hi i am getting an engine failsafe message 1998 xj8 . i recently did a hard reset (battery cables touched together ) to try to sort out a minor problem with the central locking and sprayed wd40 into lock mechanism.it worked (wd40 did the trick) now im getting engine failsafe mode and orange light... this seems to stop me starting the car.... i honestly dont think there is an engine problem, it seems more like an electrical glitch but i dont know so im asking for good advice please??? i replaced fuel pump about 2 weeks ago which helped with an occasional poor start i was getting ... now this failsafe nonsense seems to stop me from starting completely, i left the car for about 6 hours and the message was gone allowing me to start the car easily..when i started it again no problem until i switch it off then try to restart again (message on dash and cant start) i then did another hard reset (battery cables touched together)then message is gone and i can startcar again...so...how do i get rid of this message or bypass this or some other solution ??? since i bought the car i have occasional "high gearbox temperature" warning with orange light but this clears and i believe it to be a sensor error rather than a problem with gearbox, it has been appearing a bit recently which maybe is part of the problem?? i just want it fixed!!!!!! many thanks in advance

 

Buy or loan an OBD reader and pull the codes. Once you have them post here and there should be an answer - anything else is just guesswork.

 

+1 on that good advice

 

Hi could you recommend one ? I don't know anything about them ? Can I get a reasonable priced one off eBay? Thanks

 

Hi could you recommend one ? I don't know anything about them ? Can I get a reasonable priced one off eBay? Thanks I'm in the UK

 

Plenty of options the ELM 327 works and can be used with a phone app - I use a memoscan U581.

 

Do you have a smart phone?
If so, it depends if you have an Android or I Phone.

Search for a ELM327, which is a device which will fit into a socket under your steering wheel, and available as a Bluetooth device for Android, or a wifi device for I Phone.

Then there are several App's for your phone who read the main engine characteristics.
Needs some understanding but very doable.

On your problem, the first question should be the condition of the battery.
These cars show all kind of weird things if the battery gets lower, plenty of threads on this forum about it.