My car is a Californian X100 LHD XK8 Victory convertible with 33,000 miles. Can someone help please.
I’ve recently replaced the left hand fresh air vent. I had to remove the clock fascia (in front of steering wheel) and fresh air vent wood surround to get to it. I had to drop down the panel beneath the steering wheel to assist getting access to screws fixing the above fascias. I noticed the valet switch had come apart and there was another white plug which appeared disconnected (maybe for adaptive cruise that I don’t have fitted!?). Could I have dislodged something causing the engine now failing to crank? All other electrics are working. I have all 3 keys that don’t help. Battery is new. I’ve disconnected it and reconnected it but to no avail. This has never happened and I’m convinced it is something to do with the job I was carrying out above as the car that hasn’t moved since.
Thank you for any advice.
Michael

 

Any chance you accidentally unplugged or dislodged the key transponder coil that is around the ignition barrel? Number 8 in this image:-

 

That is very likely. Is that the white plug I mentioned adjacent to the valet switch that is just dangling and not connected? I thought it was a plug to fit into an adaptive cruise control switch? I’ll have another look under dash around ignition switch.
Many thanks and will report back!

 

I would check to make sure you didn’t bump the gearshift so that the car thinks it’s in gear. Turn the key on, shift to neutral, and try to start it.

 

Thank you for comments. Unfortunately everything seems to be in order with all wiring and nothing has come unplugged or dislodged. Gear selector seems ok. Tried your suggestion but works as it should. I said previously that the battery was new but I confused it with another I have. It is in fact 5 years old! Recent long trip with no starting issues, hood powers up and down ok and all lights show up on trickle charger. If hood works ok and all other electrics function correctly but I can’t turn over engine could it be the battery? I don’t have a voltage tester.
I’m at a loss now to try to resolve this mystery.

 

It's definitely worth trying a new battery (or getting the old one tested before buying a new one). Do you have a code reader? If not get a bluetooth dongle and the Torque app to see if that gives you any clues as to what is going on - report back here any codes you find.

 

You mentioned in original post that the valet switch had “come apart”. Could you elaborate on that a little? Like come apart meaning pieces fell out?….or come apart as far as the wiring? I feel as though you mentioned it because this is the one thing that went less than favorable during the work done, but nonetheless something to rule out. And as mentioned before by myself as well as others, the plastic wiring clips(or any other plastics on these cars) tend to get brittle over time and are prone to breaking when disconnected for the first time in 20+ years, and even though they might go back together seemingly ok, they may be making weak, intermittent or even no contact causing issues. Think back to all clips you unplugged, did any cause grief or break even slightly when disconnected? It’s worth the time to redo what you did and double check everything. And an old battery will most certainly cause you some headaches, or even a newer one not quite up to snuff. These cars are finicky with electrical systems, especially with interruptions they normally wouldn’t incur leading to issues you might chase that are really just hiccups that may clear themselves over time. Either way, I would top up or replace battery, do a hard reset and is issue still persists, retrace your steps to ensure nothing was overlooked.

 

Many thanks for great assistance! I will thoroughly check all plugs/sockets/wiring. Is there an easy test to check battery condition? Car was sitting with very little use before I shipped it from California hence only 33,000 miles recorded.

 

Could also be immobilizer/inertia switch needing a reset, or possibly a blown fuse somewhere.if all lights on the dash come on are there any messages displayed where the mileage would normally show?

 

There are no messages. How do I reset inertia/immobiliser? thanks so much

 

Not entirely sure on how to reset, as I’ve never had to do it, but I’ve read about it here on the forum and there is definitely someone here with more knowledge on that subject than me, hopefully they’ll chime in but if not a new thread in that topic may help you. As far as battery goes, check that it is of proper group size for your car. If it is 4 or more years old, don’t f— around with it and just replace it, especially if it is not an AGM type battery. As far as testing it goes, first do a visual inspection. If terminals are corroded start there and clean them up good. If the sides of the battery are bulged out, replace it before it blows up. At home testing can be done by letting car sit overnight and in the morning use a multi meter set to dc voltage and see what it’s at. 12.5 v is normal or very close to that. Then using same setting on meter measure voltage while car is running, should be 14.2-14.6v. If not near that alternator may be bad, or possibly battery is so bad it can’t be recharged , or worst case some bad wiring. You can also remove battery and bring it to local auto parts store and request a battery load test to see if it is bad or not, usually a free service. Be prepared to spend a few bucks for the proper battery, as group 49’s are big batteries, and an AGM type battery will be about 300 bucks give or take. Agm have the best warranty but cheaper batteries are available, but likely won’t last as long

 

Thanks for that. I’ll replace battery and go from there🤞

 

Excellent idea. Next get a code reader and check for codes - trying to fix this without a code reader is similar to working on your car in a garage with no lighting, at midnight, in winter, in Norway - you might fix it by feel, but it's better to buy that light bulb first so you can see what you are doing.

The valet button has nothing to do with this.

The inertia switch cuts the fuel, but as far as I know doesn't stop the car cranking, but it costs nothing to push the button on it to see if it makes a difference. Google "Jaguar XK8 inertia switch reset" to find out where it is and how to reset it.

 

Are you keeping the battery on a tender whenever the car is not in use overnight or longer ? Aside from that guaranteeing a longer battery life, it will banish many electrical gremlins that these cars have.

there are many theories why this works so well. Rather than list them all, I’ll just say that buying a battery tender made by CTEK, NOCO Genius, or Delran is a prudent investment

Z

 

Any chance the security system is involved with the car not cranking? I have not had an XK and don't know if that car has the dash mounted red indicator light?
As posted above if so it should have a code relating to that.
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Yes car is permanently on c tek trickle charge when not being driven. I’m going to go with new battery option and take if from there. I’m so overwhelmed with the feedback! Thank you so much. Will keep you posted.

 

+1
You can get a generic ELM327 reader for very little money, e.g.:

It may give you an insight into what the car thinks is wrong, and it's just a useful extra tool in your toolbox.

 

Thank you for information.

 

Just a word of warning pertaining to the elm 327… do a quick google search on versions available so you don’t end up buying a cheap knockoff with a stated version that was never actually made by original manufacturer.

i bought a version 1.5 for cheap off eBay, but didnt do my research before buying. Version 1.5 never existed from the original manufacturer so long story short, it never worked. It was cheap, and total junk and when I took it apart to see if maybe a wire was loose it literally just fell apart, all wires dislodging from circuit board by just basically looking at them…junk I was duped for, by not doing my homework. Sooo cheap in fact I did not seek a refund, just tossed it in the box of spare wires and circuit boards. Live and learn, but just use caution and research before buying, and don’t do late nite intoxicated impulse purchases like I did haha!

 

Sound advice and thanks for the heads up!