My 2006 XJ 2.7 is showing some issues that are mechanical and electrical... I am unsure if they are linked, but they appear to be? The main issues are:

1. Battery not charging fully - when cold it shows to be charging between 11.5 and 12.3 volts (12.3 being the maximum I have seen) - The battery is a 100ah and 1 month old, it was renewed as I initially suspected a bad battery... not so!
2. If I switch off the engine when warmed, and then restart (often with difficulty) it starts charging between 12.7 and 13.6 volts - I admit the measuring is inaccurate as it's only measured by a USB device in the 12v accessory socket but, the differences between cold and warm are significant however meaasured.
3. After re-starting, the steering can become noticeably heavier. The obvious common denominator being the belt or pulley damage, but they have been replaced with new... no affect!
4. I replaced the Generator, made no difference at all!
5. If I go for a longer run say 15-20 miles or so (while charging at the higher voltage) the battery charges and the engine spins over ne problem when starting.
6. Again, not certain, but when it is charging 13 or above volts the car seems to have more power? The uncertainty may be down to my subconcience?
7. Likely unrelated is a persistent 'Restricted Performance' warning and going into limp mode. But if I switch off, then immediately restart, the restricted performance disappears and doesn't come on again for the rest of that journey?

The only similar occurance to the first 6 above was around 18 months ago. Following noises from the engine, I found the tensioner pulley had collapsed (this is when I replaced it along with a new belt). It could be that the steering stiffness and the charging issues are totally unrelated, but somehow this all seems to tie together... I'm hoping someone agrees and can offer some insight into the potential problem(s).

I understand from my local dealer that the output charging voltage can also be governed by the ECU, but as there are no codes thrown up I haven't yet gone down that road. I have the SSD/IDS software but I'm not completely offey with that to mess about with the ECU.

I would really appreciate any help with this... on my X308 I would likely know where to start, but that doesn't have the electronics the X350 does!

many thanks in anticipation...
Paul

 

Have you checked the earth points on the bodywork for corrosion or loose connections?

Happy Christmas!

 

No I haven’t! And that seems to be an obvious check that didn’t occur to me for some reason? Something I will check when the (UK) weather allows. I will report back on this one… thanks very much
Paul