1996 new owner questions

just picked up a 1996, 98,000 miles. missing, engine light on, battery very low. where do i start? real good body, clean interior. brakes AC windows etc all working good.

need to add, a new OBC was just added. there was a burn mark i am told. while all the inputs were rec. information there was not out put. also transmission not reading. That’s from the last service tech before owner gave up on the car. he told me to get a code reader and start learning. thinks its a “network” issue whatever that means i think it has at least one dead cylinder maybe 2. or all are misfiring whenever they can. I put STP gas dryer in it. not sure how old the fuel is either but at the very least several months. I have a compression gauge but pretty sure this is electronic issue. is 98,000 a lot of miles for that engine? this is not an abused car, came from a several million dollar winter cottage here in Florida. never seen snow or rust.garaged always. oil is clean.

98K is just about bedded in. My brother had the same car/engine although his was the 3.2 he has recently sold the car with 340,000 ks on the clock (212000 mls)
As the PO suggested buy a code reader and pull down the codes and then report back.
More than likely just a coil pack given up, they have individuals for each spark plug.
I would suggest pulling the SP out and seeing if one looks different from the rest.
That’s one place to start.

Cheers Robin

that’s good to hear. I pulled all the plugs yesterday. 3 were bright white 3 cloudy grey. lucas coils on all 6. car looks mostly unmolested,i’ve ordered an ODP reader, new battery and some gas additive from Amsoil to add to the tank which may have over 1 year old gas in it. we will see what code reader says. do they check individual coil performance? going to add 5 gals of Aviation gas to the tank, it has about 10 or less in it now… thank you for commenting

Why aviation fuel? It will buy you nothing.

Also AV gas has lead here in NZ, I would imagine its the same for other countries? The lead will contaminate the o2 sensor(s)

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duhhhh, i was misinformed i guess, supposed to “rejuvenate” aged fuel was my understanding, another good reason to ask here first. back to draining then?

We’re the three bunches together? The front three is Bank 1 and the back three are Bank 2.

If all three of the bad plugs are bunched together, it’s probably a failed, or failing oxygen sensor. I’d replace them all anyways. I believe you have 4.

3 4 5 , not really bad but not clear white burning as the other 3. When i replaced them i put the best in the worst cylinders. I had to stop the investigation because i locked the only key in the trunk! the auto solenoid unlock feature does not work. I am waiting for the previous owner to find the extra keys or it will be locksmith time. i continue to do stupid things, not my week i guess.

please excuse the capitals, didnt notice, cant do anything right

Ah…ANOTHER old husband’s tale…:yum:

Worth a shot. Take the rear license plate off. Is there a hole? If there is, you will be able to open it with a finger…

Yes you can open the trunk with a hanger wire with the hole to the right and catch the latch.
It does work
CHARGE YOUR BATTERY BEFORE ANYTHING , Its amiracle worker you have shed down relays in the car!
the 1995 to 97 are BULLET PROOF for 250,000 miles
Ive had them all from xj6
xj12
xjr I love those damn cars…
GTJOEY1314

I will look for a hole, not sure how i unlatch afterward as i do not know the orientation of the lock itself. the key is on the right side of the “boot lid” on this car . :slight_smile:
yesterday i inspected the new ECU that was installed. still had the seals on it but apparently was not the correct outer cover for the components. labeled lucas 1995 removed for renovation… there are two mounting points on the chassis with 10 mm hex head bolts. one has a ground wire connection . there was an extra tab, for use on some other model perhaps, that prevented the assembly from line up with those two mounting points. so the tech used one bolt only and wired the ground to the assembly with a small bolt and nut. removal of the extra tab allowed me to use the two correct mounting points and fasten the ground to the forward of the two. i do not think the unit had much of a ground connection as it was and may have been part of the problem . if i can open the trunk today will give it a try again.

only holes behind the number plate are the ones which accept the nylon screw anchors for the tag. removing two and looking inside with flashlight i do not see any part of the latch to trip with a wire ,nor is the opening large enough for anyone’s finger. waiting for the extra key to be found.

Youll get it hook a wire to the right from the upper right liscense plate hole…
it will unlock.
also disconnect the battery and wait for ten minutes , re hook up with a fresh charges battery, many codes will disappear then obd2.
Good luck.

unlocked!!! i gained access to the latch from the bottom right hand corner license hole after removing the nylock insert. looking inside with bright flashlight i was able to see the solenoid . just below the latcharm of the lock is visible. one must press in not pull this arm , you can see the return spring just above where you must push. I used a tig welding rod bent 90 degree , stiff enough to actuate the mechanism. I looked in every hole several times at a bunch of different angles before i saw this spot. i had given up a couple times but J was so certain that i kept at it! have to buy a new battery now before i can try out the OBD reader. the car is not licensed yet and i still haven’t the title so i wont be able to drive it to set codes.does that matter for the diagnostics?
Thank you , it’s so nice to have the key in hand again!

Knew you could do it…Last time I did it was 20 years ago…
Great job, Put a fresh battery next
Good luck.
gtjoey1314

Joe, I started a new topic on the codes. I have a new battery in, car runs the same. haven’t done anything to the fuel other than STP to remove water a couple days ago. pretty nasty misfire. you wouldn’t want to drive it like it is

Once the battery is in run the obd2 what codes does it throw?
Also change the fuel filter and air filter, it make a big difference.
Does your throttle pedal stick?
Take off inlet pipe and clean the back of the throttle body butterfly with cleaner on a RAG not spraying in the throttle body. that will free up the butterfly…those simple things will transform the car.
Good luck
If your in the states and the ethanol gas has been sitting, drain the crap out, its sugar water after 30 days…