Hi have had my 98 Jag XJ8 3.2 V8 for 7 months without problems. Still in love with it.

Washed it on New Years Day (brrrr) , and then parked it on the front garden.

On 2nd Jan, tried to start it, but no joy.
The usual noise that you get when you turn the key, but no firing of the engine at all.

Any ideas?

Looked for a manual, but struggling to find one. (they don't do a Haynes manual here in the UK.

Looking at the engine bay, I can't even locate the starter mnotor or solenoid at the moment.

 

By makes noise do you mean the loud click or the starter engaging with a grinding sound or fully engaged and spinning?

If it's just the loud click make sure to check your battery voltage first before you start chasing down the wiring and cables.

 

Thanks ArmyJag,
I don't get a click.
It's more like the normal whirring noise when the starter motor is turning, but I get the impression it's not engaged at all, just free spinning.

Do you know where it is and how to access it?
I guess I should take it off, inspect, and try to put it back on again.

I don't know my way around this engine, but have replaced starter motors on my Honda and Fords before.

 

This is out of the JTIS, Judging by the crap picture I would guess passenger side just above the point where the oil pan meets the block. Here are the Jag instructions...

Starter Motor
Removal
Open the engine compartment and fit paintwork protection sheets.
Disconnect the battery ground cable.Remove the battery cover.
Place the vehicle on a ramp.
Working from below the vehicle, remove the power steering rack for access. Refer to Operation 57.10.01.
Disconnect the starter motor main terminal.
Reposition the rubber boot from the main terminal.
Remove the nut from the starter motor main terminal.
Disconnect the main cable from the terminal.
Disconnect the starter motor solenoid terminal.
Reposition the rubber boot from the terminal.
Remove the nut from the solenoid terminal.
Disconnect the cable from the terminal.
Remove the starter motor securing bolts.
Remove the upper securing bolt. Preferably, use a short 13 mm spanner or a Snap On Half Moon spanner CMX1113 to initially loosen the bolt. (Refer to the next step).
Remove the lower securing bolt.Carefully remove the starter motor. The upper bolt may be removed (after loosening) using a 3/8' square drive 13 mm socket, extensions and U.J as shown.



On this link though you'll find the link to the JTIS the complete Jag service manual for your XJ

https://www.jaguarforums.com/m_85663/tm.htm

 

Greetings,

I'm reading between the lines a little, but I don't think this thread is relevant to your problem. We should also hope that Jonny Lang has gotten his car started after three weeks, or else he has missed a few concert dates.

Your starter is working fine if it is turning the engine over. The engine is flooded, or you have a fuel system or ignition system fault that will not enable it to start.

If this problem was not preceded by a check engine warning, it's likely that you are experiencing a no-start condition common to your type of engine. Sometimes a flooded engine will start if you depress the accelerator all the way to the floor and crank the engine continuously for up to a minute. You won't hurt the starter, I don't know if anything was wrong with Lang's but I doubt it...they are very durable. If you hear any bad rattling sort of noises while you are cranking it, game over.

I would check for fuel pressure next, which is something you probably should have a qualified mechanic do.

Ifwide open throttlewon't get it started, and fuel pressure is verified, your engine will need to be primed with oil in the cylinders as anext step. That means removing the plugs and four squirts of engine oil directly into each cylinder through the spark plug hole. If you have a local Jaguar technician, he'll know the drill.I always check compression at this point, squirt each cylinder four more times, and install the cleaned (or new) plugs. In all likelyhood it will fire right up, smoke for a little bit while the excess oil burns off, and be fine.

Flooding will sometimes occur if the car has been idle for a couple of days, particularly when the battery is not fully charged. It is also bad practice with these engines to start them cold and shut them off without at least several minutes of warm-up time. Pulling the car out of the garage and shutting it down to sweep the garage floor sometimes means you will be pushing it back in.

 

Hello, first thing you want to do before moving any other suv accessories is be sure that the battery is up to snuff....

 

2000 Jaguar S-Type starter clunks and wont turn over Is it a bad starter or timing chain?

 

Remove the spark plugs and turn the engine over by hand