To Carelm:

That's good basic information for owners. One would hope that a Jaguar dealer service department would have monitored the fuel trim data from the oxygen sensors to quantify the mixture of a particular car in the event they were chasing a sulphur smell.

 

mine isnt an R model, its not even an XK. 2004 XJ8, with this exact same issue.

 

Recap to date:

brdave: 2004 XKR conv, top up, driver's window (only) down, sulphur smell on deceleration.

eaglexkr: 2000 XKR convertible, top up or down, both windows open, smell on deceleration.
No description given for odor.

govatos: '06 XKR Coupe, "drivers window open a crack... occurs when I accelerate hard...
I would call it an oil smell, but maybe exhaust".

SrateLoss: no offense to you, but I don't think a normally aspirated sedan falls under whatever umbrella might exist for these particular complaints.

h2oboy: XKR convertible, what year? What kind of smell?

rusbel: 2008 XJR. I'll presume that is not a convertible.

MarkBrown: 2008 XKR coupe. He identifies a sulphur smell in the cabin.

dafelix: 2003 XKR. Coupe or convertible? I'm not sure exactly what sort of odor you are smelling

Although these cases are grouped together, it does not suggest by any means that they are all the same symptom with a common cause. All this means is that people smell stuff.

Govatos, I still maintain that what you think smells like oil is oil.

Still alot of information missing on just this small number of complaints, particularly about any noticeable changes in odor from alternate fuel blends.

CALLING AVOS: Greetings Andre, I suspect you might be reading this. Any input, particularly about changes in your exhaust odor before and after ECM REMAPPING?

If anybody wants to take another proactive step beyond experimenting with your fuel blend, here's a simple test: Get a roll of duct tape and seal off the air inlet screen at the cowl. That's the entry path into the cabin for any exhaust or burned oil fumes from the engine bay. See if you can smell a difference.

 

is this a supercharger issue or an odor issue. the symptons are identical, either way >unsubscribed.

 

I used to have a red Subaru station wagon. Blew a head gasket.

Now I have an old red Ford Ranger truck. Haven't bothered to diagnose the internal engine failure, just pushed it out of the way.

So I guess that means that any vehicle I buy with a Japanese-built four cylinder engine is going to be unreliable, particularly if it is red.

 

FEET-- brdave: 2004 XKR conv, top up, driver's window (only) down, sulphur smell on deceleration.

Dogs-- eaglexkr: 2000 XKR convertible, top up or down, both windows open, smell on deceleration.
No description given for odor.

Kids-- govatos: '06 XKR Coupe, "drivers window open a crack... occurs when I accelerate hard...
I would call it an oil smell, but maybe exhaust".

Fish under seat-- SrateLoss: no offense to you, but I don't think a normally aspirated sedan falls under whatever umbrella might exist for these particular complaints.

old milk-- h2oboy: XKR convertible, what year? What kind of smell?

Brothers Feet-- rusbel: 2008 XJR. I'll presume that is not a convertible.

Gassy-- MarkBrown: 2008 XKR coupe. He identifies a sulphur smell in the cabin.

Rig in front of him-- dafelix: 2003 XKR. Coupe or convertible? I'm not sure exactly what sort of odor you are smelling

Humour post by brjjag utilising original post by JTO
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN ORIGINAL POST BY JTO EDITED BY BRGJAG

 

That's preety funny, I just wish you hadn't made it look like I wrote it. If you can edit that , I would appreciate it.

 

sorry dude

 

seems my smell is fixed guys ! i took the car in for

1. Odor in the cabin under hard acceleration - could not duplicate (of course)
2. Slight knock in the drivers side front when you turn - could not duplicate (of course)
3. Change oil and oil filter 132.00
4. Declined air filter change n/c
5. Replaced pollen filter 109.00
6. Replaced missing license plate light assembly n/c
7. Fixed small scratch in lower right front valance n/c

ok i don't know what fixed the smell but i tell you this i have no smell at all in my cabin anymore and i ran the dog out of it for several laps around my private track.

Model year/ engine type = 2008 Jaguar / 4.something supercharged
Body style = XKR Coupe
Condition when odors detected: = Hard Acceleration like pedal to the metal and when let up the smell comes in the cabin like crazy - sulfur smell.
Cabin sealed up? = Yes! best I can trunk shut and windows up.
Climate control on? = Yes - tried both recirculating and non recirculating air.
Widows open? = No!
Top down? = No!
Vehicle dynamics at time odor is detected: = (must be too dumb to answer that)
Highway speed? No!
Stuck in traffic? = No!
Only during or after hard acceleration? = YES!
Residual odor in car after a period at rest? = Yes must immediately roll down windows or the smell will kill you dead!

Note: Listen it's a miricle that I don't have that smell it was so bad I thought I would total the car from passing out while driving it. I smell nothing now at all, I will continue to monitor it and let you know if I was dreaming or not. Hope to not wake up if I am dreaming cause I love my XKR big time now.


mark

 

Cheers to you both. Eagle, tried changing gas stations?

 

Well there you go guys, you just have to run the DOG out of it on your private test tracks.

Eagle, do you get underneath your own car?

 

Model year: 2003
Engine type: 4.2 Supercharged
Body style: Coupe
Current Mileage: 65,000 miles (bought the car new with delivery miles - about 64 miles when I got mine).

Condition when odors detected:

Cabin sealed up? YES
Climate control on? YES
Windows open? NO
Top down? NO
Vehicle dynamics at time odor is detected:
Highway speed? ANY SPEED
Stuck in traffic? NO
Only during or after hard acceleration? YES
Residual odor in car after a period at rest? NO (unless the olfactory did not detect because used to the smell after some time).

TYPE OF SMELL: Burning rubber or sulphury

The best way you can verify that we aren't all liars is if your test drove the car with us and I am sure that those of use whom are here complaining would have absolutely no problems with Jaguar UK sending Factory Technicians out for said verifications.

The fact still remains that the dealers have tested our car (certainly my car) and have confirmed that the smell is there, however all are at a lost to offer any justifiable or logical explanation.

Excuse me for being fussy, but when one pays over $100,000.00 for a top of the line car, especially with a marque like Jaguar, we do not expect nasty smells coming into the car, no matter what the explanation is, the explanation is irrelevant. There should be no smell, except of the leather and perhaps our colognes or our other half's perfume...

unless Jaguar starts advertising with a slogan "smell the burning rubber with our new Jaguar", i think Jaguar better step up to the plate and deliver on its promises. At least most of the customers here have little ****ly problems.

I have had one nightmare after another since I bought my car new and to top it off, I have a dealership that must be hell bent on destroying my car or perhaps wearing me down so that I go away permanently by selling my dud car to some other sucker who knows no better than to listen to Jaguar's excuses and swiss cheese explanations.

 

As clearly stated, I do not work for Jaguar.

Finding an explanation is a necessary prerequisite to applying a solution. Sorry for wasting your time, although it has been my pleasure to provide you with this additional opportunity to relieve your stress. If you are in search of an apologist for the vehicles, you're talking to the wrong guy.

Speaking of nerve, my olfactory one can distinguish between the pungent aromas of burning rubber and sulphur. It's not your job to fix the car, but it's a shame that those in your location who bear the responsibilty cannot. So my intent was, if no greater remote sensing could be achieved, to at least attempt to divide and conquer these problems through a discourse concerning the smell you are getting and where it is coming from. Up to this point, it hasn't been the advice that stinks.

 

In Post #50, Mark Brown states that his cabin odor is gone, although no corrective action was taken by his servicing dealer as far as anyone is declaring.

Unless the dealer installed side skirts or an F1 rear air diffuser, the external aerodynamics of a 2008 XKR coupe had nothing to do with his problem. Obviously some sort of backdraft would be a persistant, and consistant problem with every similar vehicle. That was never a likely conclusion, and is now one step closer to the delete column.

Mr. Brown posted the sales advertisement for his beautiful new Jaguar. Is it not safe to assume that a 2008 coupe, sold in August of 2009 at a 30% discount, had been toodled around the dealer's lot for quite some time? One hundred test drives by intimidated prospective buyers, and trips back and forth from the wash rack to the Dealer's front line, will load up the catalytic converters. That's a fact. It also contaminates the engine oil with unburned fuel and thus affects the exhaust content.

Why it apparently took quite an amount of vigorous driving to finally clear out the converters is as mysterious to me as the price of his oil change. I would have thought that a day or two of repeated "Road test tuneups" would have been sufficient, but absent of any other corrective action it appears that blowing out the car cast the problem into the wind.

Is this a common occurance? Possibly, but it is certainly no design flaw or latent defect. If there was an ECM software reprograming performed, an exhaust or oil leak repaired, or a molded pile of scrambled eggs removed from under the passenger's seat, we don't know about it.

SCRATCH THIS ONE FROM THE LIST. Better yet, I'll label it RESOLVED BY BREAK-IN.

 

follow up - i just drove the car for more than an hour - hard acceleration just like i did last night after getting it back from the dealer. STILL no smell or any sort. I have to believe two things

1.) THE CABIN FILTER DID THE TRICK OR

2.) THE REAR LIGHT THAT WAS MISSING IN THE PHOTO BELOW ALLOWED BACK DRAFT EXHAUST TO GET SUCKED BACK UP INTO THE CABIN.

if number two is the case then i think i should spray foam the whole inside latch assembly etc. just to make sure.. i bet the problem with all these jags is that there are holes in the trunk lids which allow back draft to get back into the car under varying wind speed conditions etc. whatever happened was a miricle because i was ready to get rid of this new cat - the smell was that bad !!! now it's gone completely...

here is an idea everyone get some blue painters tape and tape up your whole trunk lid joints and tape all over the license plate frame rear tail lights and anywhere else that air could get in and then go out and see if you car stinks in the cabin. from there you can start figuring out how the fumes are getting back into the car.

 

Thanks for that Mr. Brown,

An open hole in the bodywork directly above the tailpipes will do it every time, I should think.
My understanding is that the pollen filter would have little effect, although replacing it was probably quite a good idea in that it had trapped some residual odor caused by the leak.

Not a common problem I should think, the Police pull you over in Ohio for that sort of thing.

Enjoy your Jag!

 

Greetings Eagle,

What I was going to suggest to you is to carefully inspect your exhaust system for leaks...if you can't find a rack to do it on, then out come the jack and stands. The inspection is MUCH better performed with the car cold, anyway.

Quite often when you have a leak at an exhaust joint, you'll see some soot at the trouble spot. It's also common to find water dripping from a leak in the system while the engine is cold.

With the car up in the air, start the engine, have an assistant or two block off the tailpipes with some rags, and slide on under for a listen. You can feel for leaks while the pipes are still cold, or use a mechanic's stethoscope with the hose end open to pinpoint particular areas.

Check under the hood as well: obviously the access is quite limited, but you might pick something up with the stethoscope. Normally a leak at the exhaust manifold or flange gasket at the converter connection will result in an exhaust odor which you notice right away with your nose unser the hood.

Operating temperature causes alot of these leaks to be less evident as the components expand. One good example is composite exhaust manifold gaskets on V 12 engines, which magically heal themselves after about ten minutes of run time. The catalyst flange gaskets on your car are of similar composition.

Since you have ruled out fuel blend as a factor, the exhaust system integrity is just another area to examine, not a prediction.

Might want to make sure you don't have any open holes in the bodywork directly above your tailpipes, too.

 

so it was the supercharger all along.

the rubber seal on the trunk of my car, right underneath where markbrown's bulb cover is torn. Thanks Mark for your photo and information, I'll see if thats what conbrituting to the odor in my cabin.

 

No, it was an obvious problem that any mechanic should have seen just by walking around the car. Sorry I couldn't see it from Ohio until I saw the picture. I guess I should have asked, "Are there any body parts missing from your new $99,000 car?"

What I didn't say is that this is a supercharger problem, I have been of the opinion all along that all of these owners, you included, have different problems that are being falsely lumped together. Pointing a finger at Jaguar, or the supercharger, or me has nothing to do with it.

 

By the way, since we're on the subject of holes in the *** end of your car, take a look behind you lisence plate. I can speak for certain about earier models, the four slots cut in the boot lid for mounting are quite often not sealed up. I always make sure this is remedied when I have a lisence plate off, just to make sure there is no water ingress at this point.

If enough exhaust can enter the interior of the cabin through a small tear in a boot lid seal, then you could make the same assumption about four 1/2" x 1/4" open holes in the boot lid. The thin strips of black contact paper covering the slots from the factory is quite often missing.