Hello all;
I have a 98 convertible. For several years the car can't be locked with the fobs. Where I'm at and my usage, it's not important, but I've decided it's time to fix it. Also, I've heard, true or not, that a bad module can disable the radio sound. More important. Both remotes turn on lights and open trunk but that's it. So, i bought 2 used modules of identical numbers and tried them. Nothing. No reaction in reset proc.I put the original back in, lights and trunk ok and reset puts alarm light on but nothing else. Also one fob does not start car but that was from before. I"d like to know what I'm missing, if trying used units is worth effort, If the module has anything to do with radio.
Sincerely,
Don

 

Hi Don,

I'm no expert on the matter, but when I bought my XK8 4.2S (Victory Edition in the USA) at auction it came without any fobs. After getting a pair of new ones and failing to get them to pair to the car, I contacted the previous owner who had taken the car to a Jaguar dealer and they basically diagnosed the Security Locking Module was faulty but they "were unable to source replacement parts". Fortunately I managed to get a spare one of exactly the same part number from a scrap yard and although it didn't seem to want to go into programming/pairing mode after perseverance it just worked (after countless attempts) and has been fine ever since. It didn't affect the radio or anything else it just meant I had to unlock the car with a key and had to get the key in the ignition within about 7 seconds before the alarm went off. There are firms that will repair the tracks on the printed circuit boards in the module or replace other failed components so that may also be an option. Here in the UK you can expect to pay £250 for that which isn't cheap. Also worth checking that your replacement SL module hasn't come from Europe as they work on a different frequency to the USA. I think it is just a case of eliminating things one at a time, but it sounds like your fobs are paired if they work the light and the trunk release so it might not be a pairing issue but another fault. Best of luck Mark.

 

Have you tried opening up the fobs and using electrical contact cleaner on the button tracks? I've have issues with dirt ingress that is fixed with a single clean. The buttons you use every time are (lock and unlock) are more likely to be affected than the lesser-used lights and boot buttons.

I terms of 'one fob not starting the car', that has nothing to do with the fobs - they play no part in that.