I recently bought a 1997 xk8 and the instrument panel was replaced with on efrom another car. The car runs fine, but its is throwing engine fault, gearbox fault (although the neutral switch is not engaging), incorrect part, and missing part codes. I toggled the instrument panel reading and it said error for range, mileage, avg speed, etc. Was the new instrument panel supposed to be programmed to the ECU? is there a problem with some ground connections? and how can i fix this?

 

My first two thoughts would be to check the cluster multiplug is firmly connected and then check my battery is OK. Low battery voltage causes lots of wierdness. At any rate those are two simple things to try first, if you haven't already.

IDK anything about the ECU but I would doubt the cluster is anything but a dumb hookup output. There are definitely wiser minds than mine on the forum about that however.

 

The instrument cluster dose need to be installed in car using the WDS / Mongoose system. As it’s to programmed to the cars on board system. Just as a replacement seat controller. Unless the ID firmware index version is the same as the previous removed unit.

 

That would be far too straightforward for a modern Jaguar 😂 The instrument pack in fact acts as an interface between the different types of data buses on the car. I suppose they thought as it needed to be connected to both buses, they may as well save on a module and put the interface in the cluster.

 

Hi I would firstly see if you have recently replaced the alternator? and why you have bought a new instrument panel is it because you have had these faults before and someone suggested to you that the circuits in the instrument panel may be faulty and to try changing it. is there a battery not charging warning? my top advice to you would be to check the communications wire and make sure that there is continuity flowing to the instrument panel from the alternator. try this let me know how you get on

 

First off, you came to the right place. This site has a wealth of information.

Folks would be able to better help if they knew a bit of the history. What is leading you to replace the instrument cluster? What happens when the old cluster is put back?

Generally speaking, the electronics in these cars is very sensitive to the condition of the battery. A weak battery does not provide the necessary power, and can result in many codes.

FWIW, the 1997 car is notorious for the poor build quality of the ECU itself (in all fairness, it is the oldest here in the US). Fortunately, folks have had great success having them rebuilt. ASI is a company that comes up repeatedly for this work.

Second, the earlier cars sometimes have issues with the throttle body. It is a fairly complex electro-mechanical assembly for throttle-by-wire. When necessary, they can be rebuilt as well.

I hope these pointers can help you steer your research towards a resolution.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Sorry for going dark there for a spell. I would like to let you all know that the problem was dealt with in my case very quickly and with relative ease, thanks to Bob Roy. First I tried changing the instrument cluster which no no noticeable affect. I then spoke to everyone I could to try and have the cluster "installed," fortunately no one was available to help, so I looked to fix other problems in the hopes that I would solve my gearbox fault.

I found that my gear shifter was missing a cable connection and that was fixed with a little solder and some copper wire. Repairing this wire got rid of the gearbox fault code.

My car then began reading a Pecus E code which indicated a messed up ECU. I found mold in one of the plugs and decided to replace the ECU with a functioning one that Bob Roy was so helpful to send. After all this I had the car running with no codes and am preparing to smog it within the week. I will update y'all on how it goes. Thank you all for your help and a special thanks to Bob Roy for his active aide in this endeavor.

 

which wires are you speaking of im having same issue and i just seen that my vacts number in my trunk was showing lja4300af and the actual instrument pack has the lja4300ae was about to order a new cluster that matched and then i seen this

 

That is the part number, not the VCATS number. The VCATS number (software version) is the 3 digits following the part number on the label. Unfortunately it usually is not stamped on the part, you need to find it out from the label in the trunk of the donor car.

 

i didnt instal it, buy it, or know about it till today i have no way of knowing what car
it came from

 

Occasionally, the seller can provide that information or you might find it in an eBay listing.

 

yeah but it was replaced by p/o. not by me. so there is no way to do this