Hello guys;

My name is Mohammed and I live in Jordan; an East Med country with nice weather but only 8 xk8 cars. I happen to have one of those 8, a 2002 XK8 coupe, and I've started to do some work on it.

I've already fitted a new fuel pump and filter (as per dealer advice), and I'm collecting the parts needed for a tensioner job (+ water pump, thermostat housing.. etc).

The car started to give a few error messages days after the new fuel pump was in place: "no ABS", "no trac control" and "failsafe mode".

The engin turns and starts ok (a bit noisy due to pending tensioner job), However, a loud ticking noise can be heard from the throttle body area ocasionally before startup. It disappears once I strike the engin. Any idea what this could be? What more parts do I need to import from Lebanon at silly prices?

MJ

 

My first port of call would be the battery. Although it starts OK, these cars' electronics are very sensitive to out-of-tolerance voltages, so can you get it fully charged up for a start and if possible, a heavy duty voltage test done as well. Also, can you get fault codes read where you are? There are certain to be some hidden away in there and they don't all light the warning light (MIL) on the dashboard.

The ticking before startup is a bit of a mystery to me! I wonder if it's a relay in one of the engine bukhead enclosures, either faulty or chattering on a low voltage?

 

Good point!

Now that you mention it, it does sounds like the ticking noise you get on low battery startups and maybe the door was open a bit too long while working on the speaker upgrade, but that's a different story... The voltage on the dash was a solid 13 once the car starts but I'll have to look into the battery and hope its as simple as that.

I should be done with audio and fuel pump repairs tomorrow, I'll start the car, let it charge, and let you know if the noise goes away (I sure hope it does).

I had the dealer look it over before buying it and it was giving a few messages, but none relating to startup.. it always started up nice.

MJ

 

Hi MJ,

I am in the process of purchasing an xk8 4.2 in Amman as well. I actually wanted to reach you but as a new member cannot send you a message. Would love to ask you a few things before my purchase.

Thanks
D

 

At the top of this page go to Threads and click on Advanced. In the keywords search box put 'Buying'

Lower down the page, in the Search in Forums box, highlight XK8/XKR (X100)

Then click on Search Now to get a long list of threads, many of which deal with how to select an X100 for purchase

Best of luck in finding the right car for you

 

You will not charge the well discharged battery by starting the engine and letting it idle ,,Common fallacy ..you need a battery charger on it for 24 hrs . The voltmeter is a fake gauge and means nothing.

 

The ECM checks out the throttle body before startup by driving the butterfly closed and reopened while observing the Throttle Position Sensor to make sure the throttle functions. If the air duct to the throttle body is off, you can see and hear this in action while someone switches the key on and off. I didn't have a helper so I clipped a borescope into the throttle body to watch it on my cell phone.

Did anyone else notice we're responding to a question from over a decade ago?