No automotive lubricant/fluid is "lifetime" regardless of who tells you so. Yes, some fluids will stay viable far longer than others but no fluid should be considered to last the life of the vehicle....

 

I can find no reference stating that a '99 XJR has either a 6 speed transmission or one that is significantly similar to the ZF box fitted to the post face lift S-types. I've never heard of a 'Mercedes' ZF gearbox.

I have no reason to doubt that whatever transmission you had in your XJ 'broke' at 70,000 miles. How can you be sure that it was due to the fluid change and not some other factor, maybe just plain old coincidence?

 

Isn't the 1999 XJR trans the W5A580? Not by ZF.

Only a fool would pay those sorts of prices, BTW.

As for the idea that opening a ZF 6HP26 introduces dust and that's why it's sealed.... Oh gimme a break!!

 

Once again, yet again, we are going through the ZF auto-box and its fluid change disputes/problems.

Please, please read through ALL the contributions here about this autobox.

The ZF autobox has nothing partic. unusual about it. It is not for instance a completely different departure like Ford's CVT transmission.

The ATF fluid is nothing special, there are many transmissions using similar fluid, which has friction-control additives for the torque converter's slipping clutch operation. This additive stops shudder/judder.

Some completely erroneous material is written about this ZF auto-box. This even comes from manufacturers/dealers. This box is NOT, repeat NOT sealed for life. The ATF fluid should be changed at 60,000mile intervals when the ATF base is PAO synthetic. 30,000mile if mineral, i.e., just like any other transmission of its type. This is NOT any kind of "magic" box, needing no regular maintenance. Fluid change is determined by the ATF usual operating temperature. If the car is heavily loaded, used for towing, used much on steep gradients, the additives in the fluid will degrade sooner, and the ATF will need changing sooner. Old fluid has a distinctly 'burnt' smell, and gives all sorts of operational defects.

The idea that changing the ATF fluid will damage the box is so unlikely as to be discountable. Any damage will be coincidental, or the box is already damaged and about to fail. Au contraire, it IS likely that NOT CHANGING the fluid at appropriate intervals can most certainly damage the box.

Finally, if reading this thread, please read all the other threads about the ZF auto-box, even the ones on BMW and Range-Rover sites.

Leedsman.

 

Leedsman,

While I concur with your premise, I believe that throwing away very costly Lifeguard 6 ATF at just 30,000 miles would be quite wasteful. ZF tech support has told me that 100,000 miles is their recommended Lifeguard 6 ATF change interval for "normal driving conditions" (a 50/50 mix of highway/city driving, no towing, no gravel or dirt roads, and no racing). I'll play it a bit safer than that and change both of our ZF boxes' ATFs at 75,000 to 80,000 miles unless the electronic connector sleeves begin leaking sooner than that. I believe that such a compromise will work for the majority of 6-speed ZFs out there....

 

There have been two wrong guesses as to the automatic transmission used in the 1998-2003 XJR .. it is not a Ford and neither is it a ZF. It is a Mercedes manufactured W5A580.

There is also no known pattern of "valve body springs broke (just like many)". In fact it is an extremely robust transmission. Mercedes felt so strongly about this that it was a carryover in some top end models because its rated 580 NM torque capacity surpassed anything else available to them. Chrysler has also used the transmission in their most demanding applications.

In addition to the above specific usage by Jaguar, it has also been used in other supercharged vehicles in the Jaguar range of approximately the same model years. It has never been used in any naturally aspirated Jaguar.

BTW, this is an extremely old thread that slept for two years before being reawakened.

 

Ahhh, I stand corrected... I knew it was a 5 speed but did not know it was sourced from Mercedes.... That said, it even makes less sense that his broke and he was quoted that kind of money. I beat the snot out of the Chrysler version of that trans on a daily basis.

Funny thing is mine comes with a factory method to check the fluid with a "special tool" and an owners manual that states to change the transmission fluid at 40k intervals on the severe duty cycle / 60k on the regular cycle.

Heck the "sealed" Mercedes 7 Speed on the R350 has a 40k mile change interval for the regular duty cycle... granted, in 2006 they stated that it was "sealed for life" but within 2 years had changed their tune....

 

I see I was wrong about the transmission (1999 Jaguar XJR); it’s a Mercedes manufactured W5A580 transmission, not a 6 speed ZF. Sorry about that.

Now about the price I told you guys: “You can call Jaguar North Scottsdale yourself Toll-Free: 800-798-9175 or 480-538-4200 and they will tell you a 1999 Jaguar XJR remanufactured Transmission from Jaguar North Scottsdale cost $10,150 today, but a brand new transmission is still $19,000 and this is not the labor cost.

I don’t understand why some of you guys get mad at me for telling you the price for the remanufactured Transmission from Jaguar North Scottsdale.

No need to shot the messenger, you can call Jaguar North Scottsdale yourself Toll-Free at 800-798-9175.

 

@ JagV8

You said I quote: Only a fool would pay those sorts of prices.

I guess I was a fool at that time; I had the money and it was my first Jaguar, so I told them to fix it.

It’s not like it’s was a American car when they give you the bad news and you tell the services advisor I don’t have the money right now or can you hold a check until I get paid next week.

I had the money and I did not care, I just wanted them to fix my Jaguar fast!!! If you can’t pay the prices to fix your Jaguar, than you shouldn’t buy a Jaguar!

 

Well, that's one view LOL

I'd get a trans quote from a trans shop. Then a couple more.

Our cars here in this forum have quite common autoboxes, especially the 1999-2002 cars, so fixing or replacing is quite cheap but generally avoid dealers.

 

@Islam... No need to get overly defensive. But to be honest (a quick google search by me confirmed it) it is the same transmission as the one in my 2007 Chrysler 300C. It is recommended by both Mercedes and Chrysler to service this transmission. We aren't beating you up as much as warning others reading here (including you with your current cars) that transmission servicing WILL extend the life of your car immensely.

I wonder if the folks over in the XJ pages realize that the 5speed in their cars is the same as the one still in production and used in Chrysler products? Honestly these things can be gotten for HUNDREDS, not thousands.... if you want to just drop in a working used unit in place. Yes, they are more to rebuild......

Here is a quote from a LX (Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger) forum.

"The dealer is now telling me the tranny DOES need to be replaced, for ~$4500 ($3400 for a Chrysler rebuilt unit, with a 3 year/100,000 mile warranty, and fluid plus $1100 labor. I'm wondering whether a used tranny (from a 300SRT with approximately the same mileage as my MSRT) with warranty from a recycler may make sense, installed by an independent shop. I'm pricing that alternative out now. I'll keep LXF posted as to the outcome of this sad and sordid tale -- it was tough enough missing SF this year, after attending the previous 5."

While we aren't calling the prices you quoted from that Jaguar dealer inaccurate, just that they are charging WAY OUT OF LINE prices for what you had done..

So, in summary, don't miss-lead people that come to this forum for help when it has been substantiated over and over that you should service your transmission.....

BTW... I am also a bit irked by this comment....
"It’s not like it’s was a American car when they give you the bad news and you tell the services advisor I don’t have the money right now or can you hold a check until I get paid next week.

I had the money and I did not care, I just wanted them to fix my Jaguar fast!!! If you can’t pay the prices to fix your Jaguar, than you shouldn’t buy a Jaguar!"

I am not wealthy, like many here that have these cars and are able to drive and enjoy them by maintaining and fixing them ourselves....

Same reason my wife is driving a R350 and not a Kia Minivan. So, other than helping others that may be mis-lead, I'm done with you........


As a side note here is a list of the cars that used the W5A580

Applications

1996–1999 Mercedes-Benz W140
2000-2005 Mercedes-Benz W220
2006–Present Mercedes-Benz W221 (V12 Models only)
1997-2002 Mercedes-Benz W210
2002-2004 Mercedes-Benz W211
1997-2000 Mercedes-Benz W202
2000-2004 Mercedes-Benz W203
1998-2005 Mercedes-Benz W163
1997-2004 Mercedes-Benz W168
2004–Present Mercedes-Benz W169
2005–Present Mercedes-Benz B-Class
1998-2005 Mercedes-Benz R170
1990-2001 Mercedes-Benz R129
2001–Present Mercedes-Benz R230 (V12 Model and Earlier, up to 2005)
1998-2002 Mercedes-Benz W208
2003-2005 Mercedes-Benz W209
2000-2006 Mercedes-Benz C215 (V12 Models only)
2007–Present Mercedes-Benz C216 (V12 Models only)
1996–Present Mercedes-Benz W463 (AMG Models only)
2005-2009 Mercedes-Benz SLR
2002–Present Maybach 57 and 62
1998-2002 Jaguar X308 (Supercharged models only)
1998-2002 Jaguar XK (X100) (Supercharged models only)
2004–Present Ssangyong Rexton
2006–Present Ssangyong Kyron
2005–Present Ssangyong Rodius
2005-2008 Dodge Magnum- All HEMI applications, all AWD applications and some 3.5L RWD V6 applications, year dependent
2005–Present Chrysler 300- All HEMI applications, all AWD applications and some 3.5L RWD V6 applications, year dependent All pentastar V6 applications
2006–Present Dodge Charger- All HEMI applications, all AWD applications and some 3.5L RWD V6 applications, year dependent,All pentastar V6 applications
2008–Present Dodge Challenger- All HEMI applications, All pentastar V6 applications
2007-2011 Dodge Nitro- 4.0L V6 Applications
2006-2010 Jeep Commander- 3.7L V6 Applications
2005–Present Jeep Grand Cherokee- 3.7L V6 Applications, 3.0L Diesel Applications, SRT8 Applications, all pentastar V6 applications
2011–Present Dodge Durango, 3.6L V6
2011–Present Jeep Wrangler- 2.8L Diesel
2012–Present Jeep Wrangler 3.6L V6

 

Oh my beloved Emily Litella, I miss you so.

 

"....Never mind...."

 

Sorry, hate to keep this going, but I do have a question. I just purchased a 2003 STR with 160,000 miles on it. Had a CEL on, fixed that by putting a vacuum hose back on! Also did a fuel filter change, not sure when the last one was, but it was ugly!

So back to the transmission thread, I noticed a surging when cold between 30 and 50 mph. I didn't have any CEL, so I decided to take it to the local Jaguar dealer to flash the TCM. He advised me that first he would like to do a reset of the current system before doing anything.

This is what the dealer did. Reset the current system, still noticed the same issue I reported, flashed the TCM, still same issue. Raised it up and checked the fluid level, added just over a quart of fluid in. Also stated that the fluid in there appeared a little dark. Road tested it and stated it seemed much better. I asked about doing a transmission service to it and the dealer stated that Jaguar does not recommend servicing the transmission on this at all. So, my question is, do I take it somewhere to get a fluid and filter change to see if this resolves the issue or just keep my fingers crossed until it dies and then rebuild the tranny? There still seems to be some surging going on, not sure if it is still learning after the flash or not.

I'm near Des Moines, IA, so if anyone has a recommendation for a shop to take it to, I'd appreciate your opinion on that as well.

Thank you!

 

The dealer is quoting the party line about 'sealed for life'. I'd change the fluid and see what happens. The surging might be the torque converter lock up.

 

Sealed for life the same as pigs can fly. My 2005 S type diesel sprung an oil leak from the gearbox the problem being a O-ring failure were the wiring loom enters. Rear to right when looking forward is the location. Now this could explain the surge in the take off that I have had since owning. Has this been a small leak for sometime which went big time after a heavy days motoring one will never know. Anyway mileage on the motor is 56,000 miles and it went to Jaguar for new gearbox filter and oil. Now drives like a different vehicle nice and smooth.

 

That's the one that gets called the sleeve on here. Worth changing!
I hope they did, when they did that other work.

 

Acutely. As well the the XKR people. Both groups even use the AMG bluetop solenoid modification for better shifts.

You should drop by sometime.

 

But pigs *can* fly. Just find a bigger cannon.

Seriously, as you found out "sealed for life" does not mean "at the correct level for life". A bit dribbles out here, a bit dribbles out there ... but hey, it's sealed for life.

There are probably lots of ZF's that could have lived a long, long time on the original fluid, but were killed off by a lack of said original fluid. Of course, not having a dipstick doesn't help much even if the owner were to know better.

It's almost like they designed it to fail so that they could sell you another one.

 

My sentiments as well. The lack of a ZF dipstick / fill tube is my biggest pet peeve about our two Jaguars....