Subject says it all. A little searching around and it looks like it's a misfire code but the car won't start. It caught briefly last night and died, now the starter cranks, the car shakes like it's about to catch and doesn't and the cycle repeats.

No fuel smell under the bonnet. Ran smooth and sure as usual, just two days ago.

Any thoughts about what I can check/do next?

Thanks in advance,
Rhett-who-seems-to-have-really-pissed-off-the-Jaguar-gods

 

First check for fuel, it might be the pump or filter. Turn the ignition on briefly and loosen the connection at the back of the fuel rail.

 

Hi Rhett,

The X300 Diagnostic Manual says P1316 indicates the "misfire rate is above the limit." It suggests a problem with one or more of the following: the ignition coil or fuel injector electrical circuits, spark plugs, low fuel pressure or fuel contamination (did you happen to purchase fuel not long before the problem began?).

As RJ mentioned, the fuel pump is one suspect. One easy test for the fuel pump is to quietly turn the key to Position II (Auxiliary) without starting the engine and listen for the fuel pump to run for half a second or so - you should hear the whir of its electric motor coming from behind the rear seat. If you don't hear it, crank the engine to relieve any built up fuel pressure, then repeat the test by turning the key to Position II and listening carefully for the fuel pump to run briefly. If you hear nothing, suspect the fuel pump relay, the pump itself, or some other issue in the fuel pump circuit.

You can test for 12V at each ignition coil connector. If no 12V, suspect the ignition coil relay, which if I recall is mounted on the front right wheel well in the engine compartment.

The pulsed signals to the fuel injectors can be tested with an inexpensive noid lamp available at most auto parts stores.

You can pull a couple of spark plugs to check the condition of the electrodes for clues.

If you don't have the X300 Diagnostic Manual, Electrical Guide, and AJ16 Engine Management System guide, check the forum download section and if you don't see them there, send me a private message with your email address and X300 Diagnostics in the subject line and I'll email them to you in pdf form. If you don't put anything in the subject line of your message, I won't remember what I promised to send you! :-)

Cheers,

Don

 

Car was flooded, plugs drenched in fuel. Shop cleaned the plugs, re-oiled the pistons and so forth. Car runs great now but it's not known why the car flooded itself.

Fuel pump, relay and all are fine.