Good afternoon everyone. I'm new to Jaguar ownership having purchased a 2005 Super V8 (i.e. XJ X350) over the summer via BAT. The hope was to find a truly special car that I could share with my entire family, the wife and little ones (10 & 8), at the same time since my Mazda's ('04 Mazdaspeed Miata & '93 R1 RX-7) are not what one would call family friendly. The Super V8 seemed the answer as I've long admired the XJR's and Super V8's. I tend to hold onto cars for extended periods and I entered into Jaguar ownership with the intention of this one being a "keeper".

I was initially impressed with much of the car after taking delivery. The body was in great shape, zero rust. Excellent interior. Seemed to run well initially but then experienced a coolant temp spike over a particularly hot summer day and also a leaky air suspension. Wound up replacing two corners of the air suspension (the two others had just recently been done under prior ownership), the radiator fan unit, and various sundry maintenance items (i.e. bushings, hoses, etc.) in addition to regular gambit of new to me car fluids and filters across the board. With that behind me, and the ancient tires awaiting replacement when spring hits NE Ohio,
I was just about ready to put it away for the winter when the transmission began slipping (when rolling into the gas above 3,500 RPM or so) and going into limp-home mode. I was able to restart the car, which popped it back out of limp home, only to have it do so again under load. This was after the local independent Jag specialist (long-time former Jag master tech at the local dealer) dropped the pan and swapped out the fluid and filter. We did attempt to use a friction modifier additive as a last resort under his recommendation but to no avail.

All that said, any advice/direction that the forum members might be willing to offer me would be tremendously appreciated. If there is a pathway to a potential solution that does not involve a full rebuild I'd be over the moon to hear about it. I have explored other options including:

• Speaking to Sparrow Racing in the UK to explore whether they had a manual swap kit using the European market diesel manual transmission (watched DriveTribe's piece on their XKR) but they have no plans to do the software work for the XJ's as they don't believe the demand will be there to justify the development costs. Too bad really...that would have been fun and unique.
• Opting for a used unit from a reputable source but I believe that will need to be programmed after install and the same Jag specialist independent mechanic noted above does not have the programmer, suggested that the local Jag dealers are reluctant to work on cars of this vintage and suggested that the rebuild route was probably a better, and less risky, option. When knowledgeable folks offer recommendations that go contrary to their personal bottom lines, I tend to take them seriously.

I took it to a well respected local transmission shop and they suggested that I'm in need of a rebuild. Below is a summary of their findings for your reference.

Problem Statement

• Trans in limp mode/OK to Lev2
• Trans slips under load in 5th gear
• Internal trans problem; Trans must come out for inspection
• Warranty does not cover Mechatronic inside trans
• Codes present: (note: I did my best to post the code descriptions in an attempt to be helpful but I'm not sure if they are correct.)
  • Trans:
    • P0735 - incorrect gear ratio code for 5th gear
    • P0730 - incorrect gear ratio detected in an automatic transmission
  • Engine: (note: I believe all these to be legacy [i.e. not present at the time of the transmission diagnostic session] that likely came up as a function of the work done immediately prior by the Jag specialist.)
    • P1260 - Security input./Theft detected, vehicle immobilized./Theft detected - engine disabled
    • P0480 - cooling fan 1 control circuit has a malfunction
    • P0568 - Cruise Control Set Signal Malfunction
    • P1696 - Speed control input switch fault

Description: Level 2 diagnostics. Scan check/text for codes present. Check all related wiring and connections from trans to PCM. Check fluid level and condition. Trans slips under load in 5th gear. Internal trans issue and needs rebuilt to repair.

Repair Cost Estimate: $3,500-$5,000.

A sincere thank you to everyone in advance for taking a moment to offer your insights/wisdom to a newbie.

 

Welcome aboard.

 

Hello,
I'm sorry your dream Jaguar is playing up on you. That's Really a disappointment.
However, your car is now 17 years old and if the transmission is all original, probably has had NO work done before you got the car. (People tend to ignore transmissions as long as they work just a little bit)

Unfortunately, in my own experience with AutoTrans (I am by No means expert) when they start slipping there is no proper long term fix but a rebuild. (I've done the Magic Fluid tricks and they lasted about 15 minutes) This is because, by this time much the fiber material has been worn off the internal clutch discs (the little internal thingies that make it move) and the shaft seals have probably got a little hard due to resulting heat build up, allowing fluid to escape around the seals rather than apply pressure to the clutch pack so the car will move. (I'm actually looking at these very symptoms on my own car.)

I have no experience with all your codes, but someone will be along shortly to direct you to the correct section where you can get proper help.

Welcome to the forums from ElinorB.
(';')

 

Welcome to the forums Ohio's Jag,

Sorry to hear about your transmission troubles. The New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum is not the place for technical discussion so I've copied your post to X350 forum for advice from members with the same model. Here's the direct link to it:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...stance-266361/

Follow this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...-x350-x358-28/ to the main X350 forum for help, advice and information. The 'HOW TO' thread at the top is a good place to start for information on regular issues. You can also use the US Midwest Region forum by following this link https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/us-midwest-39/ to find other members in your region.

Please read the guidance for new members ( https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/n...ned-up-241802/ ) which answers many of the most frequent questions about getting started.

Enjoy the forums.

Graham

 

Welcome to the Forums.

 

Welcome to Jaguar Forums Ohio's Jag,

Good to have you with us.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't done so already you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.
If you need help with getting around and using the forum follow this link for some help Forum Help

 

welcome to the forum - hopeful you can get the transmission issues resolved so you can enjoy the drive!!!