Hello,

With all the cold weather (0-15*F) we've been getting here in the Northeast USA, I've noticed some of the cold-weather issues with my XJ12.

First off, there's a little switch in the ignition switch that senses when the key is in the switch. When you take the key out, this switch is sticking on me, which keeps the warning buzzer active even though I have the key out. Also, when locking the car, I get the error beep because the alarm thinks I still have the key in the ignition.

I'm wondering what kind of lubricant I can use that's safe for electrical switches and lock tumblers.

Also, my door locks are getting stiff with the cold weather. When I pull on the driver's door handle, the door lock tries the pop up, but doesn't. I usually have to pull up on the door lock manually, or press the central locking button before I turn the engine off, which unlocks them all very well.

Any ideas on lubricating the lock linkage? I tried spraying them with a lithium grease a couple weeks back, and that worked perfectly when it was warmer, but now the cold seems to be too much.

Thanks,
Nick

Nick I posed this question to a locksmith some time ago.

Rightly or wrongly he told me to use Graphite Powder lightly dusted on the keys/locks.

His theory was that any oily type product will also make fine dirtdust stick to the key/locks.

I have used his advise for years with success and no adverse reaction.

Nick,

+1 on Neil's advice to use graphite instead of any type of petroleum or other oily lubricant that can attract dust and make things worse over time.

I'm not sure if the "key detection" switch is part of the ignition switch itself, but it probably is. If lubricating the key passage with graphite doesn't solve the problem, you may need to replace the switch. They don't last forever, and the last time I checked they were still available from Jaguar. The photos at the link below are of our '93, but the setup on the X300 is similar:

http://www.jag-lovers.org/snaps/snap...?id=1354203684


Cheers,

Don

Graphite powder is conductive.
I would not use it on any electrical switches.

Ahhh. Good point. But we probably don't have to worry. what we're lubricating is the lock cylinder, or 'lock barrel' to some.

The ignition switch itself ...the part with the electrics....is a separate piece from the lock cylinder section where the key is inserted. So the graphite isn't reaching those electrical bits.

However, I'm not entirely sure if the 'key in ignition' trigger is in the lock cylinder or in the actual switch. The clue would be wires coming from the lock cylinder....or lack of wires.

Cheers
DD

Doug,

I think you're right, as usual. :-)

The ignition switch is contacted only by the very tip of the key, and the receptacle or socket where the key fits is made of white plastic (Nylon?), so I don't think we have to worry about electrical conductivity (see Photo 9 in the album at the link I posted earlier). I suspect the sensor for the presence of the key is in the main ignition switch, but I haven't found any confirmation of that in the electrical schematics.

Cheers,

Don