So on my home last week all the warning lights in my cluster lit up and all the gauges stopped working (speedo,TACH, fuel, and temp). In the mileage display the following messages would be displayed: DSC not available, ABS not available, parking brake malfunction, transmission malfunction, air suspension malfunction (the ride was stiff and rigid). I was, at the time in stop and go traffic and so I pulled over and turned the engine off, bad idea. The vehicle would not restart, vehicle had power but engine would not turn over. Turn the key and click...click. A fellow motorist pulled over and thinking it was a battery problem tried a jump start, same problem, click...click. So I called a tow truck and had the XJ brought over to a local Jaguar independent. He fan faults and looked the car over and given the battery was several years old he suggested the battery be replaced. I had also told him that last winter I had water collect in the passenger front foot well due to a clogged sunroof drain tube. So be removed the interior panels and went looking for corrosion, he said so signs of any water damage. After the battery was replaced he said all seemed to be normal. So I had him change my oil and filters since it was there and I picked the vehicle up.
I drove home, about 15 miles and no problem. Drove to work the next morning, another 20 miles and all was fine. On my lunch hour I had to run to the post office and on start up noticed the steering felt heavy and stiff, on my way back steering seemed normal. Then came time for the drive home and less than a half a mile into the drive all the lights came back as they did the first time and the gauges went dead. I kept driving and in about another mile most of the warning lights went out but I was left with a check engine warning and a yellow parking brake malfunction warning. As far as the engine itself it never felt as if anything was wrong, smooth running and strong acceleration. Below is the fault list the independent was able to provide.

U2522 CAN message timeout to trans module

U2523 CAN message timeout to engine module

U2521 missing message from ABS

B1602 Passive anti theft received invalid format of key from ignition transponder

U2511 CAN data mis match (received date not as expected)

B2884 Steering column tilt movement fault

B2879 Fuel tank jet pump fault

B2881 Steering column reach movement fault , secondary axis

B2139 Data mismatch (received date does not match expected data)

P1638 CAN link engine communication module/instrument cluster/network malfunction

P0860 Gear shift module communication circuit

P1260 Security input/theft detected vehicle immobilized/theft detected -engine disabled

P1582 Flight recorder data is stored /electronic throttle monitor data available

P1672 CAN link engine control module to air suspension module network malfunction

P1699 CAN link engine control module/RCC network malfunction/CAN link engine control module /climate control module

P1774 CAN timeout gear shift

P1798 CAN transmission control module/instrument cluster circuit malfunction

P0706 Transmission range sensor circuit range/performance

C1279 YAW rate sensor circuit fault

C1093 Traction control disabled switch circuit failure

B2139 Data mismatch (received data does not match expected data)

U2521 Missing message from the ABS

U2523 CAN message timeout from the engine control module

U2522 CAN message timeout from the transmission control module

U1027 SCP (J1850) invalid or missing data for engine RPM

U1040 SCP (J1850) invalid or missing data for vehicle speed

So needless to say I'm a happy camper I will add that the faults relative to the steering could be from some damage done by the tow vehicle as the tool bag drug my vehicle up the ramp of the flatbed. I say this because the steering wheel is about 10-15 degree's off center.

Anyway any help or suggestions, aside from tossing a grenade in the front seat, will be greatly appreciated!

 

How old is your battery? That would be my first check.

 

As stated in the post above the battery has been replaced and all the symptoms returned. Initially I had thought battery as well but clearly that is not it. The charging system was tested as well and that was said to be fine. Yesterday I checked the connections at the MAF and throttle body. Connections were super clean with zero signs of corrosion. Based on what I've been reading some of these faults point to the TPS/throttle body going bad but given all the others I'm still not sure. Unless I get some solid feedback here I'll take it to the dealer and see what they might find.

 

Hi Don,
That's a helluva list.

You may have had a new battery fitted but was it fully charged before being fitted? (don't believe the seller)

Next thing to check is whether you have a parasitic drain on the battery.

You say you had water in the passenger side. I would be checking the BPM connector and if needs be, take it out and check the condition of the board inside.

Had anything been done to the car prior to this happening?.

Also check the ECM and its connector and at some point you may have to check the connector into the instrument cluster.

Hope this helps,

 

Vehicle was checked for drain, max was about 30Ma. The technician that looked at the car pulled the climate filter box out and checked the ECM and it's connector for signs of water damage/intrusion and all looked good. He did not, as far as I know, pull or look at the cluster. I've owned the vehicle since 01/2009 and other than a few recalls and maintenance all has been fine. In June the final stage for the climate fan went bad. I did this repair myself, it was very simple and strait forward. As for the battery itself the voltage with vehicle not running is 12.4 volts and it passes a load test so I'm going to rule that out.

 

All my lead acids read 12.6 at rest. I am still drawn to the fact that the symptoms went away with a fresh battery, and returned after driving for a while. It sounds like the battery is not charging fully. Especially since your reading at rest is down a bit.

Next time the symptoms are there, try the battery voltage with the engine running. The charging system may be intermittent.

 

Sometimes bad earths (USA="grounds") cause this problem. The most troublesome are located on the bulkhead behind the headlamp assemblies, two one side and one the other, (can't remember which side has two). These can get so corroded from salt solution that attempts to undo the securing nut cause the stud to just snap off. So it's always best to examine visually, and have a contingency plan in place in case one or all snaps off. The reason you're taking the nut off is to clean off all the crud and restore a zero ohms earth connection. Whilst you're in there have a look at the brake line running by this bulkhead. You'll probably find it is corroded. If not too bad, scrape off the crud and proof with a suitable anti-rust wax or grease.

 

Even if not the culprit, 12.4V is not that high, maybe 60% of full load. Was it fully loaded and does it keep the load?

 

12 volt car batteries are made up of six sells with each cell having an individual voltage of 2.1 volts. Therefore a fully charged battery will be 12.6 volts. With the vehicle running you will see about 13.4 volts give or take few tenths. The charging system is fine and as stated earlier the battery passes a load test. Not I'm not ruling out an electrical issue, in fact I think this is the problem, but at this point I'm leaning towards a wiring issue. Poor ground or wire corrosion somewhere. I also have to consider rodent damage as a possibility as they seem to enjoy chewing on wires. But so far I've not seen any evidence of this. I will be checking the ground wires at the front of the vehicle as suggested above. But this was and is a California car and I've never seen much in the way of corrosion on this or any car I've owned in the past. Not saying its not possible but I don't expect the problem to be easy to spot or resolve.

 

OK, was busy today with another obligation but when I was done with that I did the following:

Removed every relay and fuse from the vehicle. For the fuses I check for continuity even though I could see the fuses looked good (all were OK). When I removed the relays, since many were of the same part number and the markings at each contact were the same I moved them all to new locations marking where they came from and where they are now.

Check the ground wires behind the headlamps. One on the drivers side and two on the passenger side (see pics below). All looked pretty clean but I hit them with a brass wire brush for good measure.

Today I drive the vehicle about 45 miles and all was fine, each leg of the drive being about half of the 45 miles. The above checks were done after today's drive.

The passenger side upper ground lug/wires (didn't get a pic of the lower).


Drivers side before nut was removed.


The drivers side with wires removed from grounding lug.

 

DonsXJ* there is a TSB on this but most of the time its the battery

The TSB is XJ413-02
"Multiple Warnings On Instrument Cluster – Poor Pin Connections – Check & Repair Pins"

PM me you email address if you cant find it and I'll send it to you

Cheers
34by151

 

Thanks for the TSB's!! They were/are very helpful.

 

Glad to help, report back if that fixed your issue or if you still need help

Cheers
34by151

 

The earthing (ground) studs look very good ! Make sure you coat them with some anti-corrosion stuff when all is bolted back down. What did the brake line look like BTW ?

 

A ham-radio antenna kit I bought many years ago advised painting all the nuts and bolts with two coats of 'yatch varnish'. Certainly the earth by the battery in the boot/trunk of mine, which I think is undisturbed from new, looks like it's been painted with something akin to that; that's what I'd use.

Dave (G4ZOG) in Glos

 

This past weekend I worked through TSB is XJ413-02. I didn't find anything that appeared to be a problem when checking the connectors. I did however clean all connectors and applied some of this: CAIG DeoxIT SHIELD S5S-6 Spray 5 oz. 341-240 to all the connectors I checked and cleaned. Will drive and see what happens.

 

So after working through the TSB and about a week of driving all the symptoms returned. I have taken the vehicle to my local dealer and they have also worked through the TSB. I was/am OK with that as I wanted to be sure I didn't miss anything. They have had the car since the 9th. Today I get a call and I'm told they have a fault for the J-gate. It looks like the J-gate is on the same CAN network as the cluster, DSC, air suspension, engine, transmission modules. The only other fault I get, the parking brake, seems to be on a different line, although all come from/through the cluster (see PDF link page 12). Any thoughts or feedback, as always, is appreciated.

http://www.captainjaguarscathouse.co...ec%20Guide.pdf

 

I had a fault that was identified as a detected anomaly between what the J gate said, and what the TCM (transmission control), said to the ECM on the transmission setting when starting the car. After a swap-out of the J-gate, plus cleaning of the connection pins where the connection is made to the TCM, all was well and has remained so since last year.

 

Don, I have had similar issues with my 05 XJ8L. The first was after buying it. I drove 150 miles with no issues at all until some stop and go driving. Then it lit up like a Christmas tree! It quit charging which caused all the warning lights and such. The end result was the main wire connection on the back of the alternator that connects to the starter/battery was loose which was causing an arc which shorted the alternator out. I replaced the alternator, which was a real treat having to remove the motor mount to get it out, and it was good to go. Then the sun/moon roof drain was clogged and water leaked in to the cabin right on the "J-Gate"! Same symtoms as you describe with the lights again! Dried it out with compressed air and time, cleared the drains and all was good! It leaked in again later with the same results. BTW, the J-Gate locks in Park as well when that happens! Hope that helps! Good Luck!

 

So it will be a week ago tomorrow I picked up my XJ8 after having the J-gate replaced which was identified as the cause of my problems. So far so good, just thought I'd update for those that might be curious.