I'm in the process of sorting on my new-to-me 2007 XKR convertible, and I just thought I'd start my own thread to sort of get some feedback and to also organize my observations about these issues so that when I take it to the dealer, I can get everything knocked out all at once!

So my issues right now are:

1. Quiet chattering from front end over bumps.

I think this may just be from the hood bump stops not being adjusted correctly, since adjusting these seemed to cut the noise down quite a bit. Could also be suspension bushings of some sort.

Solved by tightening four bolts for each front upper strut mount from inside the engine bay.

2. Clicking brake pads when turning, etc.

I know there is a TSB for this, which involves just putting some special Jaguar brake grease on different parts of the pads.

3. Loud clicking sound when getting on and off the gas under high load.

I am perplexed by this. Has anyone else noticed it? It happened a lot today on a drive and it was about 60 degrees out. I notice it most when I'm downshifting aggressively when coming to a stop, or if I'm accelerating really hard between gear changes and/or abrupt changes in throttle position.

The other thing I noticed is it seems to make a similar sound when I just put it from P to R or to D. I'll have to get this on video. Hopefully I can take it to the dealer and they'll be able to replicate it. I wonder if it's a loose exhaust hanger or something like that.

4. Power steering issues.

One day, my car started making these weird whirring sounds from the engine, and I noticed that my power steering fluid was so low (possibly due to a loose cap) that it wasn't registering on the little dipstick cap thing.

However, I topped it off, and the noise seemed to go away. Over the next couple weeks, I sucked out P/S fluid with a turkey baster and replaced it with fresh Mobil 1 ATF. The car still made the annoying whirring sound when starting up for about 2-3 minutes, but after a couple weeks, the frequency of this sound would get less and less frequent.


I thought the noise was completely gone, but then today, it made the sound, although very faintly. I think when the fluid was low, air got sucked into the system and it is slowly working its way out. However, the power steering pump still does seem somewhat loud.



4a. Scratching sound in steering

However, there is another issue with the steering. There is sort of a "scratching" sound inside the car when I turn the wheel. It seems to be coming from inside the steering wheel/column itself, and I observe the same sound when the engine is off and I am steering (with much force) without power steering. Any ideas what this is?

The power steering feel is just fine. Nice and smooth at all angles.

5. Random electrical gremlins

I just replaced the battery with a non-AGM battery (should've gotten an AGM battery, I know!), but I still occasionally have issues where the Jaguar logo screen will be stuck on, and the other day I had an issue where the little info screen on the instrument cluster didn't come on, which was obnoxious. These problems are much less frequent with the new battery, and I have started driving the car every day instead of 2-3 times a week, which seems to keep the battery charged much better.


Using the seat warmers for an extended period of time seems to wreak havoc on my Jag's ability to do rev-matching downshifts--it will just stop rev-matching and do a lazy downshift. But this was after I had left the trunk open for a couple hours while washing the car, which drained the battery down a bit. However, now I'm afraid to use the seat warmers!

What do you guys think? Please chime in if you've had any of these issues!

EDIT, I will be changing the text to green once issues are solved.

 

I or you can dig deeper into this but I think items 1,2 and 3 may be common, and related to loose strut tower bolts.

Vince

 

Interesting. That sounds like an easy fix, too!

According to my workshop manual, it looks like there are 4 nuts holding the shock absorber/spring assembly and they should be torqued to 20 lb-ft. (Shows as Shock absorber and spring assembly to top mount -nuts.) Does this sound right?

 

Also, I was just reading the bleeding procedure for the power steering in my workshop manual. It basically says to leave the cap on, and turn the wheel left and right for 2 minutes at a time and then check the fluid level.

Some videos I've seen online recommend using suction on the top of the power steering reservoir to help get air out of the system. Is this necessary?

 

Good vid that might help Although it relates to an S type, the princibles are always similar.

Power steering system is considered a "closed" system, so simply turning the wheels from lock to lock several times will clear any bubbles in the system.

V

 

Well, I tried the bleeding procedure. I did lock-to-lock turns for 2 minutes. I did 3 sets of this separated by a 5 minute drive.

Surprisingly, the main problem with the noisy power steering is gone (issue number 4). However, the scratching from the steering column is still there. I'll try to get a video of this sound at some point.


Also, thanks Vince for the advice about tightening the bolts on the strut towers. They were quite easy to move with a 3/8" drive socket wrench, so I imagine they were not sufficiently tightened. I'll have to do some more testing, but in my test drives after doing that, the suspension chattering sounds seemed to be gone!

The popping/clicking sound when getting on and off the gas under certain conditions has not changed, however. I think this is a transmission/drivetrain issue, as the same noise seems to occur when I put the car from park into reverse/drive. I will get a video of this sometime.

 

About 5. , I've certainly never had any issues resulting from prodigious use of the seat warmers (cold blooded :-) ), let alone gear change issues.

You say you've driven the car daily since having the battery replaced, but over what distances? You'd expect them to have put in a fully charged battery to begin with, but if that wasn't the case then it might take a pretty long drive to get it fully charged.

As for your stuck screen issues, I've read that throughout the years there have been various software updates released, so it might be worth checking if your car has the latest version when you take it to the dealer.

 

Usually the distances are short. About 2 miles, or 10 minutes.

The battery appears to be fully charged now. When starting the car, the Jaguar logo screen appears very briefly before going to the main screen.

About the gear change issues, I went for a pleasure drive a couple weekends ago, and I was using the seat warmers. After about 20 minutes, the manual shift gear-changing would stop functioning properly, but could be fixed by restarting the car. If I put the seat warmers back on, the same problem would occur after another 20 minutes or so. However, if I didn't put the seat warmers on, the problem would never reappear. I wonder if this means I have a problem with my charging system.

I know in my other thread, someone else said they had this problem very rarely, but they did have the same problem nonetheless. I think it just gets less attention on the forum because not many people actually use the paddle shifters frequently.

 

As discussed in your other thread, this could easily fall within a faulty charging system issue.

Two areas you should really get on track that may solve this...

First step is to get that charging system checked out and make sure it doesn't have problems (any qualified automotive electrical shop can do the check, not just a dealer). Best is to check your area for a Auto Electrical shop that rebuilds and installs alternators, and you'll find the skilled staff able to spot a problem quickly and accurately.

Second is to go demand that AGM battery you bought... AGM batteries can recharge in a fifth the time a standard lead acid can. So if by some chance your charging system is working correctly, an AGM stands a far better chance to recover quicker in those short runs. I'm not saying that an AGM will regain a full charge in two miles, but it will certainly reclaim five times more than a standard wet cell.

2 cents
Vince

 

Hmmm, that kind of confirms my suspicions. Modern cars are power hogs on startup, and a 10 minute drive will be hardly enough to replenish the energy you used for starting, let alone actually charge the battery.

I recommend doing at least 30 minutes of highway driving and see if that helps.

Alternatively, I concur with Vince's advice. A specialist should not only be able to check if your alternator is working properly, but also the battery's condition (yes, it's new, but so were those in the Boeing 787), and its charge.

I'll take a drive using the paddle shifters only while keeping the seat heating on, usually I do only use the paddles sparingly.

 

Update, I don't think the power steering fix worked. The noisy steering is back. Maybe I thought the noise went away because the engine had warmed up, but it is apparent now that it hasn't been fixed. This will be an issue I will have the dealer work out.

 

Bummer.
Probably loosing the PS pump.
If there was a chance the wrong fluid was put in, you could maybe look at getting it flushed and replaced, but I have never had anyone I personally know make that mistake.
(However I've helped replaced many a brake system because they put Steering fluid in the Brake reservoir! )

V

 

I'm guessing it was the original fluid in there, since it was old and almost black!

I am making an appointment for Saturday to bring the XKR in.

I am having them do (or attempting to get them to do):

1. Oil change
2. Check out the steering sounds (both the whirring sounds outside the car, and scratching sounds inside)
3. Check out my charging system, update software and try to sort out the electrical gremlins with the touch screen/odometer screen as well as the transmission glitches.
4. Perform TSB XK206-001 for creaky brakes
5. Check out the loud popping/clicking sound during acceleration and deceleration/getting on and off the gas.

 

BTW, any idea of what it would cost to have an indie shop install the P/S pump? The part itself is $226.49 + shipping. How much would labor be?

 

I'm beginning to suspect I have a fairly major leak in my power steering that isn't caused by the cap having been loose. I noticed today that the "oil stain" underneath my car is growing quite a bit bigger than I remember.

I had assumed this oil slick was from my old XJ6, which used to be parked there, and had an enormous power steering leak. However, I checked the fluid level today in the reservoir, and I seem to have lost a little bit of fluid (I overfilled it slightly past the F mark, now it's just above the 1/3 level on the cap/dipstick). Maybe air really is getting into the system due to this leak!

 

NAPA quotes me $119 for a rebuilt pump.

As for time required for a swap, i'm clueless on a Jag, but most cars can be done in under an hour.

Vince

 

OK. I guess if they for some reason refused to cover it under the Select Edition warranty, it wouldn't be the end of the world--I could just go to an indie shop.

 

Well, it looks like I'm going to get screwed. The XKR is in the hands of a dealer who will charge me $130 for diagnostics.

 

Not uncommon for "diagnostics", so calling it a screwing is not fair yet.
Most dealers will apply that to the repair bill if you have them do the work.

I'm quite excited for you in hearing what they find, Your kitty deserves a clean bill of health, and she can once again put that huge smile on your face!

Keep up posted!
Vince

 

I was impressed that the service writer had already written up a work order based on everything that was in my email.

I will be irritated if they try to charge me $130 for every issue to diagnose it because they broke it out into 6 or 7 items, even though those are really 6 or 7 symptoms.