Hello all.
I am in a desperate situation. I am in Spain and due to travel to England tomorrow with a XJ40 (1992). The last days there have been problems starting the car. I turn the key and all looks set for the car to start. All dash lights are working. The engine slightly 'turns' as if it will spring to life. The gear selector is lit. However it will not start. On turning the key again a plain thud/dead sound is heard. I have tried neutral. When the battery is disconnected and then connected again the car then does the 'about to start' stage again. Occasionally it will start and drive perfectly. However, at the crucial moment (like now) it will not start. The alarm in the 'music cassette box' is turned off. There is no Jaguar garage nearby. Have you any ideas? Thanks. James

 

James:
My first thought is about the battery. These cars are notoriously finicky about having a good battery with a good charge in order to start. In a pinch, I might try jumping the car with another car and see if that boosts the power to get the car started. If that works, I'd replace the battery tomorrow.

Scott

 

Thanks Scott for the reply. It is a very involved resolution. The car is not used all the time and due to that the battery is disconnected during non-use. I think with the removal of the battery lead so frequently the grip on the actual battery was lessening. So I thought might be good idea to switch the bolts from positive to negative to get a better grip. As soon as the time to tighten again one of the nuts broke in half with tha portion of one embedded in the battery terminal. Anyhow, managed to still get a connection and the car incredibly started. Off to the local regular garage. New nuts put on & all OK. Left garage & parked a short distance away. Returned to car and it would not start again. This time there was a sound cranking & no thud thud sound as before. The garage guys walked over to the car and then contacted a Jaguar chap & the advice was that it was the fuel relay. So some sort of repair was done the same day. I got the car back to England with many (scheduled) starts in between. The car is now having a regular annual service.

Yes, the fun of a 1992 Jaguar. Regards James

 

James:
Both the battery and the fuel pump relay are such simple cures, but boy can they wreak havoc! Glad everything worked out.

Cheers,
Scott