All,

My 2007 XK's center console is stuck and will not open. It had this issue when I bought the car, but my stereo guy freed it up when he installed the ACM.

Well, its stuck again.

I need to ask him how he got it open, but is this a common issue? If so, any solutions for a permanent fix? The console slides to cover the cupholders no issue, its just jammed and won't open up.

Thanks!
dsd

 

This came up in a thread some time ago. I don't recall the solution, but a search should get you back to that thread.

 

There is a latch either side of the console cover, about half way down from memory. When someone else had this issue I had a play with mine and found that if I slid a plastic putty knife down the gap between the lid and the base I could find where the latch housing was then push it in with the corner of the knife.

The latches are connected by a cable but you may find you have to do both sides at the same time.

 

 

The retractable latches are like a door latch and they are in the lid assembly. The receivers are in the sides of the box. I was able to release the latches with a small right angle tool that I could get under the latch and lift. Like a door latch, you cant open it by pushing on the flat side. Once I got it open I put 2 small pieces of plastic over the receiver holes so the latch would not latch until I fixed the problem.

Now that I have it open I see the mechanism is a small wheel in the middle that retracts the latches. I assume the cable from the handle is supposed to activate the wheel but I can't see the end of the cable to see if it is broken or just disconnected. But it is a Jaguar and it looks like I need to disassemble the entire console to remove the lid and possibly repair the latch connection.

Does anyone have experience with repairing the latch actuator.

 

I understand now why you need 2 jags,one to drive while fixing the other,studied my center console for 2 days.found that the top sliding part has 4 steel pins snapped into it from the sliding track.2 on one side 2 on the other.turn it over on its back.put a flat blade screw driver between arm rest and sliding track frame at the 4 pin locations.twist the screwdriver in either direction, it will require a little pressure.the arm rest should pop off at each steel pin.that wheel is held on by a plactic washer and plastic pin.discard the 2 cheap a** items and install a STEEL bolt washer and nut.use a self locking nut and tighten down to proper pressure so wheel still turns.after celebrating that you kept your money in your pocket and side stepped another jaguar shafting,snap with great pressure the 4 steel pins back into the arm rest.if that's all the repairs that are needed,sale the d*** thing to the next poor sucker.ive never seen such insanity in my life and ive been a mechanic, high tech maintenance man my whole life.
no wonder we kicked there a** everytime they hit our shores.Whats worse is ford owns them.Henry is spinning in his grave.

 

For sold Jaguar to Tata in 2008.

Just sayin'...

 

I'm impressed you were able to translate any of that...

 

1 post and gone...

 

Forum member "hard life" joined the X150 Forum on 6/20/19. His Personal Profile shows that he owns a 2007 XJ8. That's probably why he's gone.

 

oh well

 

I've now encountered this same deal with my 2011 XK. I used a paint scraper to push in the latches and get the top open (my eyeglasses were in there!). did you take any pictures or have any references that you can pass along that would help a poor jag custodian to fix his problem? I'd really appreciate it.

And yes, we KICKED their A!

 

That is a pain. I had temporarily blocked the latch holes with a piece of hard plastic and used some heavy duty Velcro to hold the console lid down while I prepared to “FIX” the problem. Sorry, no pix since I was hacking my way through this.

I did find that the latch mechanism ( the handle in the front of the lid ) was the culprit. The latch is easily removed with a few torx screws and then becomes accessible. The plastic in the mechanism had deteriorated and the cable end had come loose from the latch operator. At this point I would verify that the cables operate the lid release and that your problem is the same as mine. You can also save yourself from accidental grief if you let the cable hang out and operate the latch by pulling on the cable by hand. Rather gauche for a Jag but it works.

I could not find any repair parts other than a replacement console. To repair my problem I did some plastic welding that rebuilt the part of the latch operator so that the cable was operated when the handle was lifted. It took me 2 tries to get it working but it has held up. I had a subsequent problem with the plastic piece where the cable collar is anchored so that the cable was pulled but the sheath moved too much. Back to the welder and more plastic welding.

I would love to find a new piece for this. Or someone who could 3D print one. I would pay handsomely since I am sure that as long as I would have a replacement part handy the cobbled up piece will never fail. Otherwise this will probably continue to deteriorate.

Let me know if I can help.

 

Thanks IntruderMD. I'll continue disassembly today and see I can see exactly what's broken and attempt a fix - though I have no skill or facility for plastic welding! Super glue here I come...

And yeah, I know EXACTLY the feeling of confidence in a repair when an expensive part awaits on the shelf. :-)
Merry Christmas!

 

Good luck with super glue. I found my problem required building up the plastic that deteriorated. If yours hasn't lost too much material you might be able to get away with super glue.

 

cheap and easy way to support superglue repairs (and build up plastic) is to sprinkle baking soda over the wet superglue. Let dry a minute or so, then add some more superglue. Repeat adding baking soda as needed. I've re-glued many tabs this way. If you get carried away, use a metal file to re-shape the glue/baking soda "weld".

 

Now that's useful information right thar - I don't care who you are!


Thanks!

 

I had the same problem and rebuilt up the plastic with 2 part epoxy... which last about 10 pulls of the chrome-plastic latch. Ended up buying a used console cover and cannibalizing the latch to put into my correctly colored console cover. Tedious work for sure fitting those cables into the latch. Certainly one of those parts I would have loved to see made with a higher quality material....

 

I have had the same problem and keep an old out of date credit card in the glove box to open the console lid.
This car has the worlds most complicated console lid but it is easy to fix.
As mentioned earlier, remove the inner lid cover with 4 screws.
You will find that 1 of the 2 cables has become disconnected at the lift latch.
Put it back in place in the lift latch with fine tweezers.
Then with fine wire, clamp the outer cable in place so it will never happen again.
The easiest way to do this operation is by moving both seats fully forward, then sit on the rear seat transmission hump so you can sit and work on it comfortably. It took me about an hour. If I had to do it a second time, it would take about 20 minutes.
Also search for another thread that is complete with pictures, as it was a big help for me.
Bob

 

Found it,

search for
console lid slides but doesn't open: mended

This post has an excellent description with lot of pictures.
Thanks to aholbro1 for his contribution

Also read 'hard life' comments as they are excellent as well.
Bob