Anyone heard of this?
Straight from the service manager's lips.

"That transmission is sealed for life. We're not allowed to change the fluid like that."

My goal is to take care of the "little stuff" before it becomes big stuff. And to drive this car round trip to Florida in a couple months.

Car has just over 74k miles on it.

Transfer case was changed at about 57k miles (same dealer I'm working with)
Coolant flushed/replaced at 67k
Fuel filer replaced at 67k

At 73k miles
Calipers, pads, rotors replaced
Oil and filer
Oxygen sensor replaced
New Hancook tires
Coolant reservoir replaced

This dealer has been servicing this car since February 2011. So they've been kind enough to actually go into their system and pull maintenance history and details.

I was told, " the only thing I don't see here that I'd like to see is the brake fluid flushed and replaced recently. Not an emergency, but you might want to do that before you go on your trip. This car is in wonderful condition. I wouldn't hesitate driving it to Florida"

So.......how insistent do I get about the transmission fluid? I went to a tranny shop and was told they couldn't do it because they have to do something to the computer if they change it. I've not read THAT here either. So...I'm asking.

All input welcome. Almost all the other little diddly issues seem to be resolving nicely

 

Hog wash!!!! I changed out my trans fluid 4 times, and put an additive in on the last time.(Lucas auto trans conditioner) The car shifts like it is new. You do not need to do anything with the computer. The instructions are in the forum......Best of luck......Mike

 

I had the same problem with my XJR when I called about getting the fluid changed. They actually said they couldn't get fluid for it. Took it to the Mercedes dealer who the service manager called Jag to get the filter and gasket from them as they didn't know for sure if it would be the same as a mercedes. The dealer told her that Jaguar sells their cars with lifetime fluid that didn't need to be replaced which she promply responded that Mercedes made that transmission and has since revised their recommendations and the dealer was doing a disservice to its customers by not keeping on top of recommendations.

Find yourself another dealer to do it and be sure to call Jaguar and let them know what their dealer is doing.

 

I've owned my car for six months (bought it at 104k miles). One of the first things I did (after studying the DIY threads on this forum) was to change the ATF using the 3x drain/fill method. Transmission works great, car now at 109k miles. In my experience, "Filled For Life" fluids equates to "Until Component Fails." Race car teams don't do this, and I never saw it in my career of flying airplanes either. I don't cotton to failures.

 

I wonder what the FAA reaction to an aircraft manufacturer would be to a statement like that.

TBO is 'until the unit fails'.

good luck with certification!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The gearbox is the same one for Jaguar, Mazda, Land Rover and VW.

Look up service recommendations for VW and forget the Jaguar dealer.

bob

 

I'll crawl under it and have a look today. From reading the procedure on here, it seems it's basically draining whatever will come out and then putting back as much as you took out. Rinse and repeat a few times until you like what you see coming out.

And I should EXPECT 3 to 3.5 quarts. When I drain it.

I might get my little brother over here to instill confidence (he's 59... I'm 64) as he's a retired service writer for a large shop and has worked on Jags a lot.

"they've got their quirks, but so does every other car out there. They're just machines.....nice ones.... but machines"

 

I removed the battery box to access the small fill plug at top of transmission (see picture of it in my hand), and used a turkey baster tube that fits jes' right. I believe the drain plug is 22mm. The ATF spec you're looking for in replacement fluid is Idemitsu K17. I'm an AMSOIL dealer so I use the best. After you get the procedure down it goes quick - think the third drain/refill took me all of ten minutes. Not looking for speed though; take your time.

 

Oh! And.... maybe this is a dumb question, but....won't be my first...or likely my last...

If you remove the rubber bung on the fill tube by the battery box, is it possible to put a dipstick into it ? I mean... can you check the condition of the fluid by dipping it through that fill port? If you put a dipstick in the fill port, will you whack anything important inside the transmission?

I'm just wondering if you could get a level check through that port instead of removing the fill level plug, and maybe check fluid condition/collr before draining it.

 

Fill with 3 1/2 quarts after draining. I wouldn't try to jury-rig a dipstick; too easy to drop something into transmission that doesn't belong there. By the way, same ATF is used in the power steering system. If you have extra fluid evacuate the PS reservoir and put it there.

 

The pan on the front of the gearbox covers the VALVE BODY.
Poking a steel dipstick into the valve body area is probably a BAD IDEA.

Even a plastic rod near all 9 solenoid/actuators and wires sounds like trouble.

bob

 

Thank you! Nothing other than fresh fluid will enter that port then. Appreciate the help.

And.... I might see if I can rig up a simple puller for that rubber bung. I'm retired and have the time so.....-shrug-

Mine is a straight shot down next to the battery box. Bet I can come up with something ..... think bbq tongs with a sliding ring to apply some squeeze. ...heheh

 

Bad dealer. Some of them are awful. Jaguar ought to force them to be better.

 

Correction to my previous comment about transmission drain plug. It's 24mm.

 

I can ALMOST pull that rubber bung by hand from the top. Like.... I'll bet if I was ready I could wiggle my hand in there and pull it. Seriously. Had my fingers on it yesterday and started working it out.

Also found that a piece of rigid, nonmetallic schedule 40 electrical conduit slides over it snuggly. Not snug enough to pull it, but snug enough to hold it if I put a wooden dowel into the conduit as a stop, I could easily push the bung back in.

So right now, I think I can get the bung out without touching the battery box or anything. I'm guess from reading this procedure that that's actually one of the more time-consuming steps heheh....

This is ....more or less... drain, see how much comes out, put that much back in. Right?
I mean, yes I can run it through all the gears after each fill, but .... basically drain and fill until satisfied with the color.

Unrelated, but not really....
If I'm laying under the nose... head first... looking up at that pan on the side of the tranny that has the bung up on top..... what is the flat bottomed component immediately to the right. That appears to have some type of lubricant seepage on it and bears further investigation. Nothing dripping. But I hear a ....whirring... under acceleration... that I almost mistook for a wheel bearing noise, but it's not a wheel bearing.... doesn't change under load (parking lot...accelerate in large figure 8 ... no change with right/left loading) and it's only under acceleration. Take foot off throttle....quiet as a church mouse. Keep in mind we just got this/// it's our first Jag (why the heck did we WAIT so long?) and I could very well be hearing normal sound for this car... still getting used to it. So I listen and could just be over listening... over thinking?

whatever

 

Yardbird, you'll find this job a snap if you take the battery box out. Yes, it's a little extra work but you'll prevent damage or loss of that little plug. It'll also give you a chance to look at the battery terminals, not a bad thing with winter on the way. I changed out the ATF last night in conjunction with an oil change; that part of it took me twenty minutes including moving the battery. And no, you don't put back same quantity as what you drain; refill with 3 1/2 quarts.