I am going to regret buying this XK8, two weeks in and it's turning into a nightmare. Driving home from today I could hear relays clicking and clacking somewhere in the passenger side footwell and the steering wheel adjustment motor was maving the wheel up and down in short jerks. I was travelling at about 70kmph when this was happening, and as far as I know it's not supposed do that.

It's funny this started happening on the same day as the gear lever lock-out solenoid starts playing up. There has to be a common thread with these two faults.

 

Hi Spuddyo,
Do you know how long the car was stood before you aquired it.
First, check the condition of the battery, if in doubt give it a full charge.
The next thing I would look at would be the ground points to check if they are in good condition and tight.
It will take a bit of time but it is a lot less expensive than taking it to a dealer or garage and at least you will have cleared 2 problem areas without spending a penny.
Hope this helps and good luck. Don't give up just yet.

 

If that's a 97 engine, you want to make sure it's got the new style secondary chain tensioners in it, just to be on the safe side.

 

I have the tensioners and gaskets here and will change them out in the next few days. Thanks.

 

Spuddyo; Without going into great detail with the gearshift solenoid and moving steering column, I agree that there is a common thread connecting the two incidents as outlined in your other post. The brake pedal switch, engine control module, gearshift interlock, not in park micro switch and key lock switch are all interconnected through the body processor module. Disabling the gearlock mechanism as you describe is probably throwing signals back to the various components to adjust accordingly with one being the steering column. Possibly reconnecting the gear lockout mechanism and searching for the cause of the gear lockout and associated problems may be where to start.