it just won't crank,, i mean it whirrrss like a mug ,, just won't start,, what is wrong,, it had been sitting for a couple of weeks waiting to be sold ,, i think it has a mind of its own and got ticked off at me for trying to sell it , so it is just being ornry with me ,, anyway ,, any suggestions would be great ,, HELP!! PLEASE

 

Can you describe the situation a little more?

The car was driving fine up until it sat for a couple weeks? Any other symptoms? Hard start, hesitation, anything out of the ordanary?

Does the engine actually turn over when you try to start it? does it crank?

Or do you just hear sort of a low murmur like the starter trying but the engine won't actually crank?

Off the top of my head I'd guess battery or fuel related. Manual suggests the following:

Engine cranks, but does not fire:
Security system /Immobiliser engaged
Throttle contaminated
Harness damage
Fuel pump relay
Fuel system

Engine cranks and fires, but will not start:
Fuel pump relay
Throttle contaminated
Purge valve
Fuel pump
Engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor
Spark plugs fouled
Ignition coil failure(s)
Check for water ingress into spark plug wells
HT short to ground (tracking) check rubber boots for cracks/damage
Cylinder compression loss (short-term. Refer to bulletin; 303-52)
Refer to service action S491

 

Make sure the battery is fully charged, if it is and you know it is for sure then it could be the starter solenoid. If you can hear the starter "whirring" as in the starter is running, but not engaging the fly wheel and turning the engine over then you should check your stater solenoid relay. It should be under the hood on the passenger side in the engine control module compartment, it is relay number 5. You could try switching it with relay number 6, that is the AC compressor clutch. If the car starts then you need a new relay. Have a look in your manual for the location The solenoid when charged sends the starter gear forward and engages the flywheel thus turning the engine over. Hopefully yours is a bad relay. Doesn't have anything to do with compression though.

 

The last time you drove it, was it for just 10 or 15 seconds? Moving out of garage for example.

If so, it's all confused. Just keep trying to start it.

 

some time ago this same thing happened,when we recovered the car to garage they got it going,was told the bores was "fuel washed",ie washed all the oil off the bores,giving no compression?.

no matter how many times we tried starting the engine it would'nt fire.

took the best part of a day to fix it.

 

sorry guys ,, i have had a very hard time getting back on to the forum for some reason,, ok the car is not getting any compression, the guys have done a compression test on the front 2 cylinders on each side and one side testeed at 27 psi, the other tested at 30 psi,, is that normal ,,? and why would it have taht low a compression psi, and does that have anything to do with why it is not starting ? i pulled all the info,, that everyone had given us ,, nothing so far is applying to this situation,, the car had set at his shop for about a week or 10 days the first time it would not start for him, he called i told him was he putting his foot on the brake , he said ok, tried that ,, sounded like it flooded ,, he fleft it sit til the next day , i went up to it turned it over it started , still sounding as if it was flooded ,, it ran for about 20 to 30 seconds , died and hasn't hit another lick since ,, it just turns over and over,, it is not the battery , he said it is getting plenty of fire ,, just no compression,,, what else can we do ??????????????

 

so how much did it wind up costing you to your's going ??

 

this is for nor cal diesel:so if it is NO COMPRESSION , what does that mean ,, and what can we do about it ?? no compression i mean , because that is what my husband keeps telling me

 

xj8 johnny
yes,, it is cranking and cranking and cranking just not turing over or starting ,, husband says it has no compression or maybe jumped time ,, how much compression is the cylinders supposed to have if it is not running ,, ???

 

and what about the security systme immobiliser ,, what does that do and what effect will it have ,, does that sound like what it is to you ,, the key fob works only about half the time ,, one day he will try to use it to unlock or lock the door back , and the next it won't work at all, and when it doesn't work it is giving this high pitched noise from under the center of the hook almost like an alarm but not as loud,, and when it does that the car won't make an attemp to even crank,, it is all to do with the immobiliser ????

 

I had a compression and leak down test, my cylinders tested more like 50 psi.

There is a technical bullitin out there somewhere about having to add oil to cylinders to get a proper compression check, sometimes if the fuel is too rich or you have a leaky injector it's like the fuel "washes" the oil out of the cylinder and you get a temporary loss of compression.

When you're cranking does the mechanic hold the gas pedal down? I've had a couple injector issues and in order to get it to start I have to hold the pedal to the floor while I crank to get it to start.

 

yes,, we have tried everything except putting oil directly under the spark plugs ,, so we are going to try that tomorrow morning and see if that works and then what ,, does that mean there is still something wrong with it that it has the cylinders dry down everytime it sits,, does that possibly mean that all the may be wrong right now is that we have a leaky injector? this whole thing started a while back when we discovered we had the whole blow by thing from the nikasil linings , so we di something that somone suggested that seemed to work like a charm by just going to a heavier oil and putting engine restorer in it,, and it doesn't hardly use any oil now ,, but now this has happened ,, it is like if it is not one thing it is another ,, thanks for the info ,, i will let ya know if it works for us ,, thanks a lot !!

 

I have the same problem...all of my cylinders on passenger side has no compression..l
been sitting up a long time...very odd...did you get it fixed and what was the problem

 

Welcome to the forum. When you have time, please visit the new member area and introduce yourself. Link below:

New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

You need to provide information as to what year and model Jag you have. If an early V8 you may have the nikasil cylinder wash problem, but it's unusual on one bank only. But try putting a quarter teaspoon of oil in each one, spin the engine a few seconds with gas pedal all the way to the floor to distribute. Then replace plugs and try starting, first with pedal depressed all the way, then ease up.

 

This information from jagrepair.com may be of use:

JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Do not know if u fixed this. This happens to my Vanden Plas from time to time maybe once a year. What happens is the computer gets a bad signal and dumps fuel in all the cylinders at once. Now I use to pull all the plugs squart some oil in all the cylinders to dru them out. Then install the plugs and it would start. But all you have to do is hold your foot on the gas while cranking it for bout two minutes. Then let off the gas and see if it will not start. Let me know what u find out. Email bearh3526@yahoo.com