How long will I keep this one? - 1998 Jaguar XJR Content

Today I replaced the brake pedal switch, and the cruise control works now, so that's a nice improvement. 

I also started the ground improvement campaign, but due to time constraints, all I did was replace the one from the hood to the body, which was in really bad shape, since I already had a replacement that fit perfectly. 

When I get more time, I'll find the actual useful grounds and see about replacing them. I'm also going to look at that transmission connector, since I've found a few more threads that mention it causing issues similar to mine. 

I did drive it again, still no misfires or codes that triggered the CEL. Still had a few occurrences of the other weird problem, only 5 or 6 times in a 20 minute drive. It seems to have changed slightly though. Only the tach and coolant temp gauge needles drop, along with the orange and red warning lights coming on, and stability control and traction control messages. 

There are two new pending codes, once again probably a side effect of the real issue. P1637 and P1720. P1637 is a CAN Link ECM/ABSCM Circuit/Network Malfunction, and P1720 is speed sensor related. I'm not too worried about it, until one of these actually turns on the CEL, instead of just being a pending code. 

Once again, I come bringing both good and bad news.

• Bad news, the cruise control isn't actually fixed. I thought it was, but I only tested it for a few seconds, which wasn't long enough to turn the cruise off and trigger Engine Failsafe Mode. I'll have to see if there's a way to test if the switch is good, since I did replace it with a used one. If the one I pulled out and/or the newer one I installed test good, I'll have to look elsewhere to get the cruise to work.
• Good news, the other weird electrical stuff is gone. Entirely. No lights on the dash, no gauges dropping to zero, nothing. How did I fix it?

I unplugged my Ultragauge.

That's it.

I unplugged an OBD2 scanner/data display that I've been using for the last 10+ years in almost every car I've owned, that I've never had an issue with before.

How did I figure out that it was the potential solution?

I went on another test drive after cleaning a couple of ground connections, and the weirdness persisted. I did notice this time that it started happening once the car was warned up, and thought that might be useful information. At some point during that drive, I decided to test the cruise again, which is when I found out that it was, in fact, still not working. Since it went into failsafe mode, I pulled over to shut the car off and make that go away.  Once I started it back up, the first time the weirdness came back, it didn't go away. Luckily I was close to home, because I had very limited throttle and shifting was very not smooth. When I got home the CEL was actually on, so I checked codes, and got P1637 pending again, but also an active P1642.

One thing I didn't mention is that people on the Jag forums have said that a few of these codes can be caused by interference from the scan tool, but I didn't really think much of it, since I'd never had an issue with the Ultragauge before, and it seemed weird that all the problems I was having could be caused by that. But after this test drive, I thought, why not, I'll unplug it and take it for another drive and see what happens.

And that was it. Once the car was up to temp, nothing weird happened. I drove around for over 20 minutes without any issues at all. Well, until I tried out the cruise one more time, to see if maybe unplugging the Ultragauge would fix *everything*. But even then, all I got was the Engine Failsafe warning, which didn't actually seem to put the car into an actual limp mode. I did a little more digging, and it seems like if the cruise is failing, and triggering a false limp mode like mine is, it's almost always either the switch or a vacuum issue. I could try cleaning the brake switch connector, and then look for a loose or leaking vacuum hose.

So a summary of all the issues so far:

• The misfire was caused by water getting under the damaged coil cover. I have all the pieces of the cover, and will try to epoxy it back together, and reinstall it with some RTV for good measure.
• The other electrical weirdness was caused by my Ultragauge being plugged into the car while driving.
• The cruise not working has no clear cause yet, but it seems to not be the brake switch. Perhaps the connector, or a vacuum issue.

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Good work in logical thinking.  Glad you figured it out.  Btw you don't need cruise control to do a burn out.

Stampie said:

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Good work in logical thinking.  Glad you figured it out.  Btw you don't need cruise control to do a burn out.

Thanks. And that is a very good point. I was actually debating doing a burnout today, but figured I'd wait just in case something else broke.

Also, anyone have an idea what this thing is? I found it after spotting some janky looking wires in the engine bay, and following them to this weird license plate frame.

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In reply to JShaawbaru :

Robbie said it was an early version of Radar / Laser detector.  It's what you hear beeping when you turn the ignition on.  There's also a sensor on the windshield if I remember correctly.

Edit:. Hopefully Robbie finds his way in here for comment.

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In reply to Indy - Guy :

Oh that's interesting. I wondered if that beep was OEM, or from something else. I figured the orange things were some kind of sensors, but I couldn't think what they could be for. I did try looking up Accele, and they seem to be an existing electronics company that does backup cameras and similar things, but can't find any older stuff like what's on the car. I'll probably remove all the stuff on the front bumper at some point so it looks cleaner, but I'll leave the rest of the stuff since it doesn't seem to be hurting anything.

A company named K40 used to make a lot of Radar detectors /Jammers like this:  

https://www.ebay.com/p/1902062206

Is there a corresponding strip of led lights near the speedometer?  Like down on the flat portion of the gauge bezel?  

In reply to John Welsh :

That looks identical. When I remove it, I'll have to see if I can find a part number.

That's the one thing I'm wondering about, is how it warns you. I haven't seen anything in the driver's view like an LED strip. There is a single LED right in front of the speedometer, it seems a bit out of place, maybe that's it. 

I don't think it works anymore. I only heard a the beeps every once in a while, and never seemed to be associated with radar or laser. 

But yeah, I think the plate surround is part of an old detector system.

My scangauge did the exact same thing in my Fiesta ST a couple times. It always seemed to be related to when it got plugged in or unplugged. I lost my electric power steering when it happened the second time. I quit using it after that.

Drove about an hour and a half yesterday, and drove to work today. No issues.

I did take that radar/laser plate frame and the wiring out of the engine bay, so no more red light or beeping at startup.

I also removed the rear view mirror, since the clips needed to be tightened up, and the oil is starting to leak through, so it's not working anymore. I called the only place in the entire world that repairs/replaces them, which happens to be in Michigan, and once they send me an email with the info I need to send it to them, I'll send it out along with a $100ish payment (HAHA NO, IT'S $175 NOW) for them to replace the glass with a new piece that has gel in it instead of oil, which won't go bad. Much better than the same price or more for another used mirror that could go bad, or $300+ for a brand new one.

I need to epoxy that coil cover back together and put it back on the car so that I can wash it without worrying about getting water in the coil(s) again. I mean, I could wash it and just make sure I don't get a bunch of water under the hood, but I think I need to keep some kind of motivation to fix the coil cover.

Oh, I ordered tires for the extra 18" wheels that came with the car from Tire Rack, they should be at Firestone tomorrow, and then I'll get them installed Wednesday. Just some Dunlop Signature HP 255/40R18, they were rated decently, and were significantly less expensive than anything else that size, aside from some of the Chinese brands that I didn't feel like taking a chance with.

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Chinese brand of tire = great chance for a burnout.

In reply to JShaawbaru & Stampie:

Please do this to the old tires mounted on the rims before you replace them:

In reply to Indy - Guy :

I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T THINK OF THAT!

I was planning on having them swap the wheels, but I suppose I could swap the rears myself... I'm also trying to think of somewhere nearby where I could commit such an act of hoonery without getting in trouble... I haven't had the best of luck with that sort of thing in the past. I'll see if I can think of something, that would be fun. 

Well, unfortunately no burnouts happened. I tried, but couldn't get the tires to keep spinning. I turned traction control off, but apparently that wasn't enough. At least I didn't get it trouble? So task failed successfully! 

I did get the coil cover repaired and back on the car without it breaking again, so that's good. Hopefully that'll prevent any misfires in the future. 

I also got the tires installed, took longer than expected though, they were down from two tire guys to one, so my appointment time was meaningless, and I had to get a ride home, and then walk back over there today. The car rode horribly on the bald 8-year old tires, the new ones are much better, although still not as forgiving of bumps and potholes as the snow tires on the 16 inch wheels. 

The guy at Firestone was impressed with the condition of the car, and said it was well maintained. Guess that's a compliment for Robbie and Indy -Guy, and the previous owner before that, based on the service records I was given. 

I sent out my mirror for repair earlier this week, but in their infinite wisdom, USPS sent it to Detroit, then Grand Rapids (30 minutes from the destination), and then to Richmond VIRGINIA. It was supposed to be delivered today, but I highly doubt it, since the last update was leaving Richmond last night. It'll be another few days once they get it, plus time to ship back to me. 

Next on my list will be re-attaching the 3rd brake light to the rear window, so it stops sliding all over the place when I go through roundabouts at a barely reduced speed. I still want to fix the cruise control too, but that's going to take a little more digging. 

I meant to drop this in here but forgot.

In reply to Stampie :

And don't you forget it! 

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Car Looks so much better on those wheels 

But desperately needs a bath.

Hey can you take a pic of the trunk mounted battery bracket?

I just started my XJR today for the first time in 2 years. And when mounting the battery my stuff was missing and I don't remember what it look like lol

In reply to yupididit :

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In reply to JShaawbaru :

Thank you! 

In reply to yupididit :

No problem! I would have posted sooner, but I didn't see the email notification that there was a new post in the thread.

Also, got the Jaaaaag washed today.

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My mom ended up taking a picture of me with it, so why not add that too? 

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Have you gotten comments on the Jaaaaag yet from random strangers?

Love the new shoes

In reply to Indy - Guy :

Surprisingly, the only comment I've gotten so far was from a guy at the gas station right after I bought it from you. He was just perplexed by the fuel filler not being on the side of the car like most cars have. (for me that's only 50% of my cars, since the Miata has it in the same spot as the Jaaaaag, and the Galaxie's is under the license plate)

More than a week ago, before my last post actually, I reattached the third brake light to the rear window. Just used some 2-part epoxy to adhere the clips back on, and then left a piece of 2x4 under the light assembly for 24 hours to make sure it cured in the right place. Seems like it's holding up, I've driven it a little over 100 miles since then.

Yesterday I got my mirror back from Global Battery Solutions (the only place in existence that can fix these mirrors) and installed it. In the process, I broke at least one pin or clip on every trim piece involved, while putting it back together, even though it all came apart with no issues. I even broke one of the METAL clips that actually holds the mirror to the windshield, so I doubt it's going to stay secured for long, and will probably go back to being just as loose as before, and then eventually fall off since it's only held on one side. At least it should auto-dim now, so I've got that going for me...

EDIT: Good news, I drove it to work today (4/29), and despite my pin and clip breaking, and the mirror is solidly in place, no shaking like it did before. I feel like it'll loosen over time, but for now it's good. Auto-dim has now been confirmed to work, and it's very nice to not be blinded by every person driving behind me. $175 is a steep price to pay for that feature, but I think it was certainly worth it.