I was tempted to post this problem on the OP by Griff79 below but decided to start a new thread re my dead Super V8.

Situation - Took car in for routine oil change and to check out brakes and suspension work done about 20K ago. Shop found bad driver side hub, which he replaced. My shop also says due to bad hub, the beautiful R1 Slotted and Drilled rotors and akebono pads need replaced, and park brake is now bad as well.
Car went dead after hub replaced and is now in Anti-Theft mode according to dash warning board.. Nothing responding, no cranks, not able to read any codes bc can't talk to Main Computer. Car was running fine until this despite previous identified issues described below.

Car History
Car has 165K, 30K and 3 years under my care.Car did overheat in first year, replace valley hose took car of that. Passenger side rearview moves but does not fold. Blend door motors replaced last year, new aux. water pump, partially fixed uneven heat and is now acceptable. Car had Bonnet alarm going off this summer which killed the 10 year old DieHard battery and any goodwill I had with my neighbors.- ,I solved this by disconnecting the wires from the alarm module and taping together with electrical tape. No more alarm. Replaced battery one month ago with an Interstate H-80 at their shop. No problems since change out. Car had all suspension parts replaced about 20K ago, 2 new calipers, new R1 Concept rotors and akebono pads. New 18inch rims and Conti DWS tires. Regular 5K oil changes on my watch. New brakes lines at last oil change. New front driver side axle end (right term?), as well.

158K- when brake lines replaced, indie shop noted another bunch of "new" issues" - which made me angry bc why do all the suspension work when these other long standing issues just pop-up? Anyway I love the car - Because My indie guy described these long term maintenance issues verbally to me which is like a forgein language to me, I took it to a more modern shop that documents via pics and clear write ups what's going on - The write up follows verbatim -

Inspection was done on 3-31 2021
Miles 158K, Brakes 10mm on both fronts, 8mm both rear.
Previous computer checks showed - air bag light on intermittently (code is clock spring error), check engine light on (indie says pinion seal leak btwn engine/trans.)

Report - from modern shop -
Coolant leaking from top of engine (small, I rarely have to add coolant and there is little to no smell after drives even long distance). - Water outlet under SC that has residue in it. Bypass pipe and water pump have signs they were leaking. Hose from water outlet to bypass pipe is swollen and it and rad hoses are soft. Hose on intercooler also has residue on it. Coolant also present on rear of the intake on passenger side. Could not see if SC coolant was the cause here.

Oil leaking from oil cooler hoses.The oil and coolant in the front timing cover appear to be running down and blowing back from other leaks. Trans. fluid leaking from transmission oil cooler hoses and trans. pan gasket. Trans. filter is part of pan which is plastic and may be warped. Power steering return and pressure lines leaking.

I tell the entire condition of car just because of complicated current anti-theft alert and in case oil/coolant running everywhere is potential cause here.

In other threads ABS was suggested as part of problem if doing brakes/front end work.

Suggestions regarding current issue welcome of course. Other comments, considering state of car are welcome too, including comments on long-term ownership!!!

Thanks in advance
​​​​​​​Mike D.

 

What are you trying to read codes with?

 

My indie shop uses a very expensive top notch code reader, not sure what it is.

The problem is that the Anti-Theft mode sapparentlyshuts down everything, so that the reader cannot talk to the cars computer systems

 

Although the anti-theft prevents the vehicle from starting it does not lock out any of the modules. Inability to talk to the ECM is a com bus problem, a connector issue, low voltage/bad ground or code reader that will not talk to the pre 2005 x350.

 

Thanks for your reply OldKarz - the code reader has pulled codes accurately many previous times, so I don't think that's an issue.

So yes the com bus, connector is something to investigate, as is bad ground. The battery is new and tested as charged fully.

I'll see what my guy comes up with and keep others posted.

Thanks

 

Have you paid attention/seen the Security LED, on the centre of the dash? If it cannot verify key authenticity with the ECM it will flash a code to tell you that.

 

I will check in with my mechanic today to see what's up. He did ask for the second key just to see if it would work. No go.

This is not an area of expertise for him but he has someone he uses in matters such like this.

Again thanks.

Mike

 

Good luck with this, Mike. Once you get the theft mode sorted out the issues you list seem pretty common and we can help you get those sorted. For example, the oil (engine) cooler lines have replaceable o-rings and the hardest part of that job is getting the bottom skid plates (plastic) off. As for the trans cooler lines, that's a common issue (been there myself). As others have said above, the grounds are worth investigating. The engine grounds can go bad, and I myself have had a ground wire fail at a junction point.

 

Scooter

That is really helpful and Monday I will check with my mechanic and see what his plan might be.

I do know that I'm not going to let my car sit at his shop till he figures it out because it going to be a long while.

I don't like the car out of my hands for that long.

Thanks
Mike

 

So I called my shop today to see if there was any progress -

The reply was that the new battery was bad / went dead as the car was drawing power from it somehow. It tested fine however when I first brought it in. Fuses, grounds all were OK.

He said he traced the problem to the coils around the ignition ignition switch which were bad so that the key was not recognized as in.

Now tracing wires to that system etc. Wish I could tell the details better.

Sketchy details as he's pretty short with me as this certainly is not the problem anyone with a repair shop wants to deal with during holiday season.

More later
Thanks.

 

If the ECM is not communicating the key will not be recognized. Was the LED watched to see what it was saying?

 

if key not correct or gone bad this would flag a code, i had on my x350, if this happened after new hub fitted maybe guy was hammering at it ??
also if key bad or not programmed the column will not unlock etc
maybe the battery was removed and spark introduced at time of work carried out by mech who worked on it, its easy to screw things up on jags.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by the LED, but despite my shop not communicating in detail the process and findings, and my own lack of knowledge,I believe that they are thorough and knowledgable.

In a random search just poking around the forum, I came across an XK8 post regarding the ignition switch going bad so that the key in condition is not recognized. It seems that in those cars, if the flap that opens and closes upon key entry/removal does not close, then power can be drained from the battery because the condition simulates an ignition on condition. The fix is replacement of the pin that operates the flap if I understand correctly.

But before complete resolution of the problem in the XK8 thread, the problem became intermittent after a few tries at fixing for the OP, and he decided to continue driving and would deal with it as it came about again. However, responding posters agreed that not to be a wise decision because the problem must be resolved completely as the chance exists that the engine would shut down completely and unexpectedly at speed - no brakes, no light, etc. - not a good situation if the electrical gremlin appeared at the wrong time.

This sounds similar to what happened to my battery as my shop said some condition was drawing power from the battery.even though I don't think the X350 has a visible flap. This information leads me to believe that my shop is "on it" and on the right track to resolve the issue as they identified the ignition system as part of the problem. The battery drainage issue now makes sense to me. Not sure if my shop yet realizes a connection but I assume so.

On the safety issue note, I have had the air bag light on in my car from the beginning of my ownership, and it comes on intermittently. My shop has indicated that it is a "clock spring error" number code I forget at the moment. One night while highway driving at 90 MPH, all my interior and exterior lights went out, radio off., etc. I slowed WAY down as it was DARK and travelled at a very slow speed, relative to my ability to see the white lines. Luckily everything came back on in a short time.

Following this concerning experience, a google search of clock spring error revealed that this error has far more effects than just air bag operation, which is important enough. Indeed, lights, radio, etc can and are affected, and I had experienced the radio going in and out several times previous.

So due to the dangerous possibilities I believe may be related to my current condition, I'm willing to wait till things are completely resolved, painful as it may be. And I'll finally have the clock spring issue resolved too.

So, that's where I am at present. I'm going over to the shop today to pick up the dead Interstate battery and take it to the retailer to see if it's defective.

Thanks as always for comments/suggestions - and have a blessed Thanksgiving Day for those who celebrate as such.

Mike

 

I agree with the screw up theory. Although I have no choice but to "trust" my shop, especially at this point. Part of me does believe the mechanic responsible for the work "did something". But with my limited knowledge and especially given the difficulty of the current problem, it's hard to go into any kind of attack mode.

Besides, the shop owner is an ex-policeman, has 2 9mm handguns under his desk, is quite large, and has answer for everything. Good thing he likes me - or at least my money. LOL.

I choose to discuss rather than argue with him - he is diligent, professional and straightforward and he works better when not pestered about process details during repairs. It all comes out in the wash anyway. And he does monitor closely the work of his employees.

The condition just after it happened was that turning the ignition on and trying to start the car, all dash lights came on, no crank, no ding ding, ding, sound, and the dash warning display of anti-theft mode. Following that it was found there was a constant drain on the brand new battery I put in 2 weeks prior. Shop replaced battery and found trouble in the ignition coils among other things not yet detailed.

The best thing about this is my wife don't ask too many questions.

Mike

 

Mechanic has determined that the exciter ring (coils) around the ignition switch is not getting a signal (power) and cannot detect key in the ignition.

Fobs are OK, grounds are ok, etc. He thinks it may be the body control module or the gauge cluster.

The question is why no power to the ignition switch. No codes can be pulled as I have stated earlier in the thread.

Does anyone has experience with this? tracing lack of power to its source or with the parts suggested above?

The problem constantly drains the battery, which flat lined three times during his investigations. New battery installed.

Car is now sitting outside in OHIO in his lot with plastic covering the driver side window as it can't go up.

Thanks for any suggestions with this!

Mike

Many thanks.

Mike D

 

check fuse box inside car. i forget what fuse but there is a internal relay that when it fails will not power one section of fuses causing alarm / ignition problems. i hot-wired my fuse box till i got a replacement fuse box. they will find no power to several fuses that are supposed to have power with ignition on. one of the affected fuses power the ignition switch coil allowing security system to read the key mine failed from water intrusion from clogged drain under the hood by cabin air filter.

 

just did a quick look at wiring diagrams. i believe its fuse 25. 24 thru 28 won't have power if the relay failed and the relay is not serviceable.

 

Thanks Kilroy

I'll give those ideas a try and I appreciate the time you took to look at the wiring diagram and reply.

shop says all fuses are good but we'll see.

I like the hot wire idea - maybe I've got a new calling. LOL

Thanks
Mike D

 

fuse itself may be good but if there's no voltage in the circuit that the relay powers then no key reading. all i did was apply voltage to "hot" side of fuse bus so the fuse was still protecting the circuit till i found a good replacement.

 

I had an issue with a faulty PCB relay that powered the supercharger cooling pump.
There is a thread by 34by151 from 03-21-2017 called "Front Power Distribution Fuse Box" It details how to add in an external relay to temporarily restore functionality until the distribution box is repaired or replaced. This worked for me for several months until I replaced the PCB relay.

Pete M