOTHING works except for the key itself

 

If car is good, it is fun to repair it. That is why I bought 3 dead Corvettes.

 

Thanx to itmax for the filter info. $10 + shipping is better than $60+ at the dealer. Funny, never occured to me to check on eBay. I guess I thought everything about a Jag was proprietary.

These are the things that make the forum great.

And car5car, gotta ask; what Corvettes did you buy? Dead or otherwise.

 

Oh Joe always check out ebay, or another good source is rockauto.com. If you need a part TODAY, a trick I use is go to your local chain parts stores website, see if they have any online codes or discounts. Often you can pay for an item online, get the discount they are offering like "20% off all online orders over $100" then choose to pick it up in the store instead of shipping it.

Advance auto parts is the one I use most for same day parts, they always have online discounts, get the discount online, and pick it up 20 minutes later at the store!

As a last resort just bring the discount offer into the store and see if the manager will honor it.

When we pay double for parts for a car like a Jaguar, or BMW, you need to be frugal, its best to plan ahead and order online, or use other reasorces including junk yards and craigslist.

 

USMC

Great info!

Thanks and will take your advice.

 

Welcome to our obsession USMC_KAK!

Whatever you need to do to her is probably going to be well worth the time effort and expense. The X-Type is a nice, solid, and reliable car.

I don't know how much you shopped around, but I recently helped my son shop for and buy a car - and for $3,000 (his budget too) you wind up looking at some really sketchy vehicles. So even if you do end up putting a few K into addressing the issues, it'll probably be well worthwhile if you end up with a solid car.

Clearing a mouse nest, new rotors and pads, repainting a rust spot - they just aren't that bad. When I bought mine I read everything on the forum - which can start to freak you out with worry about all the problems you MIGHT run into - just keep in mind that people tend to jump on only when something's wrong and they're excited. But I've found there's LOTS of great advice and how-to's in here. Get yourself a copy of the JTIS (shop manual on DVD) too - invaluable.

I'm in mid-Westchester, and our local Dealer (White Plains Jaguar) has been pretty good for the five years I've had her, but keep your BS-detector sharp - some service reps there are better than others.

I got the same drilled/slotted rotors last year and had the dealer put them on for me. The only issue I've had is a bit of periodic noise (weird moaning) from the rears when you first start driving. The service rep looked at it and said it was "dirt getting onto the rotors due to the open wheels that help cool the brakes." It's the same sound I've had from regular disks after it rains and they show a bit of rust - which gets cleared quickly once you start driving, and the sound stops. Only difference is i park it in a garage, and even when it doesn't get wet, it often makes the sound for a minute or two once i start driving. The ceramic pads do seem to make less (or at least less visible?) brake dust.

Anyway, Welcome, happy tinkering, and post some pix for us to drool over...