Good Morning XK8 Brain Trust Members

This is a strange one.

A few days ago I removed my driver's door for the LONG awaited hinge repair. Door was sagging due to a tear at the connection point of the driver's door, bottom hinge, on the door side of the connection. I have a good welder (been wanting to get my own 110/120V MIG). Repair went smoothly, and during I learned some things about door removal - and such. One thing I learned ---- I would LOVE to drive her without doors and top down, lol.... Anyways

In order to remove the door, besides door card and fixings, the only thing that needs to come out to access 6 13mm bolts and inner hinge connections is the door brain. (Well, there's also the large plastic threaed connector and the door swing limiter and catch - the catch threw us at first - there is a 'hidden' 13mm bolt connecting the 'catch' to the pillar that needs undoing). The ECU (can kinda make it out in the photo) that attaches with 3small 8mm bolts and is tucked in the inside of the door cavity. Two LARGE LOCKING connectors and looms connect to the ECU. The clips are easy enough to remove AFTER turning off the 3 bolts. One black, one blue - impossible to mis-connect due to connector shapes on reassembly.

btw - the ECU was disconnected and removed during welding, door off the car and, and grounded during operation.

Anyways, when the job was done (after some serious fiddling with door alignment) I went to put everything of the door workings back together. I plugged in the ECU, threaded plastic door connection between door and body and started getting some strange behavior from the windows and locks. Lock flickered thru cycles, windows didn't want to be controlled from driver's to passengers side, steering wheel would adjust to "presets" that I hadn't set AND (where I suspect my problem is) the alarm would and still doesn't work to control the locks. The alarm will set (doors unlocked) 80-90% of the time but not always. All the weird funny stuff that you might imagine.

This morning I went to key the door and something felt wrong. I got in, turned the key, to get an interesting rattle (one I've never heard - low and steady - from under the stearing console. Dash lights would light up on one key turn and not the next. Needles would move into and thru positions but return to flat AND windows, none, would go up or down, locks not responding to anything but the key with door closed (driver's window pinned ALL THE WAY UP,,, in this awkward and impossible position against the roof line (convertible) and window frame-out... She wouldn't begin to respond to starting... Alllllll bad business... A no start condition?

After assembling everything at the garage, about 15miles from home, she ran and started fine. Quirky problems with windows and locks starting to act up...

I will go home after work, and if its not to cold, I will slowly take the card off and go and inspect.

But what could this be and what on earth am I even looking for? Could it be as simple as fuses (I've checked both pillar fuse boxes) but which?

Sorry to say I only have these 2 photos...

Any and all help, support and suggestions are super appreciated...

 

I would try a hard reset by disconnecting the battery and touching the two battery cables together to discharge any capacitors that are storing power. Make sure your battery is fully charged as well, low voltage will cause many odd problems.

 

I surely will... But a no start? I am really confused about all of the individual components that are affected... Also, things that were working, not... Crazy cars these things are...

 

Quick q: did you disconnect the battery before removing the ECM?

 

OMG,,,, I didnt... Please don't tell me (that's a figure of speech, lol)... Tell me, hahaha

 

I didn't on the 1, 2 or 3 connects and disconnects... Is this going to be BAD???

 

I just read this... Hmmm.
This doesn't sound good...

 

I should have read your post more carefully. I thought you meant the engine module rather than the door one

Possibly something got trapped/shorted (or a bad connection) when you reassembled the door? Follow Muncie's suggestion first then, if there's still an issue, perhaps disconnect the door loom at the door pillar connector and see if things improve re starting. The doors do talk to other modules and to each other so they may have got confused

It's never a bad move to disconnect the battery when you're doing work of this nature.

 

You're right. It was a stupid move. One thing I've learned and really mean to work on is my willingness or ability to be more thorough and to take my time and, do it right, as they say. I get all rushy and sloppy. I fully intended to discon the battery when I was planning the job, in my head.

What about the touching of the ground to the positive terminal for a reset, or is it better to simply clamp the battery leads together for a while?

Confused,,, I have seen that with this car before and it ain't pretty when it's happened. I drove her after the job and initially the only thing not working was the passengers side window with the driver's side control... Now this. I will go home and try the reset...fingers crossed.

Thank

 

You're being a little hard on yourself. I'd call it a mistake and we all make 'em. We don't have smog checks here so there's no downside other than the window limit reset.

You can hold the end of the ground strap against the + battery terminal for 30 seconds or so. If you're feeling extra keen you could turn the ignition to II while you do that, although I doubt it makes any difference.

Good luck!

 

Bit confused here. I presume you mean you took off the door module not the Engine control unit module in the engine bay.

That being said, if you forgot to disconnect the battery during bodywork welding, you MAY have fried some other control modules. However there are relays and fuses that protect against this type of overload.

Good luck with the advice above. Obviously the first module to check is the door one.

 

*** First line, Dave... The door was worked on (welded) oft the car...


Damndest thing.

Got home and dove in. Measured across poles on the battery to find 7.8 volts (we had our first 20degree night two days ago), car off, nothing else done at that point. Scratched head a while - dark out. Keyed the door, dead everything. No locks, alarm, start or windows - at all...

The battery is fairly new, always strong, holds charge for looooong stretches of time when I'm not driving. Strange.

Disconnected the battery after holding the negative to the positive for well over 30 seconds. First time I ever did that,,, scared to even do it for the first second! You know that feeling!?

Clipped the POS and NEG cables together and did some other things on the 928... Things went well there. About 45min or so. Came back to the car, measured across the battery with no leads connected,,, 7.8 volts. Connected the positive, holding the NEG lead to the positive for a good long while again to reset... Tested key and functions, dead. Hmm

Started messing around with the large plastic connector for alll door function between pillar and door. Something didn't seem right. Disconnected it. There are maybe 20+ pins in that connection that have to be rightly lined up with the receiver when ya screw it down. I assumed the guides would handle orienting it into RIGHT position, bit it seems not. Fiddly thing. So, after some messing around in that tight space, some cursing and deep breaths, for a sec I seemed to seat it and I could hear clicks in the door! Locks! Good. Kept fiddling and eventually seated it, jumped car and she started right up! Good!

May I had mis-seated it in a way that put a low voltage positive pin to a negative pin and it slooooowly drained the battery over two days? I can't figure the battery issue or going from semi working door components or ZERO working components. Anyways,,,,

Strange thing is the RESET did nothing. Presets on the radio still in place. Radio on the last station played. No engine seek at start or changes to the trip computer numbers. No effect.

Measured across battery poles, 13.8 volts. Good! Windows were still behaving strangely,,, checked fused at passengers pillar,,, found a 10amp (I think 10) blown fuse. Replaced and all is well.

Reset windows, let battery charge idling car, turned her off and tested the alarm and 12mm window run up (convertible) at door close. All good.

AND A RIGHT CLOSING DOOR TO BOOT!!! First time since owning her... All is well on the Isle of Staten, lol

Thank you all so much for you time, sharing your worked for experience and the guidance! It's matters and is reassuring to know you'll help. REALLY...

 

We forget that these cars are as much "Electric" as "Petrol" powered. I do the same, plan everything out in my head, then forget or skip a step or two(Batt. disconnect, etc.) Maybe common action in our rush to get our "Baby" back on the road.

 

Ain't that the truth... Add to that, in this case, a rare case, I was paying someone (the welder) for his time and space. He was very fair, and took his time - charged me very little - but I didn't know that in the beginning... That's where I skipped some steps. For me, at the end of a job, especially because I work on the street outside of my apartment,,, I get sloppy,,, working like I can't just let things sit for an additional day. Hard to explain and I honestly don't know why I do it. I fight it, but it happens every time.

 

Well done!

Bullet dodged there! Still mistakes do happen. As for the bad door pins’ connection, happens to all of us when we’re in a rush. Unbeknownst to me I previously bent a pin in a XK8 connection under the Centre console and was left scratching my head why things weren’t working. Still sorted it, just like you.

Now you’re back up and running. Enjoy!

 

Just working on the street in N.Y/N.Y is enough to make one want to skip steps. I tried it on a friend's care in Queens, many years ago. Quite an experience.

 

I have to say that I admire your persistence. A lot of people (most) would never have tried to fix the door hinge, and the car would have just continued downhill. It is strange that the door connector would cause so many problems, but I guess it's all a system. Congrats !

 

Thank you all for the encouragement and kind words! Really!

No matter how "nice" I am to them, the cars don't offer it often, lol. Sometimes the opposite,,,, sometimes a lil something encouraging --- usually on an OPEN stretch O road,,, windows and top down. Daily worries being left in the dust..... It's all fun, unless it's not 😜