HELLO EVERYBODY, I NEED HELP REALLY BAD WITH 04 XJ8 NOT STARTING

2004 XJ8 with now 122,000 (I bought it with about 120,000)

I bought the car about 6 or 7 months ago from a dealer online sight unseen. He assured me that the car was free of any major defects. But from Day 1 after receiving the car which was shipped to me, I noticed problems with acceleration. Every time I stepped on the gas and tried to accelerate, the car hesitated and shook or rattled a little bit as if the engine wanted to shut off. The car was not overall very responsive when you stepped on the gas to accelerate. Also almost immediately I noticed the car did not always start right away, you had to try several times before starting it. And a "restricted performance" message was also showing on the dashboard since Day 1. So I took it to my mechanic, he charged me and ran a bunch of tests on the car using his computer to determine what was wrong with it, why it was having all these issues and showing a "restricted performance" message on the dashboard. In the end my mechanic told me a lot of stuff and gave me all the computer readings and printouts he got from the tests. Then he recommended a full tune up which we did with top of the line Bosch iridium plugs.

After the tune up, the problem with trying several times before starting the car went away, and it would start the first time each and every day. The "restricted performance" message on the dashboard went away for a few hours and then came back and has been there. The car acceleration problem and unresponsiveness was still there and it was scary because it did that sometimes on the freeway and I was afraid of being rear-ended.

Then a few days ago, I went to CVS, on my way back out of the blue it took hell and many long minutes of trying and turning the key before I could start this car. After CVS I went to Walmart and it did the same thing before I could leave Walmart. After Walmart I stopped for gas and I was stranded at the gas station for hours as I could not this time get this car started. Other drivers nearby were nice enough to offer their help and we tried everything including a jump start connecting my battery to that of a Ford Escape ... to no avail.

Eventually we pushed the car away from the gas pump and I had to leave it in the parking lot of the station overnight. The following afternoon I came back, tried and it started after several tries. I took it home. It was the weekend, on Monday I tried to start it to take it to my mechanic, it would NOT start. I tried so hard and so many times that I could feel it draining the battery and I had to stop afraid it could damage the starter, completely drain the battery or worse. Since the first time at CVS, when you turn the key, you can hear it crank as if it wanted to start but it wouldn't actually start .... but it would continue to crank as you turn the key and you can hear it clearly. All lights seem to work but I didn't check battery power or amperage, and I have no idea how old the battery is because it came with the car when I bought it 6 months ago.

Other folks who came to help me at the gas station, myself and my mechanic all thought it was the fuel pump. I ordered one but before replacing the fuel pump my mechanic decided to hook the car up to his computer again and get some diagnostic readings. Then he told me that his computer advised against replacing the fuel pump but could NOT identify the problem as to why the car is not starting.

Question: How reliable is an ordinary mechanic's computer reading when hooked up to a Jaguar for diagnostic???

My mechanic thinks I should take the car up to a Jag dealer for proper diagnostic and the nearest one is at least an hour and half away, which will cost me an arm and a leg in towing fees alone before even speaking of the high dealer's costs. I still personally believe the fuel pump is the problem. My mechanic doesn't want to replace the fuel pump because his computer told him not to and he believes I will be wasting the money I paid for the fuel pump plus the labor cost I will be paying him.

Anybody knows anything about this problem? Have you experienced this before? What's your take or assessment? Please HELP ME and I thank you kindly in advance.

P.S: Before the car stopped working, it was somehow rattling while driving and I was told to replace the rear passenger side tie rod--inner and outer (I think it is also called toe link or stabilizer bar). I had ordered the part and it is due to be replaced. Thank you again in advance for any help or suggestions.

 

The first thing you have start with is the error codes. This helps determine the issue. If you can provide those, it would help greatly in pointing you in a direction.

 

OK thanks Box for the advice. Tomorrow I'll go to my mechanic to see if his computer diagnostic produced any error codes and I will update my post accordingly.

 

Find out the actual codes, then look them up at https://www.obd-codes.com/ plus post back here. Proper diagnosis needs to be done or you're just throwing your money down the toilet. Blindly replacing parts is a complete waste of money.

 

Does the engine turn over when you turn the key?

 

Sounds like a failed fuel pump

 

Could it be bore wash?

(Even the 4.2 can suffer it, though very rarely, whereas the 4.0 quite easily can.)

 

You need to narrow it down slightly is it a fuel problem or electrical problem when you turn it over can you smell fuel coming from the tail pipe if so then it maybe a electrical issue,you could try removing a coil and fitting a spark plug in to see if you have a spark,these are two little things you can do yourself to narrow it down and it would help forum members to help you

 

If I'm not mistaken, bore wash will produce oil which will smell like fuel and/or smoke out the tail pipe, depending on how bad it is.

I agree, could very well be a fuel pump, though as stated before, a more accurate assessment can be had once the error codes are read.

 

Hi Papis,

Welcome to the Jaguar Forums. I'm sorry you are having trouble with your Jag, but the fine members here will gladly try to help.

The first comment I would make is that you should not drive the car when the Restricted Performance warning is illuminated except to limp home or to a mechanic. This warning indicates that the electronic control units are taking measures to protect the vehicle from serious damage by reducing the maximum engine rpm, limiting gear selection, etc. One of the reasons you are experiencing poor acceleration is that the transmission is probably locked in 3rd or 5th gear. You really must resolve the issues before driving the car.

As others have already advised, please ask your mechanic for a list of all the diagnostic trouble codes he scanned and post them here for our review and input. And since Jaguar's code definitions and suggested possible causes sometimes vary from the generic ones, rather than referring to the generic OBD websites it's better to reference the actual Jaguar Diagnostic Trouble Codes Summaries manual, which you can download here:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...03388427,d.cWw


One possible suspect is the Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKP or CKPS), which can develop intermittent problems before it fails completely. If the ECM does not receive a good signal from the CKP, it will restrict maximum engine rpm and must then rely on the Camshaft Position Sensors (CMPs) to determine initial ignition timing, which can take extended cranking times before the engine starts.

Another thing that comes to mind is that you probably need a new battery. Jaguars require strong, healthy batteries, and if the voltage falls too low while cranking the Engine Control Module (ECM) will not trigger the ignition to fire. Even if your battery was healthy when you bought the car, it is probably no longer healthy after all the abuse it has endured. David (Box) has identified one of the only batteries currently available that is designed to handle the high charging voltages the X350 employs for the original Varta silver calcium battery. It's inexpensive and available at Home Depot:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Exide-Ext...-49X/204852602


Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

I thought and still think it was the pump too. But the mechanic instead of installing the pump after I bought it and took it to him, he started messing around hooking the car up to his computer to run more tests. And now things got a little scarier.

I was there yesterday and I don't know what the mechanic did but this Jag went into a complete AUTO LOCK MODE. The lights still come on when you open the door suggesting the battery has juice in it but you can't shift the car out of park even with the key in the ignition. Before you could turn the key and hear the car cranking and the engine trying to start ..... now NOTHING. Absolutely NOTHING and it is starting to scare me. I love this Jag but I am just about starting to regret not getting a Mercedes or BMER that I know better and which are far more reliable (this is my first Jag)

The mechanic rolled down the driver's window and now there is no way to roll it back up. The car is in SELF-LOCK MODE apparently. The mechanic told me they already tried the inertia switch and disconnecting the battery to reset the car computer .... to no avail.

They gave me printouts with codes from their computer readings and as someone already suggested here, I am afraid the generic codes from the mechanic won't be so easy to interpret. And how reliable are the codes or messages obtained from this non-Jaguar mechanic's computer anyway?

After making me buy the fuel pump, the mechanic didn't install it because upon running more tests, he said his computer specifically told him not to replace the fuel pump. Again, how reliable is his computer on a Jag???

I am in deep **** guys .... NEED ALL THE HELP AND ADVICE I CAN GET. I drove Mercedes and BMERS for 20 years, NEVER ONCE had this kind of problem ... they are far more reliable. This is my first Jag, I love it but honestly I am starting to have regrets. HELP PLEASE !!!

 

The car is now in some kind of Auto-Lock Mode and it does nothing when you turn the key. But NO I could NOT smell fuel and there was nothing coming out of the tail pipe before when I turned the key ... I could simply hear it crank and trying to start. I doubt that it is an electrical issue.

 

Before YES, but now the car is in some kind of Auto-Lock mode .... whatever that is because the Jag seems to be a very moody car.

 

Don B.

You are making a LOT OF SENSE. I sure wish now that I did more research and came to this site for advice before buying this car. Again I bought it online from another state sight unseen but trusted the dealer because it was a major Chevy Dealer and not one of those street corner used car hustlers. I reasoned that the Chevy Dealer would take the car to Auction and would not sell it retail unless it was roadworthy. But the car arrived in the shipping truck with the "Restricted Message" clearly on on the dashboard and all the other problems which you addressed in your reply.

Anyway, I will post next all the codes I got from the mechanic and hopefully you guys will be able to assist me more. Thank you very much.

 

As far as the codes, here is what I have from the mechanic's computer:

Engine - Codes: 6
Transmission - Codes: 1
Antilock Brakes - Code: 1
Airbag - Codes: 1
Air Suspension - Codes: 3
Body Control Module - Front - Codes: 4
Body Control Module - Rear - Codes: 10
Door Module - Drivers - Codes: 1
Electronic Parking Brake - Codes: 4
HVAC - Front Control Panel - Codes: 0
Instrument Pack - Codes: 8
Park Assist - Codes: 4

I am trying to make sense of these codes using the guide suggested by Don B. but so far I am not doing so well. Anybody understands these codes? Can anybody make any sense out of them?

Again thanks everybody in advance for all your help ...... I am waiting for comments, suggestions and any interpretation of these codes.

 

Is there an AUTO LOCK MODE warning on the dash? If so, this may have something to do with the security system. Have you tried charging the battery?

 

These are not actual OBDII codes or proprietary Jaguar DTCs. OBDII codes will be in the form of the letter P followed by 4 or more numerical digits, such as P0174 or P0301. Proprietary Jaguar codes will begin with the letter C, B or U, followed by four or more numbers, such as C2302.

Is it possible that the above list is a summary of the number of codes present in each category? If so, we need all of the specific codes.

Cheers,

Don

 

Can't emphasize this enough in order for us to help. We need the actual codes, not simply the number of codes each component is throwing.

Your battery is likely toast. I would recommend you follow Don's advice to the letter. I would start by you personally replace the battery. A defective battery will throw multiple codes. These cars have high demand for power, even after the car is turned off. After all this car's been put through, Don is right, the battery is gone.

When you remove the old battery, hold the positive and negative cables together for a minute. Do this only after you remove the battery and before in insert the new one. This will basically reset the car.
Then install the new battery. Hopefully the car will start. If it does, don't assume your problems are solved.

Take you car as far away from that mechanic as you can and find an independent mechanic who specializes in Jaguar.

Best of luck and I will reiterate one more time, in order for us to help you, we need the actual codes and follow our advice by getting it to the right type of mechanic.

 

Unfortunately when you buy a car 'sight unseen' this sort of thing can happen. I would reiterate that only people trained on Jaguars can fix Jaguars with problems, and this probably also applies to Mercedes and BMW cars.


Good advice on posting the actual codes here for the experts to view. I suspect it is something simple, but may cost some money, so the person before you decided not to spend it.


I'm now on my second X350 since last Thursday. I would not have bought another if I wasn't satisfied with the previous one. OK, they can suffer from several known issues but these are fixable

 

+1 on the battery, it has been too much under load.
Lights everywhere and no cranking capacity is typical.
First put a good battery to start with!