Hi All,

I am having the above issue on my 2203 2.5 S-Type. When I viewed the car it had a dead battery but was charged overnight the next day and was fine when I picked it up. The following morning I was received DSC not available, Gear box fault and park brake fault. Having turned the car off and on again it stated Restricted Performance with yellow engine light but allowed me to I travel 50 miles to work. Having read up that Battery issues are common issues with this I decided to buy a brand new heavy duty Battery at lunchtime as it was the original in the car anyway. All was fine until I left work and restricted performance light was on again. I drove for 5 mins, stopped and started then only yellow engine light was on. I drove for 15 mins and then back to normal, no lights or warnings.

It seems that the warnings only come on after being left stationary for periods of time. After leaving the car over the weekend, this morning I just about managed to get it in drive as all warning lights came on as above. Again I drove for 10 min and then restarted, back to Restricted performance, drove for another 20 min, that light came off and back to normal. Everything is fine as long as battery is charged. Therefore I have a drain which I read is quite common. This morning I have deadlocked the car in case the alarm system is draining the battery and also looking at possibly changing the ignition switch and swap the stereo for a Double Din as I want this anyway.
I dont hear any radiator fan continuing, so theres one off the tick list.

These are a few problems I have noticed on various sites. May I ask what other faults anyone has come across that has affected battery drains?

Many thanks in advance.

Al

 

Looking at the "stickies" just above your post, and the "how too guides" section there is a thread from Ken (Cat as Trophy) about this very subject.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...-drain-123535/

It is about half way down and Titled: Quiescent Current Draw.

Might have the answers you seeek, and would be a good place to start and eliminate things methodically.

 

Thank you Grant, that is very useful. I be looking to investigate that soon.

 

Definitely follow Ken's guide in the How-to section as Grant recommends.
The Multi-Function-Switch (MFS) or Direction Indicator stalk, has also been a culprit of some note.

 

Have you checked out the charging system? Perhaps part of the problem is a marginal charging system, so the battery never gets fully replenished while driving. That could cause symptoms nearly the same as a battery drain when not in use.

Also, what are your typical driving habits? Short, infrequent trips (especially with lights and AC on) never let the battery get fully charged. That could be part of the equation, too.

 

Hi KR9,

I drive 50 miles in the morning about 6.30am which takes just over an hour and then the same back again at 5pm. I have not used the lights and also the AC does not work again yet so have not used that either. That is Mon-Fri. Very little driving at the weekend as I use this primarily for work.

The original Bat and now this new battery have been fully charged, but clearly any loss interferes with the system. I will research a little into the Charging System.

Thank you

 

Your driving pattern shouldn't be an issue.

The charging system is easy enough to rule out. That's something quick to check before digging in deeper looking for a battery drain. Just take a voltmeter reading at the battery terminals with the engine running. Something around 13.5 VDC at idle is good. Rev up the engine and you should see around 14.2 or so.

Maybe somebody can chime in with the official numbers. I've never worried too much about the exact values, so long as the readings show some charging at idle, and an increase at higher RPM.

If the numbers are low, fully charge the battery and repeat the test. A low battery can skew the test results and make a good charging system look bad.

One last thing to quickly check. Disconnect the battery ground cable where it bolts to the body. Clean the two mating surfaces to make sure of a good connection. The tip of the mount bolt passes into the fender well. Moisture can wick up along the threads and cause corrosion and a bad connection. That could keep the battery from taking a full charge.

After those two quick checks, it looks like you'll be digging a little deeper for a battery drain. Keep us posted.

 

Is the car in a garage and you do not bother to lock it ?
This can cause the battery to drain because the electrics wake up every 15 mins.

Another cause can be the battery, if is a maintenance free battery, the changing system of the s type was not designed for this type. Our alternator's only produce 14 volts for the initial charge and then it drops to 13 volts which is not enough for these batteries. This means that we can only charge them to around 80% of full capacity.

Read the voltage over the poles if it is less than 12.6 volts you need to charge the battery. Charge the battery for 20 hours and then check it after you have left the lights for 3 minutes.

 

Ducmon, No the car is always locked and on the street. However I have a small update....

Deadlock did not work, not surprised though!

Last night I removed 3 fuses relating to the factory sound system radio etc. Has not made a difference.

I researched a little more regarding the faults showing up and there was a member whom had the same symptoms which ended up being a rear wheel sensor which he knew about due to a fault code. This wheel was not providing feedback to the gearbox that reads both wheels together to provide the performance criteria expected. The car was also limping with the same faults coming up on the dash which disappeared after driving a while. Once he changed that wheel sensor he has not had any issues to date.

Now although I have no wheel sensor P code, I do have an issue with the drive shaft vibrating on and off between steady acceleration between 30-50mph with limping but only when driving up a hill or even the slightest incline. It is possible that the gearbox is picking this up and returning as the fault. I have assumed (which is always dangerous) that because the faults disappeared after driving a while that it was battery related and the drive shaft was separate. It very much still could be the battery. I am having the Driveshaft changed next week, so I will keep investigating the battery until I have this done.

Will keep you all informed

 

I have been for a drive for an hour this afternoon and as yet, no faults and lights coming up on dash!! So maybe now the battery is charged again and I have removed the 3 fuses relating to the sound system/radio, it may have worked. Will know in 4 hours time when I go home.