2000 XJ8, 96K miles.

This started yesterday.

After engine shut off & key removed, as seat & steering wheel move to their exit positions, I hear ~7-12 loud clicks. Does not happen when start car or turn on ignition w/o starting even though steering wheel & seat move into their driving positions.

Today, I tested with OBD-2 & got only P1111 (All systems pass)

When I shut off ignition, I got 7 clicks & the engine was never started today.

So far it now happens every time engine started & shut off & key removed & usually does not happen if just turn ignition on & then off & remove key.
But it DID happen that 1X when I used OBD-2 w/o starting Engine. Maybe only difference is the ignition was left on for several minutes as I used OBD-2.

So I think I have proven it is not an engine noise.
Possibly a steering wheel fore & aft motor noise?

 

Does it still occur if you disable the seat/steering exit function?

Also, if that makes no difference, try turning climate control off after ignition is on, and leave the climate control off for a few cycles of ignition on/off and see if it comes back. Also, if that does solve it, there's a FAQ or thread somewhere of how to pull climate control error codes (not OBD).

 

@nilanium,

Your test proved it was, in fact, the steering wheel fore & aft motor!
I checked by turning steering wheel adjustment knob, on L side, from Auto to Off.
Started engine & then shut off & removed key … No more noise!
Turned knob back to auto & got noise again.
I left it off for now.

So is this a DIY repair? Do I need to replace the steering wheel adjustment motor?
I would love to see a tutorial on the fix/replacement.

Thanks!

 

I searched the JF & found this relevant thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-1998-a-17191/

Does not seem easy to replace either the reach cable, motor or both, especially with the calibration/adjustment needed.

For us non-mechanics, step by step instructions or a video are very helpful.

 

When I had this problem, I discovered that Coventry West near Atlanta had a special part made that replaces the spindle in the fore after motion. This is a common failure. Jaguar Parts sells the whole set up and it is (or was years ago) very expensive considering you may not need anything more than the spindle. Most Jag mechanics know how to do this. Some DIYers but it involves dropping the wheel, taking apart the steering column which needs an experienced hand in my view.

Coventry West is helpful. Website has its phone.