Ive been trying to fix all the little problems im having with the xk8 but something to me make no sense. heres the list of problems im currently having.

1. i keep getting a stability control fail message and the abs light comes on with it but when it rains it goes away. the next day it wont go on for most the day but it turns on eventually. i tried cleaning the wheel speed sensor and that didnt work

2. i keep getting a low brake fluid message and a brake light coming on with it but the brake fluid reservoir is up to the max line. my brakes were squeaking terribly so i tried changing the brake pads and rotors but it still comes on

3. the fan belt was making a small squeaking noise so i changed the belt but the squeaking hasnt stopped. im guessing thats the fan belt tensioner but id like your opinions on it

4. when i turn my engine on from a cold start there is a clunking coming from the engine but if i hit the gas i heat something (best way to describe it would be a series of crunching) and then the motor sounds fine. i have NO CLUE what that could be. if i had to guess id say maybe the timing chain tensioner.

someone please help me lol

 

My guess on the stability control/ABS issue is a dirty connector in one of the wheel wells. It sounds like it gets wet and starts making contact, but once it dries out the dust/dirt in the connector insulates the connection and you get the warning. Buy some electrical contact cleaner at Radio Shack, unplug the connectors, and squirt both the connector and the sensor with the contact cleaner.

I can't help you with the other problems, but #4 sounds really really bad.

 

1, Loads of info on the ABS/Stability on this site, just a matter of going through the proceedures logically to find problem,
2, Check connector on fluid level sensor, remove give a spray with contact cleaner

3, Sounds like idler pully or tensioner pully bearings, easy to replace bearings in pullys, they are both the same bearing number.

4,To put your mind mind a rest regarding tensioners afraid the timing covers will have to come off for inspection. Might not be the problem but best be sure.All my XK,s have made a loud cracking sound while warming up or cooling down.Also the Variable Valve timing mechanism can make off putting sounds . Obviously noises are hard to detect through script

 

Rattle after startup could be tensioners?????

What are the DTCs in the ABS module????

Lots of updates to the FEAD belt and idlers/tensioners (plastic and metal)

bob gauff

 

i dont know if it were the tensioners. this is the first car ive owned and worked on with a chain instead of a belt so im just taking a guess.

my scanner doesnt read abs codes so i have no clue

and about the serpentine belt, it only does it for a minute when u first start the car and then goes away completely

 

your talking about the wheel speed sensors right? the one you made a diy on?

 

2. to remove the brake fluid sensor i would have to drain the fluid in the reservoir first right?

3. as i stated in a comment before, it only happens for a minute or so after cold start and then goes away completely. would it still be a pully?

4. luckily my personal mechanic was the owner of the xk8 before i owned it so ill be able to ask him if he did the tensioners and if he didnt then they probably need replacing anyway (just turned 80k on my 98) ill see if i can take a video and post it up so everyone could hear the noise. if the cracking is normal then im not worried about that. i was just looking up videos on youtube of valve knock, stuck lifters, rod knocks, ect and it doesnt sound anywhere near as bad as the videos

 

Number 3, spray silicon spray progressively on the belts, pulleys until the squeak stops. The last thing you squirted is at fault!
Number 4. Pretty sure the VVT mechanism, it should click in with a clunk at about 2k rpm. Sounds like yours isn't engaging properly.

 

If you're not sure if they've been replaced yet, be CAREFUL. You could ruin your engine if a tensioner fails and the chain skips a sprocket...

 

I bought this car in June and it had nothing but problems since. I am now using the lemon law to get the computer replaced for a cost of $4000 dollars. ASC came on every few weeks. Also the check engine and the car started stalling. It constantly went into fail safe engine mode. After checking the wheel speed sensors and the Throtle body both were clean. It showed throtle body codes.

 

Hi,
2, Not the sensor itself. the connector to the sensor.
3, Ok, This might sound daft, but look at the visible writing on the belt as the engine is idleing, keep looking at waterpump pully,the large one at top of engine, do,s the "squeak" happen once per revoloution of the belt i.e the visble markings are over the pully at every "squeak", or is it more frequent? If you look at it long enough you,ll see the freqency of noise.
4,Well start it from cold, let it warm up, when the temp reaches normal turn off. If the same sound (May be less intense) is evident when cooling down without engine running then this in my experience is normal.

 

Instead of hijacking this guy's thread..please start your own

 

I am new here and thanks for the welcome. I posted this to try to be helpful. It's the last resort if the ASC/check engine constantly come one and off. The computer can send bad signals and the car will not run correctly. Might work well for a few weeks at a time and then problems.

 

Mine also does this when I start the engine for the first time.
I have replaced the belt and both the tensioner and idler pulley. It still does it, so I guess it's here to stay!!

 

thanks for all the help guys. im going to try using contact cleaner on the connections when i get a chance, diagnose the serpentine belt tensioners and check the timing chain tensioners (i need to replace the valve cover gasket anyway. it has a slow leak). how do i go about checking the vvt mechanism though?

 

no thanks needed. It wasn't a welcome.