You need a new battery!

 

Yesterday when it came on the message stayed but as ai said once it starts apart from the rough idle until it warms up the car drives clean. When I called my mechanic and explained it to him he thought it was the battery too, but when I brought it in and he had a listen he chabged his mind. He said it could possible be ab electrical issue or there might be some loose wires. That said he hadn't tested the battery yet

 

What codes are you actually getting?

 

Not sure about the codes I cannot check them and I don't ask my mechanic what comes up. I have got the "Gearbox fault" displayed and before the O2 sensor and spark plugs were changed "Cruise not available".

 

It does sound like you might need a new battery. That is something you could change yourself.

How do you know it is running rich? From all your descriptions it sounds more like a vacuum leak and would be running lean and not rich. The vast majority of issues on here are lean conditions. Not that it couldn't be running rich, just going by past experience on here.

It would be money well spent to get yourself a code reader and check yourself. Or there is is an app for your phone called Torque that a lot of people use. Very good and inexpensive. If you could read the codes yourself, clear them and then see what comes back and then post them here I'm sure it could be easily diagnosed. If it is a vacuum leak(s) chances are they are cheap and easy fixes often times. Or do a search of what comes up and chances are there would be a number of threads about it. These cars have been around a long time now and pretty much anything that can happen to them has been discussed here. Sounds like you are kind of spinning your wheels on this right now.

 

Thanks for the tip, I am hating the amount of time my car isn't available for me

 

This one?

 

Yup.

 

Thanks. I downloaded it

 

Apparently my alternator was overcharging my batter, so the battery needs to be replaced and possibly the alternator

 

I highly doubt your alternator is overcharging.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...n-charging.jpg

 

His explanatuin was it was giving between 15 to 16 volts instead of 13.9. Then I got quoted 1300 for a new alternator and battery. I might get a mate to help me sort it out instead

 

SannaT: Your alternator is probably working properly. 15-16 volts is normal for the first few minutes after starting the engine, then 13-14 volts thereafter. It's designed to quickly top off the battery after start-up.

Our X-Type's are peculiar about needing a strong battery. So if yours is more than a few years old, replace only the battery and see if this resolves your car's other issues.

 

I guess SannaT chooses to just wear blinders and not read link posts. The link I posted on battery/alternator says EXACTLY THAT as dwclapp said.

 

I did read your link and found it helpful, but I had forgotten exactly how many volts my mechanic had said it was giving until I went in today and honestly I'm not as car savy as most people here. But I did read it and found it helpful and had intended to thank you for your input. Thanks again and sorry

 

SannaT. This is a very helpful, supportive forum, and everyone here was once a newbie. We're all on steep learning curves, just at different points along the journey. Enjoy the ride. This is one of the best places to learn not only about your X-Type, but about car repairs in general. Continue asking and learning, so in due time you'll be posting helpful, supportive answers for the next generation of newbies.

 

I have already found it very helpful. It's hard to find a mechanic in my area who will even look at a Jaguar so it's hard to get a second opinion. I trust my mechanic but I've spent thpusands already on repairs and I can't keep spending.

 

You asked if your X-Type needs a new alternator & battery, and the answer is probably not an alternator, maybe a new battery if it's more than a few years old."

Had you asked if $1,300 is reasonable to install a new alternator & battery, the answer is, assuming you're in the continental US, also no, an alternator ~$100-150 (rebuild - new), a battery is ~$150, labor is a few hours, so $1,300 is not reasonable.

A mechanic once said he could not change my X-Type's oil because he didn't carry Jaguar filters. He was surprised it's a Ford engine and he had the filters in stock. Your mechanic probably doesn't realize our X-Types are mostly Ford's under the hood. So ask questions here to be better informed, to get only the repairs you need, at a price you believe is fair.

 

I'm in Australia, I was always reluctant to take my car to a mechanic myself because there's always an expectation that mechanics rip off females. For my latch and break booster I sourced a second hand part myself and just got my mechanic to fit them, but with the rear calipers, spark plugs, and O2 sensor I just took his word for it even though all together I spent around 1100 because so many mechanics refused to even look at my car before I found him

 

SannaT: Do some mechanics take advantage of women? Certainly, but those characters are equal opportunists, and not all were banished to Australia.

Two close friends used to overpay for unnecessary car repairs. Naïve females? No, both men in their 40's. Uneducated? No, a PhD engineer and a commercial airline pilot. Today they enjoy repairing their cars for a fraction of what they use to pay their mechanic. What changed? Previously they were intimidated by the tangle of wires and hoses under the hood, so they didn't invest time to learn. One overheard me talk of repairing my car's brakes and asked how I knew what to do. I said it's not difficult, and he's much smarter and cares much more about his car's brakes than the teenager working for his mechanic. A month later I invited him to watch me repair the brakes on another car. He said 'no thanks', he already repair his car's brakes. How? YouTube!

He gained enough confidence to try, and he learned it's not that complicated. Since then, both friends are learning to repair their own cars and enjoy doing so. On occasion they ask for advise, usually just to confirm they're on the right path. They search the Internet and complete repairs without my help most of the time. Simply knowing they can call for help gives them the confidence to try, and they usually succeed on their own. Truth be told, I have my own 'phone a friend' whom I rarely call for assistance, but knowing that's an option gives me the confidence to start a repair, and the motivation to finish without making that call. The advice of this forum and YouTube searches is usually everything I need.

All makes and models are a little different, but 80+% of the parts in our cars are common across automakers, because they outsource from the same parts suppliers. That's why so many different automakers are affected by a recall, for example, of airbags from a parts supplier we never heard of.

So learn as much as you can about your X-Type, ask questions here, search YouTube videos, and try some simple repairs yourself, like replacing your car's battery. It's literally 4 small nuts you loosen and tightening. A socket set will cost you much less than what you save on mechanics fees. And when your mechanic realizes you did this repair yourself for a fraction of his $1,300 estimate, you'll sense better treatment from him.