Working to get her 100 %. I spent the weekend working on “little” projects getting the 98’ XK8 working well. It is my daily drive and I love it. Of course, in taking parts and pieces apart and reassembling them the gremlins appeared. I am getting to know the XK8 and I have a couple of questions if anyone has insight it would be greatly appreciated. 1. First, I removed the steering wheel and re-dyed the leather. The air bag and steering wheel came off without a problem. Put everything back together and there was a plastic on plastic scraping sound and it sounded like there was something lose when I turned the steering wheel. I took it apart again, and did not find anything lose, nor any signs of plastic materials touching.I found a black disk in back of the steering wheel, I think this mystery unit is a “Cancellation Module” (not identified in the Parts Catalog) which has a note about a “clip” in place. I saw no clips. Both the wires/connectors for the air bag and the radio/cruise control come from this mystery unit. Any thoughts as to the grinding and lose parts? I did not take the lower steering column cover off. 2. Second, while I had the steering wheel off, I replaced the instrument cluster light bulbs with LED’s. They worked great, much brighter and can see the instruments in the bright desert sun. But, and there always is one, the turn signal does not show on the instrument cluster any more. It operates the exterior signal lights. Is this an issue with the LED’s? Thanks for any insights. Love this car.

 

The black disk will be the clockspring. There's a picture of it in this thread. A moment of levity and worth a read through:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...3/#post1716425

The scraping may be that it hasn't quite gone back into place properly?

Non-lighting LEDs may be just a case of removing, turning 180 and reinserting (most of the lamps are polarity conscious), but since you got all the others OK, not sure.

 

The part is indeed identified in JPEC as a 'cancellation module'.

bob

 

Thanks, Bob for the correct Jaguar terminology.

It does also do what a clockspring does yes/no?

 

Alas the world has blossomed. Terminology that is new, "clockspring" or "Cancellation Module". Trough the bevy of cars owned, and worked on, this is the first time I've heard of it. That includes the likes of MG, Triumph Stag, Sunbeam Alpine, A-H Sprite (lucky you got a steering wheel there), Lotus Esprit and Elise. Most of those are pretty basic. They didn't know what an air bag was and some of them the drive was equipped with the turn signal with hand attached. It sounds like it may be a matter of time for the clockspring/cancellation module to reseat.

On the LED's I was afraid of that. The tilt on the steering column is one of those "little jobs" I need to tackle because the steering column does not tilt down to pull the instrument panel out very easily. A future research and possible post there.

Enjoyed the older post on the clockspring, a few smiles and I now need to seek my own yellow arrow.

 

Not sure if 'blossomed' is quite the word I'd use

So, clockspring and cancellation module in Jaguar parlance is mostly the same thing. Does helps to use the correct manufacturer's terminology then we're all on the same page, so thanks to Bob for the clarification and apologies for my bad.
I only know it as a clockspring from my encounter with one when replacing the indicator/lights idiot stick in my daughter's Merc A-class.
In my day there was only a wire to the horn push in the steering wheel (or not, as in my MGB). Ah, nostalgia.

The motorised steering tilt/reach mechanism is problematic, and there are many posts on here that will guide you. Another 'feature' I'm glad I don't have...

Was the Sprite a Frogeye?

Good luck!