Just changed ATF and have correct fluid level for 2008 Xtype 3.0 , I followed guidelines and did not unscrew any other nut. After driving about 60 km's gear lever (J stick ) engages reverse with a loud knock sound, especially from D to R- not that loud from P to R. On level groud car moves slowly but seems to slip with increased acceleration , it just revs high but no traction. No reverse power on upward gradient (I mean even up the street kerb onto the level driveway). Forward gears change smoothly.

What could be the cause and how do you fix.

 

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to X-Type forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham, much appreciated.

 

Hi Moeketsi,

Can you elaborate on a few details please as this will help the members to understand what you have going on there?

Was the transmission exhibiting any reverse issues or other symptoms prior to the fluid change?
What ATF fluid did you use?
Did you measure the amount of old fluid released and refil with the same amount?
Did you do just one dump and refill, or did you do several short duration fill and dumps to try to renew all of the fluid in the trans and torque converter?

 

AND how do you know you have the correct fluid level? Did you remove the higher of the 2 plugs on the side to check? If so, you buggered your transmission.

 

When I first just read your title "reverse gear fault", my very first idea was also as Dell wrote above that you might have loosened the wrong bolt behind the wheel arch liner mistaking this one for the level check bolt. But then I read you more detailed description: Your gear switch very badly from D to R and from R to D, but you have not LOST R, i.e. you did not loosen the wrong bolt, because if you had, you would not have any reverse gear anymore at all.

Yes, we need more information: Which ATF? HOW did you conduct the ATF change? And: How did you determine that you put the correct amount of ATF back in?

Maybe this helps (my guide):
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...change-266693/

 

There was no reverse issues before.
We used the Castrol DX III ATF
Only 3 Litres came out but the mechanic guy poured in 8 litres, hence it was breathing fluid out continuously. When I found about the level nut it drained out about 6 liters until it stopped dripping.

It was a one dump. I am not sure about the torque converter process

NB: it seems he filled fluid but not via the black rubber plug, but by opening some nut on top.

 

See the pic with arrow on

Mechanic filled ATF via this nut - it looks like a torx nut,

 

Seriously? Are you sure? I do not think that anyone ever tried before to fill ATF in by that torx nut. That is most certainly the wrong filling point for ATF.
The ATF goes in my the filler point they you find when you simply pull off the rubber-plug - I marked it on your picture:

I am confused: there is clearly a tube with a funnel on top of THAT correct filler hole in YOUR picture... - why would that be, if you had not used the correct filler hole????

I am also very confused about 3L out, 8L in...
Did you check my link I gave you above? Did you understand where the ATF-level-check-bolt is and how to check there (engine running)?

 

Hi Peter

Thanks for your prompt responses.
My nightmare started with the fluid change. The funnel is from a downloaded picture to indicate where oil was poured in (mine is a 2008 3.0 litre xtype). My red arrow is definately where the fluid was poored in. I still don't know what the purpose of the torx nut is, and won't touch it. I will remove the battery and take the exact picture of my car's layout.
You can ask again- 3 out 8 in resulted in fluid "vomitted " throught the breather below the battery. The mechanic mentioned that the gear box capacity is 8.8 litres.
I then personally used your link (for which I am grateful) to correct the level, which I wish I had known before this ordeal.

Obviousy I now have a reverse gear problem and need advise as to how to amiliorate it. Hoping the problem is not extensive.

 

OK, so the picture is from the internet with the tube and funnel... The tube ends where there is normally a rubber plug, which you simply pull off to poor the ATF in
So obviously your mechanic has less than absolutely no idea of what he is doing...
As for the torx screw, where the ATF is absolutely not supposed to go in:
Not sure, but if I had to guess; It probably holds (together with all the other screws) the part below in position.

And here comes another (educated) guess: I assume that that part is that is called "inhibitor switch" on the Ford Fairlane... and I just confirmed this: I just checked in the Jatco JF506e handbook that this is precisely what it is, just that Volkswagen (who use the same Jatco transmission) calls it "Multi-Function-Switch", while the rest of the world calls it probably Range Selector switch. So 3 names for the same thing. What it is: That switch detects the position of the selector lever inside the transmission and transmits the information to a control module (they call it the TCM in the Jatco manual).

I assume btw, that your 3.0L has the same transmission as the 2.5L and 2.1L X-Type, namely the Jatco JF506e. You should be able to find the handbook for it on the net.

And while I am guessing my way thru your issue: I assume that the ATF, which has apparently been filed into the Range selector switch (doing this does not make any sense whatsoever) has confused the heck out of the whole system: The switch delivers wrong information to the transmission control module and the control module then does the strangest things. This would explain the strange things happening. So your mechanic clearly wrecked your car.

As for the 3L out and 8L in: that sounds equally idiotic. and here I go guessing again: Is it possible that the non-educated mechanic assumed that opening the drain plug for the ATF would release all of the roughly 8L (which are, that bit is correct, roughly in the transmission)? And when he got only 3L out, he thought in his tiny brain that that means that the X-Type was running on just 3L of ATF before you came to him? Running the Jatco on 3L of ATF would not be possible - btw.... And next he wrongly concluded that he should fill in 8L of ATF? (I am not going into the detail now, if the ATF was the wrong ATF to start with, which I think it was). So you have now a mix of 5L old OE ATF and 8L new ATF, so 13L!? I'd say, if you are very lucky, this alone would explain your system playing up. See in my link of how to jack up the car leveled and open the ATF check bolt UNDER the car, just where the cable from the gear selector goes into the transmission, WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. Excess ATF comes out there. When the stream of extra ATF has stopped and if flows slower, put the check bolt back on again (while the engine is still running), then you can stop the engine. Explanation why you can open a bolt UNDER the car to check the level (which is obviously much higher): There is a tube above that bolt, and what comes out of the bolt came all poring from over the top rim of that tube, which is way above the check bolt.

PS1:
I could not stop myself having a look again, which ATF your "mechanic" used: Castrol DX III ATF. which is a Multi Vehicle Dexron III ATF. Yes, that is wrong, because Multi-Vehicle ATFs are - by nature (there were already huge discussions about this) NOT ATFs, which are suitable for many vehicles, but quite the opposite: Multi Vehicle ATF are UNSUITABLE FOR ALL VEHICLES: Because of the very compromises they attempt to do to please many vehicles, it lies in their very nature that they are wrong for all cars! I mentioned the correct ATF in my link.

PS2:
If you are very patient and let the ATF drip at the drain plug (when doing an ATF change) I think you get about 5L out of there (I wrote the number of liters in my link), if you are not patient then, yes, maybe only 3L. The remaining ATF is stuck in the system, e.g. torque converter. My link shows, how I did a pretty thorough ATF change...

 

Having read the guidelines and now sure how to check the fluid level, I will have to redo the fluid change (flash out) and use the correct fluid type. Hopefully this will sort the problem.
All inputs much appreciated.

 

OK. As first step I still recommend to open the check bolt under those correct conditions. the amount of ATF coming out there will tell you, if I was right, that there are now 13L of ATF in your system - 5L too much.

On another note:
While there are in principle 4 different transmissions, which have been used for the X-Type, 2 of them are 6 speed, and 2 are 5 speed, and one of the 5 speeds is manual. The 2008 3.0L seems to be using a 5 speed automatic, and as the Jatco JF506e is a 5 speed automatic, it is highly likely that you have the Jatco JF506e, as assumed.

And I found a nice picture for you in the Jatco manual/handbook:

While I obviously cannot be 100% sure, this picture suggests that that hex bolt, where the ATF was filled in, is possibly the vent, and if you are very lucky the filled-in-ATF would have ended up in the same space, where it would have come in, if it were filled into the correct fill-plug-hole...

What I do not know, is, if the supposed 13L of ATF in your transmission resulted into ATF reaching regions, where it should never have been in, causing damage...

 

Hi Peter

Thanks for the diagram.

The extra fluid was certainly draining out of the Vent, as depicted in the diagram. The fluid leaking has since stopped - with much relief for me.

I doubt if there is any inordinate extra fluid (13L ???) after I corrected it via the fluid level nut, and "WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING" procedure until the drops stopped.

I guess the worst-case scenario now is that fluid went into the wrong places, as you and others point out, causing the CURRENT problem- extremely poor reverse traction.

 

i Peter

Thanks for the diagram.

The extra fluid was certainly draining out of the Vent, as depicted in the diagram. The fluid leaking has since stopped - with much relief for me.

I doubt if there is any inordinate extra fluid (13L ???) after I corrected it via the fluid level nut, and "WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING" procedure until the drops stopped.

I guess the worst-case scenario now is that fluid went into the wrong places, as you and others point out, causing the CURRENT problem- extremely poor reverse traction.

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2008 X-Type 3.0 AWD