Anyone know how to obtain a repair manual (Haynes or Chilton type) for a 2000 XK8 convertible? Have had the car since Feb of this year and, (aside from the self induced catastrophic failure to the hydraulics for the top) love driving it, but the gremlins are creeping in. Right now have intermittent to no tail lights - dealer says body processor module but have had other intermittent indications as well - ASC/TRAC Unavailable; Restricted Performance to name a few. I have found a few of the how to videos but haven't had time to search through everything in the forum. I would like to be able to do most of the work myself and only have to buy parts when necessary.

Look in the sticky's and how to articles at the top of the forum page for instructions on downloading JTIS21, the factory manual.
You may have a battery or connection problem. Have your battery load tested by one of the auto parts suppliers in your area.

Was this conclusion drawn from:

1. putting the vehicle on their diagnostic system
2. telepathy
3. a rapid visual appraisal of your ability / willingness to pay a very large bill

If the answer is not (1), then follow RJ237's suggestion to download JTIS.

Nothing you've listed is unknown here and troubleshooting each of the issues with the help of the combined knowledge here could save you many $$.

Graham

RJ237 - thanks for the info - will definitely pull down the doc and was wondering if a weak battery could be causing issues.

Graham - the initial symptom was a change in the speed of the left turn signal - became very rapid with the "check rear lights" warning. When I was able to stop and look at the rear lights, as the left turn signal was activated, the left turn signal and left tail light flashed alternatingly but not all the time. On some occasions, the turn signal worked normally. Over a 3 day period, it became more frequent and occurred when either turn signal was activated and eventually got to the point all rear lights were out, with the exception of the deck brake lighte, the rear marker lights and the license plate light. I disconnected the light housings and replaced all bulbs. This cleared the issue for about a day, then it started again. Sometimes shutting the car off and restarting, the lights come back on, but as soon as I take the car out of park, the check rear lights warning comes on and the lights may work for a short period or they may not work at all. The dealer saw the same intermittent issue and when the lights would fail, they had no voltage at the light housing, the rear fuse box and no signal from the bpm. Again, not having schematics or knowing much about the integrated system, I'm stuck having to rely on them for answers. I know I have to pay for repairs but not willing to be overcharged and did negotiate a lower price on the bpm - from the 1170 they wanted to 850 I was able to get quoted from another vendor in Illinois. Any additional thoughts are greatly appreciated

Steve

Why would I not be able to find "stickies" or DIY section at the top of the Forum Page?

In various posts I've read about such things being available at the top of the page, but so far, it's like the "rattle" near my exhaust that I can't find ... a mystery

OK - I'll take the bait and assume the part about being unable to find "stickies" is serious:



Remember you need a minimum of 10 Posts AND 3 Days membership for full forum privileges (both apply). One restriction is you won't be able to download PDF's stored on forum servers until then.

Graham

Steve,

If battery condition is in doubt, check and eliminate this first.

2012 must be the "Year of the battery". I've lost count of the number of members with XJ8/XJR and XK8/XKR who have had bizarre electrical issues resolved with a replacement battery. Anything over five years old is on borrowed time.

A change in speed on the turn indicator is usually a sign of a bulb out. The rear lamp units are a known problem for breaks in the circuit board tracks and wear in the bulb holders.

Although it may eventually lead to a BCM issue, component or harness issues are much more frequently reported here.

Graham

Graham - thanks for the feedback - will be taking the car to have the battery tested later this morning and I was hoping that when I replaced all the bulbs, that would have cleared the fault. I found the link to the downloads and started that process - so hope to have that loaded by the end of the day!!

Another known problem with the Rear Lights is a poor/burned Ground connection in the Connector on the Light Assembly.

The best fix is to add a Separate Ground Wire from the Ground Plate in the Lamp Assembly to a good Chassis Ground in the Trunk.

Paul - looking at the connector to the light assembly - would the ground connector be the left most connection?

The Black Wire is the Ground.

Paul - thanks that is the connection that looks a little charred and actually looks like there may be part of the connector missing. Also on the light fixture itself - the section where the spade terminals go into the cable connector - the isolator between the ground spade and the next one appears to have been burned out with indication there may have been some arcing on the ground spade as well. So I am wondering.............

Battery, starter and alternator tested good

See This:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ictures-35083/

damn - that is what it looks like - so in retrospect - hit the forum for answers before going to the dealer> You would think they would have noticed this as well but then again.....................

Thanks to those who provided great information - saved me $1700 for an unneeded BPM. After I showed the dealer's service tech and service writer the burnt connections that they missed during their diagnostics, they did try and convince me that in order to repair the connector, they needed to replace both tail light assemblies at a cost of $850 - said thanks but no thanks. Will be fixing tomorrow using the guidance from the previous threads. Was also able to download the JTIS21 and with the how to's on the forum - I will see less and less of the dealer.