Hiya.. had the car about 15 months now without any major problems. Approx 2 months ago the battery died but after a quick jump everything has been fine since.

This evening out of nowhere, started the car fine but the lights looked a bit dim. Thought they might have been a bit grubby due to recent weather etc. Pulled away and after 3 mins or so, warning lights started.. first battery not charging, then brake fault, airbag, gearbox warning etc lights went off, power steering went, computer shut down, windows wouldn’t do up. Car was still driving at this point as we tried to
limp home.

Engine finally gave up but couldn’t turn the lights off,
get the key out of the slot or open the boot.

jumped started and everything came back on but,
disconnected the leads and the computer went and couldn’t get the car in drive.

turned it off but still couldn’t turn the lights off etc. Currently have the battery on charge but I don’t hold
much hope ..

any common problems or advise on where to start?

oh also had a squeak coming from engine area that want there before

many thanks

 

It sounds as if you have a dead or dying battery issue. XKs are very persnickety when it comes to batteries. When you have a failing or failed battery you get all sorts of weird occurrences. Have your battery checked, it should show better than 12V of charge at rest. How old is your battery, if more than 3.5 years, replace and make sure the new battery is fully charged before installation. Also, if your SK is not a daily driver, look seriously at getting a CTek or some other kind of battery tender and keep your car hooked up to the device when the car is not in use. There are several threads on the subject so you can use the search box to get more information.

 

^^^^^^^^ Everything Ralph said except voltage should be 12.6 volts resting. Anything less = bad battery.

 

That was the early warning. It will be a remarkabkle co-incidence if it's anything more than a failed battery.

It sounds like your are not using a battery tender? There are some on our forums who will always report they leave their Jaguars parked up for months with no battery issues but there is no doubt that use of a CTEK prevents spurious electrical issues. A new battery + fully charge it + keep it on CTEK when the vehicle is not in use will help avoid a repeat of situations like this.

Graham

 

Thanks all.

the car was in daily use up to about 2 weeks ago, now we use it maybe every 3 days or so.

I will get a new battery today and keep my fingers crossed. Thank for your advice x

 

So put a new battery on and started her up. Everything came on but the battery not charging warning is still on. Unfortunately I don’t have a volt meter.

should I expect it to just go out with a new battery fitted?

should I leave the car idling for bit to see if it resets itself, or drive it?

 

It's possible the root of your problem is the charging system. You need a volt meter to check the voltage at the battery while the engine is running is ~13-14V (I forgot the exact voltages) . I suggest you go to the local parts store and have it checked asap if you don't have, or know how to use a volt meter.

 

In other news, lifted the bonnet and smoke and smell of burning rubber/plastic coming it from the front of engine bay, so I’m guessing it’s belt related

 

A seized alternator?

 

There are several possibilities why this might happen. Just went through a similar search with my MY14. Turned out to be two things beside the worn out battery (4-5 yo). There was a bad cable (red) and my alternator was gone. They (dealer) said the bad cable might have been the cause for the alternator expiring prematurely. Good luck, dealer cost to repair around $1800. Parts were new battery, alternator, cable and the labor.

 

that was I was thinking - failed/seized alternator now wrecking the serpentine belt.