died twice completely
 

Hi all,

I'm a newbie to the forum and unfortunately a true non-techie with anything car related.

Twice recently I have unlocked my 2000 XJ8 (with the fob) to find the car has completely died. Turning the key gives nothing and there are no messages in the panels. Not even the mileage is displayed and there was a constant ticking noise coming from the steering column area/underside of the dash.

The car could also notbe locked with the fob.

The first time this happened I'm not sure what I did to overcome the problem, I left the car for an hour and went back to it and it seemed cured.

The second time, I unlocked the car, put something in the boot, jumped in the cabin and found myself in the same situation.

Eventually, by chance, I opened the boot manually with the key(to get my coat!), shut the boot andwent back into the car and seen the mileage was then displaying and subsequently the car was living again.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

RE: died twice completely
 

Pull carpet from right side of trans tunnel by shifter. You will see black boot over power stud. Make sure its tight and report back

RE: died twice completely
 

lofty - i'd first check the other poster's suggestion, then read my post below. i had an identical issue...see (c) below

---------------------------------------------------------------

i had a bunch of crazy electrical problems that had 2 mechanics tell me they'verarely seen these problems, and they eluded that it was going to be a very expensive repair because it would take a lot of trouble shooting. It seemed like the problems happened right after i added a radar detector and the forum people thought that was the cause and not just a coincidence.

issues
a)traction control failure - it would get thrown almost always at low speeds
b)car stalled sometimes, typically at low speeds or while stopped.
c)the car alarm and all other electricalaccessories (such as the trunk)would sometimes not work after turning the car off - also the car wouldn't restart...normally after about 10-15 minutes, then it would finally work. I found myself tied to my car at the airport while waiting for a flight, and my girlfriend had to take a cab from my car to a job interview after she stopped for coffee....not fun


fix
replacing the battery cut the frequency of these issues down 80%. I was made aware the voltage was off on the alternator, and it was suggested i replace it. On my way to take the car in, i was .5 miles away from Ken's Austin British Motorcarslocation, and the belt to the power steering broke along with the tensioners. Replacing the tensioners and belt fixed all of these problem listed above, also my car ran smoother.

DR

RE: died twice completely
 

Always a good idea to get codes from ABS module if light came on.

RE: died twice completely
 

the abs traction control failure comes up when voltage is below 10.5 volts.. and
i always find that the trunk power studs to the left of the battery get loose then arch then melt causing a voltage drop.. and also the power stud under the hood right side .. half inch away from the inner fender.. they melt too. causing no crank or no lights.

RE: died twice completely
 

Oh god....my bad. Why was I thinking XK8?

RE: died twice completely
 

Thank you all - I will try your suggestions when I get back from my trip.

FactoryJaguarTech:

Is "Oh god....my bad. Why was I thinking XK8?"

for the

"Pull carpet from right side of trans tunnel by shifter. You will see black boot over power stud. Make sure its tight and report back"

Or does this apply to the XJ8?

RE: died twice completely
 

Yes to all. Just follow what jaggenius said in his post. At least can read more than 3 letters of plain English without getting scewed up.
j is different than k j is different from k
ok much better

RE: died twice completely
 

Yes jag genius is right on the mark here. Check all the main electrical connections if that doesn't do it, it just maybe that the battery has a bad internal post connection. I've seen that be for and it will drive you crazy.