Hi everyone.

I've got an August 97 light Blue X300 which is the apple of my eye but I'm beginning to think is CURSED.
Literally EVERYTHING has gone wrong with it and it's only just gone round the clock for the first time.
I live in Reading and most recently it broke down outside B&Q and wouldn't crank. One trip to Tom Lenthall, a world of diagnosing and £700 later and it was up and running again.
Apparently the body processor unit AND the security module had both packed up and had to be replaced.
Since I have had the car back, it only works on the key and the key fob apparently can't be programmed using the weird door open boot open/valet switch combo and thus the alarm system isn't active. The central locking works fine but I can't activate the key using the fob and Tom Lenthall didn't offer a solution.
Does anyone know why this is?
I really dont understand the relationship between all these modules and which need to be programmed to the car and which ones are plug 'n' play.
Anyway, moot point as the curse continues....
I've lost the key/key fob on keychain somewhere.
The car is parked outside my house and is locked (I distinctly remember taking some WD40 out of the boot and heading straight into into the garden to do a job so I clearly locked the car with the key and the key is somewhere about my premises).
Anyway, I've gone mad looking for it and I'm about to admit defeat.
I managed to find a spare key (official jag key) in the past history folder that came with the car which weirdly unlocks the car but won't get it cranking (NO lit up P on the J gate since the loss of the master key) (I'm told they contain a chip which needs to be coded to the car so I'm guessing someone didn't do that bit).
So my final question...
Does anyone know or can recommend someone in my area who can provide/cut a replacement key and code it to my car (or just code my spare, but I should probably have more than one anyway), or is my only option getting it low loaded to the Reading Jag dealership and coughing up probably in excess of £400?

Many thanks in advance,

John

 

Sounds a pain and I feel for you.
If the key is not programmed to the car, it will have nothing to do with the P illumination. That is by a mechanical microswitch on the gear selector, so give a little wiggle until it is lit.
Having said that, the fact that the security module was changed will mean that it will not start the car sadly.
It’s the check engine light that tells you if the car is immobilised (no light) or not (light).

When I got my car it came with one key which was not programmed to the car and David Marks in Nottingham used IDS to program the module to recognise the key. Sorry I don’t know anyone closer.

Good luck, and are you sure you were doing the fob programming correctly?

Peter

 

Hi Peter,

Thank you for your reply.
The security module was changed a while back and I've been driving it around fine on the (now lost) key.
Like I said, Tom Lenthall put both a new security module AND body processor module in.
The car was running just fine, I literally just lost the key.
And now the spare key opens the door but doesn't start the car.
I don't understand the relationship between key transponder and ignition/imobiliser etc...
Could it be that the spare key isn't chipped to the car?
Would that have no impact on the P not being lit up?

John

 

The keys have to be programmed to the car, so if you didn’t give the garage the spare at the time then it will not be recognised by the car BUT it has nothing to do with the P not being lit.

 

My mistake, I just went out there and checked again in the dark and yes, the P is illuminating but the Engine Check light is going out which I guess means the engine is still immobilised and it's not happy with the spare key.

John

 

new key needs immobilization setup run in IDS (official diagnostic tool). buy 4 spares and have them all cut and tom lenthall program them to the car. call locksmiths and ask if they have an 8cut tibbe machine.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124805927068

any specialist should be able to program your fob with IDS. if that doesn’t work the security module probably has an issue

 

My remote stopped working intermittently, which puzzled me for a long time. The solution was to rub the battery terminals with some very fine wet’n’dry to get a better contact, and it works a treat now. I know yours is missing, but if it turns up check to see if the LED’s light up on the fob when you press the button.

Anyway, this might sound daft, but have you inserted the key then removed it and tried again?

The reason I ask is that when my fob wasn’t working and I had to unlock the door with the key, I’d have to turn the ignition on, then off, then on again before the immobiliser would allow the engine to crank.

My car also doesn’t do the “beep” to register new key fobs following the valet sequence, so I hope mine doesn’t need replacing any time soon.

 

You may not have needed to go as far as starting the engine.
When the fob stops working it’s often down to the little ‘door’ on the switch that just detects when a key is pushed in. If this sticks when you remove the key, then the car thinks the key is still there and will not lock with the fob.


This is taken from Jaguar XJ6; Jaguar X300; not starting; start

The Ignition switch

We all get used to thinking of the switch only working in a rotary fashion, but it doesn't. The lateral part of its movement (along the barrel axis) has a switching function too, and for sure that function switches power to things like the electric seat entry function, i.e. before the key is rotated to the first position.

Often, one of the relays behind the RH front headlights stays live all the time if this part of the switch is not cutting the power, draining the battery. If this relay remains closed, the ECU thinks the engine is still running so the car won't start.

Sometimes it is only necessary to remove the switch and free up the lateral function with WD 40 or similar, unless the spring is broken, in which case you'll need another switch.

If you want to prove/disprove this theory before committing to any real work, disconnect the ignition switch before leaving the car overnight.

Door locking with the fob

When the engine is disabled in this way (at least by this ignition switch lateral movement fault) the doors and boot cannot be locked with the fob for the same reasons that they cannot be locked if the boot lid or doors are actually left open. The locking procedure only works when the ECU relay is off (not powered) but won't work if the ECU relay is powered when a request to lock the doors is put made by the fob. In this case, you will hear a refusal 'peep' from the security horn. It follows that a similar problem will be encountered if the boot switch or any of the doors switches are broken, not reporting to the system that they are in fact shut.

Removal of the ignition barrel to free up the igntion switch is done by putting the key in and turning it to position 'I', and then pushing in the little detent pin on top of the outer barrel with a bent pointed tool. The lock barrel can then be pulled out, exposing the laterally moving part of the ignition switch. Naturally the column shrouding will have to be removed to do this. An alternative method would be to remove the ignition switch itself and free it up or fit a new one.