Hey everybody, quick question that I'm hoping someone can answer.

I've got a 1998 Jaguar XJR with about 50K on it so far.

There is a yellow ASC light that seems to be flicking on every now and then. When it turns on, my car kinda sputters when I hit the gas, almost like it starts to stall out. After a second or two, the light turns off.....and I can gun the gas again with no probem. Any ideas on what this is, and how it can be fixed?
I know the ASC stands for Automatic Stability Control, but I'm not exactly sure how that would relate to the "push on the gas, and nothing" scenario that I'm experiencing.

My second question

I have also noticed that as of late, especially in the mornings when the car is cold, I am getting a weird "clack clack clak" sound when I put the car in drive and take off from a stationary spot. It almost sounds like a wheel joint or something might be screwed up. Seems like after the car is warmed up, it totally stops. It's not an obnoxious sound, just enough to bother me when I'm driving. Anyone ever had this happen?

Third Question

I bought my car with 25K miles on it, but never got the manual
Can anyone tell me OFFICIALLY what the two buttons under the J Shift are for?
One has an RPM symbol on it, and the other has the letter S on the button

I think one is "Sport mode", not sure what the RPM button is for.

Can anyone elaborate on how/ when these things should be used?

Thanks for the incite, much appreciated!

 

ARE YOU TRYING TO ACELLERATE WHEN THE ACS COMES ON??? IT IS DESINED TO STOP YOU FROM SQUELLING THE TYRES,SO I THINK IT IS FINE AS HOW YOU ARE DECRIBING IT.

AS FOR THE NOISE IS IT COMING FROM THE WHELLS OR FROM THE ENGINE? THESE CARS WERE BAD FOR THE EGR PIPE BREAKING AND CAUSING A SIMILAR NOISE YOU ARE DECRIBING.

THE BUTTONS ARE FOR SPORT MODE AND YOUR CRUSE CONTROL ON SWITCH.

BUY A MANUAL ITS WORTH THE INVESTMENT.

 

hi! i have a 99 xj8 and believe the manuals are the same..neighbor has a 98 and we did compare manuals...anyway, if i can get your email address i'll be glad to scan and email you any part of the manual you might want to take a look at!!
as for the yellow light, if it in the center above steering wheel, i just had my car in for the same reason and it was a clogged mass air control valve. they took it out, cleaned it, and put it back in. i had "restricted performance" light up with mine but it didn't seem to drive any differently. let me know if i can help!!
luigi32@verizon.net

 

Had the same sort of thing on my xj8, it was the acs module that needed replacement. Luckily the car is under warranty, otherwise its a 2.5k+ fix.

 

I think I know what might be your problem. We had the same problem, except engine fail warning came up. We drove about 300 miles on holiday and just as we were about to go onto the eurotunnel the ASC Fail came up and then engine fail came up then the engine started to misfire horribly. Unfotunaltely, we had the car in park at th time and couldnt get it into drive, so had to push it through. Apparently the ABS pump failed which caused some conflicting information in the computers. This causes the engine managment to go a bit hay wire. If it is the same problem as mine, it has nothing to do with the engine itself. We had to have the pump replacing. The total cost £1000.

Jaguar XJ8 '99 3.2 sport

 

Had the same problem a couple of years ago with an errant ACS light and my mechanic simply replaced the brake light switch (or, was it the oil pressure switch?) and the problem went away for good. Repair cost: ~$200.