I was driving my 2006 Jaguar XJ8 to an appointment today when I had a very strange issue. From time to time, the radio would just stop working, as if the station were going out and then coming back in. It seemed to correspond with when I would activate the turn signal, but that could just be a coincidence. The radio would play for a bit (maybe a few minutes), then shut off again for about 5-15 seconds, then come back on. Then the ABS light on the dash came on (the one on the left side instrument gauge). After that, all sorts of errors started to show up, such as Transmission Fault, something to do with the parking break, etc. Then the car became sluggish when accelerating. Next, as I pulled into the parking lot for my appointment, the power steering seemed a bit ... heavy? As if it were not fully functioning. Once I parked the car, I turned it off. Looking under the hood, nothing seemed amiss there (belts looked good, etc.). Looking in the trunk, the battery and cables looked fine, too. Then I restarted the car and it asked me to press down the foot break and release the parking break, sort of like I've had to do when replacing the car battery in the past.

Since I was at my appointment, I went it, spent the hour there I needed to, and then went to start the car and see how it would do. It started fine. I drove it the full 20 minute ride home and had zero issues. Everything ran well, the car accelerated perfectly, the radio played constantly, and no warning messages showed up.

Any ideas what this was, what I should check, and/or what I should be looking out for?

Thanks in advance.

 

Such a raft of different odd behaviors it is likely to be something common.......two things come to mind intially:-
Check you battery voltage, it might be marginally low indicating a battery on the cusp of giving out.
Second thing would be checking your various grounding points for any studs that have begun to physically fail or show signs of corrosion.

 

+1

 

Yes, I would definitely check into the health of the battery/charging system. I let my car sit for 5-6 days last week and when I got in and pulled away is had all sorts of errors (Enginer System Fault, DSC Not Active, Park Brake Error, etc). After 2-3 minutes it all cleared up and has been fine since (about 600 miles). I think these cars drain battery power faster than others by leaving more modules active, so if not driving it for a few days I'll just put it on a tender.

Not sure if yours sat for a period before this happened but if so, I would bet that's the issue. If so give it a good charge and keep a tender on it when not in use.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the help with this.
Yes, my car sat for a few days. I tend to drive it once or twice a week. Never had this issue before, though. Also, the issue I described above started happening about 10+ minutes into the drive, not immediately. And, as said above, after the car sat for the hour I was in the appointment, the car started right up and I was able to drive it the 20 minute drive home with no issues.

So, question - if the car is cranking up fine and drove fine for quite a few miles before having the issues, could it be related to the alternator somehow?

 

Certainly could be and it would make more sense with the conditions you described. Unfortunately they're not as easy to remove as most vehicles, but removing it and taking it for a load test would tell you if its the problem. If I was going through the trouble of removing it I would just take it to a rebuild shp and have them so it so you know its good.

 

Maybe an intermittent power / ground somewhere.

 

So far, it's only happened that one time. The first time in over 7 years of owning the vehicle and over 60,000 miles of driving. So ... a fluke? Or something is starting to go ... sigh.

 

Been driving it for a bit now and it's not happened again. I have to go to the same place for a similar meeting tomorrow, so we shall see how the car does ...

 

If the battery has not been changed in the 7 years of your ownership, then it might be that it is starting to have issues. I would have it checked as a starting point.

I have replaced the battery on mine last year (after then 4 years of ownership, but the battery was much older), and since then I do not have had any issues, even if the car has not been used for a month.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

The batter had been replaced once, but that was 4 years ago.

 

Well, it's been more than 20 days of driving and the issue has not at all resurfaced. Everything is running perfectly with the car. Just an update, in case anyone is interested.

 

These cars are moody. My 2006 VDP parking sensors start making sounds every time a lightning strikes in the vicinity, all while driving. Today it burst some coolant on the floor of my garage, took it to my mechanic, no leaking visible and coolant levels were ok. Like my wife, I can't understand this thing but I love her in my life.