Jaguar XJ6 Six Cylinder Won’t Start

I have a Jaguar xj6 that won’t start. It is a 6 cylinder with fuel injection. I think that it has a problem with the module. The same module is used in a 78 Chevrolet. What is the function of the module?

Protech:
Not familiar with Jaquar. What module are you referring to?

It is an ignition module. It is about 1-1/2 inches long and is curved to fit into the distributor. From Jaguar it cost about $200. from Autozone it was less than $20.

OK. Yes, the ignition module controls spark to the cap and spark plug wires. It uses the pick-up coil, which surrounds the distributor shaft to signal when spark is needed.

Does it function like a magnaspark on a Briggs and Stratton engine? On the B&S there is no pick up coil but somehow determines spark timing some other way.

Similar. On a small engine like that, there is a ring and magnet to signal when spark is needed. The ignition module determines the signal from the pick-up coil, then causes the coil to dwell and build voltage, then it fires at the proper time.

The Jaguar is essentially the same engine they have used since the fifties. Where I am stumped is in isolating the ignition timing from the fuel as the reason for not starting. I can’t seem to get any spark and I can’t shoot gas into a carb. How can I eliminate either one of them as a problem?

You can always spray starter fluid into the throttle to see if it starts. If it does, then you have spark, but no fuel. Since you seem to have no spark, then the most common cause IS a bad ignition module. You can do an ohms reading on the pick-up coil to see if it is an open circuit- then that would be the problem.

I was just beta testing this idea. I had no immediate problem so I used a problem that has been around for awhile: a car that I had never started and has been around for years (a project). My curiosity has to do with communication via a keyboard. It takes awhile to compose a question then there is the wait. This is better than posting a question on a forum and maybe never getting a response. Most times I figure out an answer before any response. And often I know more than the responders. One other thought would be to have photos or diagrams as an additional tool. Also , have you considered using Skype? Keep in contact; I would like to see this work. I only dabble now but I was one of the first certified mechanics back in the 1960s.

Great ! Maybe we could use a guy like you to help people out on this site, or another we have. Interested?