All 308's have the cabin floor loom and link leads to the seats underneath, it's wether the car seats are equipped with the heater elements. These run underneath the leather fascia's.
@Daniel, the 'brown thing is the relay'.

@Fish, to check you've got heater elements in the seats you'll be able to feel for the heater pad wires at the base of the upper and lower rear squab of the seats. If the car doesn't warm them with the control panel installed and lit, the relays under the seats installed, and the seats plugged into the loom, then it's got to have non heat pad seats.

For the seats to activate ensure ambient temp is lower than 6C and engine is running.

It isn't a tough job to install the elements/pads into the seats. They have inbuilt thermostat's. Flay sounds like he experienced the out of range signals from the gearbox selector mech which leads to the 'scroll of death' good luck with it

That's what I thought, so my initial instinct was to first check the bulkhead connector stud for power as it's an easy enough job & doesn't take long...

You'll never find a 'secondary' fault with an electronic circuit unless it has the 'primary' power rails present for the circuit to function

Hi guys,

Sunday evening update: I've checked the false bulkhead connector (or that which I believe is the false bulkhead connector).
It has 12V.
Can anyone confirm I'm measuring the right thing?

For now I'm going to remove the centre console and do the gearlever adjustment suggested by Sean B. I'm thinking 19mm or 21mm for those big nuts.

Thanks for the support guys, I think we'll have this cat back purring in pretty sharp order!

Lincoln

If you put the ignition on, and press the brake pedal, can you hear the click of the gear lever locker? It is a possibility that you car's computer don't know that the lever is on P or N and the power to the starter is blocked. Also the voltage seems a little low, it should be 12,2-12,5V.

They're much bigger, I use pipe grips, gently does it back them off half turn each to start. You're trying to get the selector to move freely that's all' - feel for each in the gearbox corresponds with selector. Check and reseat all the connectors again including climate control, go back to original until you confirm the seats have the heater pads?

As Flay suggests, get the selector interlock working with brake pedal to confirm the correct TCM response. It should then start.

Flay,

It doesn't click when I put my foot on the brake.
This would inidcate that the TCM doesn't know what gear its in, right?
Or possibly a blown fuse for the release mechanism, will track down which that is and check for continuity.

I have removed the centre console now and just realized that the procedure for adjusting the selector involves loosening the other end of the cable under the car.
As it is 8pm, dark, snowy and -1C here, I've elected to postpone that part until tomorrow. also I can't raise the car as its parked on loose ground, but I should be able to slide under right?
I'm sure some people have raised cars on worse ground, but I had one fall on me last year and I'm not getting burned twice.

BTW, when I find the sweet spot for the trans selector adjustment, does the error suddenly go away, the foot on brake release start working or do I need a hard reset every time?

Thanks

Lincoln

Guys,

I just finally checked the brake lights, they do not light up.
I'm parked near a tree, foot on the brake tree does not go red.

When I gently depress the brake pedal, I can hear the physical click of a switch. So there is still some switch there, whether it works or not is a different matter.

So the $64k question: can this be the cause of all my woes?
Again I find the "scroll of death" a little extreme, when a simple "your brake switch is buggered" would suffice.

I'll adjust the gear selector anyway, as I've already done most the work.

Cheers,

Lincoln

If it's on the loose ground, all you need is a shovel to dig a nice trench!

I was thinking for the brake switch fault and the light check a few minutes ago, you was faster! If the car was OK untill now, the simple things could be wrong , starting with the brake switch, lever switches, contacts,fuses, voltages. No cable adustments probably, as you didn't use big wrenches to play there, isn't it? I didn't know about this adjustment, probably is it XJR specific?

First disconnect the blue block, climate pack, it's Er, so remove it from the system.
Disconnect the interlock solenoid, shift to neutral - does the car crank?

No, plug the lock back in...
Next
By realigning the cable selector to the linear switch, it should start. They aren't big ol' nuts, fine gauge thin brass items for fine adjustments, maybe my pipe pliers suggestions gave that impression but that's not the case.I use them only to loosen, then hand turn the locking nuts, leave one and move the other, turn ignition on and see if cured, 1/4 or 1/2 turns either way to try first, you most definitely do not remove the cable from the gearbox under the car, it's fine adjustment to and electronic sensor, not strip the assembly

Once it selects sweetly, doors open, kneeling and leaning in to shift, ear under car to hear the ping click of the gears being moved. Try the ignition on and shift interlock/brake to confirm working.

No hard resets or errors once established.

It isn't a big job and should take no more than 10 minutes to get the car running. If I could only show you.
I doubt it's the brake/cruise switch - your lights where working ok until it threw this? Cruise control too? If you want to test the switches go for it and strip the mech from the top of the brake peddle, you'll have to be good at doing the limbo! It's held in with a nyloc nut and bolt 5 or 6mm...

Hey Sean,

Thanks for that explanation. Saves me freezing myself under the car :-)
I was going of what JTIS says, there they describe it as "remove the cable on the tranny, put it fully rearward and then 2 indents forwards to get neutral."

But I like your way better.
I don't have cruise control. I don't know if the brake switch was working prior to this, it's been a while since I checked.

Also, can I clarify one point:
Disconnect the interlock solenoid? Where can I find this? Is it the same as the funny hex head override switch? That is loose so. I could move it onto the tow truck.

I'll give the brake switch a look. I've done some overhead feet in the air soldering in my Westfield, so I have experience (and backpain to match)

Thanks

Lincoln

have you located/ reset the inertia switch yet ? this can cause the brake lights/ interlock not to work.

I read on another thread that for 98 The switch is integral to the BPM
I'm not hugely enamoured of removing the glove box and airbag to get to the BPM.
Maybe there is a handy reset point for 98 AJ 26 engines?

Thanks

Lincoln.

The hex covers a bar, that bar is moved across by the interlock solenoid, which is bolted to the trans selector chassis, it should have a 2 wire connector running to it, try disconnecting it.
Also check the j gate illumination module, it's got a grey ribbon loom and is directly soldered to the module, if this is damaged it gives your symptoms also. It connects (white) to the side of the trans selector chassis along with the climate. Hope you get it working as it doesn't sound like it needs a transporter yet!

Let's not worry about the BPM yet - there's a danger too much reading on the subject will drive you crazy A methodical approach trying what the guys have suggested one at a time will sort it out. All modules are circuit protected and your guy didn't find any blown fuses.

Hi Guys,

A belated update, unfortunately flu knocked me out for a few days.
But now I'm back and rearing to go, just my Cat isn't :-(

I tried Sean's suggestions:
Disconnected Climate Control from system "blue block" --> no change but the beeping is gone. Have left it disconnected, as its annoying.
Disconnected the interlock solenoid thats the big fat round thing going in from the top.
No change.


Sean B: you say, "Disconnect the interlock solenoid, shift to neutral - does the car crank?"
If I disconnect the interlock solenoid, does it fail open? I mean should I then be able to shift to neutral without using the emergency release mechanism (putting the key into the big hex head hole)?
Because I can't, with or without connection, I cannot move the gear lever. Only when I poke the key into that hex head hole. Significant?

Also I took the liberty of measuring the voltage at the solenoid, it gets 7.3V all the time. Kind of a weird number for automotive applications, right?
This doesn't change if I step on the brake pedal or not. My battery still shows 11.9V (its -3C and snowing), as soon as the snow clears I'll get a charger on it.

I also have to correct myself again, the brake lights do work, but only with the ignition on. I assume this is normal as most people drive with the ignition on.
I guess on Sunday I must have had the ignition off and tried it.

I've tried adjusting the gearlever every which way, still no change in the situation.

So, how can I make the gear interlock solenoid react as it should? I think that should be my first goal.
So, my questions are
1) the interlock solenoid, should it be like this? always in the closed position?
2) what is the 7.3V? does that signal get some waveform on it?
3) any other tips, I'm all ear, cos right now I'm lost again.

Thanks

Lincoln

Fish, I don't want to beat the dead horse, but..............

Make SURE your battery is on up and up, before you go crazy on the cat.

+1 - minimum 12.5V to be safe.

this thread from a while ago is similar, but the car started...

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...37/#post410991

Daniel, Sean, thanks for your replies. Point taken

Is it enough to charge the battery with my trickle charger?
And if I decide to buy a new one, what's the correct spec and Sean, can you recommend one in Europe?

Cheers

Lincoln

I would take the battery out, and have it tested by a pro with the right equipment. It might take the charge fine with your trickle charger, but not hold it. You said in one of your previous posts that it reads 11.9V?

Thats a bad Jag battery my friend.