Well, I played with it tonight, and I guess I was wrong about 1 thing. The ratchet doesn't seem to work. the lever just flops up and down, the button doesn't seem to catch anything. I guess I need to pull the interior apart to find the trouble.

I checked under the car, and the cables and lever look fine. Everything looks great actually, it's like a brand new car underneath except for some oil drippage from the front of the engine area.

I also can't find anything that is noticably loose in the front suspension. The ball joints, control arm bushings, shocks, and everything seem OK. Is there anything that typically wears out to cause a clunk?

 

Yah, find the bracket that connects the handle to the cabling. See what's up with that, then determine if your shoes need only adjusted (theres a thread for that in the XK8 forum with instructions) or replaced. One thing at a time.

As for the suspension, clunking I've found and read on here, are most often caused by deteriorated (or even thinning) sway bar bushings (can't see them unless your upside down and very close), lower shock bushing, and upper shock mounts.

 

I am a new owner of an 03 xk8 .. the salesperson admonished me ... this is a weird handbrake. You do not feel the tension, untill you push the button In, while pulling it UP .. if it is active .. braking.

Anecdotelly .. I've owned alot of Fords over the years, and perhaps the "left hand control" available only to the driver, is reflected in the choice to place the hand brake beyond the control of the passenger. In a Jag, that is certainly the case, but even my '52 8N has the ignition switch "burried" way down on the left side. Had a '50 Ford ... same deal .. ignition and push-button ... was left of the operator. Stubebaker needed to clutch all the way in, to push the starter switch. Gotta '08 Jinma 354 here ... same deal.

So .. some things really don't change that much .. over 60 years, and the Jag parking brake, is just the current iteration. It is "weird" as it is not what we are used to, but it works ... and I'm glad the quoted poster put it so suscinctly and eloquently. I am just echoing his knowledgable sentiments, and adding a little historical color.

 

Here's some news.

A buddy of mine came over today while I was pulling the interior out to get at the handbrake. I had only gotten the seats out and was vacuuming the carpeting when he got there. I explained what I was up to, and told him how the handle just flopped loosely.

Then I went to demonstrate, and suddenly there was tension on the handle that had never been there before! So I pulled it up, pressed the button and let the handle down. Then I started the car, and no more brake light. Another problem down without me actually doing anything. My buddy asked if Lucas was making handbrakes.

Next, when I had pulled the front and rear seats I noticed the padding under the rear seat was wet on the passsenger side. Oil. It turns out the passenger side lift cylinder for the top is leaking, so I have that to fix next. Are the cylinders the same side to side, and through the model years? I am wondering, in case I find one on ebay or something, if I need the exact one.

Lastly, I finally got all of the new gaskets to redo both cam covers, so that is done. I also got a new intake tube since mine was cracked where it attached to the throttle body. Not where it would be an air leak, but cracked where the bolts hold it down. Maybe it was fitting loos to the throttlebody.

It seems to run a bit better now, but I think it still has a misfire at idle, and seems to run rough at light throttle. We pulled codes and got the following as history codes, P0112, P1316, P0102, P0040. We cleared the codes, and they didn't return right away. So I shut it down, and pulled the negative battery cable for the night, thinking it might need to clear and restart it's case-learn now that some things have been fixed.

If that doesn't clear up the misfire I am thinking about trying to clean the MAF. When I first got this the whole intake was dripping wet with oil, even the air filer was wet with oil. I wiped it all up as best I could, but I still thinkn there may be oil residue in the MAF.

 

Andy, there's a parts diagram link on the FAQ page for our XK8 section that has all the part numbers, including those 'rams' for the top. IIRC, they're identical...no left/right versions.

Also, in that same FAQ, theres a PDF document that demonstrates how to clean the throttle body also, including the MAF...very instructional with lots of pics. W/o looking at your code meanings, not sure what else to tell you right now. Those P codes look uncommon.

PS, also put the MY of your XK8 in your profile (or signature) so we don't have to keep trying to find it, I wanted to make sure your Pcodes were for your car when I went into my JTIS, just in case. Do you have a copy of the JTIS, the DTC codes are tabled in an Adobe pdf file.

Alright, Pcodes -

 

Thanks for the help. I do have JTIS installed on my computer at home, but I admit I haven't used it since I have had the XK8. I've just been winging it so far.

I am pretty sure I reallly did get a P0040 code. From what I have dug up it says something about the O2 signals being swapped.

http://www.jaguar-online-club.de/obd...t_codes.0.html

I beleive the MAF and IAT signals being low, the IAT is in the MAF housing correct? That whole thing is covered in oil. I'll try to see about getting it cleaned up.

I think I will also pull the spark plugs again and see how they look. Perhaps one or more of those is fouled from the mess that was in the cylinders.

Which bank is bank A?

Also here is a picture of what I am working on. Not bad for being pulled from the junkyard.

 

There's another document in the FAQ sticky, titled Vehicle Specifications Document, that shows your banks, firing order, and cylinder IDs. Check out Pg 13, and continued good luck!

Not sure about the IAT, that's foreign to me, sorry.

Thanks for putting the MY in your sig... appreciated.