Two mornings ago my son started his 86 XJ6, backed it out of the garage, put it in park, went to close the garage door and it stalled. He got back in, turned the switch off to restart and the dash lights did not come back on and the engine would not crank. interior dome lights would come on. I checked it the next morning and verified no dash lights no crank but dome lights come on when door is open. After work, I decided to work on it. inserted key, and turned over, dash lights come on and engine cranks and starts.

Is there a relay or fuse or more of each associated with dash lights and engine crank that I need to inspect before this happens again somewhere besides home?

 

There's a good chance this problem is simply loose/dirty/corroded connections

To begin with check/clean/tighten.....

- battery cables at the battery
- ground cable to body
- firewall "+" junction posts
- main ground strap, body-to-engine, under the car, RH side

^^^ even if the problem remains it is good practice to keep these connections in top condition.

Another strong possibly is the ignition switch. Sometimes this can be determined by gently wiggling the wires at the back of the switch with the key turned to 'start'. If the starter (or warning lights) suddenly comes to life, you've hit pay dirt. It should be noted, though, that the wiggle test can't prove that the switch is good.

Post back if more details needed

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks Doug. I'll dig into it today and see what I come up with. Someone on another forum mentioned the roll over deactivation switch. Seems less likely to me but I can check that as well. It was just interesting that the dash lights and engine crank were tied together in this occurrence. Made me think there was a relay somewhere or fuse connection that feeds all of those circuits.
Cheers!

 

The rollover/crash/inertia switch deactivates the fuel pump circuit. Shouldn't have any bearing on your present problem.

Cheers
DD