Since my 04 xjr came out of warranty, I have done ALL repairs & maintenance. Thanks to the generous help from the folks on this site, I have accomplished things that I, and others, can't believe.

Recently, I have encountered a scenario that requires some electrical testing. Which brings me to my point:

Any advice on a way to proceed to learn auto electric will be much appreciated. I will begin by looking for YouTube videos on the subject, etc.

I literally know nothing on the subject. So, please, no matter how basic, all advice will be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Steve

 

Download the Electrical Guide from here or JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource and study it thoroughly. There's much more in there than most realise.

Also the workshop manual e.g. for pinpoint tests

 

Steve, this is where taking a college course on basic electrical theory will pay off a lot. You don't need the engineer's class. But ,I am sure your local community college has an automotive electrical course you can take. Being someone that has worked around electronics and electrical stuff for 30+ years professionally and involved in electrical for 40+, you can always learn something new. Being able to read diagrams is always a good thing to understand and be able to use for troubleshooting.

 

Thanks, Jag V8 & Thermo.

Look forward to delving into Jagrepair.com. In another thread, Fritz (aka StraightSix), suggested the same.

My undergraduate major included a lot of physics; I graduated 52 years ago. Even so, I saw an excellent Youtube last night on Ohm's Law & it came back to me! Needless to say, I have not made my way in the world using my undergraduate... While we used them in the lab, I had totally forgotten what a multimeter is! To your point about taking a course: I would love to take a course in a trade school on auto-electric & will investigate. Many years ago (around 40), I wanted to take a course in brick masonry, but the unions in league with the state had made it almost impossible & they had no courses at night. The world has changed a lot since then & I will make an inquiry.

It would be great if someone could recommend a package of tools (Instruments) to include a multimeter. I have a code reader that seems to work reasonably well, but I haven't yet mastered it fully; however, I am able to read codes which has sufficed so far.

I'm now 74 & when I was a youngster, it was considered a good month for any car dealer to sell just a few cars; now each salesperson, as I understand it, has a quota of many per week. Hence the dealerships are huge to the point that just negotiating the traffic in their lot can be a nightmare. Further, there has been a coarsening of so many of their personnel towards their products and their customers. Now, I know that there are dealership personnel who are dedicated and very good; regrettably, I haven't run into them very often. However, except to buy cars, I haven't been to a dealership or repair shop in 13 years and they may have changed. I find the parts departments of dealerships to be somewhat better in how they treat their customers. However, I have found that I can usually get a MUCH better price & often faster delivery of parts online; this saddens me; I would much rather pay a higher price & buy local, but not DOUBLE...

MY BOTTOM LINE: I'm an old guy who gives thanks daily for my excellent health and all the blessings of this life, not the least of which is this site, which, thanks to all of you excellent souls, allows me to enjoy my beautiful Jag & the satisfaction of keeping her tip-top!! All of your help & suggestions are so much appreciated! CARPE DIEM! Steve

 

Steve, as for what you need to be an auto electrician, I would say comes down to the following list:

-decent multimeter: I recommend something like a Fluke 117, but something in the $30 range that is rugged and has changable lead terminals is going to be what you are after.
-a selection of leads. At a minimum, I say you need 3 sets of leads. A set of standard probe leads, a set of alligator leads, and then a custom set of leads that have say a #10 forked lug on the end so you can loosen a screw and put the lead under the screw and not have it move on you.
-a selection of small screw drivers
-If you plan on getting into wiring harnesses, there is a key set that you can buy that removes the terminals from plugs. An example of what I am talking about is something like this:41PCS Wire Terminal Removal Tool Car Electrical Wiring Crimp Connector Pin Key | eBay
-a cable chaser/toner: Something like: Rj11 Rj45 Cat5 Telephone Wire Tracker Tracer Toner Ethernet Lan Network Cable | eBay. These are great for when you are trying to find the wire at the other end of the car.
-Set of schematics for the vehicle you are working on

The rest of what you need is just common tools that you probably already have.

If you are interested, I am going to be in the Lynnwood/Everett area (near the Alderwood mall) come mid June. I can give you a crash course and answer any questions that you may have. I am going to be out that way for the grandson's high school graduation.

 

Thanks, Thermo!

What about these?

​​​​​​

Klein Tools MM400 Multimeter, Digital Auto Ranging, AC/DC Voltage, Current, Capacitance, Frequency, Duty-Cycle, Diode, Continuity, Temp 600V

[url=https://www.amazon.com/Multimeter-Auto-Ranging-Klein-Tools-MM400/dp/B018EXZO8M/ref=sr_1_3?crid=9ANQ9MFMP3I1&keywords=klein+tools+ mm300&qid=1647991868&s=hi&sprefix=klein+tools+mm30 0%2Ctools%2C190&sr=1-3]

Amazon

Amazon

Electrical Multimeter test Leads Set with Alligator Clips Test Hook Test Probes Lead Professional Kit 1000V 10A CAT.II
[url=https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Multimeter-Alligator-Probes-Professional/dp/B074L1NXRX/ref=asc_df_B074L1NXRX/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309803885710&hvpos=&hvnetw= g&hvrand=3133460580406092043&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt =&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027744&hvt argid=pla-568715035900&psc=1]

Amazon

Amazon

 

It would be great to get together while you are here. Please PM with schedule. Plan to have my sailboat back in the water. Perhaps you and grandson might like to sail?

 

Steve, I honestly would buy both of those. The more expensive one for the functions/durability of it. The second for all the leads. The probes should be interchangeable between the two multimeters as most follow a standard.

 

Jumpin Jahosaphat! I ordered on my phone at 0630 PDT & got a picture of the order delivered on my front porch before 0930 PDT! Amazing.

Will take some time to just figure out what all the labels & corresponding holes mean!

 

Steve, wehn it comes to leads, keep the leads in the COM and V terminals at all times unless you are doing a current measurement, then only move the leads long enough to do your check. You have the leads in the COM and A terminals and you go positive to negative to "measure voltage", you are going to either blow a fuse/breaker or you are going to see a really nice light show with sparks and whatnot.

Wehn you see a number and the letter V, that is the maximum voltage that scale will read. 99% of the time with a vehicle, you are going to be on the 20V (DC) scale setting. If you are doing stuff inside the house, then odds are you will be on the 200V scale (but for AC voltage). The diode settings and continuity settings are nice, but for the most part, I don't use them (I like numbers). The resistance positions are probably going to be your nemesis as sometimes knowing the resistance is a big unknown. But, if you are doing continuity, then you go to the 2K scale. If you are trying to see if a motor is in working order, 2K scale. Wanting to see if a wire is grounded to the body of the car, then the 2M scale.

That will get you started.

 

Thanks, Thermo. Your message reiterates that I have a lot to learn. I have had a heavy 12v marine battery in the garage that has been sitting for 2 yrs. I tested the V & it read 12.7. I thought for sure it would need a trickle charge after not being used for so long.
My meter doesn't have a voltage adjustment. Also there is a push button that switches between ac/dc.
I thought that I would have this weekend to play with my new toy, but it will have to wait.

My plan is to find as much as I can re the wiring diagrams & look for accessible items to be measured by reading some old threads.

2 weeks ago, the check engine light came on & I got a p1235 code. The fix required measuring between the REM & the other m thing. However, I was playing with the code reader & read the voltage & when I cranked her, the check engine light went away & has not returned.

This is the first time the check engine has ever come on and there were no other noticeable symptoms.

I thought it might be a good exercise to locate the parts involved in the p1235 fix & take measurements & check the connections...

Best, Steve

 

I have this exact meter and it works like a champ. From Home Depot I believe so you could check it out in person. As mentioned, additional test lead connections are useful.

 

Thanks, V7Sport. So far, I've only measured 12v battery voltages, but I can already tell that learning this stuff is going to be fun & rewarding. Best, Steve

 

You’re welcome and good luck. Try Electronics for Dummies as a good beginner book.

 

Re the P1235 Fault:
Check engine light appeared for a short time with no symptoms - Car ran great.
Checking got the P1235

Thought I would clear P1235 & drive tomorrow to see if the error code comes back. If it does & the check engine light comes on, then... If it doesn't, then...

I have to drive 2hrs to & fro for a Citadel Alum party on Sat. & since I will have fellow alums with me, I will likely kick her up a bit.

If the light doesn't come back on, what do you make of the fact that it came on briefly at 88K miles for the first time? My guess would be a less than optimum connector.

Naturally, I hope it doesn't resurface & if it doesn't, I will proceed with the testing just to learn how to use my new found electrician skills. If you hear explosions, ---

Have a wonderful weekend, Steve

 

Steve, do you have the diagrams for your car? If not, PM me and I will send you the diagrams I have for your car. Like I said, having a set of drawings is key unless you can hand over hand wiring with ease (yeah, show me a modern car that you can do that).

All, in some of my other forums from over the years, I have been known to do a "Thermo Knows" thread where I would pick a topic and start talking about it. I normally started off with an electrical thread that tried to explain how an alternator works (keeping things fairly generic) and diving in to how to do electrical checks and what certain indications mean. Would this site be interested in something like that? I then normally start diving into other subjects as people have requests. I don't go into significant details as the dynamic suspension for an S-Type is significantly different than that for an X351 for example. But, I do try to get into it far enough that you can take the principles and apply it to your car.

 

Thanks, Thermo. I would be very interested! Will PM re diagram. Best, Steve