2002 Jaguar XK8 Convertible

When cold start, there is an array of apparent electronic problems: No gauges work, check engine light on, an unpredictable number of idiot lights come on, no cruise control, and shifter will not come out of park. I can get the transmission out of park only by shifting it before the ignition sequence completes.

After about 30-40 miles (more when in cold weather) and the engine is good and warm, all will reset and work ok if the engine is turned off and back on. However, the check engine light remains on. It will eventually go out on its own later if warm enough. Had the car checked locally when warm and only the CE light was on and the code was for "instrument cluster fault". I don't think it is the cluster because everything works after the warm up/reset thing and the cruise control, oil pressure and volt gauge are not a part of the main instrument cluster control.

Is this possibly a faulty PCM?

Any ideas would be welcome as she sits in the garage...fine to drive but ones needs to know one's speed and gas tank level.

Thanks.

 

How old is your battery and what is it's charge state? A weak battery will cause many weird and unpredictable lights/warnings/errors. Recommend taking to Advance Auto or Autozone and have them check the battery - typical battery life is 3-5 years although some have gone well beyond that.

As this is your first post - please stop by the New Member section and post an intro. in return, you will receive a warm welcome and some useful tips to navigate the forum.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...-intro-must-5/

 

+1 on the above. Highly unlikely all these things go bad at the same time.

Many weird things happen at start up if you have a bad battery. That’s why it runs good when warmed up as you’re running on the alternator not the battery.

Get battery professionally checked at a shop.

A lot of X100 owners have a CTEK battery tender put on the car even if it is not driven just for a few days.

Mine is a daily driver but if I’m off for a weekend, I put a battery tender on.

 

^^ What they said. Start with your battery condition. These cars require fresh, strong batteries. If your car has been sitting for a long period without being on a battery tender, chances are good that your battery is dying and is the primary source of your current issues....

 

Yep the guys above have got it right. These Jags are susceptible to fault displays when the batteries get low. Experienced the same myself only this week. To read about my problem click me

 

I will go ahead a get a new battery. Could be it. Had one garage tell me it was the instrument cluster but I'm not sure those guys know much other than they saw my gauges laying dead and had their aha moment. However, some of the other symptoms are not related to the main cluster so I doubt what they say.

I suppose even the check engine light and the fact that it threw an instrument cluster fault code might still be the battery...maybe not. I may have another problem but a new battery couldn't hurt. The voltage gauge being in the middle showing an OK charge is not to be believed?

Have had 3 mechanics "look" at it and offer their opinions. Not one mentioned the battery.

Will advise what a new battery accomplishes.

thanks.

 

If the problem persists, make sure you capture any actual code to go with that text. Codes are easy to search by and can reveal a wealth of prior cases.

Separately, keep in mind that the instrument cluster is where Jaguar decided to host the circuitry responsible for bridging the separate data networks (CAN, SCP and ISO-9141). There have been a number of TSBs over the years related to (fixable) failed solder joints on the IC board (check jagrepair.com), and resulting in bus errors. As an example, the speedometer is getting road speed from a message on the CAN bus. There is no speedo cable to the trans anymore. It looks like somehow that road speed message (as measured by the ABS module) is no longer reaching the IC.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thanks FM,

I will have it checked again after installing a new battery tomorrow, and if it is still a problem, record the details of the code check.

I also saw the tech bulletin regarding the bad solder. While having my brakes replaced, I had them remove the cluster and check for that. They said mine looked fine and that the specific TSB did not apply to my car anyway (I think the specific solder TSB was for a range of VIN #s).

 

I was going to say that the VIN is out of range for this fault but....................

The faults are similar to the TSB list of faults.

I performed dozens of repairs and replacements when the TSB was issued. (413-S484am2 INSTPK CAN failure.pdf)

bob

 

I agree with all of the advice here. I just want to add the the oil pressure and voltage gauges ARE totally controlled through connections from the main instrument cluster.

 

Hi all,

Well, just had a $200 platinum battery installed to rule out a battery problem. Unfortunately nothing changed. I suspected as much since the date sticker on the old battery was February 2018.

It has gotten hot here in the last few days. Since I haven't been driving it much due to all of the non-working issues, I had not yet tried the A/C. Add that to the list. Doesn't work either.

Am I looking at a bad ECM?

 

You previously mentioned that there was a code for the instrument cluster.

Check out this ongoing thread for ideas

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-dead-217466/

 

Hello All,

I do appreciate all of your comments very much as I struggle how to get Jessie back on the road.

I have reported to you that it is a cold start problem and yes, that is when this stuff occurs. However, I did not mention that it sometimes works ok in "environmental heat". I just wasn't sure enough to mention.

It is now an interesting fact that was confirmed yesterday. Here in Tennessee, the temperature is around 85 degrees F this week. Yesterday, after getting the new battery at lunch, nothing was working still. It sat in the parking lot of my employer all afternoon. I got in the car to go home at 5:30PM, cranked her up, and all electronics worked.

Does that make sense to any of you experts?

Normally:

• No gauges
• No cruise control
• ABS, red light, yellow light, and "brake" indicators on.
• Blank message box, i.e., no odometer.
• Will not come out of park.
• No air conditioning.

<sigh>

 

If I were you id find out how the instrument cluster is earthed. Get a bit of wire and crudely bypass it. That is attach one end to the body work you know is a good earth and apply the other end to the earth of the instrument panel. I bet that cures it. My reasoning is that all those instruments only have one thing in common. That is the earth. Once you know what the problem is you can then sort out a better earth, if thats what it is. I would be very surprised if thats not what it is.


Dont forget to tell us how you get on wont you?

 

You guys asked to be kept informed on the status of Jessie.

I finally was able to get an appointment today with a guy who is referred to in the Tennessee area as Jaguar Joe. No kidding. He is supposedly the man for older Jaguars. I hope it is because of his expertise and not because his is the only game in town. Could be either. Not a lot of XK8's gracing Nashville streets.

Joe says he has seen this before but not to the crazy unpredictable degree he saw as he restarted the engine about 10 different times. Each time, things got better or worse. Once, we even saw the A/C blow cold.

He does not think it is a ground problem (an earth problem as you gents say). He has a diagnostic plan and swears he will get to the bottom of it. Fingers crossed.

A couple of you experts asked for the actual codes it is throwing when checked. The two are...P1638 and P1111. Instrument and/or ECU related.