I got in my 1997 xk8 that has only 60,000 miles on it doesn't get driven much, I keep a battery tender to keep charged. I start it and back it out of the garage and noticed a smell that was different but I just put some new floor mats in to keep the original mats nice, so I thought it was that. But I drove it about 3 miles and at the red light when I stopped it was running rough and then I noticed smoke it looked like is was coming out of the center console like the gear shift, so got around the corner and stopped and shut it off, got out and checked the motor but no smoke and everything looked fine there. Let it set for a couple minutes then got back in and started it up and no more smoke but it was running rough and it had a notice on dash traction control fault and engine fail and gearbox fault. I drove it back home, and no smoke, it idled high in gear but when in park it idled back down. It shifted funny but got it back home ok. Anyone know what that could be?

 

At the least check for codes - including pending ones - as they can provide clues.

 

Thanks, I'm taking it to a Jag mechanic next week, hopefully he can find the problem.

 

Hi Rodger,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums! It's great to have you with us.

I have moved your thread from the General Tech Help forum to the forum for the X100, which is the Jaguar factory project code for your 1997 XK8. Here you will find knowledgeable owners of similar cars.

Did the smoke from the center console have a strong smell like burning plastic? There is a lot of wiring under the console, including the harnesses for the transmission and J-gate gear shift assembly.

Please keep us informed when you hear back from the mechanic.

Cheers,

Don

 

Hi Rodger, wonder if you ever got an fix here. I'm having similar problems with my XK8, electrical burning smell from behind the dash/firewall along with engine fault (TPS) and ABS failure. No obvious sign of burnt wiring, any advice is appreciated!

 

I'm starting to think that the 18-way fuse box and connections to the ECU/TCU are starting to universally fail in this model due to age. My theory is that this fuse box's design, which is a circuit board wrapped around an axis and then soldered together, is exposed to a lot of engine heat and 20 years down the road they're falling apart. The positive lead is exposed there as well. There's a lot of potential for moisture, bugs, rodents, etc. as well to get into that area. Faults in that junction could include affect any number of subsytems. Just one thing to check for burnt marks or smoke smell.