....maybe I can save you some trouble.
Today I started my XK8 to pull it out of the shop in anticipation of our first little trip since I bought it. My wife has been so supportive of my obsession to make this car something we can enjoy. I have been working on it since I got it in November of last year. But I digress...
I guess I was in a bit too much of a hurry to pull the car out, the idle was still a bit high from a cold start. I put the transmission in reverse and it hit with a bang. It tends to be harsh until it warms up. The car lurched backwards and then the engine began to stumble. It acted like it was out of gas, but the tank was full. It would restart, but to keep it running I had to "feather" the throttle. Exactly like a carbureted car might behave. I could not get it to run well enough to even get it back into the garage. I went in the house and thought about it over lunch. I decided it had something to do with the harsh bang of the transmission. Maybe there is a sensor that cuts off the fuel in case of an accident. This would not explain why it would run a little, but it sounded like a good explanation. Well, as near as I can tell, there is not a sensor that does that. After checking all the fuses, and fussing for about an hour I spotted the problem.
The air plenum that connects to the mass air flow had pulled back just a little, I guess from the engine torquing in reverse. There was about a 1/4" gap that was letting unmetered air into the system and the fuel injection just could not compensate for it. No big deal, just reconnect it and the problem is gone.
So if this happens to you , don't panic. You can simply push the air tube back on until you can get somewhere, and then refasten it properly.
Now if we can just make it through tonight without any more adventures.

 

The air pipe was left 'un-clamped'? Now Lanny, was that you that left it un-tightened, or did this new vehicle come w/o a clamp on the air box post-MAFS?

 

Well, it has a clamp, but maybe "someone" didn't tighten it properly the last time it was worked on.

 

I see. Do you know this 'someone' of which you speak?

 

I would be glad if that was the only thing I've "forgotten" to do on a project!!

 

Check your motor mounts.

 

Happy motoring pal.

 

LOL!