I have a no spark situation in my 94 XJ6. The only code it produced was a FF69. But it was getting fuel. I took it to a shop that works on euro cars they replaced the ignition relay, ECU modual, and the coil still no spark. After three plus weeks at the shop with no results they started to make up random reasons for the problem like we think the roof leaked and there is water in the system or we think rodents chewed some wires. I was getting the feeling that they are just replacing parts to see what happens instead of diagnosing the problem. So $1000 later I had it towed back to my house (when I got it back the driver door handle was broken and they denied any responsibility).
This car worked prefect one day and not the next so I believe it is repairable.
Because of the FF69 could it be like the code suggests low voltage do to a bad ground?

Any help would really help.
Thank you all
Dano

 

Hi, I feel for you, that garage had you by the short and curlies!

I'd certainly avoid them in the future.

On the 4 litre AJ6 engine, the FF69 is quoted as:
...so it might very well be that your original gearshift issue is still the problem!

AFAIK this issue has been addressed here in the forum - you should be able to search the archive and find a solution.

I haven't had that issue myself so can't offer any "been there done that advice" but maybe someone will come along and offer up some more pointers.

good luck with it mate

all the best

Larry

 

Hi Dano,

A couple of good search terms for the FF69 are "Park Neutral Switch" or "Neutral Safety Switch."

A problem with the park neutral switch can cause starting issues because the purpose of the switch is to prevent the engine from starting with the transmission gear selector in any position other than Park or Neutral.

One test you can do is to try to start the car with the gear selector in Neutral. You can also try wiggling the lever in the Park position to try to be sure it is fully seated in Park.

Two other common issues of sudden no-start conditions on the XJ40 are:

1. Low battery power. If the voltage falls much below 11V while cranking, the Engine Control Module (ECM (ECU on other vehicles)) will not trigger the ignition to fire the plugs.

2. A failing or failed Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS). Failure modes can vary, from intermittent no-starts over weeks, to sudden failure with little or no warning. The ECM relies on the CPS signal to determine engine timing, so without its signal you will have no spark. Most of our CPS issues have been failure of the sensor itself, but we once had a problem with oil contamination of the CPS electrical connector. The CPS is mounted on the front of the engine and its electrical connector is near the upper front right corner of the engine when viewing the engine from the driver's seat. To access the CPS connector, lean over the right front fender and look in the area above the distributor. Do this only when the engine is cool, because the exhaust manifold and upper radiator hose can burn you if the engine is hot.

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thank you for your responses guys. The car will turn over in P or N just not start. is there a test procedure for testing the P-N switch? #2 of Don B.'s situations is just about spot on. Is there a way to test that sensor?

Again thanks your one
Dano

 

Yes, look at the rev counter when cranking the engine. If the needle doesn't move, there's a pretty good chance the sensor has failed.

Larry

 

Well I pulled the CPS this morning and this is what I found. Thanks Don B. I ordered a new CPS I will let you know hopefully Thursday.

 

Dano,

Does it look like only the shielding wires are broken, or is one of the inner insulated wires also broken?

Just curious.

Don

 

well,
No love STILL... I thought for sure If I replaced the damaged CPS sensor(yes the shielding is bad on the old one) all would be okay, but no spark still. I have power to the coil but no spark...At this point I'm checking the rotor, coil wires, ect... Is there a computer modual i'm not aware of? what I'm I missing?
Thanks
Dano

 

Hi Dano,

What did your battery voltage measure while cranking? Do you have a meter that can react quickly enough to give an accurate reading while cranking? There is a hard limit voltage below which the ECM will not trigger the ignition to fire.

Below the coil is an ignition amplifier module mounted on a flat metal heat sink. The modules are not known for going bad, but the insulation on the wiring to the amplifier and coil can harden and crack. It would also be worth cleaning the connector to the amplifier and the connections to the coil. Also inspect the terminals on the coil - on our original coil the plastic just began to crumble around one terminal.

By the way, did the shop return the old ECM to you (for two reasons: it's yours, and to prove they really replaced it)? Problems with the ECM have almost universally been due to water ingress corroding the connector pins and circuit boards. I would think they would have mentioned that if they'd observed it. And also by the way, where did they get this replacement ECM?

Cheers,

Don

 

I realize that they did replaced the coil and the ignition control module under it. It also states on there invoice that they removed and replaced the Ignition Ignitor(not sure what that means). I know this may sound stupid but How does all this differ from the ECM? And is there a way to check?
Thanks again
Dano

 

Hi Dano,

I'm still anxious to know about your battery voltage while cranking. As I've mentioned twice before, if the battery voltage sags much below 11V while cranking, the ECM will not trigger the ignition to fire. Causes can be a weakening battery or corrosion or looseness on the battery power connections between the battery, fuse boxes, alternator and starter, or key ground points like the engine ground strap and the ground studs used by the ECM (two on the intake manifold, one on the firewall/bulkhead behind the cylinder head).

Have you tried giving the battery a good deep charge? If you don't have a battery charger, have you tried jump- or boost-starting the Jag with jumper cables connected to another vehicle's battery while its engine is running?

As to your question, to my knowledge there is no "Ignition Ignitor" on an XJ40 in the sense in which that term is typically used (an electronic replacement for the old contact breaker points in the distributor). The ECM drives the ignition module to switch the coil low tension circuit and monitors the output signal for onboard diagnostics. The distributor has no points inside - it just spins to connect the king lead to each plug in firing order via the rotor.

The Engine Control Module is mounted behind the passenger side knee bolster or underpanel. It controls the fuel injector pulse duration, ignition timing angle, idle speed, EGR and secondary air injection functions, operation of the carbon canister purge valve, etc. See the photo album below for the location:

Welcome to Jag-lovers - Members Photo Viewing Page

Here are links to a couple of Jaguar references that may be helpful:

Engine Management System Diagnostics Manual:
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...stem%20S91.pdf

Electrical Guide:
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...ec%20Guide.pdf

Cheers,

Don

 

Well, Thanks to everyone for your help...Still no love. I replaced the battery with a super duty battery to make sure I was getting the full 11 volts to the system. I also replaced the ECM from a place called Jag Services out of Lansing il.
So to recap I have replace the
Ignition amp.
Coil
ECM
Battery
Ignition relay
CPS
Very frustrated, everything else on the car is prefect and it sit's there in my driveway beautiful as ever but will not fire.
I will go over every connection and ground I can find.
I want to give up...But I won't...
Dano

 

What about the immobilizer switch in the driver's footwell - has that tripped?

Just shooting in the dark here ..


Larry

 

from another forum - something else to try:

Larry

 

Not sure want and/or where the immobilizer switch or inertia switch are at but I will check all of these possibilities and let everyone know.
Again thanks to all.
Dano

 

Hi Dano,

On a LHD car, the inertia switch is mounted in the forward left corner of the driver's footwell. Pull back the carpeting and you'll see a red plastic box that covers the battery power connection, and above that is a black plastic box that you can see in the top of the frame in the photo below:





On top of the black plastic box is a small plunger-type button. I believe it pops up when the switch has been activated and you need to depress it to restore the car's functions, but I could be wrong, so try the button in both positions.

BTW, while you're there, it's a good idea to remove the nut and wire eyelet/ring terminals from the battery power connection and clean everything with a brass brush and electrical contact cleaner (disconnect the battery negative and positive terminals first). There are several battery power connections in the car and resistance due to a little corrosion on each terminal can add up to significant voltage loss at the starter and alternator.

Cheers,

Don

 

I went through the ECM test procedures and it looks ok. I get power at the ECM, ignition amp, and the coil. I'm going to pick up a better volt meter today, hopefully I can test to see if it is getting a pulse to the ignition amp. I have to be missing some think somewhere. I will be moving in three week and I really don't what to tow it there

 

Hey everyone,
I found out after testing every part that the rotor was bad(although it look prefect it tested bad) and again I thought of coarse it will not fire with a bad roto. So I installed a new rotor, cap and wires and thought for sure it would fire this time, still no love. I think I have replaced everything in the chain....What I'm I missing. Up to about $1400 in parts and/or labor. My wife whats me to cut my losses at this point. I Told her I'd rather walk than drive a generic Asian car.
Thanks for everyone's help
Dano

 

Dano,

A couple of possibilities:

1. The engine ground strap is the return path that completes the ignition circuit. Try removing the strap, thoroughly cleaning its terminals, the screws that secure it, and the points on the engine and body where it attaches.

2. It is possible that your ignition switch is failing and will connect the starter but is not connecting the other circuits. You can test the switch at its electrical connector inside the steering column cowl. The wires that should connect with each other at each key position are shown in the Electrical Guide.

3. Larry mentioned failed solder joints in fuse boxes - well worth checking. I have a photo album on the subject - see the link in my signature.

4. The Electrical Guide shows all the connections in the ignition circuit, which includes at least a couple of relays, the Ignition On relay and the EMS (Engine Management System) relay. Have you checked those?

5. Have you ruled out the Park/Neutral switch, and if so, how?

Please keep us informed.

Don

 

I will check all those things today. If you can get the motor to turn over it would not be the P-N switch is that correct or is there a situation that it would turn over with the switch bad? is there a way to test or by-pass? I'm having trouble locating all the relays they don't seem to match the illustrations.
Thanks for your help
Dano