Hey all! I am receiving a single click from the engine bay, but there is no crank/no start occurring. I have a new battery installed. The solenoid click appears to be coming from the front of the engine bay, but it's my understanding that the starter is buried under the intake. Could someone send a photo of the exact location of the starter? The car sat in a garage for several years due to some family issues. A mouse (or some kind of rodent) made a nest under the engine cover and ate through some wiring. That's all been replaced now. Any help would be appreciated!

New battery
HUD functions as it should
FOBs have new batteries installed
Cleaned all contacts (except starter)
Replaced some bad wiring under engine cover

 

Just out of curiosity do you know what make, model, configuration and year is the vehicle that you're referring to? And if you do, would you mind sharing that with The Forum?

 

Very good question! I guess my signature didn't save. It's a 2011 XJ (standard model) 5.0 V8

 

Starter is not under the intake - that's called the oil cooler.
The starter is under the right-rear (left as you look from the front) of the engine.
Do you have a dealership or mechanic near wherever your location is?
With the info you've given, there is almost no limit to what could be causing what you're describing.
For example, with the general description that 'the battery was just replaced', it's possible that the wrong battery was installed, possibly even with the wrong terminals on the wrong side.
In that case, the vehicle would do nothing beyond (if even this far) maybe a click at the relay that connects directly to the battery & sees that it's getting the wrong polarity and going no farther than there.

Almost any mechanic could provide at least some level of help, preferably a dealership that would know what it should be doing, and what is keeping it from doing that.

 

Thanks for the quick response! I have rebuilt several British vehicles (MG's and older Land Rovers), including the motors, and a number of newer American cars, but this one is my first stab at a "newer" Jaguar. It definitely is the correct battery and it's in the proper orientation. The amperage and voltage are all in the green and power is being supplied to the engine compartment fuse box. One can hear a solenoid click in the engine bay. It's rather difficult to determine it's exact location, but appears to be coming from the bottom of the engine (which makes sense with what you stated). Usually, I'd just crawl under the vehicle and take a peek, but since it's no longer in a garage and it's sitting on the bump stops (air suspension is deflated), I wanted to dot my i's so-to-speak and ping you wonderful folks before needlessly jacking it up. I've verified that all ignition relays are in good shape, and power is making it beyond them. The next thing to check would be the starter itself. I cannot readily locate an engine diagram. Now that I know the location of the starter, I will jack it up and crawl under it. Sadly, I've called all local mechanics, even two friends' shops and nobody wants to take on a Jaguar. The nearest dealer is 1.5 hours away and they are ridiculously expensive, not to mention, the tow fee.

I greatly appreciate your help! I will keep y'all in the loop, if you want

 

Out of curiosity (again), do you own your XJ. or are you repairing it for someone else?
As long as you're checking for voltage being applied to the cable that goes to the starter and the solenoid that actuates it, I would certainly suspect the starter ASSUMING the engine isn't completely locked.
Also, the front suspension of the 2010+ XJ does not have air springs.

 

No worries! It's for a friend of mine. He lives out-of-state and had the car shipped down to me as I live near where he used to. He's wanting to fix and sell it. I am very interested in purchasing it from him. My next stop is to get to the starter to clean contacts and check for voltage. I will be easing some ramps under it this weekend and get at the starter. It still needs new rear taillights (condensation) and a bonnet sensor. It's a nice car, just needs some loving.

 

I would go back to the wires getting chewed up?
Did the car ever run correctly AFTER this repair? How do you know it's all fixed?

As posted above the car can't sink down because it only has air suspension in the rear. Is the front end sagging too? Maybe another set of problems?
Can you get the Jaguar SDD installed so you can check the car out better?
These are complicated cars and it can be difficult to find and fix problems without knowing what's wrong.
.
.
.

 

The car, from my understanding, has not run in about two years. The wires that were chewed, three of them, were cut out and new ones soldered in. Each chewed section was about six inches long. I did military and law enforcement vehicle modification and designed and deployed military surveillance systems for about a decade. The repair is as good as it could be without getting a new OE harness. While I cannot guarantee it's fixed (because the car is still not operational), I do trust my work and know that the next place to look is the starter/starter wiring. The front end is not lowered-- just the rear. It just makes it difficult, with my assortment of jacks, to get under it. I have a friend who owns a race team and I'm going to borrow a racing jack. It's very low-profile and should work for this.

I don't see why not. Great recommendation! I will see about purchasing and installing the Jaguar SDD. I've purchased the Land Rover diagnostics hardware and software and it's been very instrumental, no pun intended, in diagnosing my wife's Range Rover. You're definitely right! It's a complicated vehicle! I definitely prefer working on older vehicles

 

I am having the same issue on a 2011 XJ with the 5.0, I just recently got the car and took it for a car wash and had a nail in a rear passenger tire and had it repaired and when I attempted to restart I got the CLICK. I took off the starter and took it to get rebuilt and he said nothing was wrong with it. I checked the engine to make sure it turns and it does so its not locked. Just seeing if anyone has found a solution. I have read about the starter cable running on the passenger side that I will be checking and I was told about a 400 amp fuse that works the starter system but have yet to find the location of it. Thanks for any help.

 

Definitely get hold of a diagnostic scanner, otherwise you're fishing around in the dark. The best investment I ever made for my 2011 portfolio.

 

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Car will need to be powered on and driven for a while (less than a mile) for the rear to pump back up regularly @deodra . Ran into the same issue when I was trying to lift it as well.