1985 XJS HE. Trouble starting
#1
1985 XJS HE. Trouble starting
First off i would like to point out that the car has been sitting for a while untill recently. I have changed the oil and filter and not done much else other than tinker with it.
My problem is that if the car sits for a while (a few hours or overnight) it has a hard time getting cranked. The car will get cranked but then it will chug and the engine will not rev. If you pump the gas the engine will rev temporarily but if you hold the gas the engine will stall. There are a few sensors on the drivers side of the engine near the front of the car. One, i believe, is for lubrication i believe and another is near it but a little deeper in the engine. When that sensor is unplugged the car will idle at a higher rpm and rev at higher rpm when pumped.
After around 10 or 15 minutes of tinkering with the sensor and revving the engine the car will miraculously crank and purr like a jaguar is supposed to. The car will run fine all day if not allowed to sit for more than a few hours and it runs great and is probably capable of going way faster than i am willing to drive it on its current rotten tires.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? I have read and looked around quite a bit. The only thing that sounded right is a problem with the "cold start sensor", but I'm not sure where to locate it or what to do about it. I read that the purpose of the sensor is to warm the car up for the first few minutes the car is cranked. Here in South Carolina, this car is going to have no problem staying warm.
I think that could be a possible source of the problem, but i'm not sure how to go about determining if it is the problem or how to fix it. If anyone knows how or knows a better sounding cause for my problem please let me know.
My problem is that if the car sits for a while (a few hours or overnight) it has a hard time getting cranked. The car will get cranked but then it will chug and the engine will not rev. If you pump the gas the engine will rev temporarily but if you hold the gas the engine will stall. There are a few sensors on the drivers side of the engine near the front of the car. One, i believe, is for lubrication i believe and another is near it but a little deeper in the engine. When that sensor is unplugged the car will idle at a higher rpm and rev at higher rpm when pumped.
After around 10 or 15 minutes of tinkering with the sensor and revving the engine the car will miraculously crank and purr like a jaguar is supposed to. The car will run fine all day if not allowed to sit for more than a few hours and it runs great and is probably capable of going way faster than i am willing to drive it on its current rotten tires.
Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? I have read and looked around quite a bit. The only thing that sounded right is a problem with the "cold start sensor", but I'm not sure where to locate it or what to do about it. I read that the purpose of the sensor is to warm the car up for the first few minutes the car is cranked. Here in South Carolina, this car is going to have no problem staying warm.
I think that could be a possible source of the problem, but i'm not sure how to go about determining if it is the problem or how to fix it. If anyone knows how or knows a better sounding cause for my problem please let me know.
#2
Update: I drained the gas tank today and put some premium fuel in. I didn't bother putting in much and i'm probably going to put in some fuel system cleaner before i fill it up. there was probably a quart or more of oil in the fuel i drained out and the fuel was cloudy and obviously bad. The car cranked easily and ran way better than before. I'll have to wait for a little while and see if this fixed my reoccurring problem with starting
#3
Update: changing the gas did not help with my upstart problem, although the car does run much better when its started without all the crud in the gas. Does anyone have a clue what the problem could be? The car will crank but then stall when given gas. After about 15 minutes of tinkering it runs like a charm.
#4
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 24,921
Received 10,979 Likes
on
7,211 Posts
Lots of "could be" items and you may well have a stack up of different faults contributing to the problem.
Might as well start with something easy: the coolant temp sensor for the fuel injection. The CTS plays a major role in fuel control on a cold engine. If you have a multi-meter you can check the sensor or for $20 or so just replace it. Also carefully check the connector for corrosion or weak contacts.
Not related to your problem but once you get it running right you'll want to replace the fuel hoses in the engine bay. If they start leaking you could have a real problem on your hands.
Cheers
DD
Might as well start with something easy: the coolant temp sensor for the fuel injection. The CTS plays a major role in fuel control on a cold engine. If you have a multi-meter you can check the sensor or for $20 or so just replace it. Also carefully check the connector for corrosion or weak contacts.
Not related to your problem but once you get it running right you'll want to replace the fuel hoses in the engine bay. If they start leaking you could have a real problem on your hands.
Cheers
DD
The following users liked this post:
TrentW (08-09-2011)
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
FS[Western US]: XJS Lock Set with Keys- Doors, trunk, glove, gas, and ignition
XJsc-guy
PRIVATE For Sale / Trade or Buy Classifieds
6
11-23-2015 01:56 PM
FS[Western US]: XJS Wiper Motor Upgrade- 76-88 - Electrolux Style
XJsc-guy
PRIVATE For Sale / Trade or Buy Classifieds
0
09-02-2015 11:43 AM
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)