Just brought home my new to me XJ8L Friday night! Here is a thread I posted about a non-functioning shifter:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...n-gear-175865/

Preface story to the car is that my girlfriend is a real estate agent. She took me to one of her listings to take care of something, which is when i spotted the Jag keys on the counter. "Uhhhh, wheres the Jag?!". "In the a garage! But its broken" She tells me that its been there a while, as long as shes listed the house at least. Tells me that the woman selling the house has been trying to "get that thing outa the garage". I immediately perk up with curiosity.

Out in the garage i find a very dusty '99 Mistral Blue XJ8L. At this point in time i know absolutely nothing about these cars. I take a good look at it and find it to be in fairly good condition, save for being filthy inside and out. Only having been able to look at it for a couple minutes, we make plans to check it out in further detail the following evening. In the meantime, I find the craigslist ad for the car. Listed at $700, the ad states that the car starts but is not getting fuel even though the fuel pump had just been replaced. It goes on to state that the window switch and antenna are broken, and there is a dent in the drivers fender. Lastly, and likely most importantly, it stated where the car was serviced for her entire ownership of the car, a Jaguar specific shop located in CT. The next night, armed with a fresh battery and some basic hand tools, we go back and look at the car in closer detail. The first find that the car has only 128k miles on it. A little better than the 150k miles she assumed the car had. I get the car to fire rather reluctantly with the fresh battery fitted. Immediate stability, traction control, and ABS lights/messages come up. Engine light on for misfires, which i clear. Stick the car in drive, nothing. The shifter moves as if its not connected and the car feels as though its still in park and i get an immediate message "transmission fault". I remove enough of the console to be able to peer down and see the shift cable as i move the shifter. No movement at all. The car had gotten into that spot somehow, so that shifter worked at some point recently. I take that as a good sign. At this point i know the car runs and that the shifter is broken, likely due to a frozen shift cable, and someone trying to force the car into gear. Next step would be to get under the car and make sure the lever at the trans moves, but i did not feel comfortable getting that far into it while it technically still not being mine.

Its at this point i talk to the owner of the car in more detail. The reason she parked it was because the car would stall when driving. From my research, that looks to be a common issue with a failing throttle body. She then tells me that she bought the car from the garage she was having it serviced with only 65k miles on it. Tells me shes negotiable in price since shes selling the home and needs it gone (music to my ears!). The next day, i call the Jag specific garage to see what kind of info i can get, hopefully having to do with the secondary tensioners! Without missing a beat, he knew of the car when i gave him the woman's last name. Said he hasn't seen the car in over a year, but it was commonly in for oil changes and all other maintenance. Looking through his records turned up two large dollar bills for the car, one for the fuel pump replacement. The other for valve seals (), valve cover gaskets, spark plug seals, spark plugs, and front control arms. He didnt note timing chain tensioners, but said it would have been incredibly stupid for him not to do them at the time. I will be pulling a valve cover at some point to look for metal tensioners. He stated that the last time he saw the car it needed only odds and ends, but was overall a very nice car. He even remembered it needing a drivers door seal, which it does!

Then comes this past Friday, i make plans to meet up with the seller to purchase the car. We agreed on $500, which i felt was a great deal knowing a bit of the cars history, while still taking a chance with the transmission. Paperwork done and money exchanged, i get to work. Thanks to a short DIY on here, i pulled the center console to get better access to the shift cable. Once the cable was disconnected, my strength could not move the cable. It was seriously frozen. Not being dressed to crawl under the car, and later finding out i didn't have the best tools for the job, i called for a tow. They used skates to load and unload the car, and before i knew it, the car was home. I jacked it up and got underneath. I removed the bolts for the shift cable and was able to easily get it into neutral. Through some clever usage of my lawn tractor, quad/winch, and ratchet straps, the car was now in the garage. Note to others. Much use of the steering wheel with the engine not running with pump the power steering fluid into the res and eventually overflow, leaving quite the mess.

Some further wrenching removed the broken shifter and very frozen cable. It was at this point i needed parts, so i started to make a list of needs of the car for the next days junkyard trip and clean the car out a bit. In the glove box i found the paperwork from her purchasing the car. Sold to her in 2011 with 65k miles on it for 10 grand, PLUS a 48mo/48k miles $2250 warranty on it. Big dollars spent not all that long ago.

With some help from a forum member here, I plotted my trip one hour away to a junkyard in RI. What a day I had! There were probably 6-8 x308's in the yard, one being an XJR. Best part, i found a Mistral Blue car with a good front fender. No more dent for this cat! First things first, shifter and cable! I had my pick of the litter for the shifter, picking out the cleanest one. Once removed, i dreaded having to jack up a car to get a cable. I spotted one x308 with the front propped up already and figured that would be a good candidate. Got inside the car to find the shifter already gone and the cable end just lying there. Made sure i could move the cable, and got under the car to disconnect it from the trans.....wait, where is the trans?! Someone had pillaged the trans from this car already, leaving me with one nut to remove for the retention clamp in the tunnel, and out the cable came. How easy was that! Beyond those parts, i got the drivers fender, spare tire kit/tray, window switched, full antenna, front turn signal and marker light, a rear marker light, a key fob, front bumper chrome trim piece, a drivers headlight, a drivers door seal, passenger door puddle light lens, and the trim piece for the rear view mirror. I wasn't able to get the inner fender liners and replacement armrest (i did notice an update to the cup holder design in some of the cars). I am sure there will be more things needed, so i can always grab them next trip!

Tonight i will hopefully installing the shifter and cable and seeing if shes mobile. Once shes driving, i will be diaging the stalling issue and trac/stability/ABS lights. I am hoping some rotation of the wheels will solve the those, but we will see. I have seen some ICarSoft scanners for around 150 bucks on amazon and ebay supposedly compatible with the x308. Anyone have experience with them?

I believe the stalling issue has to do with the throttle body. I will attempt to clean it first and see where that gets me, thought it looks like i may be looking for a new/used throttle body, or getting it rebuilt. I see there was a change to them somewhere mid generation. Can i install an "updated" one on my car?

Thank you all for your help. I will try to get pictures up when i can finally wash the dust off.

 

the trac/stability/abs light could be related to wheel sensors, poor power supply to the ABS unit (the soldering tends to crack at the power connection in the ABS unit's PCB). I think you can read those codes with a high enough quality scanner. I don't know about that scanner. In the general tech forum I believe there was a thread on OBD scanner compatibility and issues which would be a good read.

I don't think you can change the TB without changing out a significant number of other bits. The earlier TB's were cable operated, while the later ones were entirely drive by wire. Stalling could maybe be the IAC valve dirtied up or sticking? I'd pull the intake out and look at the TB to see how dirty it is. Could be something else as well.

 

Great, thank you for your input. Cleaning the throttle body was certainly on the agenda once i get the car moving on its own. I will take a look for the OBD scanner thread, thank you for the heads up on that. Have a link to a thread for the ABS solder issue?

 

Great story, and it seems with your enthusiasm this cat will be back to new in no time!
All issues you have so far seem to be 'normal' occurrence on this forum, I am sure you will get them sorted.
And with 6 scrape yard cars, there will be no short of supply if needed.

 

Ok so good news in now I can shift the trans! Bad news is now the car won't start. Hmmm. No security light on the dash and I checked the inertia switch. Checked the Schrader valve at the rail and there's no fuel pressure. Jumped the relay and hear nothing in the tank. Per the shop I talked to, the pump was done less than two years ago so it's got no time on it. Tomorrow I will check for power at the fuel pump plug with the relay jumped.

 

This sounds like a good project, and the scrap yard you speak of sounds like a good resource. Get as much as you can from it now, otherwise you'll go back one day and find them gone.
The throttle bodies are different on the cars, but all are cable operated. We've successfully fitted a 2001 TB to a 99 car with the older TB and had it work straight away.
If you get the transmission to work, the first thing you should do is get the fluid and filter changed and have the modified Transgo valve fitted to help prevent the trans failing on you.

These cars are very easy to work on, and the space in the engine bay is such that you can easily work on most aspects of the engine without having to squeeze. The engine bay was designed to take a V12 so the V8 sits nicely. There is plenty of help available on this forum, and if you use the search facility you will often find past threads on your issue with a wealth of information.

I look forward to seeing your progress.

 

Check the fuel pump fuse back where the FP relay is. Just check all those fuses. Chances are from that car sitting it's probably got another bad pump.

Plus 1 on the transmission advice and junk yard parts.

 

I checked the fuel pump fuse as well. Looking at the wiring diagram, the fuse is only on the trigger wire circuit, so jumping 87/30 should fire the pump assuming it has a good ground. I will report back this evening.

 

hi if you need a throttle body send me a message I have one for $125 came off a running 2002 xj8

 

If you don't mind sharing the location of the breaker yard...there are always a few bits and pieces I can use for mine, and will be driving through RI (nothing is too far out of the way in such a small state...) next week...

 

Wrights auto salvage in foster ri!

 

Alright so i was able to get to work last night. I again checked for power at the relay location. Jumped and listened for pump and checked for rail pressure. Nada. I pulled the connector off the top of the tank and checked for correct power and ground there and found it. Has to be the pump! I dreaded having to get under the car to disconnect the lines, so i justified cutting up the rear parcel shelf by saying that it will make potential future work with the pump much much easier, side of the road job even! Pulled the rear seat and shelf and got to cutting. Once removed, i found a URO brand pump. From my BMW experience, this is bottom of the barrel. Of course i powered the pump on the bench and it worked. I will be replacing it anyhow. I ordered an Airtex from advance auto before really doing my research (e2471). I thought to myself that if it isnt URO, it will be worlds better. Do the Airtex pumps get good reviews around these parts? I found the Denso direct replacement on Amazon for the same price, and it comes with a strainer. I found a Delphi replacement locally for 15 dollars more, no strainer. Leaning towards the Denso. Thoughts?

 

PM'd you, but just a public shoutout of thanks for the info.

 

No worries. Gotta share the wealth of info. Ended up ordering the Denso on amazon. The price was good, the reviews are good, and it comes with a strainer. Supposed to be delivered Monday!

In the meantime, i will remove the throttle body and MAF for cleaning. And definitely some interior and trunk cleaning.

 

Hopefully it will end up being a good find. I just bought an 2002 XJR and it needed both fuel pumps replaced before i could get it home. The car was running when put away in October and they went bad that quick. The gas we get now is hard on pumps and I find that they don't last as long, especially if left sitting.

I also just pulled off the valve covers because one of them had a tiny oil drip and to check out the tensioners. I found second generation tensioners were on there so pulling off the valve cover to check is the right hing to do so you can be sure.

Good Luck and hope you get it on the road soon.

 

Thank you! The new pump arrives today, so its looking like ill be able to get it installed this evening and see if she starts. Following that, i will clean and inspect the throttle body.

Ran out of gas in the mower and in the spare cans. Used the old pump, jumped the relay, and fed some gas into a can from the Jag's tank. Hey, it was convenient.

 

I installed the Denso combo pump/strainer to replace my dying primary pump a few days ago. Bit of a struggle to do some things but it worked out. Almost silent now. Don't forget to inspect the in tank harness to make sure it's not melting anywhere, esp at old crimp points.

 

The old harness looks good from what i can tell. Looks like the little black box mid-harness is for RFI noise purposes, so i will likely splice the new pump in retaining this box.

 

Got some good news! Fuel pump arrived and i was able to get it installed without too much trouble. Some people complain that its not a direct drop in. Well its not, but its damn close. The upper rubber that slides around the connector end does need to be trimmed, but that is quick work with an Xacto. Lower rubber fits as it did before. So does the sock. Squeeze the bracket together and shes good to go. Splice in the new pump connector with supplied butt connectors (i left the RFI box inline). Next step, misplace the original fuel line clamp, grab a new one from the baggy of bits that the pump came with, and bolt the new pump down. Reinstall the fuel tank cap (?), reinstall the various fuel and vent lines, connect the fuel tank pressure sensor and main pump connector, and see what she does! I jumped the relay and was happy to hear the pump make noise. It was loud at first as it was priming the system, then quieted down. As i let it circulate, i went up to check pressure at the rail and was happy to find it there. Reached in and turned the key and she came to life with no issues. No CEL, but still have the ABS/Trac/Stability light/messages up. Shifted into drive and slowly pulled her into the driveway to warm up. Came up to temp and took her for her maiden voyage. Transmission feels great! Shifts are smooth and confident. Engine feels extremely smooth. No hiccups on the trip at all. Idled down when coming to a stop, no jerky acceleration, nada. I'm wondering if the PO was having intermittent issues with the fuel pump, causing the random stalling. Its either that or the classic throttle body issues. I will keep an eye out for those, but may not bother cleaning the throttle body at this point. Drove it to the gas station and filled the tank. Restarted with no issue and drove it home. Some semi-bad news. The suspensions feels nice and plush, but boy does it make some noise. Sounds like all four corners have dead shock mounts. The car rides OK, so im not sure its the shocks themselves. Is there any other bushings that tend to go bad and make noise? Sway bushings?

Two things to note about the fuel pump job:
-Fuel level. Like i noted above, i cut an access panel in the parcel shelf. With the tank sitting straight up and down, the gauge was registering the fuel level to be just at the top of the red, nearly empty, mark. The small bolt to hold the pump bracket down was still below the fuel level, but just barely.
-BE CAREFUL!! the opening to the tank is very very sharp. I cut my hands up a bit and i can see how this could mangle the wire harness for the pump.

Next Step:
-Car wash and pictures!! everyone likes pictures!
-Oil change. I know 10w40 is suggested, but I have some 10w30 synthetic on hand.
-From my research, it looks like that ABS light/trac/stabiliy issue is just the solder connections on the ABS module for the pump.
-Check for the metal secondary timing chain tensioners. Car hadnt run for just about 2 weeks at this point due to fuel pump failure. Upon first start last night, no chain noise.
-Clean the throttle body if issues arise.

 

Hey guys, curiosity question. Coolant/Antifreeze. Whats in the car looks orange. If i didnt know any better, i would pour some Dexcool in there without thinking twice. What do these cars require, assuming its an OEM type fluid?

As an addition to my next steps, i will likely clean each wheel speed sensor when looking for suspension clunk culprits. Seems easy enough to clean them, and some say that fixes some of their issues. Unless i break something, it cant hurt really. Then i will investigate the ABS module itself.