Hello all – I’ve got a crank and so spark problem with a 2000 XK8 that I've recently swapped engines (Nikasil failure on the prior engine) – I’ve detailed the information below and would very much appreciate any thoughts/suggestions – I’m trying to save this old cat from the crusher!

2000 XK8 Build Date: July 2000

Replacement Engine Number: 99028-0703

This engine was not a rebuilt unit, just removed from another vehicle and bought online

Items replaced while installing replacement engine:

engine mounts, fuel pump, intake gaskets, valve cover gaskets, coils, plugs, oil and filter, battery, air filter, octopus hose, valley hoses, throttle body hoses, radiator hoses, thermostat and gaskets, coolant, coolant tank, ac compressor, several relays

Fuel Pressure: 40 psi

Battery constantly connected to trickle charger

Battery shows 12.6v at rest and 10.5v while cranking

Starter turns engine over well –just no spark

Coil relay socket shows 12v at 3 o’clock terminal

Fob, locking, and alarm system functioning – only one key available

I removed and reinstalled the ECM in case there were any loose connections

I removed, cleaned, and reinstalled the engine fuse panel located by the ECM - verified all fuses and replaced relay

Shifter light glows as expected – crank but no spark in P or N

Scan shows P1260 code – however, I also get the same P1260 code on my other 2000 XK8 and it starts and runs well (at least today anyway)

Everything else functions as it should on the car – after replacing the pump and fluid even the top works

I’ve searched over this site for weeks and read a lot of the info on Gus’s jagrepair.com site – many of the solutions were blown fuses, bad relays, or bad ground which I believe I’ve gone through

One point – there were no coil mounting screws so I used carbon steel replacements to mount each coil – could that be the problem?

Is 10.5v while cranking too little current for the ECM to trigger the coil relay and send power to the coils?

Thanks in advance – I’m almost to the point of pushing this old girl outside and throwing a cover on it!

Mike W

 

It does sound as if the car might think its been stolen because of the engine and parts swap and is shutting down and generating the P1260 code. I did a quick search online and there are apparently ways to reset the car and persuade it that it is not stolen. Have you tried these procedures?

Richard

 

Richard:

Thank you for the response. I've tried the system reset (touching battery connectors + and - together for 30s) and switching the key rapidly twice to position 1 (as detailed in one of the P1260 posts). I have good fuel pressure and engine cranks but no spark. My other 2000 XK8 also shows the P1260 code but that vehicle starts and runs well.

Mike

 

In that case I'm wondering whether the crankshaft position sensor, or the wiring to it, is faulty. You can probably check it with a multimeter but I would have expected a fault code to be thrown. The camshaft position sensors are another possibility but I don't think both would be faulty and I suspect that the engine would still start.

Richard

 

I've replaced the crank sensor but I haven't tested the crank or cam sensor wiring with a mutlimeter - but no codes thrown for those sensors.

Mike

 

KTM is not synced to ECM

you need to run immobilization setup in IDS

 

In that case I believe that Xalty is correct and this is a security fault being generated by the Key Transponder Module. Search for this term and "Jaguar" and you will see several "crank but no start" threads which generate a P1260 fault.

Richard

 

UPDATE 22 May 2024:

You guys were spot on - thank you xalty and RichardS - after running Immobilization Setup in IDS the old 2000 XK8 starts smoothly after five years of inactivity and an engine change (new fuel pump, coil packs, plugs, engine mounts, gaskets, cleaning the intake, etc. helped things I'm sure).
No codes right now (except the informational P1000) - changing the ATF fluid and filter are next up before I pull it out of the garage.

Some lessons learned that you guys repeat over and but they are SO true:

1) If you have only one key (and its not matched to the KTM) the Jag either goes to the dealer or you get a laptop/VM set up with SDD/IDS and the proper cable
2) To run SDD/IDS you MUST have a power supply attached to the battery to maintain constant voltage - a Midtronics PSC-550S works great for me
3) Without the external power supply several of the modules/feaures in IDS did not function at all including Immobilizer Setup

I first bought a Launch JLR Code reader - it's a nice tool with great realtime data but I COULD NOT configure my key to the KTM on my 2000 XK8 using that tool. SDD/IDS on an old XP laptop with a Mongoose cable did the trick for me - and I will use that setup going forward on each of my XK8s for diagnostics/repair.

Thanks so much again!