Need help 1989 jaguar xj6 sedan
 

This car is my pride recently the dash panel quit working everything on the dash quit i hit the top of the dash and the lights came back on but when i turned my key off and back on the lights went out and i cant seem to get them to come back on please help me does it sound like a bad ground if so where should i begin looking for it please help and thanks for your time an to those who reply

James,

Unfortunately your problem is not going to be a quick fix. Yes it could be an earth, or more likely the fact that over time these cars are renowned for having the solder joints in the instrument panel breaking down which will lead to the problem you describe.

In order to fix it, it's going to be a case of removing the instrument cluster and trying to find and chase the broken ones with a multi-meter and a soldering iron or you can try swapping it out with a refurbished unit. Short of that, you can just keep giving it a workout with your fist until they let go completely.

There are a few posts in the forum that relate to this, as well as a section with wiring diagrams which might come in handy. Good luck getting it sorted.

ok if it is the ground by a slim chance where should i start looking and a new problem my window on the drivers side wont roll up the widow motor is working but the window wont go up would you know how to fix this? thnks for your help

How long is a piece of string :)

Best place to start before you go pulling things to bits is with the fuses.. There's one in the centre panel and 2 in the left fuse panel. Also check to make sure it is not a faulty dimmer dial.

There are at least 7 earth points for the instrument cluster and they will either be solid black or black/pink wires. Have you got a copy of the Haynes manual? This will be invaluable if you are going to try and chase the fault yourself.

As for your window, you say that the motor is working in which case the issue is probably in the regulator as opposed to the actual electrics...you'll need to remove the door trim, take out the window glass and then test to see if the regulator operates without any weight on it (the glass)...

My guess is that either the glass may have jumped out of the channel or more than likely the gears have been stripped from the regulator... Again, the Haynes manual will assist in the correct procedure.

I'm sorry I can't offer any more help than this...hopefully others will put their two cents in...

yes i have a copy of the haynes service and repair manuel do you have any idle where to start looking for the problem in the book? and would you know where the grounds run to from the cluster thanks for your help

Your Manual may be a little different so all these below should be close to the money...

If you open up to the instrument cluster wiring diagram then this will give you a general idea and location of where to start looking for the earths. In my book it is Chapter 12:25

Removing the instrument cluster is not that difficult (and will make chasing the wires a whole lot easier). Follow the procedure in Chapter 11:25 and if needed Chapter 12:9-10-11 & 12

As for the window regulator, try Chapter 11:18, 21 & 22

Also check out this thread... some have fixed the issue caused by water getting into the fuse box; https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x.../?ref=esp-link

thanks for the help bro ill keep in touch with you if i cant figure it out i might need to ask you some more question if thats alright with you?

ok man ive went through the whole insterment cluster inside nothing seems to be broke i have 4 blown lights in the back of it but i dont kno if that matters is there any usual places to short out in the insterment cluster?

Look at the dimmer control, these were famous for bad soldering too.
check all earths and dimmer inputs to dash lights, try using a jeweller's eyeglass (10 x magnification) and look for bad soldering or a crack around a soldered joint-I've done this many times with success.

I used to fix those all the time. [provided this IS a 1989] There are several circuit board joints that break and need to be re-soldered. Some are on a transformer and some are on the terminal joints. It's one of those things, I could find them if it was in front of me, but I can't recollect clearly enough to describe in detail, it's been so long.

Cheers,