So last Sunday I took the XK8 out to enjoy the day. After driving for about 60 or 70 miles and multiple start/stops began heading to my home. I stopped for a passing train, shut the car off, on a modestly steep downward hill. When the train had passed, went to restart the car and it wouldn't start!?!?

It turned over, tried to start and would just sputter and stumble but no fire. I immediately coasted to the side of the road, put the flashers on and went through the mental checklist.....fuel? about a quarter tank........electrical well it was turning over fine the flashers and stereo were working. It has had an intermittent P0442 code, but no other symptoms. I allowed my mind to wander into the secondary tensioner failure mode, but it did try to start and there was NO unusual clatter or other crazy sounds from under the hood.

I called my father, who happens to live nearby and is one of the best "shadetree" mechanics I know. He arrived quickly and we plugged in his OBD tool. It showed a P0442 and a P1111. We couldn't diagnose it on the side of the road and decided to take it home. Called a local towing company ( Kirk's in Roy, UT, excellent service and very conscientious) a young man showed up with his flat bed and advised me of how we were going to do this. Apparently the tow hook has been used before as it was missing arrrrggghhh! He was able to securely and safely load it onto the bed of his truck. He mentioned to me he was scared to death as he had never hauled a car this nice before, I mentioned to him I had never had a car this nice hauled so we were both in uncharted territory.

Hauled it home, tried a battery jumper to make sure it wasn't one of the crazy battery issues, still not starting.

I have not had a chance to work on it or look at it as this is my busy time of year (tax professional). I believe it is most likely a fuel related issue, when I get a chance I hope to attack the issue in as logical and rational way as possible. I would like to put a fuel pressure gauge on it, is there a port on the fuel rail? Probably has the original fuel filter on it, I purchased it from the original owners son with only 47,000 miles on it. So that is certainly a consideration.

I respectfully request the collective wisdom of those on the forum for assistance in diagnosing this issue.

 

The fuel pumps on these cars have a well-known reputation of dying, but it usually happens after the car has been sitting unused for weeks or months. First things first - check your fuel pump fuses....

 

Utrider, you certainly describe a disappointing end to what sounds like a nice drive! There are many possibilities to your problem, but I don't think the P0442 (some problem with the vapor recovery system) code would result in a non-start.

There is a Schrader Valve (like a tire valve) on the fuel rail. A simple check would be to put a rag over it and gently press with a small screwdriver, you should get a nice healthy spray of fuel. There is possibility your fuel pump simply failed, there have been a rash of such sudden pump failures on this forum recently and wouldn't be far-fetched to give it serious thought. I suffered from the same. But check out all the alternatives, you may have simple fuse or relay problem as well. A search of this forum will bring up quite a number of threads.

Steve

 

Mine just did the exact same thing, after driving around town, stopped at a store, came out would not keep running. Did all the check's mentioned, bad fuel pump.


Had pump replaced by my Jag mechanic and all is well, knock on wood.

 

Thanks guys!!! I appreciate the prompt, helpful responses. I will check the electrical stuff in the fuel system first.

While researching I did come across a thread about the fuel filter issue on a hill issue which led me down that path.

 

My fuel pump failed when the car was in everyday use. The clue to it being the pump was that when I turned on the ignition, the normal sound of the pump priming absent. Hope you get it sorted soon.

 

My '01 XKR had both fuel pumps bad. Secondary runs only when excessive throttle is used, and the primary gave out after years of use.

Hope all goes well. Hardest part of the job is connecting and disconnecting the fuel lines underneath the vehicle.

 

Well replaced the fuel pump and filter today. The car fired right up. I shut it off to put the fuel we had removed from it back in (about 8 gals). Started it back up and proceeded to clean up the tools and mess.

After about 5 minutes of idling it died!!! Went to restart it, could now hear the pump running, but it would not start............

Any ideas? I put the code reader on it and it showed a P0453 could this be building up to much pressure in the system and not allowing fuel to flow? I really don't want to pull that damn tank again those fuel lines are a BEAR to get at.

 

P0453 - Fuel Tank Pressure Sensor High Voltage.

Maybe a bad electrical connection.

 

check for pressure first.

if you have pressure, then bad fuel raises its ugly head since you put the same fuel back in.

of course P0453 also comes into play as mentioned by Paul.

 

Ok, had a few minutes this morning to put the fuel pressure gauge on it. 0 pressure, I can hear the pump running for about 3-5 seconds when I turn the key on, but NO pressure at the fuel rail.

There are no leaks, and checked the couplings going into the fuel tank and they feel snug.

If it hadn't ran for 5 minutes I would probably just tear into it again, just wonder if it isn't something else. The fuel filter arrow is pointing the right way, it is a Mann filter.

In researching the code it through, it doesn't appear that in and of itself would be an issue.

 

Ok, finally had another chance to work on the car today. My future son-in-law is a smaller guy about 5'5" tall. He was able to disconnect the fuel lines in 20 minutes compared to my 3 and a half hours with my big ol' hands. So we pulled the tank, and the pressure had blown the hose off of the pump. We reconnected the hose, and snugged up the hose clamp with a socket instead of a screwdriver, plugged everything back in and VROOOOM!

Finished putting everything back together again and went for a drive in the rain, cell phone close at hand, but not needed.

Thanks again guys, this site is a fantastic resource. The comfort of knowing we all look out for each other gives a sense of confidence to the challenges that come with owning and operating our cherished machines.