Hello everyone. Over the weekend I experienced a similar story to everyone here on the board.... doing 75 MPH on I95 and suddenly "limp home" engaged and totally lost power (the usual ASC and ABS warnings popped). On the shoulder, I shut down the car, waited a minute, restarted, and was able to continue without further failures.


So like most here, I thought the issue would be with the TB, and immediately took the car to my mechanic yesterday. What we actually found was surprising. It turned out that my battery was simply not throwing enough off, and it set off a code in the transmission (low voltage). After a bit more research, I found that due to the electrical systems, there are times where dying batteries will go "open channel" which really freaks out the ECU on the XKR.


So another suggestion prior to entering into costly TB repairs, check the battery voltage, loads, and cranking amps. If they are too low (as in my case), the variance versus baseline expected by the ECU can send the system into a tailspin (where the car actually thinks that the electrical system is down or failing due to the low voltage warning - tripping off the Limp Home Mode). According to my mechanic, a tale-tell sign that the battery is having issues is if the dome lights and dash lights are radically "pulsing" while in park with the engine on (there is always a little bit of "pulsing" so we are talking some serious flickering), or when the car is off and you open the door while the steering wheel is retracting back. Another sign is if the "window" memory goes out and you find yourself constantly reprograming the window memory (when pressing the up on a window, it does not go up all the way, or does not appropriately "drop" when you open the door). I had both of these issues and never thought much of it, since my battery was less than a year old.


With the new battery in, all the flickering issues, Limp Home Mode issues have stopped, and the engine is running much smoother at idle as well (perhaps something to do with the alternator not having to work in "constant charging mode" due to the dying battery).


Obviously, this won't solve everyone's issues, but since the XKR does not have a volt meter on the dash, this simple solution was quite surprising, very easy to test for, and inexpensive to resolve. Hope this helps some of you!

 

Welcome to the forum 2002XKRFLORIDA,

I've moved your post from the end of an Intro that's now almost three years old to a new thread of your own.

Follow this link XK8 / XKR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the XK8/XKR forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for info on regular issues.

Please remember to add vehicle details to your Signature to help others to give relevant advice. Go to the User CP button on the left of the top menu bar, then Settings & Options under Your Control Panel. Select Edit Signature and enter the details.

You can also visit the US Lower Atlantic Region forum by following this link Lower Atlantic - NC SC FL GA - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to find other members in your region.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums 2002XKRFLORIDA,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

Welcome . That would be really distressing. Good to see something as simple as a battery could solve.

 

welcome to the forum and the Jag family! plenty of info and support here simply follow the links Graham has provided - enjoy!!!!

 

Hi and welcome aboard, its good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

If you need any further help with the site moving forward, please just ask any moderator, veteran member and we'll be glad to assist.

In the meantime, any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos, using the
search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information

There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

Need a Manual, a TSB, or General Info' about your Jag? Check out our >> DOWNLOAD AREA <<

I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features.
Please Jump on in and enjoy the site........

See you in the forums....