Hello all!

Been a muscle car guy all my life and now I have a 1995 XJS Convertible. Love the car but I'm clueless about repairs. I had to buy my aunt a new car because her Saturn fell apart. She had the Jaguar in her garage that she didn't drive and wanted me to use it for a trade-in but I told her I would buy the car and keep the Jag. She was pleased it would stay in the family.

I got it running and all the mechanics are working well. The issue I have is the top won't go up or down and the rear windows won't close. I learned that the issue is connected somehow but the car shop I took it to didn't have a clue how to fix it. They did the brakes, hoses and other mechanical stuff and I was grateful for their honesty about the top and windows. I'm looking for a top shop in Las Vegas, preferably Northwest Las Vegas to bring it to. I currently live in Dallas and need to fix it so I can drive it back.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Tom Gasparolo

 

I'm assuming you know that the parking brake must be applied to put the top up and down.

You can remove the three switches, open them up and probably clean them out and they'll work for at least a few months. If they start to oxidize and stop working again, you may have to order replacement switches. Being that all three switches are next to each other, it seems fair that they have all stopped working at the same time?

All you need is a phillips head screwdriver to remove the center cubby and raise the ski slope to carefully unplug the switches and open them up. Some q-tips and some alcohol and you should be good to go?

 

The handbrake needs to be on before the top will go up. The side quarter windows are on a delay timer and start going up after the top moves. Possibilities are the handbrake switch, or the relays in the trunk above the battery , as the top and windows get both power and ground through the relays.

 

You are kind assuming I know the parking brake must be set. Did not know that and will either have my aunt try it or I will when I get back to Vegas.

Thank you!

 

Thank you for the additional information!

 

It's really easy to drive away with the handbrake on too, it doesn't operate the way most do. Pull the handle up to set the brake, and it returns to the low position. To release, pull up again, push in the button on the end and lower it. Check that the warning light above the gauges is now out. That light isn't the brightest, and very hard to see with the top down in daylight.

If you have to, the top can be manually raised. Remove the battery cover in the trunk, and on the pump is a handle that will turn through 90 degrees to a manual position. The top can then be raised by hand, but the quarter windows will not come up.

 

If you want to be safe, you might want to purchase some replacement window switches. Once the contacts inside begin to oxidize, I'm not sure there's a way out of that.

Honestly, I bet if you were to get in there, clean the switch contacts, you'd be good to go. Replacement contacts would be insurance though. Make sure the switches come with metal tabs, they are significantly more expensive, but the plastic tabs will not fit into the bezels. I've never been able to make them work.

 

The rear window are commanded by the operation of the roof, nothing to do with the window switches, they only control the door windows. My guess is the park brake is not being set correctly and the car must be in P or N. Also helps with the operation if the engine is running.
As already said above, the windows go up just as the roof gets to the closed position. With the roof locked closed, operating the roof down will open the rear windows for that full open window look.

If you cant find the handbook. (I really don't understand what you Yanks do with them. I've never been given one when buying a secondhand car here....LOL).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-JAGUAR...frcectupt=true

 

I'm sorry, I misread the original post. I thought the windows on the doors did not work.

This will be a simpler fix than you thought!

 

Thanks all!

 

If you can hear the pump working when you activate the top up or down switch, then the switch is working and providing a ground path to the controller. Once the controller is activated by the switch, you know the conditions have been met, (in Park handbrake on, etc). It is then the job of the controller(little black box next to the top and rear window relays next to the hyd pump). Since there is no independent switches for the rear quarter windows, they are controlled by the controller through their respective relays. Top down; the rear windows go down immediately. Top up; continue to hold the switch in the Top Up selection(about 10 sec) then the windows will come up. Don't release the switch prematurely or you'll have to wait another 10 sec again for the time delay to activate and raise the windows. The windows will work regardless of whether the top actually moves or not. As long as the switch can activate the pump, all the right signals are there to work the windows both down and up.

 

Once again thank you for all of your input. I learned after reading the manual (what a concept!) that the brake must be set but if the top still won't move to hold the button down and it will reset the system. This worked and the top works great. Now I have a few more questions that I will post on another thread.

The great news is my car is not in Dallas, made the drive a couple of weeks ago.

 

The issue with my 92 is when raising the top that the passenger rear quarter window closes everytime but the driver's side only closes sometimes. And I have not found any remedy.
I always and lower the top with the emergency brake on, and I hold the switch tool the right window has come up. When both windows are working they come up at the same time. When the left window isn't working I always continue to hold the switch for 15 seconds after the right window closes. But no luck.
Any suggestions?

 

Start swapping relays from either the window UP with window DOWN on the same same side or from left window to right window. Mark the relays first so you know if the swap yields any changes. See schematic below and relay layout. Note: relay layout is shown looking AFT, not forward as you might think standing in front of it looking forward. Just orient yourself with the fuse shown on the left side of the drawing, which means the fuse would be on your right looking forward facing the trunk and the relays accordingly.



Disregard the CONV top UP and Down relays as you know the top operation works. Just concentrate on the quarter windows relays. Again, be methodical in your swaps to observe any changes.

If no changes to the operation with any relay swaps, then suspect the window motor. You'll have to take off the trim panel/speaker to get to the window motor and wiring behind it. Check condition of the connector. (both window motors were disconnected on mine). Clean the mechanism too. Maybe its sticky, dirty, etc.

Hope this helps.

 

While open try tapping the motor with a hammer. This always works on my '92...lol

 

Hello, Maybe someone can help me.
I have a 95 XJS convertible. Straightened out the problem with the top not working because the hydraulic lines were crossed. But rear quarter windows do not go up immediately with the top. I have to keep the button pressed for 15 seconds and then they go up. In videos, I see them go up immediately after the top is up. I'm trying to find out what's wrong with mine. I don't think it's good for the pump and the system to be working uselessly for 15 seconds, to wait for the windows to go up. Anyone have an idea what the problem may be? I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you

 

The ECU is programmed to initiate an 8 second delay once the hood up button is pressed before the rear windows start to raise. Thus us to ensure that the hood doesn't foul the windows when being raised.

Are you sure its 15 seconds before the windows start to be energised?

Paul

 

Agree with ptjs1. The window up timer/delay is timed for the windows to go up after the top has completed its travel. There's no sensor or micro switch telling the window relays that the top is up. It's purely time... and I nevi really counted seconds to confirm exacts how long, but if 8 seconds is stated, then it's 8 sec. If yours takes linger than 8 seconds,(do both windows take the same waiting time to go up after the top has completed its travel?)
Note: if you happen to let your finger off the switch after the top has completed its travel, the timer gets reset and you have wait another 8 seconds for the windows to go up. Maybe that is what's happening?

 

Thank you for your suggestion. The problem is that the rear quarter windows do go down when the top is being lowered but they go back up immediately once the top is completely down. They should stay down but they don't. And they don't go up when the top is raised. I have to keep pressing the switch to get them to go up eventually. Seems like something is reversed. They go up when the top is down and they don't go up when the top is up.

 

Thank you for your suggestion. The problem is that the rear quarter windows do go down when the top is being lowered but they go back up immediately once the top is completely down. They should stay down but they don't. And they don't go up when the top is raised. I have to keep pressing the switch to get them to go up eventually. Seems like something is reversed. They go up when the top is down and they don't go up when the top is up.