OK, shifting into gear was a bit chunky today, almost like it wasn't catching. I shut it off and it wouldn't restart. Instead displaying a Safe Engine Failure Mode or something like that. I searched the FAQs but came up empty.
Does anyone know what this means?
Oh BTW, I drove to the bank, left my cell at home and had to walk home. UGH!
Car is 2001 XK8 drop top, 78k miles

 

many things can cause failsafe engine mode so best bet is to have the codes read and post them here for more accurate attempt to diagnose. Otherwise, we'd just be spitting into the wind

 

Best is of course to have the Jaguar specific codes read by a proper device, but you can do a bit of sanity check. Check that the lights follow the position of the shifter, e.g. does the D light up when the shifter is moved to D, etc. Also, try and start in Neutral instead of Park. This is in case the shifter switches are broken. Other thing is to gently tap and release the brake pedal. Do you feel the solenoid release the shifter? Should be a faint thump under the trim, forward and driver side. If you do not, and the shifter is captured by the solenoid, the black plug on the bezel can be removed and the solenoid released manually. This is a test for the brake switch, a very common failure. Shots in the dark, but worth doing at no cost.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

OK, I don't have a code reader and I'm not mechanically inclined. I put the gear in Neutral and it started up. YAY! I drove off and gave it some heavy gas, the tac went up to 4K RPMs and the engine was revving so I backed off the gas. The car seemed to "click" into drive and was fine after that. I tried downshifting and it went into 4th and 3rd but it didn't catch in 2nd. When I got home, I shut the engine off and tried to restart in Park. Immediately went into fail-safe mode and wouldn't start. Shifting into Neutral, it started. So looks like a trip the the mechanic is in my future, but at least its home.
I was at the bank this morning when it first appeared and since it was a quick trip, I left my cell at home. Needless to say I had to walk home, get my phone and walk back to the bank and try again.