My friend's ECU on his 2005 4.2 XK8 is shot. I tried to communicate with it using IDS, to no avail. I have a genuine ford VCM and it communicates with my 2000 XK8 and 1996 XJR just fine. The original ECU for the car was mailed to a rebuilder and lost. This is a used replacement ECU that I suspect is not good. I would like to buy an ECU from another 4.2 XK8 and swap. Here are my questions:

1. Are 2005 and 2005 ECUs interchangeable? I am assuming that the ECUs from 4.0 are not.
2. What other modules are "married" to the ECU, if any? I.e. do I need to also swap some immobilizer-related modules?
3. What kind of reprogramming via IDA (if any) will be needed for the ECU swap?

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi,
The 4.0 is a no-no. 4.2 depends on VIN. From JEPC:



C2N1314 is superseded by C2N2475, C2N3299 by C2N3338. All for XKR are different again.

I don't think you need to change anything else out, but likely to need programming for different options, etc.

 

BE AWARE of the VID block.

 

More 'scary' info.
The VID block is not something to 'screw-around' with if you are not familiar.

 

The original ECU has the following numbers:
MB089700-9490
12V SPAIN
DENSO
04200401090000800797009490
JAGUAR 4W83-10K975-CA
*009490* X100 4.2L NA
CA

The proposed replacement ECU has the following numbers:
MB089700-9113
12V SPAIN
DENSO
0120020830000003079709113
JAGUAR 3W83-10K975-AD
*009113* X100 4.2L NA
AD

I don't see any numbers that start with c2n anywhere. Any pointers how to understand what is on the ECU labels would be appreciated.

I have IDS and SDD on my laptop, and a genuine Ford VCM. Can it be used for programming the ECU to the car? I am not familiar with SDD, what hardware is needed for it?

 

What is the part # printed on the car's VCATS label? That would help to narrow it down.

If the car is 2005, I'd expect C2N3338.

IDK how you would translate the codes other than, possibly, searching.
There are quite a few hits for both of the xW83 prefixes.

I *think* your replacement is from a 2003 car.

 

Looks like proposed replacement is earlier than the original ECU. Would that be a problem? Should I swap the body and other electronics to make sure they all play nice with each other?

 

The replacement is from the car made in October of 2002, so 2003 model year. Per the above table, it's the first variant of the ECU C2N1314. The car that I want to use this ECU for is a 2004, based on VIN it is C2N3338. Per the table above it's a different ECU variant. Where can I find the VCATS label on a 4.2? I looked in the trunk, removed the spare tire, looked everywhere and could not find it. On my 2000 the VCATS label is in the compartment for the spare tire. For some reason I am unable to find it in either of the 4.2 cars, which makes me suspect that it is in a different location.

 

Hi,
I've just done a search re the VCATS label and found another owner of a 2004 who couldn't find it either, so Jaguar has presumably moved it or it's just not present on the 4.2?

I would not change any modules at this stage as you would be introducing other variables.

The earlier ECM may be OK, or there may be things that don't work. Bob (motorcarman) is the module guru on here:- perhaps send him a PM if he doesn't drop by again. He will be better placed to guide you.

 

i’ve told you how to do a quick and dirty swap to get it running without risking anything.

just enter immobilization setup follow the instructions and the car will start with the donor’s ecu. later on you can reprogram it and rebuild the original VID block from the as-built database in IDS.


VCATS labels are only found on the X100 not the X103

 

I'm curious, how did your friend's ECU swap turn out? Any success (or failure) stories to share?

 

I worked out fine. He bought a used ECU for short money and I used IDS to program immobilizer so that the car would start. It took about an hour of messing around to find the right menu in the IDS. I had to use the VIN of the ECU donor car, not the actual VIN of the car.