When I press the button (lifting up the control button) The headrest motor makes a small sound and lifts the headrest. When I push the same button down there is no sound and the headrest won't move at all so it is stuck in the full up position. Is this a wiring issue? Maybe a broken wire for the down side of the switch? What have others experienced with this issue?

Thanks

Lord Donnington

 

This is an old issue, there is a connector issue on the drive motor and the guide rack breaks. In mine the rack broke. The back panel comes of rather easily,..pop it off to find your issue, but if you the picnic tray remove the four screws to take it off.

Review this...
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...0/#post1865880

There is another one on a wiring harness fix, but I'll be damned if I can find it. The Search here hasn't worked well since the upgrade (said loosely) about 4+ yrs ago.

 

Ray, isn’t that guide rack much like the old GM window regulators that had plastic typewriter ribbon with holes in it?

 

Somewhat, but the GM ribbon had to be way thinner, for more flexibility for the tape to fold for its length. The guide and length caused them to break, because it was one of the cheapest, stupidest designs ever...much like all GM garbage. I replaced the ones in my Corvette with the mechanical scissor assembly.

I finally found that wiring repair PDF, ..should of known Don had posted it.

 

Thank you all for the links to videos and help in sorting my XJ8 passenger headrest issue. I removed the seat and worked on it in my garage. I removed the back panel and saw that it looked different than the XK8 seats in the videos. Before embarking on cutting cable sheaths I had a thought to remove the plastic switch cover from the headrest control on the right side of the seat and to work the switch without it. It seemed to click well so I put the seat back into the car and hooked up the wires and sure enough the headrest went right back down. I then put the ivory colored control piece back onto the switch and again it would go up but wouldn't go down. The cap must be giving me the problem. Its easy enough to prise off with my fingernails. I will investigate further but for now it isn't a cable length issue.