I am trying to get the car back on the road after i did the four major services it needed.

Front shock mounts
Rebuilt the transmission
Replaced the entire cooling system
Replaced timing components

After I got everything in place I turned the key and the car angrily came to life and smoked and leaked and refused to idle.
A few more times of turning it on stemmed the tide of these problems and I even got it to idle at a healthy rpm.

The only problem is that i can't run the engine for very long, less i wear the pump out of my newly installed transmission. As I am still trying to pump fluid into the transmission, and i am turning the engine on to distribute more of the transmission fluid and get the proper amount of transmission fluid installed in the car.

I managed to turn it on and off about 5 times in the span of a half hour while pumping transmission fluid in. I got the transmission to take roughly 9 quarts of fluid or more.
I was getting pretty excited because it is getting pretty close to the right amount.

I finished pumping that 9th quart of oil into the transmission and went to start the car. It would only crank.

I figured that i probably washed the cylinder walls and needed to reintroduce oil into the cylinders to get some compression and get it starting again.
I pulled all of the spark plugs and reintroduced a tsp of oil to each cylinder.
Now the car cranks and sounds like it has much better compression, but it never makes any attempt to detonate.

The car has a third of a tank of fuel left in it and it had started so nicely even after i had its guts spilled open for six months.


I scanned the car and I am getting the following error codes:

P1224
P1229


I researched the error codes and pulled the ECM out of the car and inspected it.
Everything inside of it looked perfect, i haven't ever seen an electronics board this clean and without any dust or debris in it.
It did have a rebuilt sticker on the case before i had opened it. That might have been done recently lol.

I checked the 30 amp fuses in the ECM fuse box, ( couldn't remember which one was for the throttle position motor so i just checked all the 30amp ones ), and they were fine.
When I had the car running, the gas pedal seemed to operate the throttle motor just fine, even with these errors being reported.

I honestly have no idea whether or not the no start and these error messages are related.

I will admit that I was rather rough getting the electrical connectors disconnected when taking the intake off of the car the first time, and I am not entirely sure that either of the two electrical connectors for the throttle body are making good connections.
I might have to source a whole new engine harness and throttle body harness to solve these problems though, so i am eager to try and troubleshoot the problems before i ever consider repairing those connectors.


Can anyone else give me some more insight?
I imagine I either am not getting spark, or i am not getting fuel currently. One of the two is likely being limited due to engine failure codes in the ECM?


Also, as of the last time i tried to start the car, if i depress the brake before turning the key i can hear a relay clicking loudly in the cabin. I have never heard this relay clicking before, and for a relay, it is very loud.

 

I would be inclined to start with the basics. First, clear the codes and see if they come back - they may spurious codes from the initial attempt to start that are leading you astray. I would also pull the plus and make sure they aren't just fouled from the non start flooding the engine. Make sure they are clean and dry.

Do you have a meter that can measure pulse width or frequency so that you can test for an ignition pulse to the plugs?

 

The codes have been cleared several times and always return. These codes never existed before i tore the car to pieces and rebuilt it. I almost certainly damaged something.

I do have a meter that is able to do that. I am more inclined to pull one of the coils and plugs and ground it against the body to confirm that i am getting a strong spark.

I hadn't even considered a fuel injected car fouling plugs. They definitely were wet.

I am going to go pull them tomorrow and burn them. Hopefully the car will start for me after.

 

There is an interlock solenoid by the front of the shifter. It activates based on the brake switch to prevent you from leaving (P)ark unless your foot is on the brake. It is usually fairly faint unless you specifically listen for it. You can also normally feel it by putting your hand on the wood surround, sort of top left. It is more of a thump rather than a click, but 20+ year old parts and all that.

Shot in the dark: check the inertia switch in case it tripped (driver side "facia" fuse box). I can never remember if the starter activates or not if it trips but it definitely shuts fuel off. Also, you can check for fuel pressure by finding and poking the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Use a rag and your best judgement to prepare for a high pressure release of fuel.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Sorry for asking, but did the engine ground strap get reinstalled after the transmission work?

 

I'd like to know what you're referring to as "timing components." If I had to choose from the list of the four categories, shocks, transmission, cooling and "timing components," I'd be looking at the engine.

While you had the plugs out, a compression or a leakdown test would've been a wise move. Considering the vintage of your car, the Nikasil cylinders would be on the list of things to check, especially since you're concerned about compression. If if has survived this long, the chances are low that sulphur damaged the bores now.

When was the last time the battery was charged? What does the voltage read? One thing I've learned about these Jags, make sure the battery voltage is topped up. I sometimes attach the battery charger before sticking the key in to insure there's more than enough potential for the electronics.

 

That is definitely what it is.


That is the kind of advice i was looking for. Since I don't have a manifold pressure gauge, i was trying to figure out how to detect if fuel was making its way to the injectors. Thank you for the advice.


A new engine ground strap was installed when the transmission got put in.


I don't plan on rebuilding the engine, so I figured I just didn't want to know what the compression of each cylinder was haha.


Timing components that were replaced:
VVT O-Rings
VVT Chains
Upper Tensioners
Lower Tensioners
Main timing chains
Timing chain cover gaskets and seals
anything else that is in the neighborhood that i may have forgotten about.[QUOTE][QUOTE][QUOTE]


The battery is new, as in a couple months old with 0 miles on it. The battery was charged up to 12.4v before its initial start after getting the engine and transmission happy. I made sure to check the voltage of the battery again after i started having detonation issues, it still has not gone below 12.4v

 

You refer to detonation, but I assume you're referring to it simply firing. It isn't backfiring at the throttle body, or out the exhaust, is it?

I'd be concerned about cam timing. It wouldn't be hard to get a chain off a tooth, especially with 4 cams. Been there, done that. Low compression on 4 or all 8 cylinders could point you in that direction.

Can we assume the alternator is kicking voltage up to 14+V once it starts? 12.4V isn't very impressive for a new battery, unless you are experiencing Michigan frigid winter temperatures in San Diego.

Verify fuel pressure.
See if OBDII gives you fuel pressure readout when it is running or at least cranking over.
Can you have someone turn the key on (position 2) while you listen for the fuel pump in the gas tank? There's too much noise for me to hear my pump inside the cabin.
Can you put a guage on the fuel rail?

 

12.4 is low and if you can it would be worth seeing how much lower it gets during cranking. Too low and all manner of problems may occur.

 

First did you disconnect the battery before you did any of your work? If not you need to do a hard reset.

Your codes are driving me to your throttle body plugs did you remove them when you were R&Ring the valve covers or the transmission? If you did remove them again and spray them with a contact cleaner then reinstall them and do the hard reset.

Link to Codes http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...%201997-99.pdf

After you do the hard reset turn the key on for 10sec then off for 10sec then attempt to start the car. This gives the computers a chance to power up before starting and it also reduces the high RPM’s on the first start.

Link to hard reset JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

You said you replaced the ground strap at the transmission did you clean the area before installing to be sure you have a good contact.

When you pulled the valve covers did you unplug all the coil packs or the plugs to the ignition module?

Any time you are about to unplug anything on an xk8 disconnect the battery ground strap first and do a hard reset before reconnecting.

 

After nearly burning a car to the ground while working on a faulty electrical system, i always remove a battery cable before making any changes, electrical or not.

Yes i unplugged all the coil packs when removing the valve covers.

I did clean the body connection for the ground strap before reinstalling.

I had removed the throttle body when working on the transmission and cooling system. I concur, I believe i damaged a plug when i was removing them. I truly need help trying to figure out which one i damaged.

 

Did you unplug at the coilpack or at the ignition module? I would also check the plugs to the ignition module as well to be sure they are correct. Not having hands on with the module the left and right bank could be crossed. If incorrect they should have thrown a code but I have seen stranger things.

The plugs on the throttle body are a royal pain to get off and on properly so you could have a problem with them.

I would be worth the effort to see if they are seating properly. Just a shot in the dark.

 

At the coilpacks. Per your request i checked the connector at the ignition module, it was secure and i had not messed with it either.


Thanks for reminding me that this is low. I am surprised each and every time i see that 12v is an uncharged battery.

We don't even get a winter! I am still riding around on my motorcycle and walking around in shorts. Lots of CA natives here are running around in winter parkas.
I am not concerned about the timing, It ran way too well for it to be off on timing.
I just installed a new ALT and haven't actually checked to make sure it is doing its job properly. Thanks for reminding me to check this before i pull it out of the driveway and make it out of town before it stalls.


This ended up being the winner that got me pointed in the right direction.
Pointing out that I DID have a way to check fuel rail pressure by schrader valve allowed me to sort out what the problem was in a few minutes.
I stuck a screw driver gently into the schrader valve and just a little bit of fuel piddled out. By your description it sounded like this should be able to hit the wall behind me with deadly accuracy.
So now that I figured out that I wasn't getting fuel, the game became why.


As i suspected, this did end up being the problem.
I got aggravated with the one plug that I thought I had broken and eventually figured out that the pressure clip that is supposed to latch them together was preventing them from going together.
Once I got this connector back together properly, I connected the battery and turned the key on and could hear the fuel pump running. I turned the key and it started and idled happily.

 

Mad hatter,

Well done. It’s always something we’ve rushed and jammed together. In future, I’ll keep an eye out on the connectors when I’m working on the throttle body.

Isn’t this forum a beautiful thing!

 

In my case, I didn't jam it hard enough together. If i had taken the sledge hammer to that pressure clip like i was originally going to, i never would have had to have posted the thread in the first place.

I was trying to source a weatherproof connector, the moment i found one i was going to cut that connector out of the car and crimp a new one in.

 

I went to Advanced Auto and told them I needed a new plug for my xk8 crank sensor and they pulled it up on the computer and I got it the next day. Give them a try.