1999 xj8 wont crank makes a clicking noise battery is good someone PLEASE help

1999 xj8 wont crank makes a clicking noise battery is good someone PLEASE help

Not sure about the XJ8 but if it has a solenoid I would suspect that it is bad.

Are the battery terminals clean? Start there.

How did you determine the battery is good? Just because your horn and lights come on doesn’t mean it is good enough to crank the engine. If your battery passes a load test then as suggested inspect the condition of the battery cables looking for corrosion or loose fit. After that the solenoid is often the problem, but could be the starter as well.

Prior to now, did it start perfectly with no hesitation or dragging? As for me, the first time it cranks slowly I just automatically install a new battery.

Lauren55,

Your 1999 XJ8 is much newer than any of the XJ6s or XJ12s that are discussed on this list. I doubt that there is a single part in your car that is common with ours (perhaps maybe a screw, or a bolt, or a bulb?).

I recommend that you post your questions to the Jag-Lovers X300 list which includes members with cars like yours and you are more likely to get a more appropriate response there. If I were to offer a suggestion on what is wrong it would only be shot in the dark since I know nothing about XJ8s.

Regards,

Paul M. Novak

1990 Series III V12 Vanden Plas

1990 XJ-S Classic Collection convertible

1987 XJ6 Vanden Plas

1984 XJ6 Vanden Plas

1969 E-Type FHC

1957 MK VIII Saloon

Ramona, CA USA

I had a similar issue, and sometimes it would start and other times it wouldn’t. Long story short, It was the relay.


1 Like

^^
As Paul says, Lauren - you are on the wrong list…

…but the cranking set-up are the same, as shown by Mark’s diagrams; a relay activating a starter solenoid (both ‘clicks’ but with different sounds) connecting the starter to the battery - and voila.
If the battery is OK, showing minimum 12,5V - it may simply be bad ground and cleaning battery connections and body straps may help…

The standard test is to turn on the lights and ‘crank’; if the lights seriously dims without actual cranking; the starter is drawing power - implying a bad battery. With little dimming; the starter is not drawing power - either relay/solenoid or battery fault, or a bad connection…

Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
**

Post moved.

(Drop me a PM if you spot a post in the wrong forum. It only takes a second for me to move it.)

There are generally 3 entirely different things that can cause this issue:
Bad battery or connections
failed starter solenoid
alarm system starter interrupt.

If the battery has been disconnected for some reason the car’s security system may have gone into prevent mode.

Thanks for the input I’ll go yhru each of those suggestions and will let you know.

PM me if you want the diagnostics steps for trouble shooting the starting sequence. It’s too much to post.

cheers!
Mark

Try looking here:

www.jagrepair.com

Should help!

Often simply a bad ground strap

Or the relay in the box under the toolkit

After a year+ I should hope the OP has been resolved, like a lot of posters take the information and run without advising what the outcome was :slight_smile: