I don't know if this is the right place to ask this question 1997 xk8 problem is no brake lights no headlights not coming out of park also said low coolant emergency brake light lit I had the ECM check out ok little miss when giving it a lot of gas check all relays and fuses any help will be greatly appreciated thank you

 

Welcome to the forum.

Always start with knowing the battery voltage as many odd things occur when voltage is low.

Use a voltmeter to check the battery voltage across the terminals with the ignition in the OFF position. There should be a minimum of 12.6 volts present. If not, charge the battery for five or six hours at 2 to 5 amps and retest. If there is still less than 12.6 volts present, the battery is suspect and should be replaced prior to attempting any further diagnostic work.

If the MIL is on, list the DTCs stored in the system here as that also aids with diagnosis.

 

Welcome to the forums Richie48,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to XK8/XKR forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some information about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

Richie48,

Welcome to the Forum. +1 to NBCat's advice as our particular car is very sensitive to battery voltage. Make sure you have a good strong battery and then take it from there.

It's a question of elimination and from the sounds of your list of problems, the battery is a common suspect. However your list has been seen before and repaired by the members of this forum. They will probably pop up with their suggestions if you start individual threads for each problem. Use the Forum search function and you'll see your list is not unusual and cheap fixes abound.

So IMHO:
1. No Brake Lights - either a problem at the trunk (maybe the bulbs or the earth on the light bulb panels) and/or the brake switch under the pedal (common problem due to the age of the car)
2. No headlight - control stork and/or broken wire behind the steering wheel
3. Not coming out of Park - probably related to the brake switch (see 1 above) and/or the solenoid switch under the J Gate. You should hear a click when you press the brake pedal which is the sound of the solenoid releasing the car out of park
4. Low Coolant - Maybe low coolant level in the reservoir, so just refill. If not the float in the reservoir is stuck, so stick a magnet down the reservoir hole and try and work the float loose.
5. Brake Light Warning on Dash - Probably related to 1 above. Does the dash include ABS/DSC warnings?

Lots to think about but hopefully it's just a bad battery. Good luck

 

I think I remember something about the screws in the sunvisor lights shorting to earth if you are not careful.
Don't remember if this is for the XK or XJ but the fuse is also for the BPM so many of the Body Systems go 'offline' when the BPM goes down.

Have not had to diagnose this in a while but it has been some time ago.

 

It is the XK. There are wires that run along the front to the center overhead console and they can get caught by the visor mounting screws. Something to be careful of when changing the headliner.

Along those lines, do the interior lights work?