Reposting in right place I hope.


Hi all and thanks for help in advance. I have a 2002 jaguar x type, automatic, 2.5 cylinder with about 125,000 miles. A few months ago, the check engine light came on and the battery light started coming on here and there as well. I also had difficulty starting it occasionally. It would go to turn over but make a weird grinding sound. For some reason, if I turned the car alarm on and then off again, after a few goes, she starts. Or maybe that's a coincidence. Either way, I researched and narrowed it down to being the alternator. I also started to here a slight but rapid thunk thunk thunking sound from the passenger side of the engine. The owner of local Meineke, who actually seemed very honest, ran some tests and hiked it up for a good look and said the alternator and also catalytic converter were on the way out. At this stage, car was still driving well.

I ordered the alternator online and brake pads and rotors as they need replacing.
Haven't had the funds to get the alternator installed yet but did do the brakes done last night myself under neighbor's supervision. Yay me! But I digress. Over the last week, the car has really started stalling, shaking and losing power. When I have to use the brakes, I really have to press down hard to keep the car still at the lights and if I don't, the car shudders and vibrates so bad people outside can notice. The brakes just feel heavy and tight. I can be driving and the car will slow and lose power and carry on but then keep going again after a bit. My neighbor said if the cat was causing that, the car would not go fast again after losing power. I am able to still go fast as well. I did use the computer to pull up codes and here is what I got back-

PO171, PO174- system too lean

PO300, PO301 random multiple cylinder misfire

PO302 etc cylinder 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 misfire

P11316 - manufacturer control ignition system or misfire

PO430 - catalyst efficiency below threshold

P1111 - manufacturer control fuel or metering

I wish to God I could just replace that cat and that would solve all but my neighbor thinks it is more than the cat causing the heavy brake feeling and shudders etc.

PLEASE HELP THIS NICE LADY. ))

 

Welcome to the forum,

I've moved your post to the X Type tech section so that the experts will see it and offer advice.

 

Go Autozone and have them test your charging system and battery under load for free. Sound's like you are losing electrical charge and battery is dying trying to keep up. Altenator might be at fault here.

 

That's different to testing the battery, right? I've tested the battery and it's fine.

 

Yes, it's different to testing the battery. The alternator is what charges your car battery and powers all of the electrical accessories while the car is running. A bad alternator might explain some (but not all) of the symptoms you're describing. It'll also eventually cause your battery to go bad (by allowing the battery to run low and not charging it). Most car parts chains (e.g., Napa, AutoZone, etc.) will test your charging system for FREE.

Judging by the codes your car is throwing, it seems like you've got something seriously wrong with your fuel delivery system. Unburned fuel leaking into the exhaust and then igniting might be what caused your cat to burn out as well.

Good luck. Start with the alternator testing and replacement and see what improvement there is.

 

There are also reports of cars in your age bracket having problems with ground points and cables.

It would be well worth making sure these are in good shape before you shell out any more of your hard earned.

Then move on to the comments above.

 

Hey there Damsel, there are some great guys here with loads of knowledge, all very helpful & friendly.

I'm sure you'll get all the help you need.

Please keep it coming guys.......

 

Damsel, you have come to the right place. What you are describing is a combination of 2 problems. LIke others have said, odds are, your battery is starting to go. Replace the battery. You will find that it will most likely fix your alternator issue. For an alternator to go out in this car would be highly unlikely. I have seen very few alternators be truely bad. You may want to also have the battery cables replaced (they are cheap and if you have a neighbor that is willing to prove some oversight), you can do this yourself for around $40. You can get some generic cables from a local auto parts place.

As for the motor loosing power, what i want you to do is to go out to your car and open the hood. If you look in the center, you will see the airbox (says "JAGUAR" on it), put your hand on it and then slide your hand to the left (towards the passenger headlight). About 2 feet from the airbox, you will fall off the plastic and then have your hand on the engine itself. Move another 6 inches and you will see where a bunch of wires (6) are bolted to the engine. What you need to do is to remove that bolt and then using a knife and/or a wire brush, clean up all the metal surfaces so they are nice and shiny and the reassemble everything to as you found it. This should hopefully clear up your misfiring and should cause your cat error codes to go away too.

If you need any pictures or other assistance, let me know. I can get you all taken care of.

 

Hello Damsel,
And after you do all that and have your alternator checked and it is bad. I have a used one I will sell you cheap. If you need one Pm me and we can talk about the details.

Thanks and Good luck,
The Dr!

 

So I just got home and am waiting for car to cool down to do that cleaning trick you mentioned. I did go to Auto Zone and she did some battery testing thing that said the battery and alternator are both bad. I have the alternator already. I can probably find someone to replace it off of Craigslist for $100 or so if I am lucky. Or spend the $40 on those battery cables as someone else suggested, money is tight and I cannot waste one cent.

Is that gizmo at Auto Zone accurate? Thanks so far all.

 

damsel, replace the battery and then see what you have then. I bet you will find that the alternator will have magically repaired itself. Then see what you have. if you are still having issues, then I would go after the battery cables next. Like I mentioned, if you have a neighbor that can talk you through doing brakes, then they can talk you through replacing the battery cables.

Replacing the battery itself is very easy. You should be able to do it yourself with no help. The one tidbit that I will tell you is you will notice that the cables are red and black. you want to disconnect the black cable first and set it out of the way before messing with the red cable. It is more of a safety thing than anything. The black cable is tied to the body of the car (aka, ground) and when working with the red cable, if the black cable is still connected, you run a higher chance of having the wrench touch the body of the car and getting a nice light show. Where if you remove the black cable first, you touch the body of the car, nothing happens.

if you have any more questions, keep them coming. I will help you out as much as I can. I just wish you were closer as I would tell you to stop by and we would get you all figured out in no time.

 

Checking the electric cable grounds (UK = earths) is very good advice. I had an XJ6 Series 3 once that would NOT start, and I eventually tracked it to the engine earthing point. With these cars, always start with the simple things and move on to the more complex later. Have you had the battery checked out by a battery shop using a proper tester device ?

 

Is that the battery cables others mentioned? Where exactly are these? Thermo, is that what you were talking about? I went to price a battery today at Autozone who tested and said battery and alternator both bad. $164 for a battery! Where can I get cheaper?

How come I tested it a two months ago when battery light was coming on and it tested good? I was told it was the alternator then. I will do cable test tomorrow. If anyone could post pics of what to examine, that would be great. I finally have a day off Thursday and can handle this.


I want it to be alternator as I have one I bought already.

 

Damsel, here you go:

How to check your battery cables and terminals:
Spend some time on Youtube looking up other topics (e.g., replacing a battery, how an alternator works, battery cable replacement, etc.) Watching some of these videos should hopefully make things clearer for you.

 

Damsel, go to your local Walmart and get a battery there. A little known fact is that all the batteries that you can buy for vehicles are made on 1 of 2 assembly lines (one for Johnson Controls, the other is Exide). The only difference between a $100 battery and a $400 battery is the sticker on the side of the battery and the warrantee that they put on the battery. There's a few exceptions to this rule, but you are starting to talk about some fancy batteries that are beyond what you are looking for.

If you need any more help, let me know.

 

So the guy at Autozone referred me to a guy called Yoshi at Samurai Motors who works on HIS s type. This kid opens the hood, suddenly now there is a new hissing sound. Thank GOD as it lead him right to the intake hose??? (a term I got off this site when I did a search to purchase it, it lead me to this thread) after he unscrewed the airbox! He took it off, taped it up with electrical tape, replaced it, told me what the part was so I can order it, reset the codes and now she runs PERFECTLY. LMAO is all I can say and YAY! Hope that is it for now touch wood!

Thanks all.

 

Here is a link to yet another third thread with similar issue and solution. It well help some of you in future I am sure!

Cruise not available, engine light, skipping

My car also was showing cruise not available which I neglected to mention.

 

Damsel - It sounds like you have two problems going on here. The 1st is the battery and alternator. The 2nd sounds like a vacuum leak. You stated "When I have to use the brakes, I really have to press down hard to keep the car still at the lights and if I don't, the car shudders and vibrates so bad people outside can notice. The brakes just feel heavy and tight." This could be caused by the alternator not producing electrical power enough to keep the car running properly. However, you are stating a braking issue. Looks like the vacuum hose to the brake booster might be bad. Looks like Yoshi found the issue, but I would check the vacuum line tot he brake booster. See the attached pic.

Just curious, are your brakes better after the hose was taped up?

 

Last night car ran great.

The check engine light is now back on and the battery light still comes on again but the braking/shaking/hiccuping issues are gone. There was a tiny hint of it last night but I am willing to bet once my new PVC hose comes and it is completely air tight and not just taped up, that will go away. So, I know the battery or cables still has an issue so I will work on that today.

 

This is all great information, and proof that there is never just one answer to a given problem! I have a 2003 X, 2.5 auto, with about 107,000 miles, and for a while was experiencing almost the same thing... shuddering, misfiring, and similar codes to those you had. My brakes were also heavy, to the point of having to stand on the pedal to stop the car! I don't think I could've come close to activating the ABS even if I tried!

Anyhow,for me, it was multiple issues. I had already checked the PCV breather pipe, and at least visually, it looked ok. Beyond that I was a little too scared to mess with the engine, so I took it in to a local shop. They diagnosed and replaced the brake booster vacuum valve. Fixed the problem with misfiring for about 20 miles, but the brakes were now good. Took it back again, and they diagnosed the inlet manifold gasket, as well as coils #1 and #5, which are both on the rear side of the engine.

As they had to strip away the inlet manifold to get to the rear coils, they recommended replacing all three, even though #3 wasn't bad... yet! Also went ahead and got all 6 spark plugs changed, just for good measure!

Oh, and, probably unrelated, but they noted that my fuel filter was a cheap after market one, and was also installed backwards! They replaced with a Jag part#, presumably the correct way around!

Good luck with your X!
David.