unreal...started right up this morning.

@ doug..i have a new starter relay, battery cables and cleaned all the connections up top. im still convinced that the issue is underneath the car. i dont think he hit that area at all

 

Yeah, jump on that ground strap under the car. In case it wasn't mentioned, it is located on the right side just about where the engine and transmission come together.

Cheers
DD

 

thats exactly what i need to do asap...and yes you and jose have mentioned that to me in the past

 

if it started today, it's the ignition switch. retrace the connections behind it.

 

I just had all of that replaced tho. U think thats more likely the issue than the ground strap under the car

 

im driving to the shop right after work to get to the bottom of this once and for all

 

Since the ignition switch is new, it's probably OK. It connects to the harness with a single multi-pin push-on connector. Sometimes it takes an almighty shove to fully seat the connector there's always a possibilty it wasn't fully seated. It would only take a few minutes to check.

That's pretty much it as far as the ignition switch goes.

"Getting to the bottom" of a come-n-go electrical problem can be tricky. You can discover and fix/replace any number of suspicious things but still not hit paydirt. Just gotta keep digging until you do! :-)

When a circuit flat-out fails it is much easier to trace the root cause.

Cheers
DD

 

CLEAN, TIGHTEN AND LUBE. qLL CONNECTIONS!!!

 

....which has fixed more old Jaguars than you can shake a stick at :-)


Cheers
DD

 

the ground strap advice is for maintenance that hasn't been done in years, if it was disconnected, or broken, you would know it.

if it doesn't start all of a sudden, you know it's the ignition switch. There are two tiny wires connected underneath the switch at 6:00 o'clock with two tiny screws, are those correctly connected?

 

Neutral saftey switch seems to be the problem according to the test we just ran

 

I had forgotten about that darned switch!

in my '84 the neutral safety switch also controls the Speed Control (Cruise), and the Reverse lights, it's a roller switch in front and to the right of the shifter. The ski /ashtray panel must come off.

 

we did some tests. left hand on the key, right hand on the shifter. turn the key to the start position and slowly move the shifter toward R from P without goin in r. car started everytime. then slowly from P to reverse then neutral etc etc etc. car starts when it thinks its in neutral or park. were thinking the faulty switch confuses the car and it doesnt realize when in park or neutral so it wont start.

from what i was told these things can be adjusted and work fine but after a month can go lame again.

like you guys were saying earlier...its a 26 year old car, things do go.

 

well maybe if it's a bad switch, but otherwise once adjusted, they keep ticking.

you need a 4.5 mm socket to loosen/tighten the two tiny bolts holding the switch in place. Obviously yours is working, needs fine tuning and tightening in place.

there is a nice adjustment and testing procedure in the Jaguar service manual that lets you know if the switch is opening-closing properly.

 

On your '86 the switch should be on the left side of the transmission. It also operates the reverse lights.

It's a rotary-type switch on the transmission "selector shaft"....right where the shift cable attaches. There's an 8mm bolt that secures it. Loosen the bolt and the switch can be rotated thru a small arc to find the sweet spot where the adjustment is correct for "P", "N", and "R".

Some of the switches were not slotted to allow adjustment. In that case the switch must be removed and the bolt hole elongated.

Cheers
DD

 

its outta my hands now men. my mechanixc has it and is going to take care of it. ill let you know how things work out.

 

ok, tell him "don't stain the interior with greasy hands and shoes darn it!"

 

nothing worse than grease stains on the door panels or centre consul lid.

ive searched the internet , unsuccessfully so far, trying to find out how much one of these things (neutral safety switch) will cost me...if in fact it is not fixable and i have to replace.

im hoping it just went out of wack and needs to be re-adjusted but, if i must replace...then replace it is.

 

@ jose...or the greazey paw print they leave on the hood after shutting it

or on the chrome door trim

 

chrome and paint are easy to clean, but shop-grease stains on carpet, leather seats, vinyl door panels, and center console, that's another story. I always cover my upholstery even when I am working in the car.

the famous Neutral Safety switch: chances are the Neutral/Reverse/Cruise switch is out of adjustment, evidenced by the tests you made; (assuming yours is not mounted to the transmission itself like Doug says, mine is by the shifter),

if the switch was bad, you can find roller switch equivalents at Radio Shack and other electronic suppliers, it's not a special "Jaguar" part, it's a generic 2 or 3 way switch. (depends on what you have). I've pulled several from salvage yards and some are Double Pole, Double Throw, (DPDT), some are Single Pole Double Throw, (SPDT), you might have to solder/splice the wire plug, but no big deal.

if it is the rotary transmission switch, a GM/Borg Warner transmission rebuilder should have it. I can still get rebuild kits for the Studebaker / Borg Warner DG-250 transmission and the Ford Power Steering pump in my '65 Jaguar S type. Jaguar sourced many parts from many US manufacturers since the 1950's all the way to 1992 in the Series 3 XJ. I don't know about the XJ-40 (Series 4 - on), but it doesn't matter, I would never own a Jaguar made after the Series 3 XJ.