Hi all. Looking for some of your expertise.

I have a strange starting problem with my 99 XK8 78k miles. Every morning the car will keep turning but will not fire up. I get a Engine Fault each time this happens. After about 10 to 15 mins and 10 trys resting inbetween so as to not burn the starter motor it starts.

I have charged the battery fully and couple of times. Still the same.
Got the codes from the ecu and it wasnt very clear what was cauing this.

When the car starts the Engine fault dissapears after about 10 minutes or instantly after firing.

I have read flooding issues before but doesnt seem to be the same as i can get it started.

A brake pipe was replaced sometime ago and the battery terminals were not tightened. I notice this after about a week of driving. Ever since i have the above problems so guessing maybe this caused a short somewhere.
Anyone got any ideas

 

You say the codes from the ECU were not clear, what were the codes? That would go a long way towards helping us help you.

What you've described could be all sorts of things; fuel pump, throttle body, ECU, MAF...

 

Sorry should have added them P1777 and P1778

 

That's weird... I just looked at the list of DTCs and neither of them are listed. I'm lost.

 

1777 is a problem with the ignition retard circuit (the system that retards the ignition during shifts to take pressure off the drivetrain), 1778 is a problem with the reverse I/P circuit. These are both tranny problems and I would start by looking at the tranny electrical connectors and harness and rotary switch. It is an electrical circuit problem and needs to get fixed before it damages the unit.

 

The tranny was rebuilt last year. Could this be something i should go back to them with?
I also replaced the rotary swith 2 years ago as it was causing a gearbox error when shifting accross the j-gate.

 

I meant to address the starting problem. Since there are no codes for that, I was suspicious that you may have low compression. Try testing it to see if it is up to snuff. In a no start with no unique or glaring symptoms, you must test spark, fuel and compression.

 

Unless you are prepared to get under there and test and open up stuff, you might try taking it back.

 

Oh no.

Not good word when dealing with the Nikasil liner engines.

Bringing back next week fingers crossed. If it was compression why does it fire up after a couple of goes or alot of goes?

I thought it would just not fire at all. Thansk for the advise so far.

 

Don't panic just yet. Most engines with true Nikasil problems have been dead for years by now. You do need a thorough check, but I would be surprised if your problem is Nikasil. It's likely something far easier to address.

You don't mention in your original post...was the car starting normally for a while, and then developed this problem, or has it behaved this way since you purchased it?

 

Car never had any starting problems for the last 3 years I have it.

As I said only when I got some work done and the battery wasnt reconnected correctly did it start.

 

I don't think the loose terminals you described would lead to any ongoing electrical problems. They might have made for hard starting at the time, but not now that they're tightened.

Sorry, no new ideas otherwise.

 

Damo,
I did a little checking around and called my source at Jaguar and they told me that they show no listings for a P1777 or P1778. I would recommend that you check the codes again.

In rereading your no start I would first check all your power connections since you said you found one loose and be sure the battery is fully charged. A low battery will throw false codes that will often mislead you. The next time you are unable to start move the shifter from “P” to “N” and give it a try and see what takes place.

 

If you only tightened up your battery cables, try taking them off and cleaning the connector and battery posts. This is because when they were loose, some arcing might have occurred causing deposits to form which are now giving you trouble.

Oh, and even if your battery is "fully charged", this may be misleading if it has not been load tested. Measuring battery voltage after charging only shows you it's float voltage. A full load test is what you really need.

A weak battery can be the cause of much no-start misery on a Jaguar even when it spins the starter well because the voltage is below the requirements of the digital circuitry.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I reckon I will start with the simple stuff first and get the battery test. I also did the p to n test. All LEDs light up and no change. Funny thing is over the last 2 days it's started without error. Which makes me more and more point towards a faulty battery. Will post the end result

 

Replaced the battery today. Instantly notice the battery meter is reading 12.5 to 13 before starting where the old one was at about 12. No issues so far. Thanks again for the help

 

Just happened again unfortunately will have to dig further

 

Did you try the “P” “N” shifter position and if you did, did it start?

 

Ye tried that. Still the same. The old battery was 850 cca new one is 830 cca. Wondering if this would cause a problem

 

Hi All,

Car is now showing a new symtom. When i am trying to start the car the engine fault is coming on the dash as normal, however i have now noticed the OIL pressure gauge begins to move up and down.
Either i never noticed this before. Now i am completely lost. What would cause the oil pressure gauge to jump up and down before the car would turn over.
Also when putting in neutral i get a tracton control failure which then disappears.
Doing a cylinder flush at the weekend hoping this will rule out a compression problem but i am nearly at the point to bring it to a dealer