'95 XJR no-start

I just finalized a deal to pick up a '95 Jaguar a couple states away in Lincoln, NE. I initially planned to use it as a parts car for an XJS engine swap, but it appears to be in very good shape. So if I can get it running and there are no major issues, I may put it back on the road.

I’ll know more next week when I pick it up, but I’d like to get a head start on diagnosing the problem(s).

What I know about the car:

  • it’s an abandoned car that was towed from a parking lot

  • it’s being sold by a towing company w/title

  • looks nearly immaculate

  • yard manager says the gas smells very old

  • turns over strongly, but doesn’t fire

  • tow company had a key cut

  • I do not know if they got or programmed a key fob

What should I start with in diagnosing this? My first thoughts:

  1. Key fob/immobilizer - If I just program a new fob, will that work? Are there any more necessary steps?

  2. Crank Position Sensor - verify this watching rpm while cranking

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

first i would remove engine ecu and check plugs and sockets for water damage as very common due to rusted hole in scuttle panel

1 Like

Thanks! That’s a huge help.

I was actually replacing the crank position sensor when you replied. The one in the car has a very high resistance (~140 kΩ), when I’ve read it’s normally around 1.3 kΩ. I grabbed a junkyard one to try. It measures ~1.3 kΩ, but I still get no spark.

I pulled the engine ecu and…yeah. Problems. The black side (high voltage side?) had a lot of corrosion in the connectors. The red side was fine and the other connectors in the area looked fine, as well. Luckily there was basically zero corrosion inside. I started cleaning that up and realized I had a bigger problem.

One of the pins was missing. If I’m reading the pin out chart correctly, then it’s pin 18 which is the ECM Control Relay Drive Output, although I can’t find any info on exactly what that relay does. Can anyone enlighten me?

Looks like my next step will be to replace that missing pin and see what that does for me.