Hi everyone,
I am going to ask a silly question but keep in mind I did not get the owners manuals with my car when I bought it a few weeks ago. My car is a 2002 XJ8.

So...the "S" button on the shift console changes the transmission reaction from what I have read here on the forum.

It is the other button- next to it. What the heck is it? Perhaps turns on overdrive? Not sure what the symbol means. Should I keep it engaged (light on) for highway driving?

Thank you to whomever would take a moment to answer this question (eyes are down-cast with shame).

 

The other one is the master switch for the cruise control. Leave it turned on all the time, I do. The nice part is that when you want cruise, just use the steering wheel controls.

BMW and many other car companies are worried about law suits and don't have cruise power switches that latch like the Jags.

No such thing as a silly question!

 

AH HA!!! Now I know why my cruise quit working!!!!!!!!! I turned it off- since I had no idea what it was and remarkably, my cruise quite working.
Thanks a million!

 

no problem. Search around, I'm sure you can download an owners manual. Under the "tools" section, "download library" there is a Vehicle Car handbook available for download.

 

Here's a 99 owners manual, it'll be close.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...s%20manual.pdf

 

Yep,I was the same. No cruise until I checked the manual. The 'S' is Sports Mode. I leave the 'S' depressed all the time because I'm the sporty type!

 

The previous owner of my XJR told me the S button was to turn the supercharger on and off. I couldn't bear to correct him, just nodded and smiled.

 

Well, it does turn the supercharger off and on although it is called sports mode
and changes the transmission mode. The superchargers kick on after the button is depressed, no?

 

No, actually the button only changes the transmission behaviour. The supercharger is driven by a belt, and runs all the time. Some cars will have an electric clutch on the SC, but not the Jag.

Instead, there is a bypass valve that lets the intake air go around the SC rather than through it, at small throttle openings. When you put your foot down, this valve closes, and all air goes through the SC.

 

NO

 

So, are you saying "NO" to the original question, or to my response?

 

or no to taking the bait, is roadracer pulling our chain with that assumption, seriously?

 

I can see how people might think that's what it does, given how the sport mode really allows the car to use the revs and produce the supercharger whine and performance.

Someone new to the car could make that mistake easily. But my PO had owned the car for a while, and had the owners manual, so maybe someone else told him that, and he never questioned it.

 

The person I bought the car from told me that it was the button to engage the SC.... No owners manual with the car. So what am I supposed to believe,
that the seller was lying?
That is why I joined this forum to learn about the car, NOT to pull peoples chains, I have much better things to do with my time...
This forum is very informative, just like all the other forums of different cars that I have owned.

 

It's all in good fun Road Racer, don't take Sean's remark the wrong way. I thought that was pretty funny myself, since my car has a "sport" button but no supercharger.