97 XK8 133k Klm.
First drive of the summer ended 10 klm from the starting point when the engine went into take me home mode with with Traction Control and Stability control fail message and the check engine light on and an engine that felt like it was running on 3 cylinders. Scanned it after getting home and it showed crank position sensor. Replaced sensor with the help of many threads in this forum, and then ended up with quite a number of codes that made no sense. Read all the threads and determined the ecu was in need of a rebuild which has also been done. All of the suspect codes have been eliminated however, now have a constant ABS light on(was not on when the ecu was removed), stability and traction messages are flashing and codes U1260 and U1261 and C1095 which all point to the ABS. Finding it hard to believe that after what has been done the ABS would at the same time pooch out. Maybe because coincidence is not a word in my vocabulary. Can any of the experienced folks on the site please give me the benefit of their vast knowledge. Appreciate it.

 

These cars are very touchy about voltage. I had lots of bogus warnings until I replaced the flooded battery with an AGM, and keep it on a tender. I can clear the occasional warning by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, or sometimes using a OBD scanner to clear them.

 

If the C1095 persists after battery charge and hard reset it is likely due to the abs pump posts in the module require resoldering. A common fault.

 

Another $0 check is to double check the pins to the ECM as they were re-connected recently. Sometimes they need to gently be bent a bit to get contact.

 

Did you ever figure what was causing the problem? I'm having the same trouble and would appreciate your input!

 

Please tell us the year and model of your car.

 

The final portion of the story is that after having the ecu rebuilt and getting a number of components in the ecu replaced the car works great. I do from time to time get a code about the anti-lock system and have found that the the connection to the controller of the harness may be dirty and by pressing it in corrects the problem so far...fingers crossed it keeps doing that.
Hope this will help the XK8ers.

 

My car is a 1998 XK8 convertible with the 4.0 liter engine, stanard suspension and no supercharger.

 

Do you mean you have the same U1260, U1261 and C1095 codes?

 

No my OBD II reader only reads engine functions, not chassis codes. What I get is transmission fail, traction control fail and stability control fail with the amber light and reduced engine performance.

 

I wish you had started a new thread as your problem may not be the same as Bob's. You need to get the codes read, either by buying an instrument capable of reading all the codes, or going to a shop that will do so. The cost will probably be the same or less if you get your own. Then post the codes here and we will help. Without the codes it's just guess work and throwing parts at it.

Do a search on the forum for code readers and you will find several that work, all the way from the elm 327 and torque app on a phone to the Launch X431.

 

Hi. Who rebuilt the ecu? Down here in the States, ECU Doctors, ECM Depot, AutoECU all said no. One said Jaguar won't release tech info so they can test. One doesn't have the evaluation process set up. One says it's usually software and offered to sell me a used ECU (575) that I'd have to reprogram. Bought my Jag on impulse. Even if it just sits in the driveway still enjoying. Of course, I'd rather be driving it!

 

Have a 2000 XK8. One big problem is that I can't pull codes w/ a basic OBD2 reader (Innova 3100). Works fine on my other cars (same era). Would a more expensive or different brand help? Apparently Jag's are touchy about voltages. Reader has power (display comes on). Car starts immediately so probably not battery tho will check voltage.

 

OP's car is a 97 - the ECMs were troublesome on the first-year cars.
98 on and they got a lot better:- I would be looking elsewhere first on a 2000.

You can get a basic ELM327 clone for very little money to pair up with Torque or similar on a mobile phone to get you started. They won't read Jaguar proprietary OBD codes but most seem to work work pretty well for powertrain P-codes.

In the meantime, get the codes read - Autozone? - and post back (the raw codes - not any interpretation of them). Best if you start a new thread with any further information you discover as it's unlikely to be the same problem.

 

I'd check your ECM VCATS number in the trunk/boot. It is quite likely there is a relatively cheap one available (if you search for that number on ebay for example). It's the 97's that are invariably expensive. That said, as michaelh noted above, it's likely not the ECM.

Knowing the codes are essential to starting your 'journey' to fixing whatever issues you are having. Without them, it will be extraordinarily difficult to determine the problem(s).

As also noted above, you might want to try starting a new thread with your codes. Seems like there are now likely disparate sets of problems in a '97, '98 and '00 in the same thread.

 

Thanks. Will do. New to Jaguars so the advice is much appreciated. I'll start a thread about not being able to get any codes on a 2000 XK8 which has restricted performance issues.