I am a bit handy and i was requested to look at this nice 1995 Jaguar. The problem is that the car does not crank, nor start. The lights on the dash turn on at the test sequence. The oil and charge light stay on but the "check engine" light also turns off. I also need to mention that the P on the gear shifter turns on. Since this problem started the power locks also stopped working. When i try to read the ECU with the scanner i get the message, "no fault code". When i try to read the datastream i only get -- (stripes) behind all the options. I have checked as much relays and fuses as possible. Been on it for 5 days in a row.
Any help on where to look for the problem will greatly be appreciated

 

What is battery voltage across the terminals when checked with a voltmeter?

Is there power to starter solenoid when the key in the ignition switch is turned to the START position?

 

4 door ?

In maneuvering the shift column out of the park position / detent does the key barrel click with your fingers on it , this verifies the " not in park " switch

With your finger on it does the large starter solenoid relay # 4 click with key rotation ? there are other relays in the area that will click as well

With your finger on it does the small relay # 9 on the right engine bay fuse box click with key rotation ( ignition positive relay that powers the engine ECU )

Is the engine a 3.2 or 4.0 liter , the starter circuit is a little different

Never install your friends battery in backwards , positive post forward

Never over tighten the battery positive post , breaks the special nut underneath in half

Pics coming

 

Hi 2trust,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums!

You can download the wiring schematics at this link:

Jaguar X300 Electrical Guide 1995

The OBD system on the X300 is primitive and I have found that many of my modern scan tools do not like to communicate with them, and when they can, the systems do not provide much information beyond basic emissions-related codes, misfire codes, etc. Problems such as a failed starter motor, failed starter relay, corrosion on the battery power connections between the trunk and engine bay and the important ground points (including both ends of the engine ground strap), failed ignition switch, failed Park/Neutral switch, etc. will not trigger diagnostic trouble codes on these cars, so you have to work through all the usual suspects the old-fashioned way.

One quick test you could try is to remove the starter relay (see 4 in the diagram in Parker's post) and use a large paperclip bent into a U to jump terminals 3 and 5 in the relay socket. This should apply battery B+ voltage directly to the starter solenoid. This should tell you if the starter solenoid and motor are good, assuming the battery can supply sufficient voltage/current (see NBCat's post) and there is no significant problem with the wiring between the battery and starter or relay and solenoid.

Cheers,

Don

 

Does "no engine check light" also mean something? Does your car has an immobilizer? If it is immobilized, the starter will not crank.

 

Chip in key ?

 

Reset the inertia / crash switch

this will always be forward of the car's right front door hinge

 

rest of world has immobilizer and a KTM. look up the wiring diagram get an IDS to make keys if you end up needing to fire the parts cannon

america cars don’t need security module to run

 

The inertia switch will allow the engine to crank, but since the fuel pump is disabled by this switch, it would never start.

If it's not even cranking, the inertia switch is likely not the culprit.

I would check the battery to make sure its got enough juice to start the car.

After that the gear shift interlock is a good guess as well. If the car thinks it's not in Park, it will not crank.

Can the security module come into play here? I don't believe Jaguar chipped keys in 1995, but if the security module can defeat the start signal.

Lastly, can it be a bad starter? Maybe tap that sucker with a long screwdriver and see if there's any response?

 

The inertia switch will prevent the right engine bay fuse box relay ( ignition positive relay ) from closing which in turn will not have the fuse # 12 / 10 amp powered for the engine ECU

The engine ECU must be powered to provide a agreement / enable to the body processor module for starter solenoid relay command being provided by the BPM in the form of a ground to the starter solenoid relay

Need the version of his engine before posting a pic of his starter circuit that has been drawn out to include and that shows this , otherwise it is point 7 double hash stop sign page 40 and 38 of the 96 wiring guide (page 39 and 36 of the 1995 wiring guide )

Need to know if his starter solenoid relay clicks as the divides the starter system in half

The security lock control module and Body processor module must both be powered and the trunk fuse box fuse # 4 / 10 amp and # 5 /10 amp may have been removed to silence the alarm during storage

# 1 fuse is closest to the large terminal post on the fuse box

 

Wow, thanks for all the advice received. I noticed that i did not give all the information that i had. Just forgot.
The battery is brand new and shows 12.4V. The car is a 4 door souvereign
The starter motor works. When i trigger the relay or give it +12v it cranks. All fuses measured are good.
Maybe the car has an immobilisor. On the key there are 2 keys, one that opens the door and the other that starts the car. When i was at the ignition switch i found a transponder ring around the barrel. There are also 2 (looking like original jaguar) remote controls on the keychain. These do not work. They have batteries and a green and red light light up but nothing happens when the button is pressed. I was not thinking of the immobilisor because that, i think, would have lit up the check engine light.
I have also checked the inerta switch which is good.
I get a nice solid red P when the car is in Park. When i play with the shifter while in Park i can feel an extra click near the shifter.
If there is a problem with the gear position switch on the gearbox would that not make the check engine light turn off
I think that my problem lies in something not turning the check engine light on. That same thing causes the power locks not to work.

 

There is a solenoid located by the shift box that could be giving you a clicking sound

this is the shift interlock solenoid

See page 20 , although it doesn't show in the diagram it is forward of the box

X300 1996 LWB.pdf (jagrepair.com)

What size of engine ( 3.2 or 4.0 liter ) as this makes a difference on the transmission that makes a slight difference on the starter circuit

Your question on the relationship of the no check engine light ........................

the engine ECU probably needs to be powered for the CEL light in this instance other than the ECU providing an enable to the BPM for the starter

The ECU being powered by the right fuse box relay ( ignition positive relay ) clicking closed by rotating the key

for a one person check you can leave the key in the run position with the engine not started , remove the relay and it will click in your fingers going from a closed relay to a open relaxed relay

This relay on the right can be swapped with the relay on the left engine bay fuse box ( in reality only runs the car horn )

There is a second power source for the ECU that is used at all times that passes through the large relay # right 5 ( engine management system control ) and can be swapped with a headlight and such of the same relay part #

The shift interlock solenoid would probably not move out of the way to allow you to shift out of park with the key chip transponder ring not working

The FOBs should be out of the picture even though not wooking at this time , but this does point to the security lock control module which must be powered for starter enable

large BT4 connector above the fuel tank visual check for the tie wrap on the lock bar ? if you remove the connector, it can be troublesome to reconnect and possibly break the lock pins