I have a 2004 xjr that has a transmission pan gasket leak. Dealer wants about $1100 to change the pan gasket and replace some part inside ( connector I think he said) that seems to go bad. I know the ZF fluid is expensive, but it still seems steep. From past reading changing this oneself is a real pain and not worth the effort. These are supposed to be sealed for life as I recall.

Does anyone have the link in the manual they might easily be able to share where the transmission guts are detailed ? I don't seem to find where it is located in the manual download that I have. I want to see what might be inside as I had a quote for about half the price from an independent shop, minus these electrical parts. Not sure what they might be.

Second thing, had to replace the battery and now my passenger mirror likes to go askew when the ignition is off. Drivers side is fine. Anyone have this issue?

 

There is plenty of information in this forum on your transmission.

The "part"your dealer is probably referring to, that he says needs replacing, is the "sleeve". Again plenty of information in here on that.

 

If dropping the pan 6 bottles of ZF-6 is plenty. Change the filter, pan, and sleeve. Button back up and it is "sealed for life".
When mine was done if was left draining for over 12 hours. About 9 quarts drained out. That is more than was expected. It may have been overfilled.
Normal filter and fluid is as little as 4 1/2 to 6 bottles to fill back up.
The cheapest place for the fluid is in California. The filter/pan is Rockauto. The fluid seller has the sleeve and gasket.

 

Its cheap to do if you do it yourself. NOT if you pay a dealer.

You do have to follow the correct procedure rather closely and as I said there is a lot of info about your transmission in this forum as to how to do it properly.

Also the statement "sealed for life" has been thoroughly debunked as even ZF no longer stand by that.

 

Thank you, realized after I posted, I hadn't dug deep enough. So a couple of questions. Seems one of the bigger questions I read was how much to actually put in. This kit seems to be the one for my car. Can't tell if it is metal or plastic, but seem to get that metal is preferred?

I believe I had read about a bunch of other screws originally a T 27 that have been changed out to a T 40?

Does the amount really vary, so that one should order 1 extra quart of ZF?
Does one start the car on the jacks and manually run the tranny through the gears?
Is the, let's say, drain at 5 PM work on it at 9 the next morning sufficient drain time?
I seem to get that there is something about temperature but didn't quite get that part, and also fill till it drains out of the side drain hole?
One of the threads talks about an HP 26 pan and having to return the old one.
Am assuming one has to hand pump out the fluid from the side drain hole, then drop the mostly empty pan to the ground without trying to make too horrible a mess?
Does one use gasket sealer?
Seems anti seize is recommended on the T 40's.
Current mileage on my 2004 xjr is about 78k.

Thoughts and inputs greatly appreciated.

 

You really need to be good at working on cars yourself to do this.

The plastic pan is fine so long as its from a reputable supplier.

Dont forget the "sleeve" as well. Replacing this needs care.It has to be reinserted accurately. I had no problem but others have.

The filter is built into the pan.

New torx bolts should come with the pan make sure this is fact with what you order. You do not use sealant.

Torx bolts can brake easily if corroded in place thats why I soaked mine overnite. They poke through the tranny rim at the top and can easily be sprayed with penetrating oil.

The volume of the oil changes with temp which is why getting the refill temp correct is important. I used an IR gun.

An extra quart would be good.

You do run thu the gears on stands. do NOT brake the wheels hard when you stop if they are turning fast as momentum change could move the car off the stands.

If I remember correctly I think I had the food brake pressed hard while I did this.

I large enough pan will catch the fluid if you slowly unbolt the pan with the rear lower than the front to try and direct the fluid. I still did spill some.

Just make sure you have the right model ZF transmission when you order the pan etc.

Look at this Youtube video Changing the transmission filter and fluid on a ZF 6hp26 automatic - Jaguar

 

When I purchased my parts I thought all options for a pan were made of plastic.

 

Thank you jacra. I have done quite a few things over the years with cars, but haven't done any real disassembly other than changing fuel injectors on my bmw of recent note. Appreciate the note about momentum...that could make things really exciting...

Have 2 emails into CTSC, but no response back yet. Liked your idea of loosening and leaving back bolts in, but long so an angle is created to drain out as much as possible, and let it hang. Will look around for a suitably large pan that doesn't interfere with me being in the area. I will crawl under the car and get the plate number off the tranny, that is the surest way to get the correct parts, thanks. I do have an IR gun ( handy tool ) and will check fluid temp through the hole. Sound like it is a 20-30 minutes time frame for it to come to temperature ( assuming ambient temp isn't hot) is sufficient.

 

I've used a clear large plastic storage container with hinged lids. Remove the drain plug, hold the container up to the pan to let the fluid drain. Put plug back in, loosen all bolts, drop pan and tilt it into the container.

Then you can leave the container open right underneath the trans and it will slowly drip fluid into the container without making a mess.

Then when your done, flip the lids to shut the container and you won't have to worry about dropping fluid during transport.

Of course before doing the above loosen the fill plug on side of trans (8mm hex fitting)