How do I solve this type of electrical problem?

This is something that will only be able to be fixed by a thorough check of the electrical system and charging system. It sounds like something is drawing current when it's not supposed to be. Have them start with the battery and charging system and go from there. If they can't figure it out, you may want to switch to a mechanic who specializes in electrical problems.

I checked the charging system and replaced the battery. 10-days later the car was dead again. So far it has been to the dealers 6-times and so far, 700.00 later, the Jag dealer still can;\'t find a PROBLEM. I have read that some times a relay or two stick in the RECM. Got any Idea which ones to replace first?

I am having the EXACT same problem with my 2002 Jag S-Type...do you ever get a resolution for the problem? Thanks.

I HAVE HAD A SIMILIAR ISSUE WITH CAR THAT I AM WORKING ON. CAR CAME IN WITH SAME ISSUE BATTERY DEAD. BOOST, CAR STARTS THEN DIES. CHECKED CHARGING SYSTEM ALTERNATOR OUTPUT WAS 12.5 WHICH IS TOO LOW. BATTERY WAS FROZEN DUE TO COLD TEMP. GOT ALTERNATOR REBUILT AND INSTALLED BRAND NEW INTERSTATE BATTERY. CAR WORKED FINE FOR A MONTH OR SO AND IS BACK TO ME AGAIN. I CHECKED THE BATTERY DRAIN AND COULD SEE CLEARLY THAT SOMETHING WAS DRAINING THE BATTERY AT A VERY RAPID RATE. DEFINITELY AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM IN THE SYSTEM. DIAGNOSING AND FINDING OUT COULD TAKE HOURS. SO I INSTALLED A BATTERY PROTECTOR WHICH WILL CUT OFF POWER TO THE CAR IF IT DETECTS BATTERY GETTING TOO WEAK TO START. WILL SEE HOW THIS WORKS, AS THIS WILL ALWAYS KEEP THE BATTERY ACID FROM FREEZING SINCE IT WILL NOT LET IT DRAIN BELOW CERTAIN VOLTAGE. IF THIS SOLVES THE PROBLEM THEN IT IS FOR SURE WISE TO INVEST LOTS OF HOURS INTO TROUBLESHOOTING THE ELECTRICAL ISSUE...WHICH ARE NOT EASY TO DIAGNOSE IN THESE CARS EVEN THOUGH I AM AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER. TRY THE BATTERY PROTECTOR. IT IS ONLY $69.99 AND PRETTY EASY TO INSTALL. RO

I've owned a used S type for five years. There were electrical problems, including battery drain and moon roof malfunctions. Found out that Jags require a special battery (costs about $250). I didn't want to believe it. None of the service places I went to ever said anything about it, but came to find out that it indeed a requirement, or there will be problems.

I have exactly the same problem. I have had a new alternator fitted and it still drains the battery every few weeks. The car runs great but The dials do some very strange things including the speedo showing acceleration from 20 to 170 mph in under 1 second!! If you find a solution would you mind sharing it ??

ditto!! same question - our XJS has gone thru so many batteries we're going crazy - Do you have LoJack? - we're wondering if that is the battery draining culprit - possible do you think?

I may need to check the years on this but i think it was '00-'02's, there is a instance of battery draw with a relay that sticks, there is a jumper lead that can be installed to correct the problem. The best way to check for a draw is a OHM meter, there should be no more than 30 miliamps after an hour( all doors shut and alarm off)

my 1996 XJs convertable HAS THE SAME PROBLEM - WE'RE wondering if the LOJAK can be the draining problem?

LOJACk usually has a low draw on a battery. Did you try and disconnect it? Did you check to see how high the draw was?

I purchased my 2000 S type in March 2010, one week later, i noticed it would often slip while driving(RPM's would rare but wouldn't move),and it would take like 7 Second to go in gear when shiftig. Two weeks later I park on a very "SLIGHT INCLINE" without using parking break. i ended up breaking the gear shifter trying to get the car into gear($1,000) i figured this was ok because when i replaced the and shifter and cable, it stoped the slipping thing. About 2 months later my check engine came on and i took it to FireStone and they let me that it was just a broken sensor and it was no big deal but recommended i replace it. When I purchaced my car it never had the cd magizine, so last week got a CD/DVD player in installed( mistake #1). Everything seemed to be working fine. Two days later i drove from Los Angeles to Riverside (mistake #2). About 30mins later i got back in my car and the battery light was on. I tryed to get to the Auto Zone less the one mile away and evey single sensor came on in the car and it shut down. AAA came can let me know that it was my battery and alternator. The car had to be towed. I put it in the shop next day, they replaced the alternator did some electrical work an its been back and forth 3 time because they can not figure out the CORRECT problem. I also heard that the car ONLY TAKES A SPECIFIC battery! Could that be the problem? This car is costing me WAAAAAAY too much$$$$ Can this cars ever be fixed 100% ?

I have 2002 x-type five speed manual had the battery problem, Went to the Jaguar Dealer and had a new Jag Battery installled along with cable replacement. This works and sometimes the car does start immediately but after two tries it starts.

I have a 2002 XKR, a 2002 X-Type and a 2000 S-Type... all seem to have quirks but all great cars. I found on my 2000 S-type there is a switch in the truck for the trunk light. This is a button (push in style of switch) and it had broke where it wouldn't reach the area it needed to depress enough to turn off. No one ever thinks to check their truck... so my battery would frequently end up dead.. since I do not drive this car daily.. it became a major frustration. I finally found this issue one day. I was going to replace the switch but I ended up drilling a hole and using a ford style rubber front hood adjuster and I fitted it to the lower area where the truck light switch contacts. This depresses the button fully and turns off my trunk light. My battery has been up since then!!! :-) the modification looks like it came from the factory that way.. so all is good. I am currently working through the no power to the radio issue and its missing on cyclinders 3 and 4 but im sure that is the valve cover gasket/coil pack issue. AJ

Hello ,mi son had a jag x tipe before and had same problem i was electrician mechanic in Cuba what i dit just go sears put the best gold batery and problem fixed waht hapen jag's need a lot amps tu runs electric sistem now mi son had s-tipe R and well is good car but no easy when i have to work on it

go sears buy the bes international batery (gold) fixed problems.

I have a 2002 s-type Jag. Battery kept going dead. Trusted mechanic said it was a low-level drain that would take hours or weeks to find. I now make sure my GPS and iPod are turned off after I turn the car off, b/c if not, the car drains.

My 2003 XKR recently began having problems with Navigation/Clock (stopped working) and the radio became intermittent. This was several weeks ago - this morning the car was dead - no lights - nothing. I was able to jump the car and took it to a Jaguar specialty shop (very honest). The checked the system and came back output was too low. Recommended an alternator - this will cost me around $600 for an OEM. I got a quote from another shop priced at $1100. The other shop made a comment that the Alternators in these type of cars rarely go bad. A little nervous getting this done later in the week.

Hey guys my car did the same thing I have a 2001 jaguar s type 4.0 my battery was going dead about every ten days so I slept in my car one night and found the problem the radio comes on by it self and runs the battery down so now when i get out of my car I cut the radio off and I had no more problem with my battery

Dear Friends , dont spend yor money on battery or alternator ....I had a battery draining problem with my year 2000 s type ....You should check the wirings of luggage compartment door (where the wirings could be damaged when you open and close luggage compartment door during all these years)....wirings can be damaged or cut , causing luggage compartment lamps remain ON ..so it kills your cars battery....thats what happened to me...hope it was helpful

The troubleshooting process is very simple, BUT; time consuming. You will need: A multimeter. 2 clamps. A fuse puller. (a second person is helpful when you can't see the meter. Everything is about CURRENT. Voltage is the carrier, but current does the work. Current is measured in AMPERES. In small measurements, it is called milliamperes. You need to charge the battery fully. Get distilled water and fill up the cells, there are plenty of you tube videos. What you will be looking for is a parasitic drain. Your battery powers everything. Then it is replenished by the battery. Ok, once you have the items mentioned above, you need to take a few precautions. Wear insulating gloves. Wear eye protection. Bypass door switches (so the car doesn't ring chimes and use current and mess up your readings) Ok, Voltage is measured in PARALLEL. This is when you take your meter, select DC Voltage, and place the red lead on the positive terminal, and the black lead on the black terminal. Because your meter is on the same places the car gets it's power from, this is parallel. Current on the other hand is measured in SERIES. Place your meter's selection on AMPEREs. (some meters have an extra connection for the lead when using for high amp circuits) That is like a chain of events. One thing is connected to another thing, then to another and so on. You MUST break the chain of electrical connection and place the meter on amperes in that break. So, disconnect the negative lead on the battery, and place your meters leads red to the cable you disconnected, and black to the battery's terminal. You are now in series with the battery. Assuming that nothing is turned on in the car, and everything is working like a charm, you should read about .050 amps. Or 50 milliamps. Some may be higher, some may be lower, but that is a standard to go by. If you are reading a larger amount of amps, like 1 or 2 apmps or more, then you have a drain on your system that WILL eventually drain your battery. The trick now is, pull EVERY fuse one at a time and replace it. Once you pull the fuse that cause the drain to stop, ( reading on meter drops to .050 or so), then you have found the affected circuit with the component draining your power. If that circuit has multiple items on it, then you will need a schematic to see what all is powered. In order to see the steps I am taking about, please goto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0 Good luck. If you are not comfortable using the steps I listed, please get someone who is.

replace your starter as my 2000 s-type have the same problem,draining the battery or killing the battery.The starter is engaging even the engine is shut off and that is why it is draining the battery.hope this will help you.

THIS CAR TAKES A SPECIAL COMBINATION DEEP CYCLE AND STARTING BATTERY NOTHING ELSE, GO ONLINE PRICE THEM ABOUT 300.00 GET THE PROPER SIZE, PUT IT IN AND PROBLEM SOLVED. AN ALTERNATIVE IS TO BUY A BATTERY CUT OFF SWITCH ABOUT 100.00, IT WILL CUT THE POWER OFF AT 11.8 VOLTS, YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR ALARM, BUT NOT YOUR STARTING ABILITY, IT ATTACHES TO THE BATTERY POLES AND TO TURN IT OFF YOU STEP ON THE BRAKES AND PUT THE LIGHTS ON AND OFF THEN THE IGNITION WILL COME BACK ON AVAILABLE AT GEMPLERS.COM

here is something to look at. when you pull the key out it doesn't turn the car off. there is a little catch in the switch.

How do you cut off the radio when getting out of car - it seems to switch on by itself

I have the same problem with my 2002 S-type, for years, until I figured out to pull the key out SLOWLY when I turn my engine off. Now, it never does it any more. Amazing.

i recently purchased a 01 jaguar s type battery keeps dying after 30 min to hour after siting cant figure out why?? what are the best solutions

I pulled the key out the car won't shut off. Please HELP

I have 2000 s-type 4.0 and having the same problems new battery from autozone, I called jaguar and told them the amps it had and they said it should be ok that they use interstate and no special battery is required. But something is still draining the battery. I cant even get it to turn over with a jump, the lights and radio will come on with a jump but that's it. It wont turn over or make a noise like it even wants to. Its just silently dead? any answers? Oh I had a mechanic check the starter and alternator and they are good.

Cindy, I now do this, and I have no more problem with my Jag. It sounds crazy, but it works. I turn off the ignition very slowly, and I also remove the key very slowly. I have NO idea why that works, but it does. I have not had a problem in over a year. Try this and let me know. I'm very curious if this works for other Jag-owners.

ok so I recently had a problem with my jag not starting I constantly thought it was the battery dying because everything was on but it wouldn't turn over. I would take my battery out and get it charged and it would come on. so I did some research and found out that that it wasn't the battery dying but that the neutral safety switch so now when my jag doesn't come on I put it in neutral and it turns on like nothing Idk if maybe it a factory default but try it on your car that wont turn over but the radio and lights and everything else works.

Yes removing the key slowly will help. I personally had to get my car jumped for awhile until I found out the solution. Now I need help getting my car started. The car started with No problem until I put it in reverse. Once I pit it in reverse, the car just shut off and won't come back on. Blank dash with just the radio on. No cranking

Battery protector, or install a universal relay switch with a fuse able link fuse

I had the very same tale of woe when my Series III was new. For months and months of "service repairs". The short story...In the exterior of the drivers door lock was a brand new ice prevention mechanism (aka heater). It was always active, therefore draining the power at different rates..

There is a micro switch behind the ignition key barrel that switches off the accessories when the key is turned to off and removed. However the switch sometimes fails leaving the accessories power on. The switch is easy accessible and relatively cheap. You can tell if the accessories is still on looking at the radio when removing the key. If left on it will drain the battery overnight

Hey guys and gals. I can't say I've had any issues with my 2002 Jag S Type, but I had a battery that seemed to die overnight. It happened once....apparently as someone else mentioned you have to be careful when turning g if ignition and removing the key. Apparently I did not turn key all the way...the radio and accessories stayed on and drained the battery as I slept. Other than that, no problems at all. Try the key thing. I hope this helps if you haven't already found a solution. By the way I've only one my jag for a few months. Purchased it online in march of 2015.

Hey guys and gals. I can't say I've had any issues with my 2002 Jag S Type, but I had a battery that seemed to die overnight. It happened once....apparently as someone else mentioned you have to be careful when turning off the ignition and removing the key. Apparently I did not turn key all the way...the radio and accessories stayed on and drained the battery as I slept. Other than that, no problems at all. Try the key thing. I hope this helps if you haven't already found a solution. By the way I've only owned my jag for a few months. Purchased it online in march of 2015.

I'm having a battery drain issue on my 2010 XF. I don't drive the car every day so if we disconnect the battery it obviously doesn't drain. This last time we reconnected, the car acted funky...saying the smart key was low and performance was restricted. Is there a "procedure" to go through when you reconnect the battery?

buy a hi-bred battery for your car, these cars require one, as the origional battery was hi-bred, the deep cycle part of the hi-bred battery will compensate for the battery drain as these cars have a constant low order drain on the battery, (burgular alarm and fuel injection).

hI guys , I had the same problem, the answer is the relays take up to 15 minutes to shut down and some time freeze. I replaced the relays in the boot and haven't had any problems since. 6 YEARS SINCE AND STILL RUNNING THE SAME BATTERY.

Turning the ignition off slowly stops this battery drain problem for me. Always check that the steering wheel retracts fully to its home position on switch off. If it doesn't, switch on again and then switch off SLOWLY. Works for me.

Well i just purchased a 2003 Jaguar S type everything was fine and then I cut my car off remove the key and my lights remain on even when I matched the lock button my park lights and headlights were still on they remained on I could not turn them off and then when I finally got them to turn off even though I used the relay switch on the side of the steering wheel which controls also the turn signal the lights went off and I could not get them to cut back on but my bright lights still worked so I had to drive with the bright lights on manually holding them on I'm thinking I need to change that battery because when I bought the car the guy stated that he had just put a brand new battery in the car if you can help me solve this problem please do so and I will greatly appreciate it

Not the battery. It could be the micro switch behind the ignition barrel. Its a common fault with s types, they wear and sometime do not turn the accessories power off even after you remove they key. A good way to check is to ensure your radio turns off every time you remove the key. the part is cheap and easy to replace

My 2007 S wouldn't start, battery was flat and a meter reading showed 0v. A knowledgeable AA man tested the wiring and said there was an 80 amp drain from somewhere and said it was a short circuit/fault in the alternator. Had the alternator replaced, (expensive), Whilst car was being repaired, another 2007 S came in with the same fault. My worry now is that every so often my lights flicker off when the engine is idleing - could this be the same problem?

I got a jaguar s type no panel lights and no sound out of radio but sometimes it works please help ??

The security system is on all the time It will drain your battery of power. Remove the fuses for the system and your dead battery problem should be solved.

I have a X type 2003 Jaguar and the key got stuck in ignition and then the problem with indicator lights on the dashboard do not turn on when I turn the key I have no power in the car will not start the there's no problem at all with the battery it just beeped and and shut itself down

I have a 2000 s-type jag with the same problem--battery draining overnight. Before I turn off the ignition, I make make sure that the radio is off, Sometimes the radio goes off but the clock stays on, When you turn off the car slowly, make sure that the clock light goes off and then pull out the key SLOWLY, This works for me.

2001 stype same batterydrain problem... i disconnected radio and car worked ok for about 2 mos. now draining again.. thinking about disconnecting cd play in trunk...the micro switch behind ignition got my attention... that someone else mentioned...since a number of people mentioned turning key off slowly.. sounds like this could be problem.. going to try and find out how to replace it

My mechanic explained that the problem with electronic handbrake system sticking on can be due to car standing around too long between uses and/or battery low. Sounds like these cars need to be on a trickle charge whenever you park up or fit a secondary cut out to the main battery and have a second back up ( Leisure Battery ? ), for the security system.

this might be related a s I have similar problem, about 2.5A continuous drain. What fault message does this indicator mean?

Traction

Very glad I found this forum. Have had many of the same issues mentioned above, battery draining, I believed it came from the radio some how not turned off from power source even if no dial lights are displayed on the radio. Secondly, a gentle wiggle to ensure that ignition is really in off position also helped. With respect to the former, on occasions when I turned on the ignition, the radio came on even when I was absolutely positive that the radio had been in use in prior usage of the car. Another irritating problem, water in the well of the trunk.

This works on any car, I did use it on my 2001 Jag s-type. Get an ohm meter that has the Amp reading capability, you remove the + battery terminal and put the amp meter in line from that + wire, through the meter, to the + terminal on the battery. Check the reading, it should be low if all your doors are closed. If it is higher than milliamps, start to remove your fuses, one at a time and check the amp meter reading everytime. If the current doesnt change, put the fuse back in the same place. Do this on every fuse. When the current drops on the meter reading, you will know what circuit is causing the slow leak and discharging the battery. In other words, this WILL NOT fix the problem but it WILL tell you WHICH circuit has a drain on it when the car is shut off, thereby killing the battery. If it is a circuit that you can live without, such as interior lights, or radio, or certain other non-important circuits, you can still drive the car until you have an electrician fix that particular circuit/short. At least this way you can tell the mechanic/electrician which circuit the fault is in.

On my 2001 S-Type 3.0 V6 Sports, it turned out to be the rear nearside door lock draining the battery -- a common fault with the lock mechanism so I am told. The door lock was fine when this was happening i.e. door could be locked and unlocked but sure enough it failed after a while. Replaced the lock mechanism and the battery hasn't drained since then.

I have a 2000 S Type and same battery issue. I noticed a few things before the car started dying frequently. a) I began to notice that the radio would not turn off (it left on) when I turned the car off. b) I also noticed that sometimes the clock would stay on after turning the car off c) I would get in my car and notice that the radio was in, when I knew for sure I turned it off. d) My alarm began to go off on its own So now I need to figure out what the heck is going on, but I am grateful for all the feedback in here...

The cheapest way in fixing draining battery issue is to install battery kill switch terminal.The only bad side is you always turn it off if you park your car and turn on when you drive the car.I installed it on 2000 Jag S type 4.0 and 2000 BMW 540i and it works very well.

Terminal fault was announced on dashboard. Car would stall and then limp home. This went on and I parked the car for a couple of months, brought to mechanic. He could not find this fault, replaced the battery. Car worked for one week. I went to start get something from the boot, it would not open with button, I pushed electric opener dash, it did not work, I used key to open boot. When I went to start car, opened driver door, alarm came on key in ignition, battery completely dead. Charged battery. Attached leads, opened driver door. Alarm sounded. Key in ignition. Car goes dead. Freshly charged battery still showing 13+ volts. I disconnected battery and am requesting next step in troubleshoot. Thinking I will go get car in and out of gearr, then attempt start at neutral or back in park. On incline with no parking brake.

I had a similar problem with my Jaguar S Type 3.0. Jaguar dealership had the car four months and finally figured out it was a faulty door module. Car was not powering down after closing the door. They then had problems installing the software into it. This was something only the dealership can diagnose with their equipment. I know it sucks and it is expensive, but sometimes with a complicated electrical problem you just have to give it to the dealership to figure it out.

I have a 2002 Jaguar XK8, it has a DVD player in the trunk, my battery would also drain after a few weeks. One time when I reinstalled a freshly charged battery back in I connected the battery terminals and immediately heard the DVD player cycle on. Apparently, the DVD player is connected to the "HOT" side of the battery from the factory and will present a small drain on the battery even though the ignition key is "OFF".