Intermittent Hard Starting on 99 XJ8 Trouble Code

[Michael J.]

I bought a 99 XJ8 last month. I have occasional hard starting and plugged in an Accutron Code Reader and am getting Code P1000 but I do not find a listing for that code. Any thoughts?

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Gleaned from the Internet:

P1000 - OBD-II Monitor Testing Incomplete

Normal driving (or a Drive Cycle) may clear this code. However, dimming and brightening may indicate a faulty battery, corroded/loose connection(s) in the Starter or Charging system(s), or a faulty Alternator/Regulator.

Poster would have the battery, alternator and related wiring inspected/checked.

 

[Michael J.]

Thanks.

I'll start with those checks and see what I find

 

[jessebogan]

How many miles on the car? Service history? What exactly is "hard starting, long crank time? More info please.

 

[Michael J.]

140,000 Miles on the car.

Long crank time, but not always, seems to change with the weather. My friend's 99 Vaden Plas takes only half the time to start. Had a code of P1000 but it was not listed in the OBDII code list on Jag Lovers.

 

[Michael J.]

Have no idea about service history. I bought the car used.

 

[jessebogan]

Good service might be in order. Change the plugs and airfilter, and fuel filter. The correct plugs are expensive, but use them. Check the drain around the fuel filler. Water can get into the fuel if the drain is clogged.The other things these cars do is to have catastrophic timing chain failure. You should pull the valve covers and inspect the secondary tensioners at your first opportunity. If they are plastic, get them changed pronto.

 

[DrEntropy]

If the tensioners ARE plastic (by all means change them as Jesse recommends), they need to be framed and displayed with that many miles on 'em!!

 

[jessebogan]

Second gen was plastic too. Some have lasted from the 60K range to the 140K plus range. Scary....

 

[Michael J.]

There are three sets of ground wire connections under hood (bonnet). Two are located one each behind each set of headlights. The third is on the firewall obscured by the heater valve?

Each has an acorn nut securing the wire eyelets. I found corrosion on the nuts and cleaned with a gun bore cleaning brush. I used a Scotchbrite pad on the eyelets before applying dielectric grease on the surfaces and then reconnecting.

The problem appears to have gone away. My theory is that the corrosion was causing a high enough resistance to interfere with the various circuits.

I had already replaced spark plugs. I have a new fuel filter, but have not found any instructions on stopping the fuel while the filter is replaced under the car.

 

[Deleted member 8987]

When General Misunderstanding came out with computers, first thing they taught us was don't assume it's a computer related problem, second was to clean the grounds.
Still, to this day, grounds are a BIG problem, heat, cold, water, salt, sun. Expansion, contraction, and then water.

 

[StagByTriumph]

MJ,
Maybe this will help:

<span style="font-style: italic">V8 XJ Series/XK8
SERVICE TECHNICAL BULLETIN
1997-99 MY
XK8 Range
1998-99 MY
V8 XJ Series NA
See text
MODEL
VIN
Difficult Cold Start – Normally Aspirated
Engines – ECM Flash Reprogramming –
Service Action S479
Issue:
Since the launch of Service Actions S819 and S471 further developments in software have
become available.
A new PDU disk is now available, labeled “XK8/XJ Series DRIVEABILITY supercedes S471”
‘S479’, which may be used to reprogram the ECM of the following vehicles:
• 1997-98 MY XK8 VIN 001036-020733
• 1998 MY V8 XJ Series VIN 812256-819771 NORMALLY ASPIRATED ENGINES
ONLY
• 1999 MY XK8 VIN 031303-042775 NORMALLY ASPIRATED ENGINES ONLY
• 1999 V8 XJ Series VIN 853936-878717 NORMALLY ASPIRATED ENGINES ONLY
Note: 1998 XK8 VIN 020733-031302 and V8 XJ Series VIN 819772-
853935 do not have ECMs that can be reflashed.
S479 does not apply to supercharged vehicles.
Customers may complain of difficulty in starting the engine, from cold, on vehicles within the
above VIN ranges, under certain running conditions. In some instances a no-start condition may
be reported. Many of the affected vehicles may have been reprogrammed on a previous
occasion, under Service Action S819 or Service Action S471. Since Service Action S479
supersedes both Service Action S819 or Service Action S471 do not perform Service Action
S819 or Service Action S471.</span>

Cheers!

 

[Michael J.]

Who can perform the reprogramming? Is that a dealer only or can a repair shop perform? Closest dealer is just over an hour away in Baton Rouge. I am still finding connectors to clean with contact cleaner.

Had the problem solved again just in time for the resin thermostat housing to have the threaded cap blow off. I ended up installing the cast aluminum replacement housing I had bought a little sooner than I had planned.

The rear two bolts are really in a fun location partly under the plenum for the induction. Nothing like a well thought out design! I cut an 8mm ignition wrench box end to 1.5" to loosten the tew rear bolts.

 

[StagByTriumph]

Welcome to Jaguar Ownership!

Gotta love 'em! These are either - fix them somehow yourself, or pay through the nose at a dealer of authorized service shop.

To flash the ECM - you either need the updated program and the Jaguar PDU which cost dealers something like $22k for the PDU, or
locate a replacement ECU that has been flashed in a salvage car in a Salvage Yard and buy that.

One place to check is JagBits.com, another place is another forum just for Jag's https://www.jag-lovers.org/

For another option ...
If someone has access to the program binary or a flashed EEPROM, I have an EEPROM programmer, the EEPROM chips are cheap - $5-$15.