Dear friends
I just bought an ODB2 which I would use on my 1997 XK8 but it will not connect to the car. Think I have checked all the fuses so I am therefore looking for good advice to move on. Attaches fo from tester photo with tester display display.
The car will also not start after the battery has run out. However, this is now fully charged and volts show around 12.5-13 volts. Initially, though, I really want the tester to work. Assuming that if that happens then I might as well find the reason why the car will not start.
Thanks in advance!

 

These iCarsoft scanners are intermittently finicky. Mine will connect properly to my wife's 2006 XK8 90% of the time. When it refuses to connect, I unplug it and start over again....

Several years ago it refused to connect to a 2000 XK8 despite multiple attempts during the course of that day. The next time we tried it on that same vehicle (several months later), it magically connected....

iCarsoft scanners can be hit-or-miss and their technical support is nonexistent. While I am reasonably happy with mine, I always recommend to any potential buyer that they only purchase from a source that offers full refunds if they are not satisfied with it....

 

I have an iCarsoft, no problem with it although I don't think it will read the transmission codes. Try and clean the connectors out and start again?

 

Hi Per,
There are two power feeds to the OBD socket, so check for B+ on both pins 9 and 19.

I can't advise on the iCarsoft, but if you can elaborate on your no-start, folks will most likely be able to help you get the car running in the meantime. Does it crank but not start, or no crank?

 

Well - I will do my best to tell the course as accurately as possible.
We have just returned from a wonderful holiday on Romantische Strasse in southern Germany, drove on to Austria, the Czech Republic and home to Denmark again via eastern Germany. In total a trip of about 3300 km. where we did everything to avoid highways. A very beautiful ride without any problems, the XKéren behaved very exemplary. We brought a cooler bag for some food which we probably interrupted every time we kept quiet for more than 10 min. It also went very well. The ones we came home I then just had to test the safety device you can slide into the cord and which needs the power to the cooler bag when the voltage drops to 11.5 volts, just to know if it was something you could use. I put the cooler bag for the car in the evening and the next morning it had quite correctly disconnected the cooler bag as the voltage had dropped to around 11.5 volts. Well -now it was so exciting if the car could start .. It could, although I could hear on the starter that it was not quite as lively as normal, it might also go a little more restless than normal. I just drove the car right outside the garage and it stood there all day when we had to use our other car with towbars, we had to drive garden waste to the landfill. About ftenen it started again (a bit sluggish) and I drove it into the garage again. The next morning it wanted nothing at all so I put a 6 amp. charge on and let it stand all day with it. Then tried again in the evening ,. the starter rotated fine, it farted a little but did not start. Have tried the classic ones of disconnecting the battery, shorting + and - all without result. If I step on the accelerator completely at the start attempt, it can fart a little, hit a little back **** but not start at all. Must probably also say that on these few attempts it smells somewhat of unburned gasoline. I've thrown it up on facebook and some Jag. friends talk about camshaft position sensor, crankshaft sensor and more. Hope you know exactly what the problem is. :-) I might add that I have only had the car for a year, but that it has driven about 10,000 km during that time. completely without problems

 

I think you have two problems: a weak battery and bore wash.
You should read at least 12.3V with a voltmeter, better would be 12.5. The instrument panel meter is useless.
If you shut the engine off without allowing it to warm up sufficiently the unburned fuel from the cold start will wash the oil from the cylinders and there will not be sufficient compression to restart. One method to correct this is to hold the pedal to the floor and give several 10 to 20 second bursts on the starter , then ease up to part throttle and it should start. The second is to remove the spark plugs from at least one bank and pour about 10cc of oil into the cylinders, turn the engine over for a few seconds with the pedal to the floor to shut off the fuel, then replace the plugs and start. Expect a lot of smoke

 

I have tried what you say, except oil in the cylinders. I have turned the engine 3 x 10-15 sec. and then waited until the next day with starting attempts, with no positive result. Maybe I should also tell you that the engine light in the instrument panel is on and therefore I think the problem may be something else and more, unfortunately :-(

 

Have you tried a generic OBDII scanner? My $40 Harbor Freight scanner always works properly with all four of our vehicles....

 

I had the ABS warning light showing on my 2001. Tried to pull codes w/ three different meters. Nothing. Found out the defective ABS module disrupted the can bus. Replaced the module and got codes. I don't know if the CEL might be triggered by something that might also impact the can bus.

 

Quote.
If you shut the engine off without allowing it to warm up sufficiently the unburned fuel from the cold start will wash the oil from the cylinders and there will not be sufficient compression to restart.

As a reason for no start I have never heard so much bo££ocks in 40 years in the motor trade.

Now for the engine to run it needs fuel ...did you check for pressure at the Schrader valve..Fuel pump ?
It also needs as spark..more difficult as you need to remove a cover and have a spare plug. ( the plug from any engine will do) .
In all instances Jaguar ..Charge the battery. The battery once down will not recharge fully by driving. Not sure which light you mean is on on the dash. If its the "ignition warning light " the alternator is faulty. ( UK term)
You cannot leave a piezo electric cooler on the car battery overnight unless the battery is in top condition and charged as it will take 50 AH ish out of it.

 

Bore wash is a known problem on the early cars, especially the ones with Nikasil cylinder linings. Jaguar in fact released several firmware updates to the ECM to avoid over-fuelling in certain circumstances.

http://jagrepair.com/images/TSB/TSB2...0Non-Start.pdf

I'm surprised you haven't come across this in 40 years in the motor trade, but then again maybe you weren't working with late 1990s Jaguars?

Gus's page:-

http://jagrepair.com/NikasilNoStartCylinderWashing.htm