Hi,

Just bought 2001 XJ8 VP about 12 days ago. Went on vacation, left car in garage for 9 days and when I got back, wouldn't start and got messages - "engine failsafe mode, transmission fail, trac not available, asc not avail" - - I was so stunned and angry. put key in and out a few times, opened engine for no particular reason, then got in and it started fine with no messages. Anyone else run into this issue?

Also, where is VIN tag supposed to be on boot hood? All tags are in place and match on car, but there is a spot on the right "top" of the boot hood (up by the right side corner near your head if boot is open all the way) that is painted out - totally missed this when I purchased car and am feeling like complete dumba**!! the VIN tags on the right and left side fenders in the boot match and all the others do.

Car is super clean, only 45k miles and I had it checked by my mechanic prior to purchase and he saw no issues.

Thanks for any help/advice anyone may have.

 

Hard to say exactly what is going on without further info, but one thing for sure is that these cars do not like not being driven. If mine sits for more than a few days, I get the ASC NOT AVAIL and TRAC NOT AVAIL and REDUCED (or is it restricted?) PERFORMANCE. If I drive it a few times in succession, and if the weather is dry, the warnings go away.

Among other things, there is evidently a relatively significant battery drain in these cars from just sitting, and the computers really do not like any sort of voltage droop. Also, connectors to various sensors (such as ABS and traction control) get a bit corroded just sitting. And the ABS wheel sensors evidently get dirty and often can stand cleaning.

So it is possible that nothing is really "wrong" with your car, other than it has been sitting too much. Let us know if it gets better with more driving.

Re the VIN tag, I haven't a clue!

 

Yep, time for a new battery.

 

So this problem has not gone away - it's completely interrmittent, not tied to any set of circumstances that I've been able to identify. I'm just driving along and car quits with all the error messages. If I wait 5 minutes it will start. If I attempt to restart before 5 minutes, it won't start and I have to wait another 5 minutes. But after that waiting period it seems to "reset" and start. My jaquar only specialist has had the car for weeks and not been able to identify a culprit. Anyone out there have experience with this or similar problem? Alarm system possible culprit?

Thanks!

 

Battery and/or Bulkhead connector.

 

Sorry for your troubles; that can be extremely frustrating. It does sound like a battery/electrical issue, as the previous posters said. These cars love to be driven, and sometimes show trouble spots when first starting after several days off. They may have a small power drain, probably exacerbated with older batteries.

You are getting errors from several different systems. The primary thing they share in common is electrical charge and ground. These cars are known to throw those codes when the battery is in poor condition or undercharged. The same result could come from a weak ground at the battery terminal or bulkhead connection.

Start by checking the battery: verify both voltage and amps. The battery may be at the end of its useful life. Also, disconnect and thoroughly clean both battery terminals and the ground connection. If you continue to have problems after that, please let us know... Best wishes!

 

Wow! Been doing this for a year without resolution? Did you ever replace the battery or at least have the entire charging system load tested?

Your new comment referring to shutting down while driving sounds like a throttle body electrical connection issue that was the subject of a Technical Service Bulletin at one time. Solution was to clean and/or replace the electrical contacts on the TB.