I have lost interest in continuing to hunt the source of the "Stability Control Fail" warning light on this '98 convertible with 83k miles. Several reputable Dallas area shops have tried without lasting success. Replacing the main CPU helps for a couple of weeks but the error always returns. It isn't resettable and it won't pass inspection with the light on. Everything else in the car is in reasonably good shape. Are there prospective buyers who have time and talent to chase the myriad sensors and connectors that are the likely problem? How do I find them?

 

Understand your frustration. Anyone that knows these cars will ask if the cam chain tensioners have been replaced.

 

There are a number of states where the CEL is not a problem with registration/inspection for cars of that age (my NC is one), but obviously you will perhaps sacrifice a large chunk of its value by leaving a giant question mark on the transaction.

"Replacing the main CPU" is unclear, but if it is the ECM, this is not an obvious source of a stability control failure. So, it isn't clear what would be wrong, but any buyer would assume the worst plus some. So, you might want to give it one more round unless you are willing to give the car away. On the other hand, you'd find many buyers then...

First step would be to have the OBD codes read by one of these shops and report back all of the codes.

 

MOST of Texas does NOT CARE if any MIL is on.
The big city counties and some surrounding ones are listed as EPA non attainment for air quality and subject to emissions testing. (and other fault lights?)

Wise County is NOT one of those counties and it does NOT MATTER what fault light is illuminated. (I have never had a safety inspection that the person looked at anything except the mileage and maybe the main beam and handbrake warning light?)

I don't know what is mandatory in the large cities but rural Texas is pretty 'laid-back'.

Pretty car but I have so many Jaguars already. (how much you asking?)

 

of course there are, price is what its all about...you want as much as possible, they will want to pay as little as possible...
I saw a beautiful 99 with 45k miles on it with a bad motor...they wanted $5k, settled for $2,800, the wrecking yard offered $2,400. (new owner planning on LS swap) This was @ 2 months back...in Texas btw.
Anyone knowledgeable knows how frustrating, time consuming and expensive finding these gremlins can be. Those same people, armed with that knowledge are not going to pay much.
good luck
wj

 

Gnick,

wymjym is spot on with his advice.

Gnick - You're in a bad spot, the value you'll get is near the part out/ breakers/scrap value as wymjym said.

I W-A-S one of those who would be interested. I like DIY and tinkering with cars and actually got my 99MY XK8 as a project car, to restore and get back on the road. It gave me lots of fun in the garage and I ended up with the satisfaction of 3 years of reliable fun driving.

People like me would be the only people interested in buying the car that you describe. How many people do you know that want to fix something beautiful to get it back to where it belongs? The general public just want a car they are legally able drive on the roads. Hence the suggestion above on buyers in US states that may accept the CEL on.

In my case, you would have to virtually give the car away, as I would have to pay the shipping costs to bring it to the Arabian Gulf. Then I would gladly get stuck in. It'll be the ABS module/sensors that need fixing, not Engine ECM, and the previous tinkering by others would have complicated the situation. What did they do/replace and is it repairable? Note this is a major gamble as car software firmware may have been updated, and parts may not be available on a 98MY esp. as this is a superceded system.

 

T

 

The sad truth is that a Jaguar with a known and persistent fault becomes 'spares or repair' category and takes a massive hit in value.

There are two groups who would be interested:
1. knowledgeable amateurs able and prepared to chase down and repair the fault
2. breakers - who will make money on powertrain and interior trim

Neither will pay anywhere near market value for a vehicle with faults. Think in terms of half or less.

If you want to minimise your loss, break it yourself. If you simply want it to go so you can move on, advertise in our MARKETPLACE and the usual commercial listings but be realistic about your asking price.

Graham

 

Have you completely given up on fixing the car ?It's possible that the shops you took it to could not diagnose the issue. There are many instances of these cars having a bad solder joint in the ABS module. I did this fix on a previous Jag. Basically some time and labor. I wouldn't give the car away until all other options were exhausted. Has anybody read the body module codes to see why the fail light is on ?

 

Thank you all for the valuable comments. I have not been involved in the previous efforts to have the faults diagnosed and repaired, so I can't provide any codes (if known). My wife loves the car and would keep it if it could be fixed, but we've given up trying and spending $1000 each time for no real payback. We have not done tensioners on this car (can't speak for previous owner), but we did on an XJ8 she had before this one. Based on what I've found here and elsewhere, I'd think $2500 would buy a very salvageable car for someone who knows where to look for the fault.

 

Did they happen to replace the ABS module in one of the previous attempts? I like JimmyL's hunch, as I've had to do it too. Stability Control doesn't work unless ABS works and there is a well-known fault in the ABS module that can be fixed with a nickel's worth of solder and maybe three hours R&R max. But if you weren't a genuine Jaguar technician back in the day, probably the only other way you'd know about it would be if you read these Jaguar forums religiously. There's at least a couple of how-to videos on youtube, but here's one:


If you are not comfortable soldering and just want to try swapping out the module first, check with the ironically named American Auto Parts on Penn Street in Irving. Despite the name, they are actually a specialty Jaguar breakers and I bet they'd have a few of those modules in stock and may even have one that's already been repaired. It'd be a shame to take a bath on it if it's really just a cheap fix. Good luck.

 

Cheaply

 

Gnick,
Agree w/ wymjym. Perfect car for someone that likes to work on them.

 

I would be interested for the 2500 but I agree with the others that its probably the abs module or wires running to the wheel speed sensors. I bought my 99 from south of Dallas last summer. It passed emissions with that same error in Chicago I'm surprised Dallas inspection are so harsh. the error is fixed now. the wife will probably kill me for buying another car with the current one having a convertible top problem but you only live once.