i recently bought a 2000 xj8 base....have not used it much and park in garage for winter....i have been starting periodically...once a week...to keep the battery up.....i noticed this am.....and it is cold here now....that after about 5 mins of ideling i get a restricted performance read out on the display..and there is a slight roughness to the idle....

would appreciate any input on this ....am i dealing with a major issue and what are the likely.....causes....thanks....

 

Surly you get a good, dry, salt free day occasionally to take it out and give it a run . . . Oh . . . wait . . . I lived in Jersey for 2 Winters and do not remember such a thing.

In my humble opinion you are doing a lot more harm to your car than leaving it properly stored for the Winter.

As far as the Restricted Performance . . . a good run will probably clear that up.

 

As you get a message probably an error code is stored. The first thing I would do is to try to readout the error code.

 

As someone that lived in Minnesota for many years, driving "winter beaters" and storing cars for the winter, I can offer some advice.

Fill the tank to the top (it will prevent condensation as the temperature fluctuates), drop the righ amount of Stabil (read the instructions) in the tank. Take out the battery, and store it in the dry and warm place (like your basement), and hook it on the trickle charger. Take a can of WD40 and coat the wheels, and undercarriage (if another car goes in and out of that garage, it WILL bring the salt wapors in, and they WILL etch your wheels, and corrode the exposed steel). Get a nice cover for the cat, and cover it (even if it's in the garage). This will protect the chrome and paint from salt wapors that will be coming off of the other vehicle. If possible, store the car in the separate garage (not shared with DD), in that case you can forget the cover.

Don't tuch the car untill Spring! In the Spring, hook up the battery, take it out for a long drive, hook up the scanner, read the codes, and post them here!

Simple. You can thank me in the Spring.

 

yes...i hear everything said....especially getting a code....but i am thinking....as suggested....the car just isn't being used...anywhere full throttle.....i note the car has to idle for a while before i see the message....thanks...

 

Greetings - I have a similar "restricted performance" that shows up quite frequently. Code is P0333 (knock sensor, bank 2). I did purchase a new sensor, but did not install it yet - hopefully will do the trick. If I clear the code, it appears to not show up as long I drive below 3k RPM. If I revv a bit, it will eventually show up. I know the "restricted performace" restricts revving above 3k RPM, so maybe that's the reason it doesn't show up before I revv above that. Only once though I felt the electronic restriction - it's intermittent and check engine light will go on and off after few cycles. Strangely enough, shows up more often at idle than anything else. I will keep the forum posted if new sensor eliminates my issue.

 

HEY BLUE THANKS FOR THE CODE READ OUT.....looks about right for what i was experiencing....i put some additional sunoko high test in the tank and "sea foam"....than i took the car...on the freeway and punched the clock...to about 75 mph......

the restricted performance message did not come on.....nor engine light.....so i am thinking the problem may be temporarily fixed....but will need to drive it around town at lower rpms....to see what happens.....yes and by all means do let us know what happens when you replace that sensor..i am thinking not useing the car...for the last six weeks...and given the extreme changes in weather/temp....here in the north east....maybe it was just a condensation/fuel problem......thanks again for the input....

 

hey buddy i have 2000 xj8 base as well been there had that problem...your ignition coils are starting to go bad. if the code comes up again get your codes pulled...if it is a misfire search around online for ignition coils its a quick easy fix but make sure u look around for the deals because the dealerships sells them at 128$ each and theres 8 of them you dont need to replace all 8 but do your research as far as pricing goes

 

yes I have not forgotten the useful comments or the help......I recently took the car out of winter hibernation...if u catch my drift......pulled the codes myself...and from my own research....I pulled about 5 codes including the popular p1000....actually Riden got it right.....if u are familiar with the ecu on these cats....the trick usually is to correct the right code and the codes linked to it will disappear....which is what happened.....

I brought it to my mechanic who works mostly on foreign cars.....worked on the coil code...and replaced....along with a new set of plugs.....paid about 260 us dollars which I thought was very reasonable...idle vibration gone and runs real smooth.....

since my last post I sold my 1985 xj-6....and will probably sell the 2000 xj8 base.....I already got 2 calls on the car from my mechanic's customers who saw the car on the lot...

a bit of a sad story on the car.....I picked it up at an auction.....for a very good price.......and sold it to a friend of the family......three weeks later....he had a blood vessel burst in his eye.......had a few operations since....his vision has improved marginally.....but he won't be able to drive.....so I gave him his money back....and I got the bill of sale back....

I will be keeping my other cat....2000 xj8...long........thanks again to all
who provided feedback..................jagjunky

 

Knock sensor caused message, right after bad tank of premium gas from BP. It's all in the timing. Octane booster fixed it, and now the engine can go way over 3000 rpm.

 

Regarding "restricted performance"
Anyone know why when slowing down to a stop the RP light comes on then goes away a few minutes later after reaching a higher speed after pulling away from stop ?

 

It's not ringing any bells for me, but I would suggest you start your own thread, listing the symptoms, a bit of history, etc. You'll get better responses that way.

Have you checked for codes?

 

Re RP
only codes are P0171 &Po174.
Did a check yesterday RP goes of as soon as I get to 40 mph.
RP comes on intermittently on slowing for a stop.
Speed related?

 

I would run a bottle of any good cleaner through a tank of gas: sounds to me like you have dirty injectors that clears up as the RPMs rise. Lucas, GUMOUT's BEST, SEA Foam, BG if you can find it. This always worked on my RR Sport Supercharged.

Also Google those codes: lots of possibilities

But this is really a different issue than originally described: new thread?

 

A bank combustion too lean, B bank combustion too lean. I've seen these codes. At idle and high vacuum you get the code and the RP. Likely a leak somewhere between the MAF and the throttle body. The accordion area of the intake can develop cracks between the "vanes", or the seal at the throttle body could be leaking, or intake manifold seals ...