x308 XJR Relay or Something Similar Clicking?
Discussion
Hello.
I have a 1998 x308 XJR and a few times recently on starting it there has been a clunk/click (not the seatbelt advert!) noise from the front of the car, at a guess in front of the engine that sounds a lot like a relay or something trying to switch, or cycle. It is quite a loud mechanical noise, is around a second between a clunk and a click and stops after maybe 5 or 6 cycles.
It does not repeat once the car is warm, and only started once the weather dropped very cold. The battery on this car I think is getting tired, but I’ve not yet had any of the other related issues that seem to be common to poor battery condition but I do wonder if it is power related.
I have to be honest, I’ve not even opened the bonnet yet to have a look for what it might be, I’m asking here first to see if anyone knows of anything obvious that it might be before I go prodding around.
Ta,
Al
I have a 1998 x308 XJR and a few times recently on starting it there has been a clunk/click (not the seatbelt advert!) noise from the front of the car, at a guess in front of the engine that sounds a lot like a relay or something trying to switch, or cycle. It is quite a loud mechanical noise, is around a second between a clunk and a click and stops after maybe 5 or 6 cycles.
It does not repeat once the car is warm, and only started once the weather dropped very cold. The battery on this car I think is getting tired, but I’ve not yet had any of the other related issues that seem to be common to poor battery condition but I do wonder if it is power related.
I have to be honest, I’ve not even opened the bonnet yet to have a look for what it might be, I’m asking here first to see if anyone knows of anything obvious that it might be before I go prodding around.
Ta,
Al
I have an update, and answer for this.
A few weeks after first hearing this noise the auxiliary belt decided that it wanted to become a lightweight racing edition and shed one of the ribs making some god awful noises in the process. Upon investigating I noticed that the aux belt tensioner was moving when the engine was first started, and then settling down. My diagnosis is the old belt must have been getting stiff and flat spotting overnight, the clunk clack I was hearing was the tensioner hitting its limit stops as the flat spot rode over it. After the belt had done a few rotations it was massaged back into the correct shape and ran fine.
A replacement belt (NCA 2211 DA) has completely cured the noise.
Al
A few weeks after first hearing this noise the auxiliary belt decided that it wanted to become a lightweight racing edition and shed one of the ribs making some god awful noises in the process. Upon investigating I noticed that the aux belt tensioner was moving when the engine was first started, and then settling down. My diagnosis is the old belt must have been getting stiff and flat spotting overnight, the clunk clack I was hearing was the tensioner hitting its limit stops as the flat spot rode over it. After the belt had done a few rotations it was massaged back into the correct shape and ran fine.
A replacement belt (NCA 2211 DA) has completely cured the noise.
Al
I am interested in this one....in my previous posts I have had similar issues.
The tensioner on mine was happy rocking back and forth clunking away at one point after a new belt and tensioner was put on.
It shredded a rib or two on my auxilliary belt initially, we put a new belt and tensioner on it and this was also shredded when it started up from cold. I got the Same Jaguar specialist to put a third one on and its OK now. The initial problem always ocurred when the car had been stood for a couple of weeks or so, it was always a squeaking on this belt.
The mechanic ran it everyday for 7 weeks and it was fine, now the car still squeaks on start up unless its used everday. I am not convinced that this has been solved yet. Let us know how you get on, is the car used daily ?
The tensioner on mine was happy rocking back and forth clunking away at one point after a new belt and tensioner was put on.
It shredded a rib or two on my auxilliary belt initially, we put a new belt and tensioner on it and this was also shredded when it started up from cold. I got the Same Jaguar specialist to put a third one on and its OK now. The initial problem always ocurred when the car had been stood for a couple of weeks or so, it was always a squeaking on this belt.
The mechanic ran it everyday for 7 weeks and it was fine, now the car still squeaks on start up unless its used everday. I am not convinced that this has been solved yet. Let us know how you get on, is the car used daily ?
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