I have a XJ6 that has the fuel, temp, oil guages dead. I took it to a car wash and the guages came to life! I hope it is just a matter of a new earth. I am new to this car so any tips on how to get there would really be great! Thanks Richard

 

Richard,

I have an 89 xj6 as well and have the digital dash, it yours the same?

If you do have the digital dash, the problem is with solder points on the circuit boards for the dash components. It's not a difficult fix, just time consuming, but not hard to accomplish. If you are having problems with one side now, it's just a matter of time before the other side starts acting up.

I think it's coincidental the dash lights illuminated while at the car wash, the dash cluster probably got a good physical jolt from a door slamming or such. You'll notice if the lights go out again, a firm slap on the dash cluster top will often reestablish illumination, at the same time causes more deterioration in the solder points.

This is one of the famous "faults" of the 89 xj6; the other is the door handles. If you do some searching in this and other forums, you will find it a common problem and easily fixable without spending major money.

Before going into an explanation, can you confirm you have a digital dash?

Rob Evenson

 

Yes I have a digital dash. I really appreciate your responce. It makes such a difference to know what direction the battle lies.

 

Richard,

Your very welcome for the assistance, plenty has been given to me by forum members, so I'm passing it on.

I'm going to assume you have a Haynes manual to assist with the basic disassemble instructions for the dash cluster, if not, let me know and I or someone will give you instructions.

Once you have the cluster out of the vehicle, open the cluster case and note the placement of the various circuit boards. Not sure of your skill level or confidence, but you may want to snap a few digital pics for reference when you reassemble the unit.

If memory serves me well, there are two, maybe only one, stacked circuit boards connect to the main board with maybe a dozen rigid circuit pins on opposite sides of the board(s). You will want to separate these boards from the main board in order to examine all of the solder points. Exercise care and patience when separating.

Closely examine the circuit boards, especially those points where the connector pigtails terminate on the board. Take your time and follow the wiring to the boards and most likely you will notice a significant difference in the texture/color of the solder compared to the rest of the solder points on the board. These will be the points you want to correct. If you have soldering experience, then you know what to do. If not, see if a friend can help you out the first time, then you'll know how to address it going forward.

If you don't have experience, I recommend you get the guidance, because you will most likely will have to address other bad solder points in various components of your XJ6, such as the Bulb Failure Modules (BFM), especially the ones located in the trunk. There can also be issues, though infrequent with the fuse boxes.

Don't get discouraged with the various issues. Almost all of these are one time fixes. In regards to the solder points, the real issue is Jaguar had a bad batch of solder used in various components, thus the need to repair the solder points. The solder repairs I made were over six years ago and no occurrences since.

Some other things (most common) that may come up.......

SLS (self leveling shocks) (convert to traditional shock system if it acts up)
Door Handles
AC fan
Bulb Fail Modules
Boot moisture (water in the trunk, and the various entry points)
Brake booster (covert to a traditional vacum system it acts up)
Auxiliary Cooling fan

Best of luck, if you need anything else, add to the post.

Rob Evenson
Mobile, AL
89 XJ6 123K

 

I just wanted to say thanks again for your insight. I feel you have met my vehicle already. Issues like AC fan, bulb failure are among my list of fixes. It is good to know that I am among friends who love and invest in these works of art on four wheels.

 

Hi!

I have 1988 with digital dash and left side is up initially but dies while driving. If I hit the top hard, it comes back and die again soon. I may take it a part when I don't get anything. Hope not too soon.

Young

 

Young,

It will be sooner rather than much later. Slapping the dash will expedite the solder points to loosen/crack all the more. Budget three to four hours and you should be back in business and not have to be concerned with it again.

Good luck