As I posted in my intro post, we bought a '98 XJ8 at the car auction last week. We picked it up yesterday. I drove it back, straight to have it inspected, which went fine. Having never owned a Jaguar before, I wanted to solicit some expert advice on the apparent issues...

The odometer screen shows 'stability control failure' and the ABS light is on. I did some searching both here and the wider interwebs and saw most posts dealt with this error coupled with Traction Control Fail, Transmission Fault, Engine Fail safe mode, etc. None of these are the case with mine - just stability and ABS. The car has 203,000 miles and has an oil change sticker saying the next service is due in May of this year at 205,000. This came from a franchise dealer, so I'm thinking it was driven regularly and traded either because it's 21 years old or because of needed repairs.Whatever the reason, there's no evidence it's just been sitting.

Thanks in advance for any pointers on where and how to start troubleshooting this issue.

 

Welcome to the forum. There are several common causes, one of which requires a small solder repair of the abs module. Reading the stored codes will identify the source of the problem.
Unfortunately, Jag specific software is required to identify abs system errors. There are code readers that supposedly have the ability, and I expect someone will suggest one, or you can locate a foreign car specialist in your area that has the equipment. A dealer, of course, but they don't repair modules, just replace at great expense, so if you go to a dealer just get the codes and report them here.

 

This is, most probably, due to some problem related to the ABS electric motor operation. In most cases, it is caused by solder deterioration of the two pins (solder on the PC board inside the ABS electronic box) that supply power to the motor. You can check this and re-solder if you detach the black electronic box from the ABS valve body and open it up.

 

A weak battery could also be responsible for codes on these cars. If the battery in one of these cars isn't in tip-top condition the electronics do NOT like it. Just something cheap to rule out...

 

Thanks for the info. We'll dig into this next week and see what we can find. Is there a recommended repair how-to site with either steps, or diagrams/pics or videos?

In my searching, I ran across a guy who had all his error messages fixed by replacing the battery, so we'll check that too. My biggest fear is that we're going to find out that fixing these niggles on a budget is going to be difficult.

 

 

If you get iCarsoft i930 (a cheap scanner), you can diagnose the ABS with it. Many other cheap scanners don't do ABS.

 

The posters have certainly suggested the likely issue of either battery or ABS pump. If you get it scanned, you're looking for C1095 to confirm a pump controller box removal and solder job.

It's also fixed (always on) whereas the weak battery (anything under 12.5V) it flashes on startup.

If it's stood for over 2 weeks the security system will have drained the battery enough to place a ghost in the machine.... Before being concerned, start using the car and get a few drive cycles through it, the stability/ABS/Trac is disabled, but the car is perfectly safe and sound to drive.

A more unlikely failure can be an ABS wheel speed sensor, they're located on each hub, crap can get in between the sensor and ABS ring on the back of the hub, or a wiring fault can also cause the warning messages. It's one of the above 3 and all can be fixed without expense generally, just a bit of work most should be able to carry out.

 

Just fixed my 1095 code today by replacing my ABS module with a resoldered one from a '98 XJ8 I found in the junkyard. The module had RTV at the joint so I suspected someone had gone in. I popped it open and sure enough, there was good solder on the bad pins. Swapped it in, and 1095 went away.

By unbolting the 4 13mm nuts from underneath, removing the relay plate and carefully bending the brake lines out of the way, the modules can be removed without too much effort.

 

We have an Innova code reader (3160g I believe) so I need to see if it's one of the units that will read Jaguar ABS codes.When I got the car back from the auction, and before we got it inspected, I checked for 'not readys' and our scanner read the P1111 pending code.

I greatly appreciate the tips so far. We'll check things this week and I'll post back, with either solutions for future searchers or for additional help...

 

I have the same issue regularly on my 98 & have been getting it for at least the last 10 years (I've had the car since 99 so have been through pretty much 100% of the issues commonly reported on the forums ).

Most common if the car sits for a while and its wet out. Never any codes set and always related to a sensor issue.

It usually clears after a short drive, but on occasion I've had to take a wheel off and clean the ABS sensor surface. For some reason the front left seems to be the most prone

 

SOLVED Adding to this thread late - I have a Daimler Super V8 22yrs old 33k miles and in pristine condition. After methodically sorting the CATS to be a bad connector I developed ABS / Stability control error. Without the benefit of a chassis code reader I disturbed and lubricated the wheel sensor connectors to no avail. Did same to ABS multiway to no avail. Finally did same to 2x pole connector on ABS below multi-connector and BINGO = sorted. I might guess it's the internal PCB connector that I shuffled the dry joint. I guess it may return but I'll know to reflow those 2x pins inside the module.

 

Yep, that ABS circuit board must receive some sort of flex in a repetitive manner, thus causing the solder to crack
and then separate. The engineers at Jaguar should have known better, but the issue can be solved in a permanent
fashion by soldering a wire from the stub connector to the solder puddle on the board. The constant flexing could
cause a repeat issue with just more solder, but by using the wire in addition, you have a safety net.