Hello all,

I was about to go pick up oil, ATF, and a fuel filter and spend a day with the XKR. I went outside and she will not crank.

It seems to be temperature related. If it sits overnight and it is 55 degrees in the morning, she will crank up. This morning it is 35 degrees and she's not happy.

I do not believe this is my fuel pump, because she cranks 100% fine every time after being driven.

It's not my neutral safety switch because it will not crank in Park or Neutral and it does spin over.

I have an Optima battery in my other vehicle, and the last time I had this issue, I moved it over into the Jag. It has the same amount of advertised cold cranking amps, and it still would not fire up.

What in the world could it be? What kind of batteries are you all running? How many CCA? Any other theories? I have searched and I cannot find a likely culprit!

Thanks,
-Ryan

 

Two random thoughts:

What weight oil you running? 30?

Have you measured the battery voltage under the hood while cranking? If you are drawing it down to the 10v range the electronics become marginal or non functional and the starter will still spin the engine.

 

It is lacking something to prevent it from starting so the first thing I would check is for fuel pressure. This is assuming that the battery is OK; have it tested to be sure.

 

Thanks for the quick reply!

My last oil change was when I had the secondary tensioners done at Flying Circus Autos in Durham. They used conventional oil at the factory recommended viscosity. I plan on putting in 5w-30 or 10w-30 today (this will be my first oil change on the Jag)

While cranking, the volts drop to about 10 on the dash indicator. I have a multimeter but I haven't hooked it up in the engine compartment. Should I?

I'll also add, I do have a nikasil engine. However, I dismissed the nikasil starting issues because it isn't spinning over quickly, the starter seems pretty labored.

 

I was definitely thinking about fuel pressure. That's one of the reasons I am intending to replace the fuel filter today.

I tried to prime the fuel pump multiple times and then crank it, but still no-go.

I suppose I'll pull out my battery and go get it checked.

 

If you are getting anywhere close to 10v that is probably your problem. I would have the charging system/battery checked at your friendly local auto parts store.

Might want to add you vehicle info to your signature.

 

I'll bet my morning coffee you've got a battery issue. There's no reason the starter should sound "labored," even with thicker oil on a cold morning.


.

 

I accept your bet and raise you a bagel!

*Fingers crossed*

 

I agree, start with the battery...get it load tested wherever they sell batteries.


The fuel pump is another likely culprit. Since I see you have an '00 XKR, which has duel fuel pumps, you might try pulling the primary fuel pump relay. After about a half dozen attempts at cranking the secondary fuel pump should switch in as a backup with the primary relay removed.

The biggest problem with this test though, is that quite often the secondary pump is also dead and this goes unnoticed. See https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...el-pump-85882/ for more details.

 

Advance Auto put their tester on it.

I was told that it was fine. Cold cranking amps were at 850. Looking at the dates on the battery, it appears to have been put in March 2012.

Thanks for the link on the fuel pumps. I will try that once I am able to crank the car and let it get up to operating temperature. I have a feeling if I let it start and stall while cold, I am in for a world of hurt.

The sun is out and warming things up now. I think I'll do an oil change and maybe try the fuel filter, and then see if it'll crank up.

 

Well, crap. I needed that cup of coffee.

Good luck to you.


.

 

While in the battery area, I noticed two plugs that aren't hooked up

One is a small single wire connector (white and green wire)
The other is larger and it has brown/red and brown/white wires
(See low quality picture)

 

Don't worry about those, they were for a battery disconnect device used when transporting across the pond.

 

When was the fuel filter changed? Also fuel pressure tells you if it is working.

 

The fuel rail with the schrader valve is tough to get at in the supercharged cars.

 

[UPDATE]

Disconnected battery
Changed the fuel filter
Changed oil and filter
Dropped the ATF oil pan
Changed valve body electrical connector socket
Changed strainer and oil pan gasket
Refilled with ATF

When I went to crank it, it started after several seconds, but at least it was the first try. The temperature that point was 57 degrees. I still think it started because of the temperature.

I went for a drive and it felt fine. However, I gave it about 70% throttle.. and it just wasn't there. Performance was drastically decreased.

Does no cold start and lost performance = bad fuel pump?

 

The secondary pump is used on heavy throttle, so if it is dead there will be some loss of power.

But also, since the battery was disconnected, the car has lost its adaptive tailoring to your driving style, and will need some time to get back to its normal response. Also make sure your transmission is still in 'S' if you are missing power.

Lastly, it might be good to check for OBDII codes as some could be pending even if your check engine light is not on.

 

Here is it 1/24/13 and I still haven't resolved my problem

When the weather is warm I have no problems cranking the car. Today the temperature barely reached freezing and I had problems starting the car in the morning and twice this evening. I had to crank for about 40 seconds combined each time (I gave the starter a rest and primed the fuel system many, many times throughout this process).

After more research, I am really thinking it is a failing secondary fuel pump (since this pump primes the system). My ears aren't keen on discerning a fuel pump noise vs other noises the car makes with the ignition ON, so I'm not sure if its activating or not.

So to recap: The car loves to be re-started while warm. It cranks right up like a champ and runs great throughout any driving.
I have determined that the starter is not "labored" when cranking, it is normal. I haven't had my Jaguar long so I was not familiar with this engine/starter combo.

If anyone wants to prove, disprove, or vouch for my diagnosis it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise I intend to keep this thread updated with my findings so future frustrated readers can find a quick solution.

Thanks all!

 

What is meant by you saying you primed the fuel system?

 

With the ignition off, you can jumper the fuel pumps one at a time to the battery by pulling the relay and using a paper clip or jumper wire. You should be able to hear each pump spin while standing at the trunk doing this because everything else is quiet with the key out.

It's been described a few times in various threads.