Hi all, bit of a haitus from here as my ex took my Jag XF SV8 and kept it in the divorce. Now I'm the cautiously proud owner of a 2011 XJ which I purchased for a bargain ($7K less than book price @96K miles).
I checked it out at the private dealers and although it ran fine, there are some dash warnings and some electrical items not working. I'll get to them in another post.
And after a few days of ownership, I'm now getting a P0A3B generator over temp warning on the OBDII scanner. I checked voltage at the battery and only showing 12.2 when the vehicle is running. The other warnings are
P0128 (Coolant temperateture below regulating temp) and P2406 (Evap emission leak). The coolant tank and thermostst have been replaced according to the dealer. He was pretty upfront with the issues and priced accordingly
I've seen a few posts about voltage issues causing faults or issues with system components. The TMPS and coolant level warnings are on the dash and several items inside are not functioning, like passenger mirror, rear screen, rear sunroof, backup camera among a few other things. Could all this be related to the battery issue? and I think changing the alternator would be a good first step, Anyone have experience with similar issues? Thanks.

 

You are very brave. I would have not bothered as these issues can be nightmares to figure out. Take to a qualified mech and pay them well.

 

I'm actually a mech, but work in industrial automation. I'm no stranger to a wrench. I'm hoping to gather some pointers from others experiences. My thoughts are that water got into the electrics at some point and is the root cause of why so many components aren't working.

 

Did you try a new battery to see if the problems disappear?

 

+1

Your ex has a good taste in cars

 

Not yet.only got it 2 days ago. Fault code for generator overtemp came up yesterday.battery is 2 years old, voltage is 12.2 running or not. I've ordered a new alternator on the back of that. I've read in other posts that alternator issues can cause all kinds of electrical bugs?

 

Not sure on that.she bought a VW Passat when we were together, which promptly shat itself.head gasket blowing was the biggest one.
She held onto the jag after we split and I couldn't get her to hand over the keys.had to go through the court system which shut down because of covid.by the time it got before a judge, she'd neglected it to a wreck.i told her to keep it and she sold it as soon as the divorce was complete. I've been driving a Chrysler in the interim.

 

Glad to see you on the forum and I think you have come to right place!

Now with the problems you currently have and with your skills as a mechanic I would say the FIRST step is to get an operating SDD setup. This is the Jaguar factory scan and service tool. There are good aftermarket ones too but you will really need an SDD sooner or later. Search for SDD and you will find several MASSIVE threads. It's such a big subject that the forum mods have tried to steer all the SDD questions into these large old threads.

SDD Thread

It takes some skill and time to setup and I have done it all for only the cost of an older dedicated laptop. How good are you with software and computer troubleshooting? The software and hack are free but the software is difficult and picky as well as VERY slow. It's a huge install and I spent days installing and allowing the software to update to it's hearts content.

Since you are experienced be aware that Jaguar identifies everything by the last 6 digits of the VIN of the car. You will always want to check with a dealer parts listing to make sure whatever part you are looking at does indeed fit your model of car. Updates and changes are made as running changes so even though the cars look about the same there are large differences depending on the year of the car.

With the year of your car are you familiar with the timing chain/tensioner issue? Has you car been updated? With 96K miles you might get lucky and have all this expensive repair work already done?

Again no advice on your errors but with a project of this size you really want that SDD just ASAP!
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Most electrical gremlins like you are describing point towards needing a fully charged battery. XKs which are more or less contemporary to your XJ (same 5.0L engine) do not like batteries that show less than 12.6 volts when not running. Your problem sounds like a classic case of needing a new battery. If you go that route make sure the new battery is fully charged when installed. Good luck!!

 

The P2406/EVAP codes are due to age/an actual EVAP issue. Normally it's the EVAP canister, pump, and fuel filler nozzle that pings the code up. You have to drop the rear end and swap all the parts out, which will run a good $600 or so in parts and more in labor.

 

I had the EVAP canister done on my '12 about a year ago. Yep, you have to drop the rear end to get to the canister and pump. Total was $2600 and change.

wombat

 

OK, update on this although I may make a seperate thread for todays issue. It's been a few weeks because we've been out of the country on vacation. Yesterday, left work and it took a few attempts to actually start. like turn off, press brake and start button and 3rd attempt it started. Met my wife and son at a taco place and when I tried to start the car to go home, it would not start. I had a brand new battery that I had fully charged from the night before ready in the trunk. Swapped out and same issue. When I hit the start button, i can hear a small 'snap' but the starter doesn't run, gear shifter doesn't rise but when I tap the start button, the message says 'igniton on'. I'm gonna hunt down the starter relay and see if it's actuating. I'm still waiting for the diagnostic cable to arrive so can't run full diags yet.

 

Hello-quick question. I bought a 2011 XK, and it kept saying the battery was low and I had to jumpstart it several times. When I replaced the battery, it looked almost new, now the same thing is happening-if I don't start it for 3-4 days, the battery might be dead, even though it is brand new-any thoughts? I bought a battery starter, but don't know why this is happening...why should I have to jumpstart it??

 

Sounds like something is drawing power when the car shuts off. May have to use an ammeter to check the various feeds from the battery to narrow it down. I woud start by pulling fuses one by one and check the draw accross the sockets. Make sure to use a suitably rated meter.

 

Thanks for your reply! Will check that.