on my car 2005 s type it is leaking from sleeve onto tran pan,but not dripping yet, is it possible to run car up on ramps to change this,or will fluid drip or run out all over,also do you have to turn sleeve to remove. Thanks

 

You have to drain the fluid and drop the pan to change the sleeve.

 

The car must be elevated AND level. You cannot simply drive the front wheels up on ramps and do this job correctly....

 

Is it common for the shift quality to change after a transmission drain and fill? My car is currently back at the jaguar dealer because some of the up shift were not as smooth as im used to. before I had brought it to them for a pan and sleeve leak. Drove it around like that for a while thinking maybe it had something to do with the tcm adjusting to my driving habit with the new fluid, it possibly being too low before but I doubt it. Any ways, took it back, they probably think im crazy right about now, to them it might seem fine, but I know my car and I remember how smooth and hardly noticable the shift points were. I did notice that when I put it in sport mode that the shift quality smoothed out and would shift great but only for a couple of miles til it started shifting crappy again. What are the chances of a jag tech screwing up on the transmission fill? Wish ZF added dipsticks to these gearboxes.

 

Telltale signs of a zf 6spd being low:

Jerky upshifts, like almost feels like your gettng on and off the throttle, especially in the lower gears or pulling away from a stop, most pronounced when the trans is cold. Plus a harsh 2-3 upshift. This is especially true of the first shifts of the morning.

Abrupt downshifts when coming to a stop. You can feel the car drop 2-3 gears in the last 10mph of stopping.

Generally most of the effects are felt coming on and off idle. Once the trans gets past 4th gear it feels fine.

It doesn't take MUCH fluid loss at all to have a trans feel wrong or jerky.

Could they screw it up? Possibly, I't sort of a black science getting these transmissions to proper fill. I know the procedure, but it leaves a bit of room for error.

Take care,

George

 

This sound exactly like it feels 3-4 feels as if the car is pulling forward and then dropping backwards Sounds wierd explaining it but if you felt it befor you would understand. 5-6 it sort of lurches or snaps into 6. All though the shifting isn't as harsh as you may think by reading my post it really isn't but I know my tranny shifted flawlessly before it was brought to the dealer. In sport mode it shifts like butter but only for a couple of miles before it starts shifting like it's in normal mode again. My service advisor was talking about doing a flash of the tcm, was wondering if this would hide any symptoms of the tranny fluid being low or overfilled if the tcm relearns driving habits in either state?

 

I've never heard of a transmission operating WORSE after a proper ATF fluid change.
Questions I'd be asking....
Q1. Is the right kind of ATF installed? It should be for the type of autobox which employs the slipping torque converter clutch principle for economy, i.e. the right additives. There's much detail here on this website about this.
Q2 Is the fluid level right? ATF has an additive whch 'straightens out' visosity-change with temperature. This also makes the ATF expand considerably as the fluid temperature rises during driving. (The additive's long-chain molecules are unwinding).
Thusly the level of ATF will also rise. This must be accounted for, so the fluid level is checked around halfway, say around 50*C. There is also much detail on this website for how-to-do. Synthetic ATF is by far the best (but it costs a bit more) as there is less viscosity change with temperature than mineral ATF.

Finally, if you've paid your hard-earned for this job, you should be back at the garage playing hell. If amateurs like us can get it right, a paid-for professional should CERTAINLY get it right.

Leedsman.

 

You really should have the TCM reflashed anytime the fluid is changed. I would not be impressed if after what you have had done they now start talking about reflashing the TCM??

Can you verify if the proper TCM update/reflash was done? It was a factory dealership correct?

No the reflash won't hide anything. That was not the purpose for the updated software. The "Lurch" was.
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Yeah had it done at the hennessy jaguar dealer her in buckhead under warranty.

 

Well Jaguar recommends the TCM re-flash anytime the customer complains about shift quality so Hennessy should already know this? I would ask why it was not done?
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Still waiting to hear from my service advisor...

 

I just got off the phone with Eriksson for parts pricing for this service.
Filter pan has a new part number 0501-216-243, its $120 and still includes gasket, plug, and o-ring.
Sleeve is $19
Screws are $1.75 each.

In comparison, I went to Auto Parts - Parts.com, For Every Part of Your Life

Filter pan is $204
Sleeve is $9
Screws are $1.30

I bought Mercon SP from Oreilly Auto for less than $5 a quart.

Still pricing the parts. Will update when I get the best prices.

 

I got my car back, techs wiped the tcm. Shift point from 4 to 5 still bugs me ( feels as if something is pushing the car forward then raising it up then pulling backward on it) hopfully it smooths out after relearning. They said they found a stored code for a 5 gear incorrect ratio and said it could have been stored when I had the tranny leak. From a complete stop and go the lag between when the gas is pressed and the car starts to move has improved. Still have that anoying *** clunking sound when comming to a stop which I'm pretty sure is comming from the diff. I'll keep you all updated.

 

I don't believe that the Mercon SP shares the shell spec for the ZF 6HP26, its for the Ford 5R55N.

 

If you want to run something other than Lifeguard 6, Castrol Multi-Import ATF meets the Shell specs....

 

It is confusing. And the marketing departments of the oil companies want to keep it that way.

Reading a fair amount of information (from other Jag sites and BMW sites and Genesis sites, etc), it seems that the Mercon SP, ZF LifeGuard6, and Shell 1375.4 share the same fluid specification. Of course the information I have read is old, and that new formulations have been used successfully, such as Red Line D4 (?), Castrol Multi-Vehicle, and Pentosin whatever, I just thought that the oils that was heavily rumored to be, and somewhat proven to be, the same thing as the ZF fluid, would be the safest "going cheap" route.

I think it was this thread that sold me. I think. My memory is starting to go, considering the years before the divorce, that's good. And in other ways, that's bad.

BMW/ZF 6AT (ZF Lifegaurd6=Ford Mercon SP) - Bob Is The Oil Guy

 

Confusing doesn't begin to describe it!

I found this http://www.epc.shell.com/Docs/GPCDOC...%29_TDS_v1.pdf which may help or confuse further.

 

Thanks Norri. I think that document actually answers a lot of questions. It is my understanding:
1. That Spirax is a replacement for Mercon SP.
2. That Spirax is a replacement for Shell 1375.4.
3. That Spirax is for ZF transmissions.
4. Because it is a synthetic blend, there is a very good chance that other brand oils that are synthetic blends too, that work well in the 6HP26 tranny, are in fact, relabeled Spirax formulations.

Now someone could argue that I am making an unsubstantiated causal connection:
Mercon SP replaced by Spirax,
1375.4 replaced by Spirax,
Spirax for ZF transmissions,
Therefore Mercon SP and 1375.4 for ZF transmissions.

I don't doubt that Spirax is probably a better fluid than Mercon SP. It probably is more temperature and viscosity stable. But considering that I will not drive the Jag much, am definitely not going to push that V6 powerhouse (ha-ha), and that I am a cheap bastid (imagine that, a tight wad buying a Jag) $5 a quart for the Mercon SP seems ok.

A little follow up. I made an interesting discovery. Call me slow, but Shell owns Penzoil. On a Penzoil website, they recommend Shell Spirax S4 ATF MSP for ZF transmissions. They also provide a phone number. I called it up. The person I spoke with said that the MSP means Mercon SP. Wholly Thit! I asked if the Spirax was the same fluid as Mercon SP, and he said that it is the replacement for it. However, it is not available in the US.

To buy the Mercon SP at Oreilly was difficult, because only 1 in 10 shops actually had it in stock. I am going to assume the following is happening: Because of the prevalence of synthetics and synthetic blends, the processes for refining and formulating "natural" oils is becoming outdated, and not cost effective for Shell to support. They make greater margins from synthetics than "naturals". Therefore, naturals are being phased out, and Spirax was created to replace Mercon SP. Additionally, this might be an attempt to monopolize the situation. If no naturals are produced, then the consumer must purchase synthetics, and because "synthetic" is a great Marketing word, and consequently more profitable.

Yeah, I am being a bit cynical there, but seeing the marketing trends and business practices of the computing industry go to hell in a handbasket, its easy to be cynical.

So maybe the Mercon SP can also be used in the 5R55N tranny. I don't know. But I think, THINK, it is safe for the 6HP26.

 

You are probably right, there does seem to be evidence for that, the Spirax document is one of the few I've seen that specifically mentions the ZF application.

 

Maybe I can clear up the mass of opinions etc. about ATF.

1) Most autoboxes nowadays use the "slipping torque converter clutch" principle of operation -- why?
(a) By reducing torque converter losses during partial engagement, fuel is saved. The clutch can fully engage as needed, controlled by the
micro.
(b) It is necessary to have back-drive to the engine from the wheels to
keep the engine turning during deceleration-fuel-shut off, active in
Jaguar above 20mph. Otherwise the engine would stall during
deceleration.
2) The T.C. clutch is a "wet" clutch running in the ATF. Such clutches last a very long time, much longer than a dry clutch. They were common in motorbikes, using corks on a disc and steel plates.
3) The basic oil used in ATF is the same as engine oil -- but the additives are very different.
4) The additives used are basically two -- one to stop the oil thinning out at high temperatures, (viscosity modifier) -- and another to stop that clutch shuddering/juddering during it's partial engagement. (friction/stiction modifier). There are other additives.
5) Use an ATF which is based on PAO (poly-alpha-olefin) synthetic oil; this is far better than mineral oil, and does cost a bit more.
6) Most important: MAKE SURE the ATF you use is one designed for the slipping torque-converter clutch system, if that is what your car uses. The ZF 6HP26/35 IS one using the slipping TC clutch, as are most modern autoboxes. It is supposed to be "sealed for life"; I liked one american's description on U-tube as "sealed for death"...lol. Change ATF on any modern autobox at 60,000mile for synthetic, half that for mineral. It's not the oil that wears out, it's the additives, partic the viscosity modifier.

Leedsman.