My Jaguar Was Finally Ready… Then This Happened

Added: 2026-05-08

[00:00:00]Hello and welcome back to the Johnny Gets Cash YouTube channel and to another video on my Jaguar XJ8 long wheelbase executive. Now, as you'll see, the car is looking fantastic, and that is because since the last video, I have had several people reach out to me on my email address asking if this car will be available for sale soon, which of course it will be, and how much it will be.

[00:00:18]Now, one or two of those inquiries have actually progressed to a fairly serious stage. And for that reason, I thought it was best to put a freshote on the Jag.

[00:00:26]So, this has got anote until July, I think it is. And I thought, well, I'll put a fresh ticket on it. Of course I will because it's the right thing to do and also I don't want someone to have to do it as soon as they buy the car. Well, it was actually a big mistake because the Jaguar has failed and it's failed moderately seriously on four separate items. But on top of all of that, the Jaguar won't even start now.

[00:00:52]Wasn't doing that beforeot. So, I've got a car that's failed its and now won't start. All I know is this Jaguar is really, really testing me. So, let me show you what the Jag has actually failed on. First of all, one of the fails that I think is completely unfair.

[00:01:09]Front passenger door cannot be opened from inside the vehicle. Nearside front.

[00:01:13]Well, it does open from inside the vehicle and I'll show you that now.

[00:01:29]So whether the MOT tester just couldn't figure out how the unlock and open procedure works on the Jag, I don't know, but I'll uh I'll be sure to show them that it works before retest. So that one I think we can just skip past.

[00:01:41]The next one, something I wasn't aware of, and it's a fair fail, I think.

[00:01:44]Electronic stability control switch not functioning correctly. Now, the switch isn't even working. So, I don't know what's caused that. If it's related to that ABS module that I had to solder in the last episode or if it's just a switch failure. I'll have to look into that. And that's something I'll be doing in this video. Next up, and I think this is a fair cop, but it's a bit of a bitter one. Subframe mounting prescribed area excessively corroded, significantly reducing structural strength in the near side rear under the wheel arch area.

[00:02:11]Now, as you know, if you've been watching this series, we've done excessive amounts of welding on this car to make it as solid as possible. And as part of that, we looked all through the underside of the car, made sure it was as good as can be. That's the the standard car, the previous repairs, and also the bits we've had to redo. And the car is completely solid. But what this tester has found is a little rat hole in one of the rear arches. So, I'll be completely honest, we didn't look in the rear arches as well as we should have done. I think probably he's been a little bit overzealous with his uh his poking stick, but the fact of the matter is if he's found it, someone else could have down the line. So, it needs to be sorted.

[00:02:44]The fourth and final fail point, headlight aim, projected beam image is obviously incorrect on the near side.

[00:02:50]Well, okay. I just checked the headlights work. I didn't check for beam projection. So, that's something that I can hopefully adjust in this video ahead of retest. Something else outside of the fail sheet, when I was driving it to it was a lovely hot day. I've realized the air conditioning doesn't work in this car. So, that is something I'm going to get looked at at retest cuz that garage will do a reg because I want everything to work properly. So, bit of a bitter day because as I said, this car has got MOT until July. I could have just shipped it out with that MOT and um and said nothing more about it. But that's not how I do things. If you're a regular viewer, you'll know that's not how I do things. I like things to be just right.

[00:03:26]And I like to treat my buyers correctly.

[00:03:29]So, in a way, it sucks that it failed, but it's it's good uh because I can go through the bits and make sure it's as solid as possible. The bit that is really really troubling me though is the fact that this car will now not start. I drove it back from no problem at all.

[00:03:45]Parked in the unit here ready to do this video and explain the failures. Just went to start it for another reason and it just won't go. It just will not go.

[00:04:00]So, uh I've given it a quick code scan.

[00:04:02]Nothing showing up there. No idea what that's all about. So, I'm going to have to uh really do some head scratching.

[00:04:09]Right. So, even though it's not on the MOT failure sheet, clearly the first thing I've got to deal with is just why the XJ isn't starting. Just to prove my point, I will try and start it now for you.

[00:04:22]Dead as a dodo. Obviously, we got loads of battery charge there. It's a really healthy turnover. So, at the moment, at a bit of a loss, what I think I'm going to do is have a look at some of the sensors. Uh, I suppose see if anything's come unplugged. If not, check those sensors are all clean and healthy and as they should be. What's weird is it was working absolutely fine, no problem at all until I parked it up and then it was just dead. So, I'll come back to you when I found something. Okay, so I've cleaned a few sensors, checked a few things over, and uh I think we're ready to give it another go. Anyone else who's in the car trade? Do you ever get the feeling that certain cars just don't want to leave when you buy them and you get them all ready and they just don't want to leave? So, the things go wrong continually.

[00:05:07]This Jaguar is certainly feeling like one of those cars at the moment.

[00:05:16]I'll give it a couple of tries just in case one of those sensors needs to send a signal back to the ECU and figure itself out.

[00:05:34]Okay, going to need to dig a bit deeper.

[00:05:38]Okay, now we are cooking on gas. Check this out.

[00:05:44]Absolute beauty. So, what was wrong? I will show you. Checked all the connections and things and all the sensors. Checked everything was clean.

[00:05:52]As I said, what I didn't check that first time round was these fuses. Now, in this fuse box here, this is the engine control fuse box. And fuse number 18 is a 10 amp. And sure enough, it was blown. Now, that according to the handbook, controls the ignition, coils, etc. So, that 10 amp fuse obviously just blew. And it was just bad luck that it happened just as I pulled up back here at the yard. So, now that the car is running, I can finally crack on with that fail sheet. Okay, so I'm trying to work out why this traction control on and off button isn't working. And I've been all the way through all the fuses, etc. after that fuse with regards to the the why the car wouldn't start. I thought I'd check all the fuses as well with regards to the traction control and the ABS because as you know in the last episode, if you've been watching that is I had to do a little solder repair inside the main ABS module. So, I thought maybe it's blown a fuse. Anyway, I've checked all the fuses that are relevant. They're all absolutely fine.

[00:06:49]So, that led me to believe the switch might be faulty. Now, this is the switch panel which comes out from the dash. On this panel, everything works. So, we got the lock switch, the hazard switch, and the the valet switch. They all work.

[00:07:02]It's only the traction control switch that doesn't work. So, I've separated it and I've taken the board out.

[00:07:09]Then what I've decided to do is plug the board back into the car and see if I can test it live. Now I'm going to try and do this onehanded. So bear with me. I just want to kind of explain to you what's going on. So you can see I've got the the actual panel out. But this is the plug I need. So I pop you guys down here. If I just plug this board back into that block there, what you'll notice is if I start the car and I then turn the lights on, we have the courtesy lights below the lock and unlock button, the valet button, and the hazard switch. Now, of course, these all work as they should, but the courtesy light that's beneath the traction control on and off button isn't lit up. So, for whatever reason, these are like a blue color. It's just the way it is. You can see down inside this head unit. That's just obviously the Jaguar style. The fact that isn't lit up makes me think, is there a problem with this board? So, I can't see any damaged solder or anything just like on the ABS module. I thought it might be a cracked or dried solder joint there, but um no, I can't see anything to that effect. So, I need to clean it up. I'm waggling everything to make sure there isn't anything daft going on. See if it'll flag on, and it just isn't doing it. So, I need to investigate this board a little bit further because I think that is where our fault lies. Okay, so I am still working on why that traction control switch isn't working. I think I was going down the wrong route. The fact that bulb wasn't working, it was just a blown bulb. Not a big deal. The switch seems to be operating okay. So, I put all that back together and now I'm looking at the wheel speed sensors once again. Now, everything seems to be okay there. I'm getting a live reading from each corner of the car. Everything seems to be correct. So, I'm still kind of banging my head against a brick wall on that one. But, while I've got the car up in the air, I figured it'd be a good opportunity to show you this spot of rust that obviously we missed. And it is a fair cop. So, in the bottom of this arch, you can see this groy little hole that's been poked through.

[00:09:22]As I said, we did do the underside of the car. We did the inner sills all towards the front. We did everything. We didn't check these rear arches. Now, looking at these now, they actually look okay to be fair. Um, obviously the the bottom front is where it's going to rot, if it's going to rot at all, and it is just this near side. But if we're repairing that one, that will be done properly. Uh, and I have got Robert booked to come and do that properly. So, it'll be a nice job. I think we'll have a look at the other side as well because we might as well while we're doing it because if you look closely, although there's no faults with this, you can kind of see a bit of discoloration.

[00:09:52]And I'm just worried that underneath that that factory stone chip, there's going to be the same issue waiting for a future owner. So, we'll do this side as well. So, then in terms of theote failures, I'm still working on that traction control. As I said, the door not opening from the inside, that's complete nonsense. It does work. So, we're not going to worry about that.

[00:10:09]Headlight adjustment, that is something else we got to have a look at. That'll be later in this video. Again, I'm hoping that'll be a relatively simple fix. So really our main fight is that little piece of welding which to be honest won't be a fight at all because we'll have Robert come and work his magic and it will look better than new and that traction control system which as I say is really really giving me the runaround right now. No idea which way I'm going to face with that next but I'm going to keep pushing on with it until we can get it solved because ultimately this car does need to be retested so it can be sold. Okay, so still fighting this thing. Checked all those wheel speed sensors. They're all good. The ECU is giving me a feedback on wheel speed on each corner. When the car is up in the air, the traction control works as well. So, if I if I put it in drive and the rear wheels are turning when the front wheels are stationary, it thinks you've got wheel slip and therefore the traction control kicks in. So, I know the system is working well. I'll remind you I also soldered up the ABS control module in the last episode. So, I'm pretty confident that's all good. All I can think is it's a actual physical faulty switch. So, I've been and bought a replacement unit. So, it's kind of a a last throw at the dice at this stage. I got to throw this in the car now and we'll see if that makes a difference.

[00:11:15]And the uh ASC traction control system is turned off and honorable again.

[00:11:21]Right. So, moment of truth. Let's see if this thing makes a difference. And it is just a faulty switch.

[00:11:33]So, the easiest way for me to test it is rather than change everything over, just plug the module in on its own and we'll see what we've got.

[00:12:05]I'm sorry to say that unfortunately it's still not working. Everything else on this switch bank works. We got hazards. We got the the valet mode. Uh lock and unlock. That's not working at the moment, but that's cuz got the bonnet open. I'm sure that it will work once I've got that bonnet shut. But the uh traction control ASC control button absolutely nothing. So I'm gonna have to keep thinking.

[00:12:30]And this is the joy of old cars, isn't it?

[00:12:36]Okay, so we're a little bit further down the road. We haven't solved the issue yet, but we are closing in on it. What we've realized is we've got the car on the ramp at the moment, so we're completely wheel free. If I start the car and put it in drive and put my foot on the throttle, it will flash ASC as in the rear wheels are turning, the front ones aren't. It thinks it's spinning. If I operate this switch, obviously we've got the uh the actual switch panel all in pieces now. Just have a look at the board. If we operate this switch and then put my foot on the throttle again, the wheels will turn freely without the AC. So, the actual traction control system is working exactly as it should.

[00:13:06]So, what we've done is continuity tested everything using a wire diagram as our base point. We know that everything on this board is exactly where it should be. It's just this telltale LED isn't lighting up when the button is pressed.

[00:13:18]So in essence, all this work we're going through now is to try and make a little LED work in order to have the indicator working and therefore pass the MOT. So traction control is fine. We just need it to indicate the fact that it's working fine. And the fact that all the wiring is tracing and working absolutely fine tells us there's no brakes in it. I think the only issue that can be going on with that little telltale LED is inside that ABS control module that you saw me separate before. So, I'm going to whip that out again. We'll get it separated and uh knowing which pin controls which now using the wiring diagram, I can have a look and see if there's any issues going on on the underside of that board, which means that this LED isn't receiving the signal it should when the button is pressed.

[00:13:58]Okay, so following on from that, I've got the ABS unit out again just to make sure everything was all right. I was going to open this up and check the board cuz it's pin 16 on this multi-block connector that is um of concern to the the LED light on the traction control switch. Now, can you see any reason that uh pin 16 might be playing up? So, as much as I'd like to blame Robert for that little faux part, as you saw in the last episode, he went home when I started working on this ABS unit. So, I can only assume I bent that pin when I put the multiconnectctor back on there. But I also like to think maybe that was bent already when someone else has been here in the past rather than purely my fault. But the fact of the matter is that's clearly our issue because pin 16 is the problem with the LED light on the traction control switch. So let's get that straightened out and see if it helps.

[00:14:44]Okay, so all plugged back in on that unit with the pin straightened out. What I'm going to do is put ignition on and test the button. So hopefully when I press this that little red telltale will come on. So let's turn the ignition on.

[00:14:59]Let's turn the climate control off.

[00:15:04]Okay, let's see what happens.

[00:15:07]Perfect.

[00:15:09]So, there you go. Traction control turned off. The red light is illuminated.

[00:15:14]Press it again. The light goes out and traction control is where it should be.

[00:15:20]Okay. So, that's all sorted. All plugged back in. I let Robert plug it in this time to make sure those pins weren't bent again. But now, as you saw, the light is working and it's all perfect.

[00:15:27]So, let's put everything back together and move on with the welding.

[00:15:35]Okay, so Robert has now finished the welding on those rear arches and they're looking spoton. Typical quality of Robert work. Absolutely ideal. He's also a look at the headlight. We changed a bulb there. We checked the adjustment.

[00:15:45]Silly things really. But basically, all the fail sheet items have now been worked through and this Jag is now going back into so fingers crossed. The next shot you'll see is this thing with a fresh ticket all nice and passed.

[00:15:59]So, you are joining me on the way back from and I'm very pleased to say that the big cat has now passed its test.

[00:16:07]Absolutely perfect. Also, while it was at the garage, I've had them regening.

[00:16:11]So, on a lovely day like today, air con is blowing ice cold. Perfect. Now, that means this car is actually going to be ready for sale very shortly. I did valid it and clean it right before uh it failed its MOT last time. But now that it's passed, I'm just give it a quick once over and it will be ready to go. So that means we need to discuss pricing.

[00:16:32]What is this Jag going to be worth? I asked that in the last video and it seems to be anything between 5 and 7K is the general appetite for this car. So I think I'm going to go in at a moderately healthy 5995.

[00:16:45]Obviously people are going to want to make an offer on that. So, we'll have to see exactly where we end up, but I think a shade under six grand, this beautiful long wheelbase XJ will make a uh a very, very keen purchase for someone.

[00:17:00]Something I have noticed about the Jag, you probably saw there, we've got a little bit of brake shake when we're putting the brakes on. So, I've had a quick look uh before this went back for its retest actually, and I have got a slightly warped disc brake on the front off side. So, in the spirit of doing things properly, I've just ordered a pair of front discs and new pads. So, what I'm going to do is get those put on the car because I don't want someone to buy this and then have to do that down the line. So, one more thing to do, a little bit more expense, but it all comes under the heading of making things proper. So, as pleased as I am that it's passed it and it's basically ready for sale, I do want to do that job.

[00:17:40]Okay, so we are now back at the unit.

[00:17:41]The Jag has got its nice freshote, but as I said in that little driving clip, I have heard a noise from the front brakes. So, I've got a set of Distant pads on their way to me now. I'll fit those off camera and then the Jag will really be ready for sale. And that kind of leads me on to my next point. This is the last time you're probably going to see this Jag because I don't have any more videos planned on it. And uh it is going to be for sale publicly very soon.

[00:18:03]And the price I'm going to advertise at is $5995. I think that's a fair price for it. Some of them I've seen well in excess of seven or eight grand. Some you can give sort of 1,500 quid for, but one like this that's been fully gone through. It's a long wheelbase executive. I think the 5995 figure is fair to everyone. I think that will work quite well. But as I say, because it's the last time you're going to see this Jag. I'm going to leave you with some uh some driving shots of this beautiful, beautiful old car cuz it's a beautiful sunny day and there's nothing like seeing a piece of metal like this go down the road in the sunshine.

[00:18:34]But if you have enjoyed the Jaguar content, do not despair that it's the last time you're going to see this because I have got probably the ultimate British V8 that I'm going to be bringing you a video on very soon. And I'm really, really excited to show it to you. Actually, I think you're going to love it.

[00:18:52]So, if you're not already subscribed, please make sure you do hit the subscribe button and you'll be notified when that video goes live. But of course, until next time, thank you ever so much for watching and I will of course catch you on the next one.

[00:19:04]Cheers.

[00:19:34]Heat. Heat.

[00:19:40]Yeah.

[00:19:52]Yeah.