Hi all!

I just introduced myself in the main welcome area, but thought I'd say hello here as this is where I think i'll be spending my time!

I'm based in the UK, bought a 4 litre '91 facelife coupe in November last year, had a great time getting to know it and wafting around. It's a Japan spec and spent most of its life out there before being re-imported a few years ago.

Couple of issues resolved so far - despite being fairly well prepped by the dealership I bought it from, they stopped short of actually replacing things, so it needed shock bushes and bearings doing (absolutely transformed it!), and the dump valve on the cruise needs replacement (not working when I bought it, but following advice online I blanked off the dump valve and then it worked ok, so need to replace that for it to be safely useable).

However, after a good run a few weeks ago it has not enjoyed sitting unused and is struggling to start (I think this is my error in letting it sit for most of winter without a trickle charger on it, and I'm not sure how old the battery was but seems it's on its way out). When this first happened, I stuck the battery on charge overnight and then seemed OK for a few days, but left it a few more days without use and it was back to a no-crank condition.

Qs:
1) What are the typical symptoms for low / dead battery on our vehicles (and is the below typical)?
Mine is fine powering lights etc, but when I turn the ignition on, the battery AND transmission lights stay lit. When I turn the key to crank it, a selection of other lights also comes on, but no other signs of life (not a relay click as far as I can hear), seems almost like it's detected an error state and is preventing cranking on purpose. Is there a condition where it can't draw enough power for some basic function (transmission module?) so it would not even try?
As I said, last time I did this, charging the battery overnight resolved all problems, so I'm guessing it's just a case of new battery and all's well...

2) ...but I'm still a little concerned about that transmission light. I understand the trans module is on the right hand side somewhere behind the front seats? How do you go about getting to it? I'm a little wary of pulling trim out the way and damaging stuff, so if anyone has a pic of what panel I need to get behind that would be a massive help!

3) Last question for now - what's the best documentation out there for service and maintenance tasks? I've found the various free resources online, electrical diagrams etc, but is there a definitive workshop manual worth spending some money on? In terms of good old Haynes, it seems there's a pre-facelift manual, and I guess I could find an XJ one for anything on the AJ6 specifically, but ideally looking for a one-stop shop for basic facts, component locations, torques, etc.

Thanks all, this forum has already been helpful in getting to grips with some issues, so looking forward to being part of it

 

Start with a new battery if yours is shot. These cars needs proper voltage for the CPU to get fuel and spark going. I had a similar issue with my 1994 Facelift also. My TPS was the culprit. I doubt its the module. Start easy, and swap the relay in the trunk, and then move on to the TPS cleaning.
Heres a link to when mine was acting up.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...cation-214280/