Hello, I have a problem with my 2001 XJR. Whenever I hit the gas hard, my cars instrument panel goes blank, and my RPMs will stay very high. My car will not accelerate for about and minute and makes noises like grumbling.
My stereo won't work and after my car is like this for a minute or so, my airbag warning light is on as well as my traction/abs light. Any idea of what the problem could be?
The only error codes I have are too lean of fuel/air mixture and I think that's due to my Mina gallery intake.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks so much!
Dexter

 

Is there any recent history, such as the car being worked on?...or did this problem just start out of the bllue?

 

I replaced the breather hose with a PVC hose but that's about it. No other work has been done except for the abs module repair two winters ago.

 

My guess is that there is a primary electrical feed that is making poor contact somewhere in the vehicle.

• Check the connections at the battery for looseness or corrosion.
• Check that the battery is properly grounded.
• Check the two high power fuses in the trunk that wire directly back to the battery and make sure the bolts are clean and tight.
• Check the primary power cable attachment to each fusebox (trunk, under rear seat left and right, under hood) is clean and tight.
• Check that the alternator connections are clean and tight.

For safety, disconnect the battery when placing a tool on any primary battery connection, since an accidental short with a metal tool can severely burn you.

 

What does this wire go to?

 

 

That is for an optional 12 volt power adapter kit in the trunk that Jaguar used to sell.

 

Oh okay. I couldn't find anything wrong with the battery, its connections, or the power to the fuses. It seems that at redline the engine won't shift and from there, I lose power in my instrument panel

 

It is important to understand that the instrument cluster in this car is far more than just an instrument display. It contains a computer which is the communications gateway for messages between all of the electronic modules in the car.

If the instrument cluster loses power (and it is behaving like it is) critical communication will be interrupted and the car will malfunction. Your model is close enough to this TSB that I think it is a very good possibility this is the problem: See http://jagrepair.com/images/TSB/XJ/4...%20failure.pdf

 

Thank you very much. So should I try taking that circuit board out and resoddering any damaged parts? Also, how does this relate to my problem of my RPMs at redline?
Thanks so much

 

Definitely check for the fault & fix described and in the TSB, and inspect for any other obvious problems, such as leaking electrolytic capacitors and cold solder joints.

I cannot explain a precise cause and effect, but if the instrument cluster is malfunctioning almost anything in the car can be potentially affected.

This problem is unusual. I am trying to link it to the most common, known issues that might potentially cause it. It is just an educated guess.