My Car acted VERY oddly after Rain, i can Explain

[JCCADILLACMOBILE]

Hi All! I had an ODD (And Scary, as i had to get to Work) Experience with my Jaguar, which it did not yet repeat, but had doen so in the past.. This is what happened:

1) I went out to my car, 3 Hours before work to go other places before work. I go to the car, turn the key...

5-6 times: "Starts-Dies." "Starts-Dies." "Starts-Dies." Ran for like 1/2 second.

!!!!! -PANIC MODE-....

2) As I Did before with this -Odd- Condition, I RAN to the Gas Station, and got 1.75 Gallons of GAS (Didnt care if it was 87 or 89 as i put in 93 for the car) and RAN back.. Popped Tank... BEFORE I PUT THE GAS IN THE CAR, i Turned the Key again.. it -STARTED- And stayed Running (It always Fires right up when it starts) and was Idling at 800-ish RPM, maybe 900 maybe 1000... I ADDED THE GAS all 1.75 Gallons AS it was RUnning (Started it up BEFORE Gas Add to see if that was a Suspect, i keep tank Full now..) - Poured in gas, it took it all, over 2 miinutes...

I let it run for like 3 or 4 minutes, Put in in Drive, pressed Gas pedal..

Car DIED, Went back to "Start-Die." "Start-Die."

3) Im now in EXTREME PANIC MODE!!! I RAN Back to the Gas station a SECOND Time, an ADDITIONAL 1.75 Gallons Gas (89 this time) .. Started car, it FIRED RIGHT UP (about 15 to 20 minutes of me RUNNING, .. 15 or 20 minutes Time Elapsed between Leaving Car and coming back.) Come back, pop cap, Start car - It Starts, poured Gas in, it took it all.. Closed Cap. THIS TIME, I LET THE CA RUN for 5 to about 10 Minutes.

Now. 4) I Pressed the Gas pedal LIGHTLY.. The Car ACTED as though it wanted to Die. I let off Gas Pedal.. it went back to Idle. I did it again.. Same result. I let the car run another 10 minutesd or so.. I Pressed gas Pedal lightly again, and it Revved up! So, i let off gas.. Held it at about 2000RPM for a Minute, let it idle... Then i went Driving.

It has acted OK Since, and it was VERY Moist out.

WHAT HAPPENED!!??

1985 Jaguar XJ6 4.2L Inline-6, 152,100 Miles.. Fuel Pump and Filter is One Month Old.

 

[addyguy]

How much gas was/is in the car in general - you said you went to the gas station twice to get gas - was it almost empty?

If it had more than 1/4 of a tank of gas in it, I don't understand why you went to put '1.75 gallons' of gas in it - why 1.75 gallons?

 

[JCCADILLACMOBILE]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
How much gas was/is in the car in general - you said you went to the gas station twice to get gas - was it almost empty?

If it had more than 1/4 of a tank of gas in it, I don't understand why you went to put '1.75 gallons' of gas in it - why 1.75 gallons?


It was all my Portable Little gas Can could Hold.

The thing that baffles me is.. 3 days ago i put -11 Gallons- Premium in it.. Should have had like a Half tank or so.

Like i said, its weird.. Any insight?

P.S.: Thanks for your Help, guys! Ill watch the Responses a bit so i dont OD. on Posting.. Thanks!

addyguy if you need you can PM me.. others, ill watch the Tread.. thats why i cant figure this out, i think i had 1/2-3/4 tank Gas.. My gas Gauge doesnt work, so i dont know!!!

Whatever i did, it worked, though... Im just wondering what HAPPENED!!!!!

 

[TurboJim]

If your gas gauge doesn't work I would keep one of your two tanks topped up at all times. You do know that the two tanks are not connected and there is a switch on the dash to change back and forth between them?

 

[aquariuscsm]

It`s possible your car was fuel starved,especially if you had it sitting on a hill or at an angle.

 

[Schmoe]

You may have an automatic fuel pump shutoff for low fuel. Most cars have fuel pumps in the gas tank itself, helps keep the pump cool. With no fuel to keep it cool, may have triggered a shut off as it might have started to get hot. Your driving a Jag and the fuel guage doesn't work??

 

[brsmith]

Welcome to Jaguar ownership.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: brsmith
Welcome to Jaguar ownership.


+1 LOL Sad but true... As an old acquaintance used to say, "It runs like [censored], but it runs like [censored]."

 

[brsmith]

A Jag is like a wife, on a cold, wet morning when you REALLY need her to turnover.......

 

[rshunter]

Has anyone else noticed that, in each instance, he'd removed the gas cap before he was successful in starting the car?

 

[chrome]

You mentioned that on both occasion before you started filling the tanks, you had the engine idling. If it was idling, it is getting fuel to the injectors. The problem then is that it will not rev up without stumbling and stalling.

I don't think an empty fuel tank is your immediate problem. It may be ignition or engine control related. I am not familiar with an 85 Jag's engine control (does it have mechanical fuel injection, electronic ignition?). When was the last time you looked at the condition of the distributor cap, rotor and leads? Are the spark plugs in good condition? Does your engine have EGR - could be a slightly stuck open valve?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

It's a 25 year old Jag with over 150K miles on it. They were quirky at best when they were new, but now all of those 25 year old electrical connections are old and brittle.

Somewhere there's a marginal electrical connection that had moisture in it from the rain/humid environment. You let it idle for 10 minutes and it warmed up the engine bay enough to dry it up, just enough so the problem disappeared.

Next time it's that wet outside you'll see the same issue.

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
It's a 25 year old Jag with over 150K miles on it. They were quirky at best when they were new, but now all of those 25 year old electrical connections are old and brittle.


Did anyone else have a cold shiver when they read this vivid definition? I'm still trying to straighten out from the involuntary cringe that accompanied it.

EUUWWW...

 

[eljefino]

Dude it's your plug wires most likely or a rotor and cap, an ignition issue.

You will often have enough spark energy to idle but it bogs out when you drive.

Sometimes you can idle things long enough for the heat to drive out the moisture and you can keep on trucking, as seems to have happened in this case.

 

[JCCADILLACMOBILE]

Originally Posted By: rshunter
Has anyone else noticed that, in each instance, he'd removed the gas cap before he was successful in starting the car?



Someone else suggested the Caps may not have Vented... Thing that makes me thing "???" about that is all the OTHER times it starts Fine.

Im wondering if my Old Spark Plugs are Dead kinda, and Dist. Cap needs Airing out.

Just had to throw that in there. - Joseph

And to the "Wife" Posters: yes, but there must Still be a Rational Explanation, not just "Its a Jaguar"..........................................................................

 

[rshunter]

Originally Posted By: JCCADILLACMOBILE
Originally Posted By: rshunter
Has anyone else noticed that, in each instance, he'd removed the gas cap before he was successful in starting the car?



Someone else suggested the Caps may not have Vented... Thing that makes me thing "???" about that is all the OTHER times it starts Fine.

Im wondering if my Old Spark Plugs are Dead kinda, and Dist. Cap needs Airing out.

Just had to throw that in there. - Joseph

And to the "Wife" Posters: yes, but there must Still be a Rational Explanation, not just "Its a Jaguar"..........................................................................

I think "eljefino" may be on to something. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before.

How old are your plug wires, distributor cap, etc? Try misting your cap and wires with water, using a spray bottle. Then try firing the car up. I wouldn't be surprised if the car doesn't start, or you end up with a spectacular light show under the "bonnet". In either case, you'll have found your problem.

 

[Schmoe]

I've had friends that have Jags and they have all complained. At that age, get use to extreme panic modes. It's just their nature. Sell it.....