Hello. I have a 1998 XJ8. The engine will not start and I get no response at all when trying. Battery seems OK as headlights, fan, radio, etc., all are working fine. My problem may be "self-inflicted"; that is, related to some work I attempted myself:
I removed the oval screw-down clamp around the shift letter, removed the center console wood trim and pulled out the climate control unit and also the stereo unit in order to replace light bulbs in the climate control unit. There were quite a few wires behind there that I pulled and tugged on while performing this task and I had to put the key in and put ignition in "on" position so that I could manipulate the shift lever several times to create working space. In removing screws that hold the units in place, I allowed at least one screw to drop down somewhere near the shift lever and some broken plastic pieces where the screw holes were also fell down. When I put everything back together, the engine would not start. It does not "turn over" at all. There is no response. I also noticed that clock had stopped working, if that gives any clues. Everything was fine before I attempted this work. Given the description of what I did, does this suggest why the engine will not start? I am certain that the problem is somehow related to the "do it yourself" work I attempted in regard to changing bulbs. Any thoughts? Thanks much.

 

You need to take it apart again and clean up -- then search 'Jgate' for information on how to adjust the alignment of the parts.

Do you have a second key set; if so, try that key. When you put your foot on the brake, do you hear a click from brake switch; will it start in neutral?

A google search will show you things to check for, but it sounds most like a misalignment.

 

Do you get nothing when you try and start it ? No attempt by the starter to turn over, no beeps ? Anything at all ?

 

Thanks for replies. To answer tberry6686's question, I don't detect any attempt by starter to turn over, except I do hear a single, faint "click" which seems to be coming from under the hood somewhere. I'm going to take it apart again, retrace my steps, look for damage wires, loose connections, retrieve the dropped screw with a magnet, and try to carefully put it back together again. To Jhartz: I though I could change bulbs but am probably over my head a little with the starting problem that developed. Not sure what you mean by "misalignment." Misalignment of what? Is this something I should see visually? Thanks all for any additional comments!

 

The climate pack is a part of the CAN network on the car, meaning it's part of a network. If it's not functioning then the car will not start.

What work did you carry out on it? did everything go smoothly with the removal and install of bulbs? did you reconnect it correctly?
Having the ignition on can potentially blow these things if partially connected, the worst thing you could have done is have the ignition on whilst pulling and tugging at network wires...in any procedure the manual first states disconnect the battery and I suggest you do this before attempting to fix it next.

A couple of tips, removal of the pastic recessed star nut on the shifter bezel gives access to manual movement of the shifter, the tip of the ignition key is designed to fit/unscrew it - gentley press a thin screwdriver or ignition key into the hole and you release the shifter lock.
Perform a 'hard reset' - look this term up by using the search function and read up on it carefully, perform this correctly AFTER you've rechecked all connections and it hopefully will start, keep us updated.
You bill is in the post
Welcome to the forum by the way...
Finally, I hope this helps.

 

I removed the wood console trim and pulled out the climate unit and also the stereo with the objective of replacing the two bulbs in the temperature display. I did not disconnect any wiring at all. I found that by rotating the climate unit I could access the bulb locations without disconnecting any of the wire harnesses.... so I did not disconnect anything but undoubtedly did a little pulling and tugging on wires to get the climate unit in the right position to access bulbs. Adding to my frustration I was actually unsuccessful in replacing the bulbs because I discovered I had ordered the wrong bulbs. The bulbs I ordered are for the other bulb locations in the climate unit. The temperature display bulbs are a slightly larger size. So I simple reversed my steps and put everything back in place to await arrival of proper bulbs. I've actually done that twice now, exercising even greater care the second time.

I researched the hard reset as you suggested and have tried that. No luck. By the way, when I turn the ignition on, I get the usual "system check" lights, but do not get any other messages, warnings, or failure alerts. Everything seems normal except engine won't start and as mentioned, I hear a single click. Thanks for mentioning the purpose of the recessed star nut on the shifter bezel. I have not done anything with that because the shifter is not stuck or locked in any particular position. With ignition switch on, the shifter moves normally to all gear positions and the "P" or "N" or whatever location shifter is in lights up in red as usual.

I feel like I've about run out of things to try and may have to have car towed to shop, but any other comments or suggestions will be welcome. I'm going out of town for a few days starting Thursday, so may not have car towed in until after I return.

By the way, can I assume that I have adequate battery power since headlights, fan, radio, etc., seem to work fine? Any possibility batter charge is too low to start engine? Thanks.

 

Never assume you have enough battery power, these cars are hyper sensitive to voltage drop, if your battery says 12V it's not enough, you need it at 12.5+.
The single click is the ignition relay. I'd suggest a full charge and see what happens.

 

Did you try your second key? Have you tried to start it in neutral? I think you need to have your key reprogrammed.

 

cThanks for additional suggestions. Yes, I have a second key and have tried it. No luck.
Regarding charging the battery to make sure I have full charge, is the use of jumper cables an acceptable method? I have read up on using jumper cables on a Jag but have note scene my particular vehicle (1998 XJ8) discussed. One question I have is where to connect the neutral cable. I know it is supposed to be connected to an "unpainted metal surface" on the vehicle being charged. Is there a designated location in the trunk of my car for making this connection?

 

Since your were tugging on wiring in the console area, you might have stressed the wiring harness connector on the printed circuit board of the Gear Selector Module. The Gear Selector Module sits on the CAN Bus between the ECM and the Instrument Cluster. The Gear Selector reads the data packets to determine which gear the transmission is in and display it.
If your Gear Selector Module is not lighting up the gears (P, R, N D, etc.) then either ALL the internal LEDS are out (not likely) or it is not connected to the CAN Bus anymore.


An exception to this was my case. The PC board connector on my Gear Selector Module had one or more cracked pins that would cause the car to have a 'NO CRANK' issue but the module would still light up the gear lights.



If the white connector on the Gear Selector PC Board wiggles at all, then I would suspect that you are losing connection to the CAN Bus. This will cause the Instrument Cluster to pitch a fit and say some of the following:

• ABS Not Avail
• TSC Not Avail
• Engine Fail
• Incorrect Part Fitted
• And the Climate Control will probably beep 6 times and then display 'ERR'. It talks to the Instrument Pack thru another network and not the CAN

An appropriate DTC will be logged. Read your codes.


When checking the Gear Selector Module connector, touch the connector lightly and don't break something that may not be broken. If it does wiggle, It could have broken pins to the board. Your options then are to replace the Gear Selector Module (SNG Barratt has a good price on those) or break off the connector, remove the solder from the PC Board holes and solder the wires directly to the module.


Keep us all posted on your findings.

 

Before opening up the center console area again, I wanted to add an additional comment/question. Per Sean B's reply above regarding battery power, I tested the charge on my battery with a multimeter and I get a reading of only about 11 V. Sean B's message suggests that this may be insufficient to start the engine. Battery is pretty old and I'm tempted to replace it with a new one and then see if I can start the engine. Alternatively, I'm wondering if it would make sense to try to jump start the Jag with jumper cables. Would the charge received from a good 12 V battery (in my Toyota Highlander) be sufficient to start the Jag if the battery is in fact my problem? Could someone please briefly tell me the correct procedure with jumper cables? I am very familiar with doing this except that I'm not sure what to connect the negative jumper cable to in the trunk of Jag? Thanks much for any additional thoughts.

 

With your battery that low I would be more inclined to temporarily replace it with a good battery and charge it out of the car.

 

If the battery voltage falls much below 11V while cranking, the ECM will not trigger the ignition to fire, but 10V is usually enough to at least cause the starter to try to rotate the engine, if more slowly than normal.

In addition to the excellent suggestions you've received already, you might search the forum for references to the security system and the key reprogramming JHartz mentioned. That seems like a prime suspect to me.

One other thought: Did you disconnect the battery negative cable before you began your work in the center console? If not, is it possible you simply shorted something and blew a fuse?

Cheers,

Don

 

11V will not get the engine turning. I've never jumped my car because I use 2 batteries. I like the suggestion of switching it for the good one while its on charge. To me its a plain case of too lower battery voltage, the key reprogram is a good call but doubtful knowing you've got 11v.

 

Thanks to all for the useful suggestions and comments. I've been away for a few days and have not made much progress. Here's where it stands:

I tried jump starting my XJ8 using my other vehicle which has a good 12V battery, with no luck. Engine would not start; would not even turn over - just a single "click" sound. I also connected the "donor" battery directly to the XJ8 battery cables; again no luck - just a single "click". I would love to think that the battery is the problem but it doesn't seem to be the case. I should mention that I had the battery "out of mind" for a number of years without having any problems with it. The current issue has caused me to think about the battery and I think it is at least 8 years old. I'm going to replace the battery once I get the engine starting problem resolved and am driving the car again. Do you think the starting problem itself may be attributable to the battery, despite the procedures I have tried as outlined above? Should I just go ahead and replace it? Is it still possible that the battery is the culprit?

I'm also open to the suggestions to re-program the key. However, I have two keys and am having the starting problem regardless of which key I used? Does this eliminate key programming as a possible cause of my problem? Is it possible that both keys need re-programming?

To reiterate, I am getting no error or failure messages. All other electrical components (lights, fan, radio, etc.), are working. Gear selector seems to work as it should. Can move it smoothly from one position to another and I get the proper red light in each position when selected. One oddity, which I briefly mentioned in my first post, is that the analog clock has stopped working.

I would like to pursue the suggestion to look for bad fuse. I know that there are five different fuse boxes in the vehicle. Can someone tell me where to start and how to proceed as far as looking for bad fuse. I'm also somewhat familiar with the brown relay switches that plug in sort of like an electrical plug - had to replace one years ago when wipers stopped working. Should I also be looking for a bad relay? Also, where to start?

Thanks much.

 

After posting the preceding update about an hour ago, I discovered another possible "clue" in case it helps:

Tried starting the engine when I happened to have the hood open. With hood open, there is a noticeable, constant humming noise that follows the single "click" when I try to start the engine. The hum continues until I turn the key off. Not positive, but this hum seems to be coming from under the hood just in front of the steering wheel. Does this tell you anything?
Thanks.

 

The click but no crank suggests the starter motor has a fault.

 

the hum should be the throttle.

 

I'm with JagV8- check the starter/apply power directly to it.

 

One possible source of a humming sound is a relay that is failing to latch properly. You don't list your location so we don't know if your car is LHD or RHD (it's helpful to at least know what continent you're on). Assuming your car is LHD and looking at the 1998 XJ Electrical Guide, which you can download either from this forum or from jagrepair.com:

1. The key transponder module appears to be located ahead of the steering wheel, possibly mounted on the firewall/bulkhead.

2. The Engine Management System Control Relay is under the hood on the left inner wheel well.

3. The Ignition Positive Relay is a little further forward of the EMS control relay, on the right end of a group of relays arranged in a T formation.

Cheers,

Don