Negligent XK owner in the midwestern U.S. did NOT take my gal out much this winter, and did not have a battery tender on her, so she is dead as a stump.

Put a charger on the battery, she started - and i ran her 10 minutes. The next day, dead again - but now with an apparent poltergeist on board. Windshield wipers went a bit, odd click/clack sounds inside, and the running lights stayed on awhile. Re-attached the charger direct on the battery, but she remains dead.

Would like to have her trailered to the shop - but as is the case with many of these electronic tranny gals, i cannot get her to neutral. i've read the hacks for a few other models to force neutral for towing, but don't know for sure if this will work for an '07 XK (most hacks reported for XS, XF).

Any insights greatly appreciated!

____________________

My Rides:

'07 Jag XK --> My mistress. She brings me joy, looks gorgeous and costs me a lot of money

'83 Jeep CJ-7 --> My soul mate. Rebuilt in '97, this one knows me better than i know myself. i'm going to be buried in this one.

'91 Suzuki VX 800 --> The bad boy. He's bigger, and faster, than i need, but i can't help myself. This one's going to hurt me...

'05 Honda Civic --> My husband. This one takes me to work, the grocery, and wherever i need to be. He doesn't bitch when i don't shave my legs, reliable as the sunrise and butt ugly.

 

What is the amp rating of your charger? This car has about a 100 amp hour battery.

A small 1 or 2 amp charger will take several days to fully charge the battery. A 10 amp charger will take half a day or so. A 40 amp charger 2-3 hours. Also, a 10 minute run will barely begin to charge the battery. You would need at least a couple of hours of highway driving.

Try giving it a full charge and you probably do not need to go to the shop.

 

Good point! It's a 2 amp / 12 amp / 50 amp "trickle, charge, start" box -- will leave it another 24 hours on the 12 amp and try again... Thanks!

 

You will need to replace the battery - if you do not, you will have random and intermittent electronic "gremlins" which will make you think your beautiful Jaguar has turned into the lemon that non-Jaguar-owning people claim they are. Nonsense. The XK simply needs a battery at full voltage all the time. When not being used it should be on a good maintenance charger like the CTEK.
The Jaguar manual says that if the battery is dead "it is not possible to start the engine by pushing or towing...Use booster cables connected to a booster battery, or fit a fully charged battery"
NOTE: you MUST not use booster cables from a battery in a car with a RUNNING engine. The Manual says this: DO NOT run the booster vehicle's engine...AS DAMAGE TO THE JAGUAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WILL RESULT WHEN THE JUMP LEADS ARE DISCONNECTED".
Getting it out of Park...hmmm....other than providing electrical power to the car, I have no suggestion.

 

Thanks! i spent WAAAY too much time at work today reading all of the related threads, and have a CTEK 3300 ordered. i will do the install with the extension, as recommended. Also, checked with the prior owner and he's pretty sure it is the original battery from 2007, so a new one will have to happen...

The best news? Trickle charge has led to the hint of voltage - so i've got a shot at getting her started again, and driving her to the shop under her own power! Fingers tightly crossed...

i love this car. i knew she was going to be a bit of work from time to time, but every time i look at her, my heart races. every time i drive her? i nearly faint! It is my intention to spend a bit more time wandering the forum, and preparing myself to be a less negligent owner...

You'd think that after almost 20 years driving an '83 Jeep CJ-7 i'd know enough to use the online network more effectively! Thanks again!

____________________

My Rides:

'07 Jag XK --> My mistress. She brings me joy, looks gorgeous and costs me a lot of money

'83 Jeep CJ-7 --> My soul mate. Rebuilt in '97, this one knows me better than i know myself. i'm going to be buried in this one.

'91 Suzuki VX 800 --> The bad boy. He's bigger, and faster, than i need, but i can't help myself. This one's going to hurt me...

'05 Honda Civic --> My husband. This one takes me to work, the grocery, and wherever i need to be. He doesn't bitch when i don't shave my legs, reliable as the sunrise and butt ugly.

 

so how do we get it into neutral now?

 

Well, if the battery is providing enough voltage, you turn the ignition on, step on the brake pedal and move the lever to N.

 

Nuetral on cars with a J-gate shifter is not hard to get.

First thing is to pull up on the wood panel surrounding the shifter. I usually grabbed with my fingers around the ashtray opening and popped it up a bit and worked my way around. There are many sharp edges and I usually ended up scraping my fingers or knuckles. Once the wood panel is freed from the retainers, lift it up enough to disengage the connectors to the start/stop button and other button nobody uses (ASL). Safely store the wood panel out of your way. Now look down the side of the shifter. You will see what I call a little butterfly thing. Gently use a screwdriver flat blade and attempt to move the butterfly thing. It will only go in one direction axially. It is a horizontal rod that allows the shifter to move when it is properly moved. When you figure out how to move the butterfly thing the proper way, keep it in that position and move the shifter out of park. done. but the e-brake is likely engaged due to the weak/dead battery.............

 

If the electric parking brake is engaged, the battery must be either recharged or replaced to permit the brake to be released.

It may also be possible to provide sufficient energy from another battery via jump cables to allow the electronic parking brake to be released after noting the cautions in the Owner's Manual about such a procedure.

 

Thanks, all! i was able to get enough charge on the battery last night to get her started - and we had a nice 20 mile cruise to blow the winter dust off and stuff a few more electrons into the battery!

Checked the voltage - 12.5 - so decided to press on with the new battery. This morning, it was < 12.5, so confirmed that as a good decision. Briefly considered doing the battery swap myself - saw that it weighs 45 lbs and decided to contract out the job.

Very much appreciate the confirmation from Black300VDP regarding the method to find neutral if the power is completely dead, and charge can't be acquired. i plan to take some long trips with this car, and want to be as prepared as possible for contingencies! Knowledge i hope i never need...

i'll put the CTEK on once she's back home again with the new battery! Thanks again!
____________________

My Rides:

'07 Jag XK --> My mistress. She brings me joy, looks gorgeous and costs me a lot of money

'83 Jeep CJ-7 --> My soul mate. Rebuilt in '97, this one knows me better than i know myself. i'm going to be buried in this one.

'91 Suzuki VX 800 --> The bad boy. He's bigger, and faster, than i need, but i can't help myself. This one's going to hurt me...

'05 Honda Civic --> My husband. This one takes me to work, the grocery, and wherever i need to be. He doesn't bitch when i don't shave my legs, reliable as the sunrise and butt ugly.