Hello Jag forum,
This is my 1st post having just joined. My issue is that all the instruments have gone dead on my 95 XJ6. From what I gather it could be the Instrument Pack Module. Any advice on this is very much appreciated. How to trouble shoot, how to repair if possible, where to find a used part and advice on replacing if necessary.

Both front seats have stopped functioning as well Could this be related?

Lastly the drivers side window will no longer go up or down. Fortunately it is stuck in the up position.

All of these things seem to have happen at the same time.

Oh and my heater and defrost has been intermittent since I got the car a couple years ago. The A/C works fine, but now with winter on us I'd like to get this issue resolved.

Sorry to dump so many issues on my first post. The instruments are my top priority.

Thanks in advance for you help,
Marc

 

Hi there and welcome. Like yours, my instruments recently died. I put up a post requesting input but heard nothing, so rather than leave you floundering in the wilderness, I thought I'd reply and give you the benefit of my experience, but so far, unfortunately, no cure. I checked the relevant fuses, which feed the relevant relays. The fuse boards are mounted in the engine bay, both sides just to the front (small oblong black box) and also in the boot/trunk, between the battery and the rear of the car. Finally, two more fuseboards in the rear passenger kickboards, thats the panel between the floor and the base of the rear seats. The relevant fuses are either 5 or 10 amp and should be in the kickboards. I checked every fuse in every board, but all good. Then I moved on to the relays. The relevan relay should be a blue one, though this seems to have been superceded by a brown one at some stage. I checked all relays by replacing them with an appopriate known working one. No effect! Then I checked all earths/grounds and I suspect that this might be at the root of your problem, given the number of electrical gremlins you have. There is an earth point beneath the centre console, below the rdio/heater controls. removal of the "ski slope" is easy and covered here, so a search will unearth that. ( No pun intended!) There are also two earth points, each side of the front bulkhead below the windscreen, inside the engine bay. Some more are to be found beside the battery and on the bonnet/hood, near the hinge. Another is on the transmission, low down underneath, and also there is one on the engine/block, low down also.

All of the above can be found via searches on here. A suspect ignition switch is a consideration, as is the electrical connector opposite the ignition, under the cowling at the steering wheel. Finally, the actual plug/ connection into the instrument panel could be suspect. Taking out the dash/instrument cluster is simple enough to check this out. Let us know how you get on and good luck.

 

Sogood,
Thanks for your post/reply. I too checked all the fuses and relays but have not checked the grounds. Thanks for the info. I did find the following about this on an internet search I did. It may be useful to you...I don't know.

Problem with 1994 Jaguar XJ6
Failing Instrument Module Jaguar 1994 4.0l Sovereign
I was driving along when I noticed all the dash warning lights flash on, a few days later they did it again I noticed that they went through the same cycle as when starting the car next time while driving the whole dash went dead and stayed so until I restarted the car.
Eventually the dash stayed dead so I have replaced it with a good unit (out of a 1994 4.0l) from EBay now the speedo does not work the rev counter only works up to 3000rpm the fuel gauge only reads half full when the tank is full but all other instruments and warning lights work as normal I have a 1994 Jaguar 4.0l sovereign vin69**** are there different instrument modules for that year? have I bought a bad module? Has anyone the wiring info for this model's instrument plugs?
Peter
Posted by peter1234567 on Jun 03, 2009
2 Solutions
3 Comments

peter1234567 Jul 10, 2009
Hi All

This instrument module is finally fixed, having bought a spare which did not work properly I decided to
check the differences with a voltmeter, first I removed my module then removed the shroud from
the instruments pack(4 screws). Then the back panels from each module to expose the printed
circuit boards, next I refitted the original instruments in the car,(on this module nothing works)
and switched on the ignition.
I assumed that there is an open circuit somewhere, so for simplicity I picked
the two large blue axial capacitors and checked voltage at the positive end of both, one had battery voltage
the other had 6 volts aha!. next I swapped instruments (on this module all warning lamps work normally
the fuel gauge and rev counter works partially the speedo does not work) and again checked the blue
capacitors at positive terminals both had battery voltage Eureka!!! Swapped over instruments again and
fitted a jumper cable to link both positive terminals and the instruments came to life and all was working
although my finger holding the jumper in place got a bit warm!. Next I removed both printed circuit
boards from the instruments then placed a large plastic bag over the hole in the car dashboard area,
and through 2 holes I had made in the bag pulled the wiring plugs (this for safety). and connected
the original circuit board back into place.
Now it was a simple matter of tracing the circuit from the capacitor positive terminal back to the
power input at the smaller plug fitted at left hand end viewed from driver’s seat.
(with lights off and key to ignition-on there are only 2 terminals live ) I was looking for a component with
batt volts on one terminal and 6 volt at the other(the IC chips where beyond my capabilities to test so
were ignored) the first was marked R100 so was swapped no good, the next was marked 1N4 004 when I
swapped it out I had batt volts at both pos terminals on the blue capacitors, I rebuilt the module and
refitted it into the car and all is good.
This required patience and perseverance swapping PCB's after each test took time,
I also started as close as I could to the source of power to the board.
The faulty part is marked 1N4-004 and I think is a diode.
Look here for module removal instructions
Peter

 

The heater problem sounds like you need to check the thermostat. If it is stuck in the open position, it would prevent your heater from working. Easy fix.

As I suggested to you in the other thread, check the binnacle itself. Its connections may have become worn. It is fairly easy to remove.

The seats are controlled by the module under the seat. The other possibility is that the switch itself on the seat is malfunctioning. The contacts can become dirty and not work. Same with the window in the door.

 

Hey thanks Jack,
Now that you mention it, the thermostat does sound like it may very well be it.
I'll check the binnacle.
I'm pretty sure my seat issue on the driver side is the control switch on the side of the seat, it's been intermittent for a while. But that doesn't explain the passenger side seat not functioning. Can the contacts be cleaned and restored to working order?
Thanks again,
Marc

 

Yes they can. GENTLY pop the module off the side of the seat without breaking the casing. Then disconnect the wires from the module. Take the module into a well lit room and pop it open over a container.

Do this at your kitchen table with a plastic container large enough to work over!!!

You will need a pencil with an eraser and a small paint brush.

Hold the outer facing of the module in your off hand while you use your dominant hand to pop the back of the unit off. Make sure to lift it up so that the loose pieces stay in the fascia in your off hand. When you get this open you will understand why I say this. There are little plastic actuators inside the unit that make the connections between the buttons and the gold plated contacts. These actuators are specific to their locations. Make sure you remember where they go. Once you have the unit apart you will need to lift up the rubber sheeting.

You should now see the little circular gold plated contacts. Gently clean each one with the head of the eraser. Brush off any eraser leavings with a small paint brush.

Make sure not to repack any dust or dirt into the unit when you reassemble it.

Reassemble in reverse order.