I got my 1995 XJ6 a few months ago and have put 10,000 miles on it since then. It has run great until 2 days ago. As I was driving it starting sputtering and then died on me. Luckily I was able to pull into a parking lot. It has a very lumpy idle and if you touch the gas pedal it dies.

After some investigation I discovered that cylinders 1, 5 and 6 were not running and only cylinder ls 2, 3 and 4 were running. The way I tested this was by disconnecting the ignition wires there was no change for some cylinders and others it would run worse.

So I figured the coils and or spark plugs were bad so I replaced them and still no change.

Need help asap because the jaguar is still in the parking lot and I would like to get it home to work on it. It is less then a mile from my house so even if it's just enough for it to limp home that would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

Did you replace all coils and all plugs? Or just #1, #5, and #6?

All I can think of is possible corrosion at the ECU connector pins. Might want to check that. Also, a longshot, but maybe thoroughly clean and tighten the engine ground strap on the left hand side of the bell housing.

 

you hadn't just refuelled by any chance?

 

And did you definitely connect coils 5 and 6 the right way around when you changed them? It's easy to get them reversed for the uninitiated.

 

I actually had just refueled. What does that mean?

I changed them out one at a time so I'm positive it's the right wires

 

Take a fuel sample in a clear bottle and swirl it around. You may've been the recipient of some "pure spring water!"
Any big rains in the area of your fueling station in the week or so prior to refueling?
Check with the station, though they will be loathe to admit other customers have complained.

 

So say that I have been a recipient of pure spring water. What is my course of action? If that is the case why would half of my cylinders work but the other ones not work? Even when I switched out coils and spark plugs.

 

Coils/plugs won't burn water, regardless how good they are. Apparently, 2,3 & 4 aren't working all that well or it could stumble and cough its way the mile or so back to your garage. Bad fuel should not affect ONLY 1+5+6, but then, neither should anything else affect all 3, only those 3, and all at the same time.


My experience with water-in-fuel is that the station carries insurance that will reimburse you for the cost of the repairs..... but you'll be out the cost of the bad tank of fuel unless station mgmt appreciates your business and wants to retain your patronage. Some years ago, I topped-up the Excursion with $108 of diesel/pond water mix (44 gal capacity) Station insurance covered the $1200+ for the Ford dealer to drain, remove and clean the tank and replace the fuel pump. I was out the $108 in unusable fuel.... actually quite a bit more as I was +1/4 tank at top-up, meaning I had 11+ gal of good fuel onboard ruined by the $108, and diesel was over $4/gal those days...

 

A lot depends on how much "fuel" you put in, and how much water was in it. When it happened to me, I had filled the tank from quarter full, and within a couple of miles, I had symptoms like yours. I had no choice but to keep driving. She wasn't too bad at constant speed, so I ran her and then topped the tank off after I had used a quarter, and kept doing that. Over the course of 3 or 4 top ups, the symptoms progressively disappeared, with no apparent after effects. Fingers crossed this is your problem, and it clears up in a similar way.

 

Haha...i made it almost a mile and had no choice but to stop driving.... mainly because I'd run out of downhill slope.


Many more years ago, dad had a load of water in an old Dodge pickup (carberuated engine) that "ran" as you describe, and he kept dumping isopropyl alcohol in it until it finally straightened up.