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My First Jag 1997 XJ6 4.0L Need Help, Engine Knock Codes and Mystery P13B0 B30F4
Hi Everyone,
I recently bought my first jaguar. It’s a 1997 XJ6 straight 4.0L in beautiful condition. It was owned by an older gentleman and spent years just sitting in his garage in CA. I got quite a deal on it, but the check engine light is on. When I first bought it, I had autozones check the codes and it showed P0326 and P0332 knock sensor codes. It also showed pending P13B0 and B30F4.
P0326 (Range and Performance Knock Sensor 1) and P0332 (Low Input Knock Sensor 2) Codes:
Originally the car also made some noise at higher RPMs that I was thinking was related to the knock sensor codes. However, it turned out the noise was coming from the timing chain tensioner sticking and I was able to fix this issue by pulling it out and cleaning it up. I have also tried removing the wire harness and checking for corrosion. I have found none. Tried multiple hard resets but codes keep coming back. Purchased a new knock sensor and installed in sensor 1 position but codes P0326 code returned. Tested resistance of old knock sensor 1 versus new one and "used" one from ebay. All were at about 1.05 M Ohms. I am not sure what they should be. Freeze frame data from the P0332 data is below in case it could be helpful.
P13B0 (Maybe P1340-Camshaft Position Sensor) Pending Codes:
For the powertrain P13B0 code, a different thread suggested bank 1 oxygen sensor 2 (downstream). I bought a new one and replaced it. Code came back.
Maybe the B is a 4 and then the code would be the camshaft position sensor. Is there an easy way to test whether this is function?
Unfortunately, all of the codes come back after resets and test driving for about 50 miles.
I am at a loss of what to do. My repair attempts have been going on three weeks. I have put about 500 miles on it trying to solve the code issues. In working on the car, I didn't notice oil residue off the front of the engine, but this is far away from the knock sensors which look clean. The car has almost no rust on it. The alternator seems to keep the voltage 13.5V. Any ideas? Anyone had a knock sensor code that persists even with new knock sensors? Anyone know what the heck the pending P13B0 and B30F4 codes are? Is the fact that they have letters where the numbers are supposed to be a problem with my scanner? Or is that the actual code the ECU is putting out?
Thank you in advance for any advice. I have only a moderate amount of experience as a mechanic. I have been at this three weeks and will take any advice I can get!
~Nathan
Last edited by nheston; 10-22-2019 at 01:57 PM.
Reason: Pictures were too big and description of problem wasn't concise.
It's important to remember with all diagnostics that the codes reported are only giving you the symptom not the root cause. So in your case the ECU is reporting that the signal it is seeing from the knock sensors is not what it is expecting.
That could be a fault on the sensor itself or a fault in the wiring that connects it to the ECU. The wiring diagrams are available to download from the stickies section, so would be worth getting them and seeing how the sensors are connected and checking for any defects in that wiring - all the way back to the ECU.
To echo what b1mcp said, the ecu connectors are a known problem area with these cars, and definitely worth checking. The ecu will be in your passenger footwell attached to the inside of the A pillar. Windscreen leaks can cause corrosion of the connectors, although the fact that yours in a California car makes me think this might be less likely.
How good is the fuel in your car? You mentioned it had been sitting for a while and you have had little chance to drive it. You are not still running on old fuel by any chance?
To echo what b1mcp said, the ecu connectors are a known problem area with these cars, and definitely worth checking. The ecu will be in your passenger footwell attached to the inside of the A pillar. Windscreen leaks can cause corrosion of the connectors, although the fact that yours in a California car makes me think this might be less likely.
How good is the fuel in your car? You mentioned it had been sitting for a while and you have had little chance to drive it. You are not still running on old fuel by any chance?
Hi and thank you for the response.
I assume, I have burned any bad fuel by now. I think it had about 1/4 tank when I bought it. I have filled it up twice and put about 500 miles on it. The fuel in the tank is premium.
I will try to check the ECU later today. I think that is a good suggestion.
Is there a way to test the knock sensors? I can't find any specs specifically related to these knock sensors.
A great looking XJ which has clearly been well cared for by its former owner.
I can understand your exasperation with the errors and the consequent difficulty in passing emissions for registration. Unfortunately this is often the case with Jaguars that have been little used for a long time. Persevere and with the help of experienced members here with the same model, you will work through these difficulties.
I was looking forward to getting done with work and working on the car. Today I pulled the number knock sensor and put the used replacement one I bought in to see if I could get rid of or change the p0332 low signal code.
Next I located the ECU in front of the right passenger door. I unbolted it and pulled off the rear connector before I realized I had forgotten to disconnect the battery. All the pins and connectors looked good. ECU seems to have been replaced in 2001. I put everything back together and when I turn the key and nothing. My code reader can't connect either.
NOW I FEEL SICK TO MY STOMACH! DID I JUST FRY MY ECU BY UNPLUGGING IT BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY???
Also in the area where the ECU is mounted is the inertia switch, designed to isolate the electrics in the event of a crash. If you bumped this while extracting the ECU, it may need reset. There is a black rubber button on top of it for the purpose. Fingers crossed!
Great News (for me) The ECU isn't fried, it was the isolation sensor!
It was the Isolation Switch! Thanks to your suggestions I got the car started again.
I decided to drive it around early this morning before work. It was still dark and I think police will have a harder time seeing that I don't have a 2020 registration sticker on the license plate when it is dark. (I do have insurance on the car, but I can't register it and remove it from non-opp status in CA until I pass emissions, which can't happen until I get the monitors set and fix these check engine codes). I put about 50 miles on it this morning
The AJ16 engine ran smoothly as it always does. The pending codes: P13B0 and B30F4 came back after about 20 miles. The knock sensor codes are still off, but in my experience I have to put about 100 miles on the car before they come on. I have a few new thoughts.
My current situtation is that there is a new knock sensor (aftermarket Standard Motor Products KS308 Knock Sensor) on the front and a "new" (used original knock sensor on the back) . All knock sensors have similar resistances of ~0.980 to 1.05 M Ohms. There is also a new oxygen sensor on Bank 1 downstream, so I don't think that the pending P13B0 codes is for the bank 1 downstream sensor.
1. If the knock sensor codes are coming from a completely "broken" wire or connection, then it would be the same thing as having the wiring harnesses to the sensors completely unplugged. So, I think I could test the wiring by unplugging the knock sensors one by one, then starting the car and seeing if the check engine light is immediately on.
If the check engine code comes on immediately then I know that it isn't a completely broken connection since it takes a long time to come on while driving. Is there any reason why I shouldn't do this?
If the check engine light doesn't come on immediately, then it could mean that the code is coming from a dying/poor signal from the sensors piezo, or a poor connection adding resistance to the signal. Or a computer issue.
2. After trying the above I plan to switch the sensors and see if putting the new KS308 sensor in bay 2 changes the error codes types. (I now have a feeling that maybe both sensors are bad, even the new aftermarket one)
3. I would like to run jumper wires all the way from the knock sensors straight to the computer to eliminate a poor connection somewhere. Does anyone know the the pin numbers on the ECU that correspond to the knock sensor wires?
4. I will try cleaning up the camshaft position sensor to see if this affects the P13B0 code (possibly P1340?). Is there anyway to know if the camshaft position sensor is function properly?
I appreciate any advice. I am pretty new to this. Thanks, Nathan
Last edited by nheston; 10-23-2019 at 01:57 PM.
Reason: fixed some typos for accuracy
As mentioned earlier you should download the Electrical guides. they're free and available in the stickies. For now, a copy of the ECU Pins is attached.
The pins for the Knock Sensors are
PI105-9 - Blue Wire - Ground (Common to both sensors)
PI105-21 - Red Wire - Signal Bank A Sensor
PI105--32 - White Wire - Signal Bank B Sensor
I'd suggest the best way to test the integrity of the circuits is
- first check you have a ground on the blue wire AT the sensors (the ground is provided by the ECU)
- unplug the red connector (PI105) from the ECU. Connect your multimeter between the pins above (Blue/Red then Blue/White) at the ECU plug, for each sensor. If you see the same resistance (give or take) as you have already measured for each of the sensors then the circuit is good.
There is a possibility that the circuit goes bad after e.g. vibration from driving, heat etc but it's a good start.
Last edited by b1mcp; 10-23-2019 at 05:27 PM.
Reason: add attachment
Twice I have seen the lower alternator bolt and nut come adrift and cause weird harmonics/ noises to cause knock sensor codes, Also low P/steering fluid levels.
Wow, it is amazing to have complete strangers helping me. So first, thank you b1mcp, countyjag, GGG, Cafcpete, and Larry Louton for all of your helpful comments. B1MCP, I have spent some time tonight trying to use the stickies(I now know what this means) to better educate myself. Unfortunately, it seems that the link for the Captain Jaguars Electrical Diagrams in the stickies no longer works.
Larry and B1MCP, I didn't see your post until I was walking back to campus from the car today. So I will check on the alternator and power steering fluid and then do the resistance tests with the pins tomorrow. Thank you for the B1MCPfor the ECU pins. I will try to see if I can test the resistance through the knock sensors from the ecu harness tomorrow. I also had a local business owner say I could park the car in their lot for 1 week so I am not worried about being towed in the next seven days. I just wish the car was closer to campus.
Update from today- I didn't have much time: 1. Trying to see if pulling the cable off the sensors gives an immediate check engine code.
Today after driving another 40 miles the P0332 code was pending as were the P13B0 and B30F4 codes. I cleared the codes and started the car. No codes after the start as expected. Next I pulled knock sensor number 2 connector off and started the car again. Still no codes came on. So unfortunately it seems that even with the connector off the knock sensor code doesn't display immediately. So I couldn't conclude much. I didn't try it with the front knock sensor, because that one is a bit harder to get to.
2. Checking voltage at the knock sensor
I learned that by googling there is supposed to be a 5V reference signal at the know sensor. I used a volt meter to check voltage of both pins of the rear knock sensor harness relative to the engine block. With the ignition switch on but the engine off. I had 0.0V on one pin and 0.05V on the other. With the engine running I had 0.0V on one pin and 0.057 consistently on the other pin. To me this indicates a good ground, but I thought that there was supposed to be a 5.0V reference signal that the knock sensor would modulate. Maybe I am wrong about this.
3. I didn't have time to switch the knock sensors.
It takes some time to get to the front one and I have to remove a hose and the oil filter to get to it. It is also very hard to carefully examine the cables because the locations.
4. Cleaning up the camshaft position sensor The contacts looked good. The CSPS did have a lot of oil on i though. Seems that oil leaks out of the valve bolt seals and maybe the valve cover too. Tomorrow I will try tracing the CSPS cable back toward the ECU and will check for continuity. The car starts right up with no delay, so it doesn't seem like it could be a fully shorted wire to the CSPS.
Tonight I am going to try to go through the electrical manuals and tomorrow I will check the power steering fluid alternator and then try testing the resistance through the ecu harness connections. In the last month I haven't succeeded to eliminate a single code, but at least I am learning more about my engine.
B1MCP I have downloaded the 1996 electrical guide in the stickies. I am assuming it should be very similar/identical to the 1997 electrical guide that I can't find. I found the ECU pin out there, but I still don't know where you found the wire color code. Anyway, thank you.
You are welcome, and well done for trying to rescue (what will be!) a wonderful classic Jaguar.
For all the technical (and more) information you will need for this car, Jaguar do a CD with EVERYTHING they published, on one handy CD/USB for about $80
I did think it had been posted on the download area in the past, put can’t find the link at the moment, but someone might come along with the link to save you 80 bucks
All the important bits are freely available from this forum, just takes time to find it!
With regard to your earlier question about how to tell if the camshaft position sensor is working, the usual symptom is that the car has to be extensively cranked before it will start. Sounds like yours fires up straight away, so this wouldnt't seem to be the problem. And while there is a first time for everything, I cant recollect problems with the camshaft position sensor featuring here before.
Just to help my thoughts, can you confirm that the car runs and drives well, the problem is simply that the check engine light comes on due to the two codes? If so, I am wondering if the wiring loom has been damaged somewhere......
"B1MCP I have downloaded the 1996 electrical guide in the stickies. I am assuming it should be very similar/identical to the 1997 electrical guide that I can't find. I found the ECU pin out there, but I still don't know where you found the wire color code. Anyway, thank you."
Yes the 1996 manual should be fine. I don't think the colour translation is in the guide as it's a universal thing. Here are the letters and colours
B Black
G Green
K Pink
LG Light Green
N Brown
O Orange
P Purple
R Red
S Slate (Grey)
U Blue
W White
Y Yellow
Where a wire is 2 colours, e.g. WR, the first letter is the main colour and the second letter is a tracer or stripe.
And according to the Electrical Guide, there is no 5V reference for the Knock Sensors.
Do the codes come back with sensors completely disconnected? If they don't, just leave them disconnected and go to your test. Even with them plugged in, since codes only come back after 20 miles, why not go to the station, delete the codes and leave it there? Emissions test at least in UK, takes couple of minutes, as far as your o2 sensors work, there shouldn't be an issue with emissions.
Other than that your live data seems fine to me, I'd look at plugs and coils and make sure there is no oil in the plug wells.
With regard to your earlier question about how to tell if the camshaft position sensor is working, the usual symptom is that the car has to be extensively cranked before it will start. Sounds like yours fires up straight away, so this wouldnt't seem to be the problem. And while there is a first time for everything, I cant recollect problems with the camshaft position sensor featuring here before.
Just to help my thoughts, can you confirm that the car runs and drives well, the problem is simply that the check engine light comes on due to the two codes? If so, I am wondering if the wiring loom has been damaged somewhere......
Yes, the car starts and drives well. No delay on startup. The only problem is that I can't get the monitors to set before the check engine light comes on. Four total codes (P0332 P03266 an pending P13B0 and B30F4) . All the monitors seem to set except the CAT and EVAP. I don't know if pending codes(P13B0 and B30F4) prevent CAT and EVAP from setting. I also don't know if these are the real codes, but I have someone who offered to scan the car with a snap-on scanner this weekend. After a hard reset and then driving between 50 to 100 town + highway miles, the CAT and EVAP monitors still haven't set, but then the P0332 and P0326 pop up as pending and eventually show the check engine light. I have repeatedly tried to the resetting cycle and added about 600 miles on the car in total, but haven't ever been able to get EVAP and CAT monitors to set.before the check engine light, which is an automatic fail here in CA.
Do the codes come back with sensors completely disconnected? If they don't, just leave them disconnected and go to your test. Even with them plugged in, since codes only come back after 20 miles, why not go to the station, delete the codes and leave it there? Emissions test at least in UK, takes couple of minutes, as far as your o2 sensors work, there shouldn't be an issue with emissions.
Other than that your live data seems fine to me, I'd look at plugs and coils and make sure there is no oil in the plug wells.
Thanks katar83,
Here in CA I need to have all of the monitors set before they will pass the car for emissions. I will plugs and coils this afternoon. Can the P0332 and P0326 knock sensor codes be caused by misfires?
10-22-2019, 12:02 AM
My First Jag 1997 XJ6 4.0L Need Help, Engine Knock Codes and Mystery P13B0 B30F4
