Hello Jag world. I own a 2002 S-Type 3.0 with 93,000 miles on it. I am the 3rd owner. The previous owners drove the car 7-9,000 miles per year. Long story short. The transmission hesitates to shift into the next gear sometimes..The RPM will go up to 3-4,000 the the car will shift. As mentioned it only act like this sometimes... I noticed a leak of transmission fluid and took the car to a mechanic and we found a loose trans cooling line.. after tightening the line the leak was stopped...the mechanic checked the fluid level by unscrewing the plug at the bottom of the trans pan while the car was in gear and fluid came out. he said this indicates the fluid level is o.k.

If I put the car into reverse or drive and try to step on the gas right away it hesitates to move. Which to me is low fluid. But if I drop to reverse or drive slowly, wait a second the car pulls off fine. Can anyone help me with what the issue may be here. I have some years of knowledge on working on cars but transmission problems and Jags I would say I need help with. Thanks in advance Jag world.

 

Your (last 6 of) VIN is M45254 or lower?

If so, as I expect, you have the Ford 5R55N trans. There's a FAQ which includes filling it and thus properly checking the level. It's critical and it sounds like yours wasn't done that way.

 

@ JagV8 My vin is indeed lower than M45254. When I noticed the leak and traced back to where I had been parking for a couple of days I found a rather large puddle or two of trans fluid so when the so called mechanic told me that the fluid appears to be o.k after stopping the leak I found that rather hard to believe. I have always wanted a Jaguar now that I finally own one it's giving me issues already, however it looks like with the help of my new Jaguar owner associates, I'll be able to get to the bottom of the matter and enjoy my car.

Thanks,

_________________________________
2002 Jaguar S-Type 3.0 -93,000 miles/ Sports package - Vin Pre M45254

 

You might have been better at a gearbox shop - it's a very commonly used autobox.

Checked properly, chances are it needs some fluid (cheap stuff, for that box). The sooner the better (but don't panic).

 

I'll be heading to a Transmission/Gearbox shop that specializes in Jags later this afternoon. There is one not to far a distance from my place of business. I'm hoping and thinking low fluid is the problem here as the car really drives very smoothly and shift perfect when I'm just coasting on the streets and also on the highway. Once again thanks for your input. I'll update the outcome.

Thanks,

 

Added note: I'm receiving no codes related to transmission problems when dio is done. Only code that appears is Low Cat system in bank 2..which the check engine light came on a week ago, after I reset with my OBDII hand held the check engine light have not came back on yet. I will be changing Cat converter this weekend

 

You CANNOT check the fluid level after driving the car so you can't wait on the level check in the customer waiting area. The level is checked between 30 and 50 degrees Centigrade NOT operating temp.
If the jag shop that stopped the leak did not wait for the gearbox to cool down to check the level, then you have a low fluid level.
The TEMP instructions are printed on the back cover of the gearbox.

The level is checked by removing the little plug INSIDE the larger plug (standpipe).
Removing the large plug will DRAIN the fluid.

bob gauff

 

+1 on what Bob said and JagV8 said ^^^^^

Also what is the code, it might NOT be a bad CAT.

 

Hello my fellow Jag enthusiast. I have not had the opportunity to take the car in to a certified Jaguar trans shop as of yet due to busy work schedule. I have parked my S-type for the time being until the weekend comes about not to damage anything should it be only low fluid that's indeed the problem.

@ Motorcarman (Bob) It was not a Jag shop that stopped the leak but of a mechanic shop that I think know very little about Jaguars. He attempted to check the level roughly 45 minutes after I had just gotten off the freeway after driving 37 miles. The only reason I took my car to this shop was due to the following:

I purchased the car from a dealer 4-5 cities over after finding it on the internet. I test drive the car, pulled up the car fax and everything seemed to be o.k. The car drove like a dream. after having the car for a few days I began having shift problems which was when I noticed the leak. As mentioned before I traced back to my previous parking spots (parking stalls at both home and work) and noticed puddles of trans fluid. I contacted the dealer advising them of he issue and they had me take it to their mechanic. he found the leak (with my help of pointing it out to him while the car was on the hoist) tightened the return trans fluid cooling line and the leak was stopped.

I asked him to check the fluid level in which he attempted to do. I can tell by the look of confusing on his face and by him calling over other mechanics from neighboring repair shops that he did not know what he was doing. He even had to go online to check when I told him a certain type of fluid must be added.

I will be taking my S-type to a certified Jag shop from here on out.

@ Joycesjag (Rick) the code that I'm getting on my OBDII hand held dio machine is P0430 which could be one of the following:

1)The catalytic converter is no longer functioning properly
2)An oxygen sensor is not reading (functioning) properly
3)There is an exhaust leak

my machine is reading this exact message: P0430 Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 2)

I'm really digging this forum. Thank you all for your input of knowledge on the matter. again I'll update all of you on the outcome when I take the car in Saturday morning. fingers are crossed that its a low fluid problem.

 

Thing is, it's not a Jaguar autobox. It's a Ford one and a common one. The check & fill details are just the same as for any car using it.

P0430 can (and may) mean a bad cat, but sometimes it's the code the car works out by trusting some other data that is within spec but not quite right.

Fuel trims are often useful data if you can read them at idle and at 2500rpm (in Park will do).

I think it could also be a sign of a dying O2 sensor but they're not quite so easy DIY diagnosis so let's try the trims first.