My first time. May need help in working through process. Vanden plas shuts down completely at random times. No noticeable pattern. Cleaned throttle body, replace camp position sensor and throttle body sensor along with all spark plugs. Idles great.

 

Any codes? The CKPS is hard to troubleshoot until it just fails completely, but it COULD cause this and is fairly cheap.

 

There are no codes thrown. I often drive with my OBD plugged in. I replaced cam shaft sensor. I heard that a 96 VDP didn't have a crankshaft sensor and I have been unable to locate one. I had the device that I would normally call a distributor (looks like one with a small view window in the top and an adjustment slot) rebuilt a year ago. Finally drove it to the best import repair in town who could not find or fix problem. He suggested ECM.

 

The CKPS is on the front of the engine and operated from the teeth on the back side of the damper / pulley. Have another look!

Run away from the guy who said ECM with no supporting data! (unless he had some you failed to communicate.

BTW, the car will start and run without the CPS, only it take longer to crank!

 

I may need some more clarification here. The sensor I installed I thought was called the cam shaft sensor which sits over the teeth on the front of the engine. It does not engage in the teeth. At least that's what I ordered and installed. The VDP cranks hard and if I adjust the device I say looks like a distributor, it starts easier but still stalls while driving in a random fashion.

 

i agree with RUN from that tech who said ECM because he didnt know what the issue was.

the crank sensor is what you seem to have replaced. and the cam sensor is the flat round one on the side of the block with the little window. check that the connection to the crank sensor is good and clean and do the same for the cam sensor. both come from a small joint on top of the AC compressor, tje cam sensor(littleglass on side of engine) i believe has no adjustment on our cars, you might be moving the cam sensors plug and at the sametime moving the other.
I have found on mine that most electrical issues are not from a part gone bad but from corrosion on the connections/plugs/terminals

 

If you replaced the TPS, did you take it to a dealer to get the ECU setup in software?

 

We have been fighting the AJ16 random stalling since the day they were made.
Jaguar issued TSBs and the forums are full of suggestions.
Some cars are NEVER cured of the random stalling. They run fine for several months and then start all over again.

Coils arcing, CKPS, IACV, throttle issues, ECM relays (HELLA blue), engine bay harness connector corrosion, ETC.

Read all the TSBs in the X300 03.1 and 05.1 sections and see if any are pertinent.

bob gauff

 

I cleaned the connections between the cam sensor and the crank shaft sensor. The cam sensor has an adjustable throw of about 3/4 inch, much like a distributer.

I did not readjust the ECM after installing the TBS. Is that essential? Can I do it myself? When the car starts and runs, it runs and idles great.

 

Well, OPINIONS vary, but the jaguar service maual is clear, after a TPS replacement, you are supposed todo the calibration, which must be done by dealer level software. Most Jaguar indies will have it.

 

The CMPS will not cause stalling. If there is no signal from the CMPS the engine will crank for a while and then try firing 180 degrees.

It is really only there to tell the ECM what bank is firing or on exhaust/intake (overlap).

Once the engine is running the ECM knows where it is.

bob gauff

 

Well, the VDP won't start at all now. My 66 e-type was never this troublesome!

I have a question about my 99 XJ8. Do I need a new thread?

 

Kirk,

Lately there have been a lot of mis-adjusted CMPS, which can cause hard starting. Need to find the sweet spot in the adjustment for easy starting. Give a slight turn of the sensor, tighten and retry.

Stalling: fuel, air, spark. Check fuel pump first. It's on top of (inside) fuel tank. You should be able to hear it prime for two seconds immediately after key on (with your head in the trunk to listen while your assistant keys on without starting). Also there are two relays that keep the fuel pump running: Right heelboard relay in fuse box, and trunk relay, second from right (with green base). If those relays go intermittent, the fuel pump loses power and the engine loses fuel. That was my big problem earlier this year.

Use the X308 forum for your XJ8. There are more differences than similarities between the two types. Plenty of helpers there too. Good luck, let us know what you find...

 

please check ignition relay,behind passenger side head lamp relay farthest from you when standing on side of car. just swap relay with any of the other two next to it. this corrected my random stalling on my xjr.

 

Thanks for all the help. I finally found the "sweet" spot on the cam and the old VDP starts well now. I cleaned all the connections in and around the cam and crack sensor and will take for a run this week.

 

I wouldn't describe my issue as a stall. I'll be crusing down the road and the engine just stops for a quarter of a second. Instantly, back running like nothing is wrong.

Just enough to make my head bob for that micro second and say "What the Hell is that?"

 

For those following my xj8, it runs very well now. Back to my VDP, not so much. Cleaned and reseated the four relays behind the left head lamp. Last several days, runs well in the garage for 6-8 minutes while I run it up to temperature. Just stalled again and unable to restart. Sometime the rpm shows engine turnover, other times, rpm sits on zero. Still no codes. Looking for other new things to try.