My 1999 Jaguar XJR is a garage queen. It has 40,000 miles. I keep it on a trickle charger and usually take it out for a run about once a month. Unfortunately I had a triple bypass and have not run it or three months. When I tried to start it it cranked hard but would not fire up. I tried holding the gas pedal to the floor and cranked it for about a minute but still no fire. It has fuel. Any thoughts?

 

The fuel pumps might be dead. If you turn the key on to position 1, do you hear any whirring noise from the trunk area?

 

I've had the exact same thing happen and I've read many similar stories on this forum. I actually pulled the engine to re-seal everything (massive oil leak from a loose rear main galley plug), do the primary tensioners and guides, octopus hose, and a whole bunch of while I'm at its and as long as I'm heres. It was about six months before I got the engine back in and it would not fire up. My first thought of course was that I did something wrong. I freaked out for a while, going over and over every step and doublechecking every connection. Finally I hooked up a fuel pressure gauge to the schrader valve on the fuel rail and confirmed it wasn't making any fuel pressure. Then I researched on the forum and discovered that its fairly common that these fuel pumps seem to seize up from sitting unused for more than a few months, especially the older they get. After another three months of weekends getting the tank out and back in along with the requisite obsessive-compulsive scope creep at the back end of the car, it fired right up in like two seconds.

Although, changing a fuel pump is probably not the best DIY project to start with while recovering from a bypass surgery. You may want to pay your indie to do this one. Not that its overly strenuous, but some Jaguar engineer put the fuel line connections to the tank in such a difficult location for access, that I thought I was going to need to be defibrillated myself a couple of times. Maybe start your recovery with something that isn't at all frustrating, like an oil change and work your way back up to the more stressful jobs. Wishing you a simple fix and a speedy recovery.

 

Thank you. That is my suspicion too. I am going to swap out the relays first and see if I can hear the pump then.

 

People neglect the 2 pumps because the engine will run on ONLY one pump.
When one fails, the engine strategy defaults to the other pump.

When BOTH 4.0 XKR/XJR pumps fail, then they notice.(duh)

You might want to 'jump' the relays every-once-in-a-while to ensure BOTH relays operate?
Just like you might want to use the bootlid key lock every 'once-in-a-while' to ensure the lid opens when the battery dies.(too many whiny 'my key doesn't work' posts)

 

Only the Pump 2 is run, but for just a couple of seconds, at ignition ON; too short to easily hear it if tested in this way. You can run each pump if you remove their relays and bridge the relay sockets 30 and 87 (or 3 and 5 depending of what markings on the relays you have) and listen at the open filler neck. For this test, you do not need to have the key in the ignition.

 

Before I read all the other replied, I would also have "said" already it's a fuel pump issue. I know this very well from our Ford Fairlane: It runs on LPG (liquid gas) and thus the fuel is hardly ever used, and as a consequence the fuel gets old and sticky in the tank and clogs up the fuel pump. Thus: If it is a fuel pump, swapping the fuel pump only will not solve the issue: The new fuel pump would probably die as well in next to no time: The old petrol needs to be drained as well and replaced with new petrol (if your issue is a clogged fuel pump/pumps).

 

#2 pump only runs to prime and high load so it seizes first.

the impellers swell up 20 years of exposure to e10 gas, they were junk pumps when they were new.

 

That's why I regularly ensure my XJR passes 4k rpm at high throttle when out, it's to exercise the second pump your honour.

 

@ Hooli:
Well, what worked for me once: After I was once on a 2 month vacation in Australia, I came back to Germany and the battery of my Polo was pretty flat - that flat that slow driving would risk stalling... I had to drive a bit first to recharge the battery. I got a ticket for driving 50km/h in a 30km/h zone. I went to the local officials and explained it exactly as I wrote it above... - and the ticket was waved - that was luck, I'd say... And after all: 30km/h (=18.6 mls/h) is ridiculous...

 

Thanks for the info. I will try bridging the socket.

 

So after changing the relays and checking the fuses I had the JAG towed to my local car guy.. He confirmed what you all have been saying that both fuel pumps were dead. After replacing the fuel pumps and fuel filter and new gas all is well. At the same time I had him replace the leaking valve cover and oil pan gaskets and flush and replace the brake fluid. I have to decide to start using it regularly or sell it. My guess is at this age lots more will start to fail soon.

 

> I have to decide to start using it regularly or sell it.

If that is your question: I say, don't sell it...

 

My wife says that too. She wants to drive the hell out of it!!

 

Driving the "hell out of it" is a good choice. I second that motion.

 

I third that motion! Super unleaded fuel only, sport mode button up and lit red, mash it to the floor and hang on! These R’s can handle it.