I picked up my '99 XJ8 from the shop on Friday after a tensioner/timing chain job and new coolant hoses all round. I asked the shop to have the vehicle smog checked (required in my state for retagging) before they returned it to me. Since the vehicle sat idle for a long time and the battery died (it had to be replaced as well), all the engine codes were zeroed and they couldn't. I drove the car for a while to try to reset it (I learned from my last episode to check for the 1111 code on an OBD reader before going in), and suddenly a check engine light appeared. The codes returned were:

P1384
P1396

I wrote them down, then cleared them. I drove the car again, and Sunday night I was finally reading the four magic ones. I left the house this morning and I was literally on the way to the smog shop when my yellow friend appeared on the dash again. I took the vehicle back to the place that did my tensioners for a more thorough diagnostic. The verdict: failed VVT solenoid on the left bank with intermittent failure on the right bank.

Overall the check engine light has appeared four times since I brought the vehicle home. The 1384 code has appeared all four times, the 1396 code twice.

How difficult is it to replace the solenoids? The shop gave me an estimate that included over $500 for labor, when my impression is that you just remove the valve covers and unbolt the solenoids. The news is bad enough: The solenoids are over $300 each just for the parts, at a time when I have just dropped significant cash getting the engine fixed - only to have to park the car again for who knows how long. I found used ones on eBay for $50 each, but I can't see buying used electronic parts. Also, if there are any ideas short of replacement, I'm all ears.

You guys have saved me tons of money already, and I'm grateful for that. Thanks in advance.

 

I'd be asking more questions of my mechanic...like why all of a sudden, after engine work that they did, are you getting VVT errors...both banks?!? Is it running ok, any loping or hesitation at start or during normal driving?

Try a hard reset also first; when a battery drains, it can do all sorts of weird things to the computer, even after a fresh one is installed or the old one is recharged. My replacement battery resulted in an interior light ghost that wouldn't let me turn the damn thing off...and my alarm wouldn't arm either. Clean 'reboot' fixed that one.

 

The car runs fine. As a matter of fact, when I was stopped in traffic I had to look at the tachometer to make sure the engine was still running. There have been no issues with performance or fuel economy either.

When I talked to the owner (a master Jag/Land Rover mechanic) he told me that electronic things often fail without warning - which is true. He also said that he has seen VVT solenoids fail several times, especially on Jaguars of this age. Maybe all the jostling that took place when my tensioners and chains were being replaced just pushed some weak solenoids over the edge. Maybe the car sitting idle all that time with a dead battery contributed. I don't know.

I don't know whether this is just coincidental, but I suspect that it is. This shop has a great reputation for honest repairs and prices, and they have done work for me before on both this car and my '03 Mini Cooper. Their entire business is repairs, so they wouldn't be in it for long if they were screwing people over - especially with all the high-end vehicles they service.

I will try the hard reset as you suggested before doing anything else. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I suppose that the reason a hard reset didn't occur to me is that I thought that putting a new battery in would have the same effect. They had to disconnect both of the VVT solenoids to do the work that they did. This weekend when I have more time I am also going to reseat the connectors and check for wiring cracks, and possibly clean the connectors. I'm not sure whether the solenoids themselves can or should be cleaned. Depending upon how they operate, they may just be a bit sluggish due to lack of use.

 

Bought some electronic terminal cleaner from Radio Shack, found oil deposits inside the solenoid connectors on both sides. Also did the hard reset, disconnected the battery for about ten minutes. Will see if all this helps.

 

BTW - if I do wind up changing VVT solenoids, does anyone know if there are compatible ones on the Ford parts list?

 

No, but I have a pair of good Jag ones at reasonable cost.

 

OK - depending upon what returns first (the all clear code or the VVT solenoid fault) I may be in touch with you. I drove the car all afternoon without the check engine light returning, but still don't have the all clear code.

 

An update, in case this might help someone down the road. The shop told me that I needed new VVT solenoids on both sides, at a cost of just over $1,500 (after I had just paid for a tensioner/timing chain job, a new water pump and new hoses). After I calmed down enough to think rationally I thought through the situation, which led me to the real problem.

My thought process:

1. The shop probably did not remove the VVT solenoids while replacing the tensioners and timing chains, so it is unlikely that they are damaged.

2. The likelihood of both VVT solenoids going out at the same time is practically nil - yet I was getting error codes triggered by the solenoids on both sides.

3. If the solenoids were failing, as the shop hypothesized, the check engine light should have come on shortly after I started the car, and returned shortly after I cleared the error codes. This wasn't happening. It was showing up at random points after the vehicle had been operated for a while (sometimes several days) - which pointed to a temporary interruption or drop of power to the solenoids - which suggested a wiring or connector problem.

4. I inspected the wiring running to both solenoids and found no breaks in the wiring nor nicks in the insulation.

5. After buying some spray electronics cleaner at Radio Shack, I removed the connectors from the solenoids. When I sprayed each side, motor oil residue shot out of the connector. The left was dirtier than the right - which makes sense, because the left solenoid was triggering the most error codes. More than a week later, I have had no more check engine lights. I finally got the all clear code this afternoon and I will be taking the car in for a smog check.

The shop's solution would have fixed the problem - but only if they cleaned the connectors. Their solution: $1,500 plus. My solution: $12 plus tax.

I'm not saying that the cheap and easy solution will work every time, but this is the second time that trying it has saved me major money.

 

It should be a maintenance item to separate, clean and reseat all the connectors that are accessible. What was your mileage when all the fun started?

 

love a happy ending - did your shop replace the VVT seals? I wonder how the oil got there.

 

Very good thinking, I like your troubleshooting skills. Congrats!

 

About 76,500 miles.
New seals were on the parts list, so I assume so. The oil that was there appeared to have been there for a while, but you would not have seen it from a visual inspection of the connectors. It was only when I sprayed the electronics cleaner into the holes that this brown liquid sprayed out.

As far as how the oil got there - these are open connectors with no protective rubber boot. I can only assume that there was vaporised oil that must have deposited there over time when the valve covers were leaking (the shop replaced the gaskets, plus the spark plug seals and installed new plugs).

 

A forum member on the XK8/R forum had a similar story after a tensioner change. He ended up replacing the VVT's, the solenoids and then found that the pins in the connectors had been bent on reinstallation. Never did understand why he didn't come to some financial settlement with the shop.

 

Usually when I see oil inside a connector it is because it is seeping through the part that the wires hook on to. I have even read about coolant migrating through a harness from the coolant level sensor on certain VWs.

 

Well, it's a horrible thing to think, but it's possible that the shop didn't get the cam timing right when they did the tensioner job. I'd just keep that in my back pocket in case the issue crops up again.

 

I appreciate the suggestions. The car was smogged and tagged this morning, so hopefully there won't be any repeats.

I had a Plymouth years ago that dripped transmission fluid onto my foot while I was driving it. The rubber seal on the speedometer cable failed, and the fluid followed the cable sleeve into the cabin.

I looked at the pins when I took the connectors off and they appeared to be fine. I'm hoping that dirt was the only problem.