I JUST bought a 2004 Jaguar XJR from a dealer. It has 81k miles, ran beautifully with the exception of the compressor for the suspension. Well i get it less than a mile from my home (75 mile drive) and the tranny starts to hard shift from 1st-2nd and then revs really high in second gear. I then get a "transmission Fault" warning on my dash. It then started only in 3rd gear and got me home. I went out and started it back up, and it appears to be fine. Does ANYONE know where the dipstick for this thing is? How i can check my fluid? It seemed a little bit of a hard shift going from 2nd to 1st while stopping about half way home, but bc the ride is so bumpy without the compressor, i thought i was just that. I really hope i dont spend the next 4 years paying off a scrap heap -_- ANY and ALL help will be GREATLY appreciated. Could it be possible that the fluid just got hot from the fast drive home (80mph or so) for 70 miles and is perhaps a little low? Bc it doesnt seem to be that bad now, and the transmission fault light went off. Of course they didnt offer a warranty or anything. Im going to try to stop the loan from my bank if that's possible and make them take it back. Its a shame, i really fell in love with this car.

 

Unfortunately the transmission is a "sealed" design, so there is no dipstick. The only way to check is by opening the fill plug and, perhaps, taking a peek inside.

If I were you, I would not drive the car until you can drain and refill the transmission fluid, and replace the filter and pan gaskets.

 

upon further investigation i came across that -_- i will take it to AAMCO early in the morning when i get off of work, have the the fluid flushed and changed, and see if it gets any better. I have come across a few people with this problem and said it may not be a clutch since it is not a constant thing. It might be low on fluid and the hot running on the parkway may have made it thinner and therefore slipped. Im going to change the fluid out and then take it back to the dealer to pick up the jag i left there that they didnt want as a trade and see if it makes the trip there and back okay. If not, i might just end up financing a new tranny from aamco, this is what i get for getting a car 6 thousand under bluebook haha

 

Make certain they use ZF Lifeguard fluid, the only fluid approved for use in these transmissions.

 

Correct. Isn't there some Mobil1 that is exactly the same fluid, though? It's been a while since I've been on here.

 

if it were me, I'd return the car pronto, you can find another 04 without ANY transmission problems, these ZF trannies are solid...that one seems to have been either abused, or serviced incorrectly. Don't take a chance, you may not be able to return it if you try to flush n fill it yourself. They'll use that against you...just saying.

 

In order to return it i have to get the bank to stop the financing immediately, since they sold it to us with a bum air suspension compressor, they made us wave the lemon law when signing. I can do a $400 compressor on a fully loaded xjr that i got for 9 grand lol. Even if i end up needing a new tranny for about 3-5 grand it'll still be under blue book value. However since it doesnt do it when its cold i think it may just be low on fluid as i have seen quite a few people show the same exact symptoms that mine is having due to the plastic pan warping and losing fluid. On the way to bring the car back im going to stop at a Jaguar dealership and have them do a diagnostic just to be safe, returning this car is going to be a long war, and i am in love with the car anyway haha.

 

I would do everything I could to get out of that car. I sense a long road of problems.

 

I think the main thing is not to panic, because your symptoms indicate that a reflash of software in the TCM is all that is needed.

I have now had two software reflashes, one in summer to cure rough changes in the lower gears, especially 2-3, and only the other week to (at last) cure the "hunting syndrome" which occurs during warm-up. This latter I had noticed shortly after buying the car, but had put up with it until recently, but decided to finally get it fixed. These software reflashes are not expensive.

The transmission fault light coming on can also cause the car to go into "Limp Home" mode and lock the car in a particular gear, but can usually be cancelled by switching off the engine, but the fault will continue until the reflash has been done. These reflashes arise from service experience with the ZF gearboxes, plus customer complaints. If it occurs during warranty then the customer pays nothing, but after that the labour is charged, although the revised software is free.

Hope this helps you.

 

Don't go to AAMCO, they are a total rip off. Every time they'll tell you you need a new tranny even if it only needs a filter.

 

These look like symptoms of low fluid to me. This tranny has a leakage problem around the electronics plug at about 60K that can lower the fluid level. Get it checked by someone familiar with the type. The reflash comments are applicable too. I doubt that AAMCO is a good choice for any of this. My last experience with them was totally negative. You would have better luck at a Ford Dealership as they have a few cars/trucks with this tranny in it. Be careful, there is a special procedure for checking the level at a certain temp with the engine running and it uses a proprietary ZF fluid that has no approved equal. This is not your average Toyota. The air compressor is an easy fix for not too much money (as Jaguars go). This is a fine well-built and engineered car but complex and needing regular inspection for reliability. The tranny fluid and pan filter should be changed ASAP, get it done while in the shop. This can cost $500 at an independent and $1000 at the dealer.

 

Hi Adam. Did your trans issue sort out? was it simply low fluid? We'd love an update.

Also, how is the car in general? Is it serving you well? I hope my above statement about suggesting you get out of this car is off base. I'd love to be proved wrong!

 

I had tranny pan and fluid changed around 75K and was well worth the cost. Buy the pan and fluid online as a kit for around $250.

 

Is there anywhere else to go (plano, tx) other than the Jag dealer to get the TCU reflashed? Jag dealer wants $270 to flash it.

 

$270 = £168 which does seem rather a lot to me. My local UK Jaguar dealer charged me 30 mins labour in 2011. There is no Jaguar charge for the software version, just labour to reload the software into the TCM

 

Good advice and has to be worth a shot, if you can't take it back.

A fluid / filter service may resolve those issues you have.

 

Hi Brian,

I can't help you with the Plano Jaguar dealer - $270 to flash the TCU seems high to me also. A phone call to Jaguar of North America to ask for the typical time required for this job might equip you with some ammunition for negotiating the price downward.

You've posted your question on a thread from 2011. Are you having the exact same symptoms that Adam described in his original post, or are your symptoms different?

Don

 

I am when she shifts from 1st to 2nd there is a noticeable kick. When it really bugs me is when I get in bumper to bumper crawling traffic and she keeps going between 1 and 2. I have also noticed that she is idling a little higher the longer I leave the problem unchecked. I don't know if those two things are related, however, she is in impeccable condition inside, out, and under the hood so I can't imagine a scenario where they aren't tied together.

You know though, something very strange occurred tonight though.

I went and put on a new set of tires and had other items checked. As I was driving around Dallas tonight I did not notice the shifting problem at all. Maybe just a coincidence but it bears asking and further driving to verify the hypothesis.

Anyhow, the Park Place here in Plano is obnoxious with their prices. I think the main reason is they want you to buy a new one....especially now that they aren't linked with Ford. It ticks me off because this is something that could be done by another Jag shop or even a person (that knows what they are doing).

Just because we drive pre-2010 models does not mean we are poor, it just means we really love the Jag models that we have and should be treated with the same "bend over backwards" service provided by a premium shop.

I will check on that labor pricing though because that is precisely what I thought. It couldn't possibly take a that long to plug in the diagnostics port, upload the software, check and make sure everything is correct and let me go on my way.

Anyhow, thanks guys for the advice and hey can you post to where I have the other post about this?

Brian

 

I looked out my bill for re-flash in 2011, and it was indeed 30 mins labour only. Sounds like this Plano dealer is making too much money !!

 

If I remember correctly Bristol Transmissions said they charge £100 for a reflash.