Hello,

I put my 2003 S type in winter storage (not heated) and I start it up in my garage
every couple of weeks to keep the battery up & oil moving. I have done this since November, when the snow started. It always starts up, not always immediately, but it always starts up pretty quick.

Today, when I went to start it up, it wouldn't fire at all. It was cranking a little slow, so I charged the battery for a few hours and then I tried again. It cranked fast, but wouldn't fire again. When the battery was weak, the gauges went dark and the theft alarm went off. This happened twice, but always recovered. I am mystified as to why, all of a sudden, sitting in my garage, this car won't even try to start.
The car has 103K on the odometer and has always been dealer serviced and kept in incredible shape. Synthetic oil, etc.

I would appreciate any help you could give me on this.

Thanks!

Larry

 

Do you have a check engine light?

 

No lights except the airbag which goes off after a few seconds.

 

Okay well a car needs 3 things to start: air, fuel, and spark.. You said it was cranking and also that you charged the battery, so lets assume its not electrical for now.. Now as long as you dont have raccoons nesting in your intake then it is probably a fuel problem.. The pumps in these cars go bad very often.. I will tell you how to check for pressure, but first: When you turn the key to the on position, do you hear a humming noise from the fuel pump in the rear of the car under the seat?? Also what kind of engine does your car have? How much fuel do you have in the tank? And VERY IMPORTANT: How old is the fuel in the tank?

 

Tank's over half full. New gas in November, when I put her in storage. V-8, 4.0L engine. Nothing in engine compartment I did not hear the fuel pump running.

 

If you do not here the pump priming, then its very possible that your pump is bad... not terrible, its a very easy DIY switch.. Okay now to be sure, heres how to check for pressure at the engine:

1. Open the hood and remove any necessary engine covers to get a good look at your intake manifold..
2. Now on the back side of the intake manifold there is going to be a small blue cap protruding from the intake (looks like a valve stem cover on a tire)
3. This is called a schrader valve..
4. Remove the little blue cap and get back in the car.
5. Turn the key to on, but do not start the car.. then off.. do it twice.
6. Go back to the engine and with a pointed tool, push in the middle of the valve.
7. If gas sprays out, then you have pressure and its most likely not your fuel pump.. if nothing, then its either the pump, a wiring issue, or a fuse. (most likely the pump is dead)

 

Thanks for your help! Tomorrow afternoon I will check out the fuel pump pressure. Should I check the fuse first (where is it) and then see if I have voltage at the fuel pump? Could it be a ground problem? I never had a bit of trouble before- do these things just go out without any symptoms?

Thank you again- I appreciate your time and expertise.

Larry (trying to keep MAMA happy)

 

I dont know which fuse it would be on a 2003 4.0 model, but if you check the manual I am sure it will tell you.. Checking the voltage will not be easy to do since the pump is in the tank which is underneath the seat.. The pump may have just gone out from sitting for soo long in the cold without use, theres really no way to tell what actually killed it..

Your welcome, its my pleasure helping you out.. I've been in situations like this so I can empathize, Eric

 

OK, now I am scared- the pump is IN the tank. I was feeling better before when you said "possible that your pump is bad... not terrible, its a very easy DIY switch.."

Is it possible to replace it without taking the gas tank off?

 

Hahah no, the tank has covers on the top where the pumps can be accessed from underneath the rear seat.. Its no more than a 45 minute job if you have done it before.. and since you have not, maybe 1-2 hours... I can walk you through it over the phone once we decide its the pump for sure.. For now, start trying to source the pump: try ken@britishparts (he's a good guy) or a new one off of eBay, many places have them... Eric

 

Larry, this is a long shot but if you haven't already done so, open up the air cleaner and verify that everything is as it should be. I have friends in the great North land that "winterize" their motorcycles and a number of them have found that animals making winter beds did so in the air intake and restricted the air supply to the point that the engine couldn't start in the spring.

 

Haha funny you recommended this JackJohn, I have never actually seen this before, I said it more as a joke.. but I guess I wasn't too far off..

 

I doubt it would be a raccoon but every year as things begin to thaw out up there, we see pictures on the GoldWing forum of nests that small animals have made in the air intake.

 

Hey Eric,

I did the schrader valve test and there is absolutely no gas or pressure there. Prior to that, I checked the ground wire and negative battery connection- all good. Must be the fuel pump....

I looked around on the net at a few places I know of and didn't find a FP for my model. I emailed ken@britishparts, but I probably won't hear from him until tomorrow.

I'm off to enjoy the SuperBowl and forget about MaMa's white beast for a while.

Thanks again!

Larry

 

Hey Larry,
No problem bud, glad I could help you out..

 

Eric,

I got the price from Britishparts- ~$400, which is way better than anything I found around here, or that the garages could find- Thanks!

I have contacted a couple of garages to find out what they would charge to install the new fuel pump and one asked me if it was the left or right pump- are there more than one fuel pump on Mama's car? If so, did they both go out at the same time? Sounds odd that two fuel pumps would quit at the same time while sitting in our nice warm garage.

After I get the this information, I am going to get it towed to a garage and have them install it (~$100), that way I won't blow up Mama's car OR burn down our house.

Thanks for all of your expertise and help.
Larry

 

Eric,

I was told that there is a primary fuel pump and a secondary fuel pump on the S-type 4.2.
How do I know which one went out- would they both go out at the same time?

I got the FP price from Britishparts and I will buy it if I can be certain which one is bad.

I talked to a good garage and they said that if I got the pump, they would install it for around $100- that sounds good to me.

Thanks AGAIN!

Larrylee

 

Well the secondary pump feeds gas to the primary under hard acceleration to make sure the engine doesn't starve.. but when you prime the car to start it, your primary is the only one that switches on.. So %99 sure its your primary pump.. $100 is a very good price to install a new pump, just make sure they clamp all of the hoses inside the tank, because the ethanol they have in gas now makes them soft, and they have a terrible reputation of blowing off under hard acceleration.. (I don't know how momma drives? ) That actually happened to me once and it was a b*tch to diagnose, the pump was just pumping gas right back into the tank, but it sounded like it was working just fine..

Good luck larrylee, its an easy repair though, it'll be pretty hard for them to botch it.. Eric

 

Oh wait, the 4.2 liter engines have a secondary and primary pump, but I think the 4.0 might only have one.. Don't quote me on this, but I don't think Jaguar started using 2 pumps on the V8s till 2003..

 

Thanks for all the help! Mama's car is gonna have to wait until we get back from Florida to get fixed. This way I won't have to worry about anybody stealing it or the grand kids taking it for a joy ride!

Thanks all!

Larrylee