Well folks, this morning the repair shop changed all new ZF parts, oil pan (with built in filter), mechatronics electrical connector seal, bridge seal to the pump housing and changed the trans fluid 6 1/2 L (Mecron SP). Drove the car in the city with many stop and go shopping errands and the car drove excellently. On my last errand, the car would not reverse out of the parking spot until I shifted a couple of times, then wouldn't go into drive immediately. Finally got her going with the 'gearbox fault' warning. Drove about a half mile til a train stop. I shut the engine off while waiting for the train. When train was done, turned the car on and all was well with no warnings.
My question is, should we have disconnected the battery before we did all the work? Should I disconnect the battery to reset everything? Is this normal ritual after a tune-up?

Thank you all as always

 

It's anything but normal.

If you're lucky you have an unhappy/failing battery. If unlucky, the trans is unhappy e.g. underfilled.

 

Hey VB,
As noted above: Definitely have the trans fluid level checked ASAP. It should just overflow standpipe in park engine running as fluid warms to ~100F. Make sure fluid is not aerated (eg, from driving with low fluid level). Leave overnight on lift. Fill to overflowing cold. Start and let warm per above and reinstall drain plug. See service manual section and DIY info in stickies
(Suggest double check electrical connection on side of trans - disturbed during servicing - also)

Hope this helps!

 

Hello hisport, what does this mean, "It should just overflow "standpipe"? I'm not able to leave overnight at the shop, so how long would it take to do the 'final' top up?

 

VB:
Suggest read the first post in the thread link below. This explains things very clearly
(I'm betting that your trans fill stopped at step 3 of this link. So, needs to be corrected ASAP. No need to fuss with thermometers, etc. Follow link directions exactly, and reinstall plug when trans pan is baby bottle warm. Make sure your car is dead level when doing the fill. Up to you, but I wouldn't drive it until you've got this proper fill completed. Hope this helps. PM me your ph number if you're in a fix)

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...plained-37802/

 

Hisport, 2 things

First, you state, "It should just overflow standpipe in park engine running as fluid warms to ~100F." Again I ask, what is 'standpipe'?

Second, no, we did practically all the steps in "https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...plained-37802/", not just step 3

Only we didn't have any temp measuring tool. we used 6.5 litres in the process

 

I wondered what on earth he meant too. As I understand the transmission is filled through a plugged hole in the side of the casing. When the transmission fluid is up to normal operating temperature the fluid should be up to the level of that hole, ie any more fluid added should come back out.

 

+1 on the above however the temperature at which fluid dribbles back out is important and is NOT normal operating temperature as it will then be too hot and under filled.. It should be
40 degrees C. a couple of degrees over is ok.

How much you put in is irrelevant if you do not get the temperature right.

 

So far i have always went by the temperature.
Sometime ago i read of an experiment with the amount of expansion from heat.
Supposed to be very minimal, hardly worth the effort,
I do remember the old G M trans fluid said to check when warm
But the difference was very little from cold.

 

I have seen that but would hate myself after a refill if there was a problem after not checking the temperature.

 

I 100% agree with jackra_1 - I did my transmission fluid refresh and seals, pan/filter this past spring before it got too hot out, with forum member Michael Hamilton. The only additional parts we changed from the description you provided was the 4 tube shaped seals that go from the Mechatronic Valve Body to the clutch packs. They get hard, shrink a bit and get "squashed, so they don't sit tightly on the valve body - letting fluid escape and reducing pressure through these "pass through" seals. I cannot confirm precisely how much pressure is lost when they age, or how much is restored in replacing them - there are anecdotal reports that it improves transmission shifting, in terms of smoothness and making shifts more "solid" (less slip) - but they were very inexpensive, and so easy to swap out, this is one of those things that, if done properly with the correct components, will cause no harm and can improve transmission performance for a tiny investment of money and time. Don't feel too badly if these were not replaced during your service, just put them as a "must do" on your list for future service work.

Mike H. was wise in suggesting I do the work before it got too hot outside - anytime after April/May in North Carolina. The problem is if you overshoot temperature, in hot ambient temps you might have to wait many hours or overnight to get back to a cool starting point. I think we did the work in late February. and I just checked my notes. We had a steady, but small stream of fluid escaping the fill hole on the side on the transmission housing, at 98° degrees Fahrenheit / 36.66 Celsius, +/- .000000000003 degrees, approximately. - Even then, I still spent the next few days second guessing myself, wondering if I capped it off too quick, creating an overfill condition. Answer: I didn't overfill the transmission. I have perfect shifts, and no issues, but to be fair, I had no issues going in, it was strictly to refresh the fluids properties. Mission accomplished. I plan to do another fluid swap in perhaps 2 or 3 years when I put another 25k miles on the car. My previous car's transmission was working as designed at 170k+ miles; I believe they can go the distance, but refreshing fluid and replacing seals that have shrunk and hardened can only improve longevity, assuming it is done correctly.

You #1 task right now is getting the correct volume of fluid. I would not drive the car until this is resolved. You haven't driven the car much from your description, so correcting fluid level right now should hopefully put everything right. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

If you keep having trouble look for the original tranny oil ... ZF Lifeguard 6. I changed the same parts on my 2004 XJ8 and used the ZF oil. Never had any problems.

 

It is not the Mercon SP(assuming you used genuine Ford Mercon SP)-- FULL STOP--- The filling procedure is very precise and if it is not followed exactly the problems described in post #1 are the typical result.

 

When I did my 2006 XJR at about 145,000 miles, I followed the instructions that came with the ZF kit. The "Stand Pipe" is a nomenclature that is causing the confusion. The fill port is right over the catalytic converter. I filled mine cold and then followed the instructions, which I think required cycling through D, R and P and then added fluid with the trans at temp. I do not advocate substituting any fluid other than the ZF that came in the kit. BE VERY CAREFUL ADDING THE PLUG after checking if it was full. Consider using one of those silicone baking mitts to install the plug. I was fortunate enough to have a friend with a lift who graciously let me use it.

 

Having the use of a lift, is a real asset.

 

Did a recheck of fluid level today using the correct procedure with infrared thermometer and all is well now, drove all day with no hiccups so far.

 

Took the car in for a winter underspray and when I turned the engine off, there was a few, about 7 sporadic clicks for a few seconds from the trans pan area, I suspect various solenoids. Any thoughts?

Thank you

 

Mine does the same. Often thought it was possibly solenoids.

 

I suggest disconnecting the battery, then disconnecting the electrical connector on the trans and cleaning the connector on the trans and the electrical connector that plugs into it using CRC Electrical Contact cleaner. after the solvent dries/evaporates, reconnect the connector and reconnect the battery. That will rule out moisture and corrosion at the connector.

 

It's been fine for last two days but will definitely keep your advice in mind, thx