Hey Guys,

Thought I would pick everyone’s brain today. I had the cruise not available/check rear lights warning for some time. Knew it had to be a brake switch and I had two faulty ones in the garage. I switched out the bad micro switch with a good micro switch on one and installed the switch today. To my surprise only cruise not available is popping up now!

Before I go out and get a new brake switch I was wondering if you guys had any suggestions on other things to try. It seems like my repaired switch did do something but it sure is a bummer to not have cruise

Thanks!

Corey

 

In our case, the fix was to replace BOTH microswitches in the assembly, not just one. Plus, we used much-better quality microswitches compared to the factory components....

 

Yea I figured that might be the case. Do you have a link to the actual switches you used? I am going to give that a shot. Also, do you know if repeated soldering and heating/cooling of a circuit board affects its performance and functionality? I would hate to damage the board by doing this again but it is worth a shot.

Thanks!

Corey

 

Someone posted the following source for the switches:
Micro switches (D2HWA211D OMRON) $13 including shipping from https://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine?Keyword=D2HWA211D

Someone else got them from arrow.com. Search on "D2HWA211D" in jaguarforums.com to find the threads.

 

Hey Everyone,

Just an update. I received the new switches last night and installed them into the circuit board. Tested everything with the ohm tester and the switches seemed to work properly. Installed it this AM and it did not fix the problem. As soon as my speed gets up to 5 mph you get the "Cruise Not Available" warning but no "check rear lights" which used to pop up. I am at a loss here on how to proceed. Do you think the circuit board itself might be problematic when powered up or could there be another issue that I need to sort out?

Thanks!

Corey

 

I have the same issue on my 2004. The warning is intermittent.

I assumed it was the switch acting up. Now I am not so sure. Interested where this goes...

 

had the same problems. Cruise not available was caused by low transmission fluid changed the fluid which should have been done since upgrade to bolts etc was needed also. Works perfect now. tail light comes and goes because there is one led in 3rd brake light is out. since very expensive to fix just left it alone.

 

Just an update here. I cleaned the electrical connections at the brake switch and took the snorkel out to see if anything under it going into the throttle body looked off. We just replaced the valley hoses and I was hoping that something might have been left unconnected. Still getting "Cruise Not Available" though.

Any ideas on what to try next? Also, do you guys think there is a chance that I just need to buy a new brake switch? I repaired the one that is in the car and perhaps one of the two microswitch repairs is bad or maybe the circuit board or the wires are bad. It passes a continuity test but then again so did the bad switch that I took out.

At this point I am completely stumped and at a dead end trying to get the cruise back.

 

Both of our failing brake pedal switch assemblies passed the obligatory continuity tests, but they both still resulted in the "Cruise Not Available" and "Check Rear Lights" messages alternating on the dash. Replacing the microswitches with two much-better-quality microswitches solved the problem for us (this was in December 2016). Granted, I had an EE friend do the microswitch replacements for me because I knew his workmanship on the bench would be top-notch....

 

At this point, you have likely gone as far as you can with trying to resolve this issue with guesses. The next step is to retrieve the diagnostic codes with a Jaguar/Land Rover aware scan tool (a generic scan toll will not do). Once you have codes, you can look them up and even search this forum for past occurrences. Chances are there will be several codes, most of them historic, so an ability to reset codes and scan again later is important.

PS: another "free" test is to double check the adjustment on the trigger of the brake switch. The way it is installed, the switch is engaged when the brake pedal is at rest. You need to double check that is in fact the case. If not, the brake lights should be on even with you foot off the pedal and the car should not upshift (unless you use the shifter). This situation can be corrected by adjusting the ratchet on the trigger. Hard to explain with words, but semi-obvious with the part on hand.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Good call on the adjustment of the switch. I do believe it is functioning properly based upon the clicking noises it makes but I will double check to see if the brake lights are being activated when I am not depressing the brake.

Where would you acquire or get access to a Jaguar/Land Rover aware scan tool aside from the dealership? Do you have a model or part number I can use to search the internet for one? Hopefully, my independent mechanic has one as I am scared to head to the local dealer. I suppose they might be able to run diagnostics for me for a nominal fee but I would never hire them to do any work on the car.

 

I have a handheld Foxwell device that works OK, acquired used locally. Others have experience with iCarSoft. Check eBay and Amazon. Make sure you adjust your expectations. Scan tools in general involve a handful of basic hardware protocols that tend to be very well supported by just about everything (think CAN, SCP, etc.), but vendor-specific software tends to involve a TON of metadata that is hard to QA. The reality is that scan tool vendors make lots of claims in terms of support that are true for a brand in general, but do not necessarily work for your specific model (even if they should). The bottom line is that you need to look at getting a scan tool because it will save/help you most of the time, but not necessarily all the time. And software updates tend to be focused on adding support for new car models, not fixing broken things for older cars.

Other option is to get a copy of SDD/IDS to run on a laptop, coupled with a suitable data cable. Some piece it together, others buy a known kit from the UK. This is "dealer-level" diagnostics software.

 

Ditto on fmertz's suggestion to check for error codes with a good scan tool; there are quite a few other possible issues that will result in the same message you're getting. Could be a vacuum hose or actuator leak, a bad rear wheel bearing, a dirty/damaged ABS sensor, low trans fluid (as noted by So Sick above), dirty/damaged speed sensor, or other issue not associated with the brake switch. It could even be a failing battery, as we all know that our cats require lots of electrical juice.

Check: Open the hood with the engine running and listen from different points for a high-pitched sucking sound that will reveal a vacuum leak. These engines depend on (surprisingly high) vacuum internally and will start to throw codes even before the engine starts running rough enough to notice. Could be a loose oil cap or deteriorated o-ring. Could be the oil dipstick not seated completely. More likely, it is the aged PVC breather hose. My experience (at 90,000 miles) it that it gets so brittle from age and engine heat that it will crack and crumble in your hands as you try to remove it; duct tape won't patch it for long. Forum member Gary VanRemortel has a hard to find, heavy duty replacement hose available, (be sure to keep your end connectors as they are reusable).

Check: If you have more than 100,000 miles on original rear wheel bearings, they are probably going south. Jack up each side of the rear and check vertical wheel play at 12 and 6. If there's more than 1/8th of an inch (3.2 mm) play, it's time to replace the bearings, before one fails and damages a hub ($$$). Better to do it a little early than to have one start to fail 250 miles from home, without tools or a trusted mechanic. (Ask me how I know....)

After checking these two items, it's going to get trickier to diagnose other possible issues. Most auto supply stores have a scanner that will show many generic error codes, but a dedicated scanner is worth the investment to pull Jag-specific codes that a generic reader can't reveal. I haven't had to use mine in over a year, but it paid for itself early on when I first acquired my barn-find XK8 and started restoring it.

Let us know how your diagnostics and repairs are going. At least once something is fixed/replaced, it's seldom necessary to repair the same issue again for another 50,000 to 100,000 miles...

 

fmertz, is this the iCarSoft scanner that you are referring to?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/iCarsoft-LR...oAAOSwXC1c28Zw

 

cs81srq,
Yes I reckon that will read codes.
Also, the Foxwell works