New S Type Owner in West Yorkshire

[RichGK]

First post on the forum so be gentle with me.
I've just purchased my 1st S type, a 2007 SE 2.7 D.
I have a 1968 E type but this is the first time i've had a jaguar as a daily driver.
I love how it drives….Unfortunately i've had to replace the starter motor already..and in doing the checks on that I noticed that the boot is holding water….?
Any suggestions as possible causes would be great fully accepted. I have noticed the off side rear light cluster seems to hold moisture but can this really cause this?
I am sure this forum is going to be great resource.
Thanks in advance for your help and guidance.
Rich

[J44EAG]

Welcome Rich.

We have some good knowledgeable guys on these Bulletin Boards. They will all do their best to help with issues you may have.

We haven't had any instances of diesel starters being a problem. How the starter may have been used by a previous owner is perhaps what might influence the overall life of a particular motor. Long cranking sessions will certainly shorten the life of any starter. The longer it used, the hotter it will become. Overheating is likely to lead to early failure.

Boot seals and rear light clusters can leak. The fact you have some fogging suggests you may well have a local leak within the immediate are. Don`t let the spare wheel well flood. Loads of electronic gubbins and a fuse box live in that space. Many of us have drilled an 8mm hole at the lowest point in the wheel well to let any standing water run out. Belt and braces methodology.

Hope that helps.

Mike

[RichGK]

Hi Mike
Noted your comments around the starter motor..I hope I was simply unlucky with this issue.
I was hoping the S type would be more sophisticated than the E type, where wet footwells seem to be a design feature…
I will certainly keep and eye on it and see if i can find the leak before I start drilling.
Thanks for the advice though.
Rich

[oldtimer]

Rich,
Go through the S type body work etc. there's loads of information and chat about water leaks in the boot. Shout if you can't find it

[Montana5]

Hi Rich, welcome to the BB.

Doug.

[RichGK]

Thanks Doug it's been an education already
It's nice to see others are experiencing the same issues with their own cars
Regards
Rich

[RichGK]

Well had the results back regarding the Starter Motor
Apparently a fault with a fused wire in the wire harness... Which now needs replacing... Is this common..
All input appreciated...but not a great first week of ownership.

[J44EAG]

The first time I`ve heard of the issue and can`t recall it being raised at previous seminars.

A fuse is obviously a protection device designed to blow if excess current passes through it or a dead short circuit occurs. A defective high current starter could cause that either by having an internal fault or by a driver caning the motor due to a reluctant starting engine. Who knows what has previously occurred?

In addition, aged cable and fuse holders can corrode and cause a high resistance hot spot which might cause a local overheat and meltdown of a particular control or protection component. Sadly electrical component failure in these complex cars are frequently the weak point. Even a Jaguar is not completely bomb proof.

The first weeks of ownership of either a new or second hand car will often be a bit trying. Given enough patience and may be more cash thrown at the car, matters will begin to settle down. Only when a machine is pushed into further service after perhaps hanging around for a while, does its true condition and reliability become obvious.

Mike

[RichGK]

Hi Mike
Yes I think your right...apparently the fuse had blown too
If this is aloha do to deal with to enjoy the "New S Type" then so be it.
I keep telling myself just how much I enjoy driving it, and all will be worth it.
Thanks for input Mike
Regards
Rich

[RichGK]

Well chaps
I have it back new starter motor and wire harness complete.
Started it up the next morning in cold weather just to move onto the drive and when I turned it off , white smoke out the left front of the car. I have read some articles on here about a heater which emits smoke on cold weather on the deisel cars. I have had no issues since and on a long journey there was no smoke when I turned the engine off.
Any thoughts chaps.
Regards
Rich

[J44EAG]

Auxiliary diesel heaters invariably smoke when cold. For combustion to be efficient it must be got up to running temperature. You should try to allow that to occur before you ever switch the car off.

We encounter similar units on boats and they can also be found in lorries and trucks. Closing a heater down before the warm up cycle is complete can lead to combustion chamber coking. This needs to be kept to a minimum if regular heater servicing is to be avoided. Some units have a timer or other control inhibitor which will not allow the heater to be switched off before a good running temperature has been achieved. Hopefully this facility has been built into Jaguar systems.

As always advised, one should avoid short journey use which might cause a heater not to be at full temperature before a switch off. Similarly, and this goes for both petrol and diesel cars, switching an engine off before it is fully hot should be avoided to stop excessive fuel wash on cylinder bores, oil dilution with fuel and condensation. All are very destructive.

DPF equipped cars are very sensitive to exhaust filter blockage when used for short journeys. As such they are not ideal for short journey use which should be avoided like the plague. A good long run once a week will help kept DPF units in good condition and avoid blockage which is expensive to sort. The same goes for engine damage which as detailed above and in extreme cases of oil dilution may result in wear which may require a new engine fitted if the matter has been allowed to get out of hand.

Mike

[RichGK]

Thanks Mike that's great input and detail...I not to do now.. No more short trips in cold weather or indeed any weather
Despite all the possible pitfalls , still a great car to drive ..
Thanks again
Rich

[davidr]

Rich - I think that your car being a late one Is probably equipped with a DPF. The way to check is the exhaust pipes. If they are straight out then you have a DPF - if they are angled down then you don't have one the logic being that non-DPF cars emit more particulates that are directed towards the ground in an effort to keep them out of the air.
Obviously if you don't have a DPF then you won't have the problems of it clogging up and not having enough of a run in which to regenerate.
Hope that helps
David

[RichGK]

Hi David
Thanks for the input.. It does have straight exhausts...
Cheers
Rich

[bryan13]

Hi Rich the way to tell if your webasto diesel fired engine heater is working is when temperature is +5 or below start engine as normal and then go and stand n/s/f corner you cant really hear it over the noise of the engine but you will be able to smell the fumes from the exhaust and possible see them just in front of the n/s front wheel. when the dpf is carrying out a regeneration i find my car runs quite rough if I come off the motorway, and the ticking noises from the exhaust is very loud when you stop.hope this all helps great car to own enjoy it.its a shame jaguar didn't fit a information light to let you know the dpfs are regenerating like they do in lorry's