Looking for options regarding my Transfer Case which appears to be locked. I recently purchased a 2016 XF 35t Prestige with AWD. I noticed the wheels scuffing when backing out of parking spot. I also felt the drivetrain bind up during the tight turn. Red flag was going off in my head, but the car is so beautiful that I bought it anyway.
Normally cars will back up under engine idle, which the car will do for about 3 feet. However, I had to push the gas pedal to keep it moving and the wheels would start scuffing. Symptoms exist while moving forward as well as reverse.
I am new to being Jaguar owner. I'm sad that I cannot drive this beautiful car until this issue gets resolved because I fear the extra stress is going to damage the front drive axles or differential.
I've begun discussions with a Jaguar mechanic via chat. I've acquired a shop manual for this car and reviewed the "Transfer Case" section. Performing the diagnostic step 1 is to lift the car up while in park. Hold one front tire stationary while attempting to turn the other. My car fails that test. The diagnostic decision tree in shop manual says, "Replace Transfer Case because it is locked"
That sounds difficult and expensive. Is there anything else I could inspect or do to free the thing up?

FYI: There are zero DTC errors being reported for Transfer Case and Drive system. All wheel speed, steering angle, etc. indications appear normal. Thus, concluding the problem must be purely mechanical.

I am eager to learn from anyone which has had similar problem.

 

Update on my situation with the locked transfer case. I'm waiting to receive a used transfer case purchased on eBay. Will first verify that front output shaft is able to spin "freely" from the rear output. Assuming that passes, then we will swap it out. I'll let you all know how it goes.
Questions for the group: How common of a problem is it for this clutch style transfer case to fail in locked condition, such as mine did?
I am surprised to find this failure on a 2016 vehicle with 95k miles.
And I haven't seen any other posts about transfer case problems on the X260 chassis. I'm hoping that is a good thing, because then maybe this failure is a fluke and won't happen to me again with the used replacement.

Anyway, look forward to any insight someone has to share. The car is beautiful and fun to drive, I just hope I didn't buy a maintenance nightmare such as the horror stories of earlier Jags.

 

extremally rare ,previous owner may have dogged it before selling

 

My wife and I looked at a pretty dark blue XF 35t Prestige AWD with beige interior before opting to buy another black one for a few dollars more. The problem was with the Annapolis Jag dealer who tried to sell us an XF that obviously had transfer case binding problems that I discovered upon driving the car out of the dealer's lot and onto a highway. The salesman said the fix would be quick and simple. He was a salesman with a lot of experience yet he lied and lied to us. After a few hour's wait my wife and I walked out with our check in hand. We'll never buy from that dealer or have any of our Jags serviced by them! Fortunately, we have a couple very good Jaguar and Land Rover dealers nearby in addition to an exceptional one.

 

Hello group, Update on the Transfer case issue.
I received a previously used Transfer Case purchased from salvage yard that lists on eBay for roughly $500. Performed the quick test of whether the front driveshaft output was able to turn independent of the rear output. Thankfully it does. It is stiff as there is always some drag with the clutch system, and that seems to be normal. I was able to turn by hand, so it is not very much drag. Swapped the old one out with this "new to me" case. Although the job is reasonably straight forward, it is still multiple hours to do it right. Was worried that I'd have to remove portion of the exhaust, but thankfully was able to lower rear end of transmission just enough to make the swap. Being that I'm spending this much effort under the car, I felt it would be wise to change the oil in the case. It's not your average gearbox oil because of the clutch system in there. Found source declaring OEM oil as being Borg Warner LR054941 Transmision clutch oil. Very light color.

For anyone else that plans to work on these cars, make sure you have access to proper wrenches and sockets. These cars require E-Torx Star sockets. Specifically, the E12 size was needed for the transfer case bolts and drive-shaft attachment bolts.

So what is wrong with the previous transfer case? I have not disassembled it yet, but plan to. I did pull the fill plug out to look inside and the stench of burned clutch just poured out into the air. I know that smell after changing a few manual transmission clutches over the years. Thus, I expect to find very burned clutch plates inside. I am left now with two questions, first being, what driving conditions will cause this clutch assembly to get burned up so bad? My second question is how does a worn-out clutch end up locking as opposed to slipping instead?

For other owners or potential owners of the XF with AWD option, if you notice tires scuffing while turning sharply, a locked-up transfer case is very likely the cause. Do not listen to a salesman or service shop that claims it's a tire problem. I remain skeptical about how rare this situation might actually be.