Hello, Jaguar Forums members:

I have been browsing this forum for over six months, reading extensively on the (modern) S-type and X350 XJ. Three weeks ago I acquired a Jaguar S-type 4.2 VDP, 2005 m.y., Radiance red color. I picked it up from my brother who has kept if for the past 2 years 4 months since our father died (he was the original owner). This is my first Jaguar, and I love it! While I was driving it from Oregon to Utah via Seattle, I became a Jaguar believer. I get it. There is just nothing else quite like a Jag.

*I posted the preceding paragraph in the new member section on February 20th.* Now for the follow-up.

The car has 72k miles on it, and in the three weeks and almost 2,000 miles I've had it, there have been some issues. Love the car, but --. Here is the current list of "buts":

1. PROBLEM: Today the climate control is stuck on hot. I live in Utah and so the heat would be on (outside temperatures are about 20-30F). I noticed the car getting too warm in the cabin on the way to work so I decreased the temperature setting on the automatic climate control to the "LO" setting, which, when engaged, turns the A/C on and the blower goes to high speed. I didn't need the A/C so I manually turned it off on the touch screen. Hot air was still blowing out of the vents. I have set the ClimCont to LO before and had nice cool outside air coming in. This time the air remained hot after a minute or two (plenty of time to cool things down). I turned the A/C on and the vent air temperature decreased but was still warm.
MORE HISTORY ON THE CAR: The car was purchased new in the California Bay Area (Cole imports) in Sept 2004. It resided in California till Aug/Sept 2010 when it moved to Salem, Oregon. It was used for long road trips around the western U.S. and for short trips in a suburban environment (very little traffic jam time).
IDEAS ON CAUSES: I have read several posts about the dual climate control valve (DCCV) (which I actually read long before getting the car). The common problems, IIRC, are that less heat comes out of the left front (North American driver's side) or overall low heat, or that the valve leaks coolant. I don't recall reading about the heat stuck on hot. I have also read a little about problems with the electronics of the cabin controls for the HVAC but I thought that was on the earlier S-types before the interior update (U.S. model year 2003?). IDEAS? (See next issue -- related?)

2. PROBLEM: slow coolant leak. I do not see any coolant, but have not really looked carefully with a flashlight nor have I taken the lower pan/cover off to look. I have read about several cooling system problem areas on S-types. This is not a major problem at the moment -- I just mentioned it second because it could be related to problem #1.
IDEAS: Bad DCCV? I never smell coolant in the cabin, but a couple of times I have smelled coolant outside the car.

3. PROBLEM: Engine has had misfires in cylinders 1, 3, and 5 (according to oil change shop after reading the OBD2 codes). Currently it is running fine and the check engine light went off. But in the first week I had it, and also last year when I drove it while visiting my brother, it would have these symptoms: Start up from cold: Fine; then it would run fine. Driving, it NEVER missed/misfired. Leave it for 6-45 minutes - on re-start, it would miss and run poorly till it was given some right pedal. I have smelled a strong gasoline smell 2-3 times after this happened. After I picked up the S-type in Salem, Oregon, a little over three weeks ago, I drove to Seattle. Car ran magnificently the entire drive, even after short stops with the engine off. I thought the misfire problem had gone away. In Seattle I pulled off the freeway to consult a map and look up some addresses, and when I turned the car back on, it barely ran; I gave it throttle and it hesitated and nearly stalled and finally lurched forward and I got a dreadful "RESTRICTED PERFORMANCE" notice with RED warning light. Oh, ****! The problem quickly cleared up, though, and the red light and warning message went away. The rest of the trip driving from Seattle to Utah was fine, but I think I got a minor misfire on start up once or twice more (otherwise the trip was trouble-free). I have had a few minor repeats of the missing problem in Utah but recently it hasn't done it, and the CEL went off this morning.
IDEAS: I have read about bad coils on S-types, but (1) is that on 3.0 V6 engines? And (2), my thought is that I have a leaky injector, and that the fuel rail on one bank loses pressure, causing the misfire. Maybe after a cold start the fuel system assumes pressure is low and pressurizes the fuel injection system enough to avoid the misfires on one bank, and maybe after a very brief engine-off period there is still enough fuel pressure even with a leak to avoid misfiring. I have not had the engine checked. I know there is much diagnostic work yet to do. But, does anyone have any ideas or relevant past experience to suggest what might be wrong? I put a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner in the gas tank in Olympia WA (and the spout threading got caught on the little flap inside the filler tube and broke it but not off).

4. PROBLEM: About once a week of nearly daily driving, a warning beep sounds in the cabin when the turn signal is on and the car is stationary waiting to turn, or going very slowly. All the signal lights work. The turn signal is still blinking/repeating. It is not a good sound, this warning beep.
IDEAS: I do not know what causes it or why it sounds. Is it the parking sensors detecting nearby traffic? The beep does not go off when the park sensor cancel button on the overhead control panel is pushed. Is it some propblem with the complicated new electronics (CAN-BUS?)?

5. PROBLEM: Headlight droop on right side. I noticed this when I first got the car. I recalled having read about this on this forum. I did the test and wiggled the high beam lamp from behind and yes, both high and low beams (lows are HID projectors) swung freely.
FIX: I read about BRUTAL's screw fix and was just about to do it when I realized I was short of time. So, I asked my brother if he had any wood shims, and he didn't, but he went to his firewood and tore off a little shim-wedge shaped piece and I wedged it between the back of the headlight assembly housing and the 'L' shaped high-beam lamp base and voila! instant redneck fix! I put some duct tape on there to complete the redneck fix and I've kept this fix for the 3 weeks and 2,000 miles I've had the car. I have had to push the shim/wedge back in tighter a few times, but it's been holding recently. I'll get around to doing Brutal's screw fix sometime soon. QUESTION: can I aim the HID low beams a bit higher? The auto-leveling works on both sides. I just find that they are aimed low enough that with the very sharp cut-off, I outrun the low beams about what, about 40 MPH? They might be at the OE aim -- they are not really low -- but as a gauge of aim, I can say that following traffic at 40+ MPH at a normal distance the low beams don't even come up to the rear bumper of the car ahead. I would like to aim them higher but so that they are still low enough not to dazzle/blind any other drivers but are high enough to provide more useful illumination of the roadway.

OK, enough for the problems. Any help will be much appreciated.

A couple more comments:
The Alpine sound sytem sounds *great* when you set the DSP setting to left front (driver's) seating position. It sounds 2-3 times better than when set to the "all" setting.

Oil: I had the oil changed the day I got the car to Amsoil Signature 5-30 with a NAPA Gold filter. I have never used Amsoil but have used Mobil 1 in other cars. I plan to go at least 10k miles between changes, but I will of course keep an eye on apparent oil quality on the dipstick. Let's not start an oil debate. I drive the non-supercharged 4.2 very gently 95+% of the time with a few glorious blasts here and there.

I plan to use the Jag as a daily driver and to run it to at least 200k miles.

One photo is attached -- car against Seattle skyline.

 

Well I think you have prepared very well and have a good idea where to start.

Don't worry too much about what the vents are doing. If they are not acting right the DCCV is the main suspect. Change the DCCV and see what happens. You know to use the Lincoln LS part correct? Pretty cheap on Amazon. As you probably know if the DCCV is allowed to stay bad it can take out the RCCM (Remote Climate Control Module). These are repairable for not too much money and you can even fix them yourself. If you get it repaired I would have them add the protection circuitry so the DCCV can’t take the module out again.

I would first do a coolant system pressure test when the engine is cold. Your leak could be at the DCCV. Look at the DCCV is there any red stains on it? Coolant pressure testers can be borrowed for free from most parts stores. Check with AutoZone. They even loan vacuum pumps for drawing down your A/C system.

Get under your car and check the A/C compressor. If it's yellow on the bottom the refrigerant oil is leaking out of the compressor. Everything will be fine until the oil is gone then the compressor will eat itself and spread black death thru your entire A/C system. Don't let it go that far! Change the compressor and dryer at the same time.

Be aware the top coolant tank will most likely need to be replaced at some point. You can wait or just go ahead and get one. Be sure and do a good coolant flush and replace coolant with the correct Dex-Cool anti-freeze.

With the age and miles on your car I would consider changing all 8 coils and all 8 plugs. Check for oil in the plug wells. Not too common on the 2005's but still possible.

If you suspect a leaky injector which is not common I would check fuel pressure with a gauge and see how quickly it falls off after the car is shut down. Be sure and change the fuel filter anyway.

Please get the codes read and cleared yourself. Any parts store will do this for free. You always want the codes to repeat before attempting a repair.

One final thing. Check your lug nuts!! The factory ones have crappy sheet metal covers on them that distort every time they are removed/installed. Change them all out for solid lug nuts. Many posts on here about what to replace them with. Several people have been stranded on the side of the road when they could not get the lug nuts off. You risk wheel damage if they are bad and have to be cut off.

Use our Jaguar dealer forum sponsor for parts. 15% off list and free shipping can't be beat!!
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Nice car!

Just buy an OBD tool with live data. So cheap to get. General Tech has a thread if you wish to read up.

Don't overthink the fuel pressure etc stuff. It's wrong, as a result. The car has sensors so it knows what's happening and if wrong it sets codes. You probably do not have a leaky injector. Fuel filter may be bad or fuel pump but coils are more likely or an air leak, though the 4.2 is not prone to leaks. OBD tool will tell you but you need live data and AutoZone etc won't do that.

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of Jaaaaags.
Another thing is to check your battery. Go to an auto parts store and get a hygrometer, it checks each cell individually. Good item to have since these cars are very sensitive to voltage. If it's the original battery, you may as well just replace it, reading any battery thread, you'll know why.

 

Nothing to add, since all covered. Welcome to Jag S-Type land.

 

Hi there TE and welcome.

A general thought for you.

As with all modern luxury cars they depend on lots of electronics which are sensitive to voltage drops, so as well as the other excellent advice may I suggest that you put your battery on charge for as long as possible - 12hrs min - to give the cars systems the very best chance to work properly. This is particularly important in cold weather.

 

Thanks, everyone, for the helpful responses!

tbird6: great tips. I also read it could just be corroded wiring/connector/loom going into the DCCV. We just had an awful lot of salt on the roads here in Utah recently (the Red Panther got coated with salty road grime -- looked like an off-roader - just washed it) and that salty dirty water could have fouled the connector. But I also understand it's time to replace the DCCV so I will do both. Hopefully it's not the RCCM / head unit (though I have read about that fix, too). I see the Ford DCCV part on Amazon for $89 (Motorcraft YG378 Heater Valve).

JagV8 and tbird6: I'll get an OBD tool (gosh what a thread on those - 9 pages), hopefully one that can read live data and the Jaguar-specific codes, too, and try to diagnose the misfiring. Maybe I will just have the spark plugs and coils all replaced (with Lincoln LS V8 spec coils) due to the age and mileage. I don't know why the misfiring on start would be so, so much worse and more common after leaving it sit for a time period of an hour or less, but more than 5 minutes. How would weak coils or fouled/worn/oxidized plugs cause that? I will get a tool and see what data can be gleaned. Later, though, as it is not really too pressing and I am a very busy guy. (I used to own a 1993 VW Eurovan that was a high-maintenance, weird vehicle for which I relied on a forum and did most of the work myself, but I find myself with less time and less inclination to DIY.)

Jayt2 and thebiglad -- I asked my brother about the battery before I picked it up from him (I had read several forum threads on all sorts of electrical issues being caused by a weak battery) and he said he'd had it replaced with "a good one" within the past year. However, the car would sit for a month at a time so I will look at the battery. It seems good, though, as it was strong even on a 15F morning and started the car easily.

Yes, Jayt2 (and bfsgross), I am living in the wonderful world of Jaaaaags. After I picked up the Jaaag from my brother, I texted him photos of "the Jaaag" in various stops on my 1000 trip back home. (Picture posted above is of "the Jaaag" in Seattle.)

A few months ago I watched the video clip of Top Gear with the crew talking about the new "Jaaag" (X351 XJ) -- very funny! My first introduction to Jaaags was at 8 years of age when my dad bought his first Jaguar after spending some time in England -- a 1973 XJ12 Series I. I have vivid memories of that car, including when I and my dad faced death as my brother, only 15 or 16, was at the wheel (learner's pemits issued at age 15 in Oregon then) and was passing a long line of RVs up a grade near Yellowstone National Park, and he didn't see the oncoming motorcycle, and when he did, he nearly (as in inches) sideswiped a motorhome at about 85 MPH, then swerving back into the oncoming lane to avoid it. The motorcyclist handed the situation with skill and made it past, but was undoubtedly shaken.

 

My 4.2 throws what my mechanic calls "historical codes" that were for misfires.. I just had the water pump replaced after we started getting the occasional low coolant warnings (no visible leaks) at about 70k miles. Don't know that the two are connected, just sharing.

Also, it's somewhere in the manual- but the AC comes on with the heater to act as a dehumidifier, I don't have a "real" winter so I can't tell you if leaving it on is beneficial.

Welcome!

 

Hi Kitty- you've been away!

Just to state that the AC 'on' in winter is helpful for removing condensation. My car sits in auto mode 99% of the time, I just let it do it's thing. Works great.

 

The A/C turns on by design when he defrost is used. In the past they found that during long winters the seals would dry out causing leaks so many cars have this feature built into the defrost to prevent this. This is second hand info from a Chevrolet rep but it sounds logical.

 

DAMN I dont even have to respond anymore
Tbird pretty much covered everything but yes you can adjust the HIDs higher with the screw fix by screwing it in further and raising the height adjuster on the headlight to allow it to raise. And I do like the STAINLESS NON RUSTING Jag lug nuts as long as no moron with the wrong size socket has been at them. Or youve never used the POS Jaguar lug wrench thats only good for self defense if you live in a antigun state or city otherwise go buy a $10 collapsable 4 way lug wrench from harbour freight and put a piece of tape on the correct lug size of the wrench so youll not screw them up yourself when you need to remove the lugs. Youll always know the correct one to use first try

 

Wax on. Wax off!!

We learn from the master!
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Brutal is spot-on regarding the lousy factory lug wrenches (probably designed by the same guy who is responsible for the lousy capped lug nuts). I think the best solution is to head for any hardware store or auto parts store, take one of your lug nuts inside with you, and buy the appropriate socket size along with a 12-inch or 18-inch breaker bar. Always a perfect fit with almost no chance of damaging your lug nuts if you're reasonably careful with it whenever you use it. If you ever change lug nut head sizes (which you usually do when you throw away the crappy capped lug nuts and replace them with solid ones), all you have to do is to buy the appropriate socket size that fits your existing breaker bar. I've done this for both our S-Type and our XK8....

 

Well the factory capped lug nuts are not damaged by owners using the factory lug wrench. They are damaged by the tire shops with impact tools. Many people have had lug nut problems and have never even removed the factory lug wrench from the trunk!

You are on borrowed time if you don't change them to a solid one piece version. The Lincoln LS guys also have pages and pages documenting this problem.
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I used the word or, and i dont get all the angst against the factory lugs. On cars that ive worked on for yrs the lug nuts are just fine and not rusted, TORN UP, DENTED, CAPS DONT FALL OFF ETC....FRIENDS DONT LET IDIOTS WORK ON YOUR CAR, i cant say the same for the 1 piece solid lugs ive seen people switch too that come in here. Use the correct socket and you should never ever have a reason to spend the money on solid lugs

 

I've taken my tire business to our local Discount Tire branch for years. I have specified "hand tools only" for as long as I've been going there, they know me on sight, and they gladly oblige. They know I will be watching and they have no problem with that. When I glanced at my screen profile above the manager's shoulder at his monitor back in October, at the top of my profile it stated "Always use HAND TOOLS ONLY for this customer". I appreciate that....

 

Perfict timing for this discussion., My son feels so bad for desroying one of my factory lug nuts on my 2005 s-type VDP. We were taking the Auroura 17" rims off to put on my last s-type purchase with 29,000 miles on it. First he used the crappy fatory breaker bar then finished it off woth the impact wrench. If you plkan on giving it to him when he graduates then he has to klearn how to work on it.

 

Great advice, good to see some people here who really know where to start when it comes to certain issues.