Hello! My 2007 XK convertible has a defective odometer. It looks like I'm going to have to buy a used one to replace my old one. Will my car start with a different instrument cluster installed? Does it need to be reprogrammed in some way?
THANKS

 

Yes, it needs programming...every system on the car seems to go through the instrument cluster.

 

I have one in good condition for sale.
I guess what you have to do is put the same number of kilometers that you have in your car.
If you are interested, tell me.

 

Welcome to the forums slick.one,

As already stated, a replacement Instrument Pack definitely needs programming. The vehicle will not start with either a new or used one just plugged in.

Define "defective". Replacement is the nuclear option and best avoided if a repair is possible.

Graham

 

Thanks for you reply!
The odometer races upwards, even while stopped at a traffic light. So if I drive to the grocery store, three miles away, it will register 150 or so miles.

 

From what I've heard - instrument cluster should not be touched (all security systems incl immobiliser/keys etc are connected).
But I'd be very eager to hear results on someone else car if it worked or failed

I guess buying a used instrument cluster will not help you. Probably replacing with a new (without stored VIN etc) might work, with SDD programming. But no real life experience, talking about what I've heard from Jag's electrics pros.

 

I would only consider replacement of the IP (Instrument Pack) as a last resort as it is not guaranteed to resolve this issue. There are other components at play here.

The speedometer is driven by high speed CAN signals transmitted by the ABS (Anti Lock Brake System) module. Wheel speeds are measured by sensors reading the rotational speed of the rear wheels from toothed rings on the hubs. These are passed from the sensors to the ABS module as pulsed signals. The ABS module converts these signals into a speed output on the high speed CAN to the IP.

It's one of the situations where a SDD (Symptom Driven Diagnostics) session before committing to any component change could save a lot of expense.

Graham

 

I'll bet it shows your fuel mileage outrageously great!

 

I agree with Graham completely from extensive experience with strange goings on in my 2003 xkr I owned for a decade.
My instrument cluster was replaced on my x100 xkr and it didn't solve the issue- which ended up being a poor connection from one of the looms to the pack itself.
Symptoms included the fuel gauge dropping to zero, car failing to start, running out of fuel with 1/4 of a tank showing.
Diagnostics showed a communication failure- the instrument pack was sent off to BBA Reman (well known UK instrument pack specialist) who managed to blow it up for £125.
A new pack at £800 didn't solve the issue. 1 hour with a wiring diagram, and 1 hour cleaning up the connector with a pin and GT85 did.
If I'd backed myself from the start I'd have saved £1000 and not had a car with the wrong mileage on the pack which made it harder to sell on.

 

Thanks to everyone for their replies. Interesting reading for sure!
My latest frustration is with the seat control modules. The seat back control only moves the seat backwards, not forwards(upright). Ive replaced them both with used modules but they only seem to work properly for a week or so before they start exhibiting the same bad behavior.
Any suggestions?

 

has the car had a recent professional level diagnostic scan?

 

Yes.

 

Yes, you likely need a seat module calibration via SDD and this likely would've resolved the issue with the original modules.

 

That's it! Seats need to be recalibrated. Both times this happened after a dead battery incident. That's when they lose their calibration. I just saw a DIY calibration on Aston Martin seats and wonder if its the same for Jaguar? Otherwise, the dealer can probably recalibate them.

 

Here is the link to the Aston Martin diy seat calibration. Has anyone tried this on a Jaguar?
https://aston1936.com/2016/02/07/per...on-martin-db9/

 

Just an update on the odometer; I heeded advice on the forum and decided to not replace the Instrument Pack/Cluster. The car and all its functions, other than the odo, have been operating fine. It is a pleasure to drive! What I noticed today is that the odometer, and the trip odometer, are not running at all anymore and the final mileage reads 627,357 miles. Real mileage is estimated 55-60,000. The old adage 'if it aint broke, don't fix it" comes to mind in a special Jaguar kind of way! If it is broke, don't fix it! LOL

 

Damn...contact Jag to claim you have the highest mileage XK on the planet....kind of like that Volvo 1800 where the owner put 3.2 million miles on it since he bought it in 1966. Guinness world record for highest mileage car, BTW.

j/k, of course.

 

Here is an update on the crazy odometer problem I've been having. Turns out that replacing the instrument cluster does not solve the odo malfunction.
I have encountered exactly the same problem with a 2008 XKR Coupe. The customer bought the car with the odometer showing 999999 km. I updated whatever modules I could with the latest full SDD hoping that may help but to no avail. A colleague then took over and did his own troubleshooting and then used some clever aftermarket diagnostic system to set the mileage back to the expected number based on the existing service history of the car - the number was around 95000km.

The vehicle accepted this reprogramming and all seemed well until the car was moved. As soon as the wheels started to turn - within a foot or so - the odo started to go crazy again and raced up as before. We had a second XKR in the shop so decided to try swapping clusters. The replacement was fitted and programmed to the car and although it had a VIN mismatch error, it was accepted by the car and everything came to life as it should. But as soon as we moved the car the odo did the same thing.

Eventually we gave up and took the vehicle to the Jaguar dealer for them to fix. They tried many things and made numerous suggestions and finally decided that it needed a new cluster. It was agreed that we would not pay for the new one if it didn't fix the problem which was very fair of the agent but they were confident and were happy with that. And the new one also went crazy as soon as the car was moved!!

So the car is still with the agent and there is a lot of head scratching going on between them and the big boys at Jaguar Technical. (they did replace the two rear ABS sensors as well as part of the troubleshooting)

 

IIRC, the ODO and VIN data’s stored in multiple modules in the vehicle and all must match properly to function, no mismatch. A main dealer certainly has the ability to sort this with the assistance of JLR dealer support.

 

It's sixteen years ago so the memory is hazy but I recall the subject of odometer reading being mentioned when X150 was introduced. Around that time there was a serious problem in the UK with unscrupulous (aftermarket) dealers 'clocking' vehicles because a few thousand miles off the mileage reading added a few thousand pounds to the value. Total distance is also a factor in warranty claims which was of greater concern to the manufacturers.

JLR response was to store actual distance covered separately from odometer reading and to make this backup 'true' figure practically inaccessible. I presumed by 'inaccessible' this included dealers through the normal SDD route and IP programming procedure.

Graham