Hello everybody !

I am located in France and I am facing sever issues with my newly acquired X300 3.2L auto...

I explain:

• The iddle is bad, as if the engine was running on 5 cylinders, or even less...
• At iddling, exhaust gaz smells very bad, with signs of poor combustion
• when driving, the engine is lacking power between 1000 and 2000 RPM
• above 2000 RPM, the engine sounds good and seems powerfull
• Randomly, the engine loses all its power, as if it was missing gasoline. The engine doens't run above 500 RPM ... but does not stop. And then it runs again...

So the car is not drivable at all and that is a pain for min, since it is my first jaguar and I have always dream of it !!

Here is what I did on the car so far:

• 2 brand new O2 sensors. No improvement at all
• checked the coils: the one on cylindre N2 seemed low (the sparkling seemed week and random). I swapped it with a good one. Still the same issue. I checked voltages out of each cable: each coil reveives 12.2V when the engine is not running, 14,4V when it is running. I specifically checked coil N2. At first it had 8V. Then I checked again and it had 14V, as the other ones .... So I guess ignition is not at fault
• I swapped with ECU with exact same I had. It did not change anything but I noticed some slight corrosion on connectors. I cleaned all that and the engine seems to run a little bit better. But very far from normal
• Today, I cleaned all wiring connections. I also clead the throtlle body. It was very very dirty and mucky. I also cleaned the Intake Air Temperature sensor that was very dirty too. I have not already tested since I run out of gasket sealent to refit the throtle body

Here I am up to now. What do you guys think?

What should I investigate firts ? It sound like a faulty sensor sending poor information to the ECU. But I have no precise idea ...

Thank you in advance for the help ?

Best regards
Julien

 

From your previous post I get the impression that you bought the car with the problems you are describing - is that correct? If not can you say how/when the problems started - sudden or gradual - and what work has been done on the car before this.

Also, can you confirm that when you say No. 2 Cyl is not doing anything that you are counting from the front (i.e. No. 1 is nearest to the radiator).

If you have already swapped the coil on No. 2 and made no difference, have you tried swapping the spark plugs or at least checking them?

Given that you probably don't know the history of repairs, can you check the orientation and more importantly the wiring for No. 5 and No. 6 coils and confirm they are as per this picture. These sometimes get mixed up by people not familiar with the layout.

 

check your fuel injector manually and see if all are clicking when wired, while at it clean the fuel rail and the fuel regulator attach to the front of the fuel rail,

 

Hi all,

Thanks for your interest en help.

Concerning the history of the car, I bought it as is. The seller told me it was not running good but I did not expecte it was running that bad ...

Over the last years, it had:
new waterpump
new spark plugs (a few months before I got it) fitted by a Jaguar dealer for 300$ !
a diagnostic performed saying that O2 sensors and ECU needed to be changed. I changed the O2 sensors for new ones (OEM parts) and the seller supplied me another ECU from the same model. I swapped it but it did not change anything.

Concerning the wiring for coil N6 and 5, it is the correct fitment (with the yellow tape on cylinder N6). I read that somwhere on this forum. But I have a doubt regarding the orientation of the coil now...

For cylinder N2, maybe I am not clear enough (excuse my poor english). The spark out of the coil seems "weak". I mean not as brite as the others and not as "punchy", bu there is a spark.

I have not been looking at the spark plugs since they are brand new. Maybe I should look at them.

How do you check the injectors manually ? What do you mean by "click" ? I have read lots of stuff on how to clean them but nothing on this check.

I will come to you in couple of days with a clear photo of the engine and coils, and also a test of spark plugs.

Thanks a lot !

Julien

 

Hi all !

Here is a photo of the ignition ramp. Everything is in the right order and the spark plugs are brand new. I do not have the right tool to take them off, mine is too short ! I'll get a new one ASAP, but I strongly doubt it is that simple given the very bad symptoms...

Here is a pic of the engine



I will receive my OBD reader next week !

Thanks for the ideas !

 

Hi all !

Today I have been checking the cranckshaft position sensor. Its resistance is 1308 ohms. I have read that new ones should be 1350.
I guess the difference is acceptable and the ckps is not at fault ? I am right ?

If the ckps is not faulty, do you have some more ideas I should investigate ?

Thanks un advance for your help !!!
Julien

 

There have been cases reported here of crankshaft position sensors testing good, but not being good, so that's a place to start. I think more likely a coil is bad, that happens. How many km are on the car?

It might be worth getting a new set of coils ( see the long discussion on coils) or a some used ones off ebay and swap them out one at a time and see if there is an improvement.

A second thought: if a coil has gone bad, there will be unburned fuel going into the exhaust. I bought a car with very similar symptoms, and the spark plug wire was shorting to ground and the plug didn't fire. It put the raw fuel into the exhaust and melted and plugged the catalytic converter. It's possible that is happening here and you have a combination of a bad coil causing misfire and a plugged exhaust.

 

the car is 200.000 km and I have very few information on its history...

I have swapped the coils and got à set of good used ones of ebay and it did not change anything...

But I have looked for the tensions at the coils and all of them are 14volts with ignition switch on. But when the engine is running the tensions are changing a lot, between 3 and 12 volts...

 

Today I have been checking the fuel pressure and It seems OK:
With contact on, but engine notre running : 3 bars
With engine running, 2.8 bars, with small decrease (0.2 bars) when accelerating

One thing is a bit strange : when I put the contact on, the fuel pressure is 3 bars. But if I don't start the engine, the fuel pressure slowly decreases.

Is It normal or should It stay 3 bars ?

 

Hi julien,

Ideally, the system should retain pressure indefinitely, but over time the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) and the fuel check valve lose their ability to hold pressure for a long period. It sounds like yours is not so bad that fuel pressure is your problem.

Your poor running could be the result of multiple issues. Off the top of my head, some of the possibilities include:

Clogged fuel filter

Clogged air filter

Rodent nest or other obstruction in the front left fender blocking the air cleaner box inlet trumpet. You might disconnect the lid to the air cleaner box to see if the engine runs differently.

One or more air leaks allowing air into the intake that is unmetered by the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAFS).

The Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECTS) providing an incorrect signal, leading the Engine Control Module (ECM) to continue to apply cold-start fuel enrichment even after the engine has warmed up.

Clogged catalytic converters (as mentioned previously). By the way, be sure that any sealant you use on the throttle body or any other component mounted to the intake is "Oxygen-sensor safe," since some sealants contain ingredients that can foul the O2 sensors.

Since the car starts and runs, the Camshaft Position Sensor (CMP) and Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKPS) must be functioning at least most of the time, but it is possible the CKPS is failing or there is corrosion or oil contamination on its electrical connector.

Intermittent problems with the fuel pump, fuel pump relay or fuel pump wiring are known, but I would think that would have shown up during your fuel pressure tests.

Reading the stored OBDII codes should help you a lot.

Please keep us informed!

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi all,

Thanks a lot for your help and ideas ! At this time I am enjoying some nice holidays in the south of France so I am not very productive on the jaguar... I will start again next week when I am back home.

Regarding the ideas Don proposed, here are some explainations:

Clogged fuel filter: This is very possible since I have not changed it so far. I definitivelly have to change it !

Clogged air filter or inlet trumpet: No. I have checked it and it is brand new. I have cleaned the air cleaner box and all the air inlet pipes up to the throttle body.

One or more air leaks allowing air into the intake that is unmetered by the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAFS): The flexible pipe is in very good condition and I have been tightening everything after I cleaned it all. But the MAFS might be bad ?

The Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor (ECTS) providing an incorrect signal, leading the Engine Control Module (ECM) to continue to apply cold-start fuel enrichment even after the engine has warmed up : this could be possible ! I have noticed that cooling fans are running when I start the car, even if the engine is cold. I tried to disconect both plugs over the water pump but the fan did not stop.

Clogged catalytic converters (as mentioned previously): How can I check that ? Should I take it away and check ?

Corrosion or oil contamination on the CKPS electrical connector: I have cleaned all the connections with a specific spray. The resistance value of the CKPS is 1308 ohms.

One more question: Where is the fuel check valve located ? It should retain pressure to 3 bars before engine start ? Should I add a non-return valve on the fuel line ?
So next to do is :
Reading the OBD codes. I have received the reader
changing the fuel filter
Going back on the forum

Thanks a lot for your help. This is very precious since I am a newbee with such recent cars !

Julien

 

Hi Jagboi64,

This problem seems very similar to mine ! Coil N°2 seems to provide a weak spark. The problem is the same when I swapp it with a good one.

How can I detect if there is wire shorting to the ground ? It can be a power supply cavle or a signal supply cable...

Thanks a lot !

julien

 

Hi Julien,


Start with the ECTS.
ECTS is located on the thermostat housing not on the water pump. It's the one with the two wires.
I had common problems with my car.
Drive the car till the engine becomes completely hot (very hot), stop, disconnect the ECTS, drive the car a long drive, country road is better, changing speeds and overtaking other cars.
Do you feel any difference? (This will increase the lt/100Km)
I was running after this issue (ECTS) a loooooong time, till I found out that the sensors plug was not contacting correct the sensor, fixed it and the problems disappeared.


Good luck,
Panagiotis

 

Hi Panagiotis !

Thank you for the idea. That is definitivelly of interest since I have noticed that both fans were runing evrytime, even with the engine off (ignition on of course !).

I will look at it and also change / clean all the stuffs I have mentioned before.

I will keep you updated this week end

Best regards

Julien

 

Hi Julien,


Don't mess things up.
The fans will work after a "hard" ride, with the engine off and ignition on, if they have to do so. If the cooling media is too hot, they have to decrease the temperature.
If, on a cold engine, you turn the key "on" and the fans start up working and they work continuously, then you have somewhere a "bridge" at their circuit, not good.
The ECTS has no common with the fans operation.
ECTS has to do with fuel management system.
Check in the forum, ECTS key word, there are too many threads you can read on this issue, of course in ALL issues, use key words and scroll the forum, the forum is brilliant.
Don't spend money around, grab one problem and work on it, don't buy a ECTS sensor, check it's circuit presence up to the ECU, or just remove it for a trial on a HOT engine.


Reply when you have news,
Panagiotis

 

Hi all,

I have finally performed a check with the OBD tool.

I revealed two codes:
P0201 : injector circuit / open cylinder 1
P1201: injector 1 open circuit or ground short fault

I am not a genius in mecanics but it seems there is a problem with that given injector...

But how can I know if the injector is faulty, or the ECM, or the harness ?

How can I test it ? I will swap it with cylinder 2 injector. Then, if the diagnosis says the same for injector 2, we can suppose the injector is faulty.
If the codes are the same, then it is a harness issue. Am I correct ?

On addition, I have tested the ECTS that seems OK and changed the fuel filter for an OEM one.

Please let me know what you think !

Best regards
Julien

 

Hi Julien

Yes your approach seems fine.

However, as a first step you should clear the codes and then run the engine again to make sure the codes are reset - this will confirm that the codes are likely to be pointing towards your current problem and not something from and old issue.

 

Thanks for the Help !

The battery has been disconected during 10 days so the codes should have reseted ?

But I will try your method tomorrow !

Hope it will be the same...

 

Hi all,

Today I have been checking error codes as b1mcp suggested:

I have first erased previous codes.
Then did a test drive, in the same way as I did yesterday.
End then, no code shown !!!

I was a bit disappointed to say the less.

I swapped the spark plugs with the old ones that the previous owner gave to me. The engine now runs a bit better at high revolution range, altought they are Bosch ones, and the ones that were fitted on the car, and brand new, were CHAMPION RC9YCC, the correct fitment... Quite strange. I don't know what to think about it.

Finally, I redid a scan test that revealed code P0301, the same one as yesterday.

I took my multimter and checked for a short circuit within the injectors:
Injector 2,3,4,5 and 6 have a resistance of 0,16 ohms between the two slots
Injector 1 has a resistance of 1 or amost infinite. I guess there is definitivelly a problem with this injector.

What do you guys think ?

I have already ordered a used injector from ebay to test check it.

It is quite amazing that the 2 codes are not always detected by the scan tool.

Next update within a week I think !

julien

 

Keep at it Julien. You are doing the right things and you are making progress.