Hey guys....have a problem I need some help diagnosing.

So this started yesterday after the first start of the day. I start my car and it sounds like a "whirling" sound (after the car starts) from behind the dash. It is like something spun really quick, lasted about 2 seconds. Then from then engine bay it sounds like a whiny type sound while the engine is warming up. No warning lights.

Next, I look at my trip mileage counter and it has reset by itself to zero which I thought was odd but then I thought maybe I missed it turning over. My regular mileage is displaying properly. Anyhow, I go about my day and as the car warms up that whiny sound from the engine bay decreases, and the trip counter is working. Made several stops during the day the required re-starting and no weird sounds, no warning lights, car is running fine. BUT...one thing I do notice is what seems to be solenoids or relays somewhere in the car sound like they are clicking more then I ever noticed before. It seems like something is going off every 30 seconds or so causing me concern...but the car is still running smoothly as it should. At this point I know something must be getting ready to go but what do you do?

Ok...so car sits over night. I go to start it today and once again on the first start of the day I get that "whirling" sound right after the car starts, and the trip counter was reset back to zero again...BUT this time I now have the engine light on and the powertrain light on. So I read my codes immediately and besides my normal P1000 I have a P1602 code which I have no idea what that is and cannot find a reference to it as for jaguar. So, I cleared the codes and started driving the car and everything was fine as far as the driving part, but I still have all those noises from what seems to be solenoids and relays that keep clicking every 30 seconds or so. Trip counter was working and as I made my stops throughout the day and restarts the trip counter holds it's mileage fine. It seemed when the car sat overnight that is when it reset itself. And...no more fault lights after the reset and I stopped and started the car at least 5 times on today's errands.

Anyhow, I have no clue what is going on. I am hoping and praying it might just be the battery giving me the signal it is time for a new one, but it just seems so weird that is could be that because everything is working like it should except the things I mentioned.

I need some help folks to get pointed in the right direction and notify my mechanic.

peace out,
daddylogan

 

It may be that the battery is on it's way out. But, it is also quite possible that you need to remove clean and tighten the battery connections. Rattling relays sound like low voltage.

 

I am with avern1 on this. Clean your battery terminals and I would also take the car out for a 5 or 10 minute drive and do the drive with your headlights, seat heaters, dash fan (on fast), and the rear defroster on. This will put a decent load on the alternator and this intern will cause the battery cables to get hot if they are going bad. If the battery terminals are only warm (ie, engine bay temp), then you should have the battery load tested and consider getting a new battery.

As for the code, I am not finding anything in my Jaguar documentation about it. Looking elsewhere, this code is associated with a low battery voltage during engine starting as seen at the TCM. This would lead back to a battery that is starting to go.

 

So after reading what you said Thermo...let me ask you this? That would probably explain why the faults and all the weird noises happen on the first start of the day then because overnight the battery is starting to lose proper voltage, so when I start the car in the morning it would be at it's lowest voltage point...and then as the day goes on, the alternator is giving it a good charge back and that is why the issue goes away while I am out driving?

Would that also explain why my trip mileage counter is resetting back to zero on the first start up of the day? One would think that is a big clue to what might be going on. Also, would low voltage cause all those relay's and solenoids to act up like I am describing?

Last question for now...how can I check my batteries voltage here at home? I have a voltmeter but not very experienced with it. What setting would I put it on and where do I touch the terminals to...and what should it read?

Thank you for responding and I pray it IS the battery. The one I have in there is 4 years old and actually has a five year warranty on it, but it was bought by the previous owner and the location is about 300 miles from where I live. Don't know if they would still honor the warranty if I showed up with the old battery and the paperwork (I have all service records on the car meaning every penny ever spent on it!) This last battery was $215.00 plus install fees.

peace out,
daddylogan

 

So when my battery was dying (I didn't know what it was at the time). I heard clicks behind dash and then a "sizzling" sound exactly the same as when you access the hidden menu from the signal stalk and it does the instrument check one. My battery tested fine with a multimeter (@12+volts and 14.2 volts while running), also fine @ AutoZone.)
HERE'S THE BIG BUT......
as gremlins became more frequent I took it to a service shop that had a $15,000 battery testing machine that took 45 minutes to run a complete diagnostics. The result was it said bad cell(s) and to replace battery. I did that and everything disappeared. Battery @ 12.5 v and 14.3-5 while running now.

 

Btw, mine was 4 years into a 6 year battery, but supplier (a Bosch brand) was in New Jersey where I bought the car, so being in Utah, I just bought a new one.

 

If it is the battery, I can sure live with that. Being that my trip mileage is re-setting every morning when I start the car, i would assume that voltage is playing a part in that. Naturally you start thinking things like the ECM or the TCM but everything else on the car is running fine and if one of those was failing I think there would be more indicators.

So...what is the correct battery? I have read the 2002 needs the Type 92 battery a CCA of minimum 720. I am thinking a good ole Sears Die-Hard should do the trick eh?

peace out,
daddylogan

 

daddylogan, let the car sit overnight. Now, open the hood and remove the battery box cover. You should see 2 posts sticking out the top of the battery. One should have a red cable going to it, the other should have a black cable going to it (as I recall). Using your multimeter, set it to the "20V" scale on the section that has a band on the outside saying "DCV" (possibly VDC). Touch the red probe to the terminal with the red wire. Black probe to the post with the black wire. If you have a good battery, it should read 12.6 VDC. Keep in mind that this is assuming that you have the car doors shut and the car is completely turned off (ie, no electrical loads). If you are down around 12.4 VDC, then this would be a sign that your battery is on its way out.

As for what is happening to cause all the symptoms that you are seeing is as you crank the car over, the computers are coming alive and getting things going, they need a minimum voltage to know what is a good signal and what is a bad signal. If the voltage is dropping too low, then the computers start "mis-interpretting" what the car is saying during the start and therefore the computer will do random things because of what it is being told.

I bet if you pay attention, you will notice in the morning that you car will need to crank for say 3 seconds before it will start, where later in the day it will start almost immediately. This is another sign that the battery is starting to go. You may also notice that the car rolls over slower for the first start of the day where the ones later the starter seems to roll the motor faster.

All of this is pointing to a bad battery.

 

Thermo...I did exactly as you said. This was my first time actually seeing the battery as I never had reason to peek under the cover before. Anyhow, the positive side was really crusted up...badly. Took me a while to find the perfect place to touch the probes to but when I did I never got a reading higher then 12.31 VDC. I did it multiple time to be sure. Also the battery looked wrong...not like the Jaguar type batteries I seen online. It was way smaller then the fitting area and was marked with type: 48-60D.

So based on this information I am off to get a new battery today and hope all my issues go away!!!

peace out,
daddylogan

 

That was the code the week before last that told me Mr. Battery was terminal.


According to my iCarSoft 930, P1602 Engine Control Module Supply Voltage Low From Battery was my issue.


It was, indeed.

 

So as I stated earlier I measured the Voltage on the battery and is was at 12.3 and not at the recommended 12.6 by Thermo. So I went to Sears and had a full test done first, and there it showed 12.7 VDC BUT is showed the CCA at 122 and that the battery failed the testing and showed very little life in it.

So for those who are interested, Sears was having a 20% off on batteries today so I got a Die hard Gold GP 94 with a 765 CCA and a 140 RC. It was normally 179.00, so with the 20% discount and installation and new elbow bend for the drain hose the total with tax came out to $178.51 - and it comes with a no frills 3 year warranty. If it goes bad, I get a new one...good enough for me.

I can already tell the difference in starting and running as most all the noises went away and the car actually ran smoother.

Here is another interesting part...I did not have to reset anything in my car so I don't know what they did or how they did it, but my windows were fine, did not have to enter radio code, HVAC was still as I had left it, door locks worked as they should and Key FOB still paired.

So the takeaway it seems is that code 1602 (even though it is not listed on any of the code printouts I have) seems to indicate low voltage which in turn means the evidence points towards the battery. If anything changes I will post it but I think I am pretty sure this clears it all up! Thanks to all who chimed in and thanks to Thermo for being.......Thermo!!!!

peace out,
daddylogan

 

daddylogan, Sears saved the memory in the car by simply plugging in a small battery into your cigarette lighter socket. This keeps the car alive while they pull the main battery. Hence why you didn't need to reset anything. This is becoming a bigger issue with the newer cars and how sensitive they are getting to a complete power loss.