Did you ever get a voltage reading on the battery? We've got a long, sordid tale going on here, but reading between the lines, it seems much of the problem could be caused by a low battery, and perhaps compounded by a charging system that is not up to snuff.

For the no-crank condition, there's a work-around you can do for troubleshooting, but there's no point without first knowing the battery voltage.

 

Not yet, but will get you a reading first thing and give you some feedback.

 

Voltage was at 12 on the multimeter and we also jumped it and it went up to 13 or higher.

The new solenoid is in and I'm still getting every error code in the book now and bonnet open, boot open, DCS, parking brake, ... When key is switched back the parking brake is the last thing to go. One of the codes is to press the parking brake and foot pedal. Is there a way to program the battery or a standard reset sequence I should be looking at next?

All relays look okay.

 

12 is not enough but do you mean 12.x (for some x)? You need about 12.6.

Also, while cranking it must not drop too low.

 

No, and I realize the implications of only 12 showing. My friend said it was enough and the battery was good but we know it needs to have more.

I wonder why jump starting it didn't work when it was showing 13+...

I'll have to dig a bit deeper into the issue and see if the battery can still be the first operation.

When I plug in my ODB reader the Security Light gives a 4 and then a 2 when it flashes. Otherwise, it's solid.

I'm currently scanning the web for any known issues related to vehicles not turning over and what it may be that suddenly caused this if not the ECM.
"No start, no communication with the ECM" seems to be the current diagnosis.

 

Pretty cool video of him bypassing the relay for an issue with no crank and getting the Jaguar to start.

My fuse box diagram skips the year and goes into 2002-2003 in the front compartment relay.
https://www.autogenius.info/jaguar-s...e-box-diagram/

I have no idea which one it is now and I can't jump it.

Edit: 0n the diagram it says it's R4. I was working outside and just noticed this small detail while watching another video.
Edit: Dotted lines are fuses powering other things in the wiring diagram.

 

There's a specifically Jaguar No Start guide on here somewhere. Very few things are involved in cranking so one of those is bad. Last suspect is the PCM!

 

You keep me hopeful that I can send back this PCM/ECM and repair mine or fix it without getting into that.

Finding a simple fix would be nice and I can't sleep very well while this car is inoperable . Today. I need it today.

 

There are very few causes of not turning over - check them out!! Stop looking for the unlikely issues. Stop reading about non-S-Types.

 

I spent a few hours searching through the keywords for "crank", "guide", "start" etc and I'm not finding the No start guide or anything like it. Searching for things seems hit or miss on forums and it must be time sensitive so I'll keep trying. If you remember what it was called or keywords mentioned let me know.

 

my first google search with the word jaguarforums attached to the end of the search question came up with this and many more !
google is far broarder .
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/g...d-first-30792/

 

Here's the quickest, most reliable method available to get back on the road. Never had it fail me yet:

https://www.enterprise.com/en/home.html


Back to your car, are you ready to start troubleshooting versus hoping for a Hail Mary to work? This has been a very frustrating thread. We, this collective group of strangers are more than willing to help. Due to the constraints of not being physically present with your car, it's not an instant process. Expect you may need a few days of back and forth to find the root cause. But then please consider what we charge and factor that in accordingly. If you absolutely, positively need the car fixed yesterday, have it towed to a professional, then let us know what they found.

We are all at a disadvantage because we don't know the background of this car and your ownership. Was this a derelict you're trying to resurrect on the cheap? Has it been a long-time daily driver that suddenly acted up? Something in the middle?

And what of your experience level? Are you a seasoned mechanic with a healthy tool chest at your disposal? Or are you like one of my co-workers, who is perplexed by a flashlight and can never remember which is the bright shiny end?

I offer all this in the kindest, gentlest manner possible. You've got an INCREDIBLE wealth of Jaguar experience at your disposal on this forum. Myself, I'm about ready to quietly step away from this thread as it feels like being inside a pinball machine.

So take another deep breath, please. If you need the car fixed yesterday, this ain't the right place. But if you are willing to accept the limitations of the medium, we'd be glad to help.

I've taken the liberty of training an ill-tempered wolverine to assist you. Just need your address and I will ship him to you. He likes to feast on human flesh. He's been trained to bite aggressively if he hears "PCM damage" or any similar phrase. I'd suggest wearing a protective cup.

Until the wolverine arrives (I've named him Milo), please check your battery voltage again. What kind of meter are you using? If it's truly reading 12.0, that's essentially discharged. You'll need a meter than can differentiate between 12.7 and 12.0. That narrow range is the difference between a full charge and nearly depleted. For the most accurate reading, turn on the headlights first for several minutes and then shut them off. This dissipates any surface charge that can give a misleadingly high value.

If you have less than 12.6v after bleeding off the surface charge, then stop! Hook up a charger and walk away. Don't try to jumper from another battery. Don't keep troubleshooting with a low battery. I can't stress how important this is. A low battery may not be the root cause here, but it is an extremely important prerequisite for any electrical troubleshooting. I can't stress this strongly enough.

Here we are, several days later, essentially at square one. Still unsure if I should roll up my sleeves or just watch funny cat videos instead. I'll climb down from my soapbox now.
​​​​

 

Datsports, I did see that one but it doesn't help me in my particular situation because I know the exact cause is form the solenoid replacement or short. I'm currently reading up on the security and have been just going through page by page of the forum.

Thank you though.

 

Hi, I just bought the car and drove it a few times without issues. There's no date on the battery and it is from Jaguar and 90 amps. I thought he said it was new but it could be as old as the vehicle.

The solenoid was not attached and faulty and so I bought a new one and had a friend install it yesterday. He read 12 on his meter, which is flat.

I will assume the battery was impacted by the first "short" situation as you suggested and make sure I go get another read and find a charger to put it on overnight.

There's really no rush and I will have to start from block one with the battery and see how it goes. The solenoid needed replaced regardless and so was worth doing.

No wolverines please! Milo doesn't sound like a pleasant fellow to sit and watch me fumble with a multimeter.

Me, I do some work with cars but I'm not experienced by any means. I'm a jack of all trades and can program computers and have replaced brakes, rotors, water pumps, rebuilt an alternator and had a family member help me with a timing belt once. I can fix things though and have been patient while doing so and hope we can get a new battery in here if it needs it.

 

Another option with the battery is to take it to an auto parts store. Most will test for free, both for overall health and state of charge. If the health is good, ask to have it charged, usually also free. Maybe call ahead to be sure.

 

Spot on, I was just there for a quote and to pick up a few tools and saw they tested batteries. I'm on foot but will borrow a car tomorrow to test it out before spending the $150 to carry a new one home.

My latest battery test is not good. It's sub par for sure but I need more logical information from it first and I can't believe you can't get a jump home on these cars if you drain the battery. Via another post we are not suppose to jump them or it will damage the harness... I'm now skeptical if the jump would resolve the dead battery and think we need to throughly test this issue.

 

Please elaborate. How exactly did you run this latest test and what were the results?


That's not exactly accurate. Under most conditions, you can jumpstart a Jaguar much like any car. However, and this applies to any vehicle, it only works if the battery is still in good condition but is just partially depleted.

Here are a couple of typical scenarios when a jumpstart works. In both examples, the battery's overall health is good and it starts out adequately charged:

1) Let's say you stop at an adult video store one evening. (We don't judge) You forget to turn off the headlights, or there is some other electrical drain that runs down the battery. I think a Jaguar is supposed to automatically turn off the lights after 20 minutes, but let's say that feature failed. Or maybe you were driving some other vehicle that had no such protection. Either way, your battery is still healthy, but run down too much to start the engine. It will only take a little nudge, so a jumpstart is perfect. You call everybody you know for a jump, but the only person available is your Mom. You then get trapped in an awkward conversation where she says she isn't necessarily mad at you, just disappointed.

2) Another common scenario is a problem with the charging system. You're driving along and the little red battery light comes on, but you don't see it. Or maybe the light is burned out. As you drive along, the battery slowly runs down but you don't realize it. You make a quick stop to knock over a liquor store, but the car won't start when you hop back in. If you can get a jump before the cops show up (Don't call your Mom this time), the car will start just fine. Once again, the battery is just a little run down. All it needs is a little nudge for starting the engine, so a jumpstart is perfect.

In the two previous examples, the battery was still in good general condition, but just a little run down. I highly suspect your battery is more than just run down. It may be in poor condition, unable to take or hold a charge. Trying to jumpstart with such a battery installed is like trying to blow up a balloon with a hole it. It's not going to happen, and you wear yourself out in the process.

 

I hooked up the multimeter and it's now showing 11.84 or something low like that but it has been a few days of trying and booting up the radio and other switches while reading error codes or using locks. For a battery designed to start the car and then take a charge from the running vehicle this shouldn't be too abnormal of a reading and I expect it to take a charge when given.

Perhaps we need a little more background on the vehicle. The battery appears to be in top condition but the hole punch sheet that comes with the battery is missing any sort of indication on when it was installed. The car in general has very few scraps or dings. No sagging headliners and not a scratch on the dash or seats and so I suspect it's not the original Jaguar battery for this many miles and year and is in fact fairly new, as I was told.

I did a hard reset a week ago and got a big electric arc from the negative cable. The current no start situation happened after a vehicle repair that had zero prior battery lights or problems and is accompanied by a jump start and zero engine turn over. I'm drawing the conclusion this is not the battery but I'll need to take it in for testing before getting into the rest.

I enjoyed reading your post.

 

That's basically dead.

It may recharge, but note after you recharge you then need to dissipate the surface charge before you recheck the voltage. Otherwise you get a wrong, high, reading.

 

Yeah, that's WAY low. It's very rough on a starting battery to run down that far.

How it got that low? You'll need to have it tested and see if it can be properly recharged first. Only then can you work on why it dropped down so far. Could be a defective battery. (Milo the wolverine is also trained to bite if he hears "The part is new so it must be good." ) The electrical system may have a parasitic drain. Maybe a marginal charging system. Who knows. But you definitely need a healthy, fully charged battery in there first.

Was that voltage reading taken before or after bleeding off the surface charge? If before, the actual voltage may be MUCH lower without the surface charge.

Please keep in mind that determining state-of-charge with a voltage reading is only a rough approximation, and is easily skewed by many variables. Temperature and surface charge are big factors. And this simple state-of-charge reading doesn't really take into account the battery's general health. So don't put too much stock into it, and be aware the true charge is often much lower.

I wonder how long that genuine Jaguar battery may have been sitting on the shelf. Not many people go to the dealer for a battery, so the dealership stock would have very low turnover. I wouldn't be surprised if that battery was already several years old when installed. Years ago, I was taught to always buy a battery from a place with lots of stock turnover, to get the newest one possible. A dealership is just the opposite, so don't start singing the "Must be good cuz it's new" blues. If you insist on singing anyways, watch out for Milo.

I'd also like to temper your expectations once you get the battery issue squared away. In a perfect world, all will be miraculously better, the car will start right up, song birds will be chirping, and Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah will come over the radio. Back in the real world, it just means you're finally ready to start troubleshooting.