If you move to SDD, it's not the Software that is expensive, but the hardware can be. Apart from the Mongoose cable or VCM (this is the Jaguar interface), you will need a stabilized power supply that can give 13.8V and 30A.
When you use SDD, all modules will be active and power needed will go up to 20A to 25A, which will drain the battery in a very short time. A normal battery charger is not suitable for this.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

Ouch! ok, thanks for the heads up, probably stick with what I've got for now...

 

So after testing yesterday, start, stop, cool down, start, limp mode home after suspect coil failure in 5, etc.... this morning I'm getting a gearbox error and a non start...... Couldn't be the cable sleave I replaced, that thing was well seated, pushed the clip all the way up and it worked fine all of yesterday afternoon so I'm guessing my battery is on its way out. Code I get is coms error for engine management/transmission control. I'm waiting on a new Yuasa battery I ordered as mine was dipping below 10v on startup load so hoping this is the issue.... If not, I'll pull the trans connector and give it a squirt of contact cleaner in case I got some oil on it... cheap jags hey!

 

I think that that's a good idea
I have an iCarsoft i930 for the basics that I keep in the car, but I also set up SDD, as the availability of good Jaguar workshops is very limited or non-existent in the the area I live.
the VCM, which is also difficult to find (I finally found one in the US, and fortunately it was also used by Ford, Lincoln and Mazda which makes the search a little bit easier) was around 500 EUR, plus around EUR 30 for the separate power supply to the VCM, and I got lucky with the big stabilized power supply, finding one at around EUR 100. The stabilized power supply alone can be around EUR 500.
I also use a dedicated laptop with Windows XP for SDD, but that's an older one that I still had, so no additional cost for that.

Best regards,

Thomas

 

New battery arrived, no start. Got underneath, small leak from one of the sump pan bolts....I think my torque wrench is off so I'll have to buy another and give them a once over.... oil got onto a small connector which I believe tells the ECU the trans is in park? Could not for the life of me see where it lives so I've put it out of the way after a clean with contact cleaner and problem has gone away... Engine starts, misfire in 5 still there so had a closer look and dead injector seems to be the fault. I pulled it, cleaned it, nope.... so looks like I'm looking for a "Ford" injector, maybe I should do all 8 while I'm there... Let's see if I can finally start enjoying this car a bit after all the neglect I'm having to fix...

 

Quick update. Visit to Jaguar dealership to get an injector as they are n/a everywhere else.... 140€ later, missfire gone but now that I can drive the thing, I was getting a TCM code and non starter after an overnight sit... So long story short, I messed up and didn't seat the TCM connector sleeve all the way.... FFFF&%$&%$"&%$"%" ME!!!! Live and learn... I thought that if the clip went up, it was good to go, but no... This is what was giving TCM issues, not the little connector which I have repaired and fixed to it's proper position btw. So a tiny leak would get inside the TCM connector and hey presto, non starter... so with a little persuasion, I've managed to push it in a couple of mils so it doesn't leak inside and give me a lump of aluminium on wheels that goes nowhere.... but not a fix obviously and I've had to advance my planned second trans oil refresh and take the pan off and reseat the sleeve "properly" this time. I was planning on a quick oil but no filter change but whatever... I'm learning so hope to give some advice soon based on my effups!!

And on another note, after replacing front left strut, my right front strut also has a leak... I suspected as much as I was loosing a bit of height overnight but chilly nights has made it worse and it audibly hisses at me in the morning and provokes low car warnings and even failure to lift until it warns up a bit... Glad I'm not dailying this car yet... So another thing to fix!! yay!! Half expected it was bad and should have done them both really but you try to save a few pennies....

All worth it though and considering it's all relatively easy to fix and still within expected repairs and maintenance, I can't complain. The thing just makes me smile every time I drive it and the trans seems to have relearned itself into working wonderfully now. One last oil refresh and I should be good to go for now anyway!! it's 19 years old, so you have to expect the unexpected....

 

Hi zenderman,

You're making progress!

Just a note about torque wrenches: according to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), torque wrenches are not considered to be sufficiently accurate in the lower 20% of their range. So, for example, a typical 0 - 75 ft. lb./ 0-100 Nm torque wrench would be considered insufficiently accurate at settings below 15 ft. lbs. / 20 Nm. So for torque settings in the inch-pound range of your oil pan screws, an inch-pound torque wrench is required. I think the torque wrench I use has a range of 0 - 150 in. lbs. / 0 - 17 Nm. So the 7.3 ft. lb. / 88 in. lb. / 10 Nm specification of the ZF 6HP transmission oil pan screws falls near the middle of the torque wrench range.

Another note, on the subject of transmission fluids. Through exhaustive research, I and other members of this forum and the bimmerfest forum have proven that Motorcraft Mercon SP and Shell Spirax S4 ATF MSP are the exact same fluid as ZF Lifeguard 6. The only difference is that Mercon SP is dyed red at the request of Ford. Lifeguard 6 and Spirax S4 ATF MSP are manufactured by Royal Dutch Shell, and Mercon SP is manufactured by Shell North America. I don't know if Mercon SP or Spirax S4 ATF MSP are available in Spain, but if so, they may be less expensive than Lifeguard 6. There is no problem intermixing these fluids since they contain the same base oils and additives.

Cheers,

Don

 

Makes sense and weirdly I never had confidence with low torque settings. Now I know why!! In the end the sump was actually fine, leak was from the incorrectly seated sleeve the whole time…. So I’ve since done another flush, pushed the sleeve all the way in and discovered a bent pin in the mechatronic socket that was the cause of all my problems. Fortunately it was a dead pin with no circuit but it was preventing the connector from making a proper contact. No wonder I had trouble seating everything properly. Not sure when it happened as I certainly didn’t poke anything in there so I’m guessing the previous botched oil change where they left it over 3 litres low on oil!! Awesome stuff….

 

So my next urgent issue has been a reduced engine performance amber warning. All this happened soon after changing the dead injector and cleaning up the PCV seeing as there was a definite leek. Classic error on idle that would disappear once on the move. Bank 1 too lean was the fault code. I swapped the rubber seals with new ones but it still gave the fault code. Thankfully I came across a bit of info on seal sizes and found they are a weird size of 2.65mm thick! ID for the PCV is 16mm and the PCV breather hose needs to be ID 14mm. Something I noted was that this must all go back together clean and dry or you will get a vacuum leak and it will throw a code. Found out the hard way…

Great news is I have no more engine faults, my transmission is shifting wonderfully and I can finally start to enjoy the cheapest XJ8 I found on the market!! It’s taken a few weeks and total cost is 1500€ on top of purchase price so I’m still on top not that I plan on selling. So I finally got there thanks for sure to the wealth of information on this forum. Hopefully I’ll be able to give some back!

Next up is a rear parking sensor giving an intermittent failure and before next winter, front right shock so still some work before the next service interval!

 

Well my reduced power fault came back (bank 1 too lean) so clearly the vacuum line and PCV was not the only issue even though it did improve things as seals were clearly perished. I could actually hear the vacuum leak coming from the PCV so I figured a new was in order but these things rarely go wrong other than the seals which I had already replaced. Taking a closer listen it was actually coming from behind the PCV... So I tuned one if my kids old toy stethoscopes with a metallic straw and located the leak at the base of the new injector I had replaced recently. Must have pinched the seal when I installed it so totally on me... More details and pics here: What did you do to your X350/X358 today?

Seeing as I have all of the big jobs done I won't be updating here anymore but I will be updating on the afore mentioned topic.

 

Actually it can be 'strong' enough.

But the family of stainless steel alloys predominantly share a far, far WORSE characteristic than rusting.

Stainless *threaded* goods are notorious for 'galling'.

Special handling and coatings are essential. Each and every time they are assembled, not just once.

Next, they are also unhappy when being dis-assembled.

Surface degrades from galling each go, so they are risky to use more than once.

Galling dpoesn't respond to penetrants, chelating agents, nor heat, so can hang threaded goods up FAR worse than rust can ever do.

BAD choice for lug nuts?

Very!

 

They don't spin with the proper socket size. Cannot, actually. No space for it.
You had either, both of a 12-point socket or oversized.

With the correct six-point size, they now and then need application of a proper, BRITISH "Thor" copper (and rawhide) hammer.

As the hammered-on socket forces the cosmetic cover back into straight and true, the offending lug nut will be just fine, next go, and for long years.

BTW: The as-issued s**t-metal tire-change tool (it CANNOT be legal to call it a "wrench"?) should *never* be allowed to touch a lug-nut. It damages them 'for sure', far worse, and faster than my annual inspector's use of a grotty air impact wrench.

Instead, carry a proper breaker-bar and a quality, well-fitted socket.

Cheaper than a set of Gorrilla nuts, those are.

 

SDD is great if you can get one. Power bodge is another battery charged fully before you delve-in. No charger active - they generate nasty noise.

Do the do. Off the SDD, put battery back on charge, go for a ****, haircut, samwich, nap.. wotever.
Repeat after the battery is topped-up again. Less hassle than building a cleanly-regulated DC power supply, even though I'd not need to leave the house to do it from parts to-hand.

You asked about iCarsoft V3. Had mine for a whle now, it does a LOT that my smaller ~ nine year-old iCarsoft i930 cannot do, but not much of it is yet needed. I don't leave home without a scanner in the vehicle, so the i930 is that unit when the V3 is being used for more active work.

What IS handy - a extension cable with an ON/OFF rocker switch in the middle.

Left in place, that saves my no-longer young carcass all but a few SCUBA excursions a year under the dash to make the connection. The ability to switch if OFF lets me leave the scanner on the cable, parked at the console, yet not drain the battery.

 

Can you get an endoscope into #5?

One of the potential contributors is a head-gasket leak. Confuses the "brains".

HOPE that is not your problem, but it was mine - on the L320's 5.0 GDI V8. Not the X350's 4.2 TBI.

To the good, I found a set of 8 NON-Bosch injectors for about the price of two, or even ONE Bosch.

 

Can't just grab something like a used Iota DLS-55 or off eBay for like $80 US? It's got a smoothed output and far exceeds the stated requirements from Jaguar for the X350. Seems a ton easier than having to build a high-amperage clean DC charger from scratch or having to do a constant battery shuffle every time the voltage dips below 12.5v. From the horror stories about bricked and corrupted modules from insufficient voltage, getting a proper charger seems like a small price to pay for peace of mind.

 

Surely one can do.

But "something like" might be better from Lambda? I've been using "Power ONE" ('Bel' nowadays.. Newark & Mouser carry them..) since their first year in bizness, too.

But a PSU is dedicated to one tasking, yah?

For Joe DIY, not an all-day-every-day professional garage, the SDD might only be used a few times a year, and not for all that long at a time, each go? Simpler hand-held manages the less-intensive work well-enough.

I already have several suitable batteries handy, 24 X 365. Those have many uses, so are never absent.

 

Yuppp that's me! I used oversized socket and spun the nuts off the nuts. Correct socket would not go on and I got so confused and frustrated that it made me question if I should go near a wrench... So I just opted for ripping off the cover and buying new as my objective was a suspension that I couldn't get at!! I have ADHD so I'll set fire to the car if I think it will help.... The other wheels I did after taking the meds I should have taken when I was 12 and being more calm and relaxed and having meditated, evaluated and understood the problem, I hammered on the correct size socket and they all came off fine. All replaced now with a Chinese (I guess) set I picked up on Amazon. Seem sturdy enough... I say hoping I won't see a wheel overtake me on a 100mph run.... These cars don't do the Citroen DS three wheel trick do they?

And yes, I did notice the supplied sorry excuse for a wrench is useless. That wedge on the tip just added to my confusion too... So I carry an old cheap torque wrench I never trusted and quality long socket... Also handy to keep as a road rage calming rod.... But as far as working on these cars with proper equipment, fortunately I have a nice setup as I am hiring a 400m2 shop with a buddy of mine who's into American V8 70´s muscle cars and we have a lift and proper tools.

 

No symptoms to make me believe this might be the issue... Clean oil and coolant, no cheesiness, but I have a test kit I can throw on so will give it a whirl for peace of mind.

 

I picked up the iCarsoft V3 in the end. Seems to do what I need to for now. Don't see any reason to go into SDD and if I do, it might be time to move on form the Jag... I want to enjoy my cars, not have to constantly fiddle with them so as long as I can get by with the basics on offer with the iCarsoft, that's good enough for me.

 

For most things, even the little i930 serves me. At the very least, I didn't have to buy TWO V3 units to be able to always have a JLR compatible scanner in the car!

The one thing I miss - "so far' - is ability to edit the CCF / database to take the L320's TPMS off the active list.

Rover guru's use Gap II D for that rather than SDD, but I don't have a platform (Android, Apple, or WinWOES?) to run their software.

Gap's website indicates they have Jaguar versions under development and test. Shouldn't be too dam' hard, as they already do Rover so very well.