My 1997 xk8 will start, rev to 3000 rpm then shut off. I checked fuel pressure and it stays at 48.
The vehicle throws no codes and has fuel pressure. It was running fine then suddenly started bucking when the accelerator was pressed.
After I got it home it would no longer stay running as I described. Any one have any ideas where to start diagnosis?
FYI: I have disconnected the battery for 30 minutes and have contacted the negative and positive battery cables. No joy.
Don't know if this means anything but if I leave the key on after the start/stop something is making a humming sound in the engine bay and I can't tell where it's coming from. May be nothing but..

 

Has the fuel filter ever been changed ?

Z

 

Yes, one month ago.

 

and no “failsafe engine mode” warning on the dash ?

Z

 

No failsafe warning.

 

Is the fuel filter installed in the correct direction ? Asking since it was replaced recently.

I see that your fuel pressure is up to snuff but all the same it might be worth a double check.

 

Since the car ran great for a month after the fuel filter replacement and the flow arrow is pointed toward the front I would say the direction is correct.

 

John latest series on YouTube "To The Garage" features a similar problem which he solves by changing the ECU. However, he did get a lot of fault codes, as you would expect, so it sounds as if you have something different going on.

Try removing the inlet manifold and spray some fuel or Easy Start into the intake and see if you can keep the engine running with the spray. The mass airflow sensor will be out of circuit but the engine should run without it. If you can keep the engine running with the spray, then it's probably a fuel problem, although whatever it is, there should be codes. Is your scanner a good quality one?

Richard

 

Note that the limiter will not allow the engine to rev beyond 3000 rpm in neutral / park.

The throttle motor in my '98 makes a humming noise whenever the ignition is on.

 

Here's a wild-a$$ed guess. I had a similar problem on the test drive for our '04 XKR convertible. A wad of fuzz got sucked in past the air filter and covered the mass air flow sensor. Car would start and immediately shut down.

 

As suggested above, I would remove and clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor....

 

Certainly on a 2001 and maybe on a 1997, you can just unplug the MAF sensor and the car runs on a default map. That's a simple way to rule it out.

 

This is a 97, the ECU condensers may be bad if it hasn't been rebuilt.

 

Problem solved. I removed the air intake to check the wiring to the throttle body and found a split in the bellows like section.

 

I'm amazed that an air leak in the intake system, even post sensor, would cause the engine to shut down. I'm sure that I've seen videos with the entire input hose removed and the engine will still run, albeit roughly.

Either way, it's great that you've solved it.

Richard

 

This may a situation where there’s more than one contributor to the problem.

Z

 

It probably just means there's hardly any fuel in the air so it creates almost no torque and thus a stall.

Only post sensor is likely to do it as otherwise the car can add extra fuel.

Some of the jags (e.g. mine) log P1582 and that has lots of data showing what happened.