My A/C recently went out. I assumed it was the bad resistor in the BCM, but while poking around I found this unplugged electrical connector. I have no idea what it is. I replaced my air suspension with springs two years ago, could this be a leftover connector from that? I have no memory of it.

https://i.imgur.com/Oes3Nsr.jpg

 

Yes, that is the connector for the ECATS adaptive damping solenoid valve in the original air spring/damper unit. When I've done the coil conversions I've just used a zip tie to attach those connectors to some convenient point so they don't dangle around.

Regarding your A/C, do you mean the fan went out, or the control panel is not working? If it's the blower fan not working, check this thread for DIY blower control module repair:

Blower Control Module Repair with New Heatsink

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks. A/C 'thinks' it's working but it isn't blowing air. I think it's the BCM and will troubleshoot it soon.

I moved from Florida and left this car there with a dealer friend of mine to sell it for me about a year ago... someone bought it with an Amex card, and then disputed the transaction later, effectively stealing the car. It took months to get it back - the police didn't want to do anything at first, saying it's a civil dispute, until we finally got an officer to knock on the door and intimidate the degenerate into handing over one of my 3 keys.

Over the weekend I went to pick it up and it has a few problems that it didn't have before... loud clunking suspension, no AC, someone tried to rip the leaper ornament off, I now only have one key out of the original 3 - which is either dead or needs reprogramming, runs rough for a bit after starting it up when the engine is still warm from driving, etc. Fortunately it made the drive from Florida to Tennessee without incident over the weekend, except for the fact that no AC meant the window fogged up in the humid Florida part of the drive - I stopped at a Walmart and bought some anti-fog stuff which worked fair enough for the drive home.

Thanks for the info - I had replaced the suspension myself and didn't remember that connector.

Despite the problems, I'm kinda glad to have the car back - I had forgotten how pretty and comfortable it was. Miles are still low, I just passed 74k during the drive from FL. Now that it's not my daily driver (got a lifted Toyota FJ Cruiser for the TN hills), I can (hopefully) take my time fixing the problems myself at my own pace instead of shelling out big bucks for 'emergency' service. I'll have to decide whether I still want to sell it or whether to keep it as a weekend garage queen.

 

Since when are fraud and auto theft "civil disputes?" That's really aggravating! Did you file criminal charges? At the very least it seems like there ought to be some way to compel the thief to produce your other two keys or to compensate you for the cost of new replacements.

 

I wasn't there when the cop paid the guy a visit. I would have pushed for charges if that didn't work. I suppose I could try to sue for the keys or cost of replacement, but doing that costs money too.

Any idea how much it would cost to get a key cut and programmed? I see key blanks on Amazon for only $25 here: https://www.amazon.com/Keyless-Remot...jaguar+xj8+key

 

The keys can be cut by most Ford dealers and by any locksmith who can cut Tibbe keys. You can program the remotes yourself following a procedure I and others have posted to this forum. The problem is that those keys from Amazon probably do not contain the transponder necessary for the car's Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS). To get remotes with transponders included you may have to purchase the keys from a Jaguar dealer, but it would be worth asking the Amazon seller just in case.

I'm attaching a document by our member lcmjaguar that explains most of what you need to know about the keys, remotes and transponders.

Cheers,

Don