Hi all,
I am working my way slowly through my new X300 3.2, trying to iron out obvious problems and keeping it running in good fettle.
So I am wondering what experiences you have had with the 4HP-22 box. I know it is fully mechanical with no 'Sport' mode, and no fuzzy logic (thank the Lord - I hate gearboxes that second-guess me).
It works fine, but is not as refined as it should be changing up under load, especially 3rd to 4th, even under moderate throttle - it gives quite a kick of torque as it changes, and is a bit of a jolt as it drops into 4th. It kicks down just fine, and will rev to over the redline, almost 6000rpm, now it is on Andy's 5' bracket and 98 RON petrol. The engine is really 'cammy' above 4000rpm, like all twin-cams I've driven over the years, but I digress..

The previous owner was a fastidious servicer, and his mechanic (now my mechanic) is Jaguar-trained and even has the diagnostics for the X300. He serviced the gearbox fairly recently, doing an oil-&-filter change.
I wonder if there is anything else that can be done, or if I have to live with it. The last owner was 93, so I am hoping my younger heavier foot plus regular daily use will iron out the lurchy changes over time.

Any tips or advice?

 

OK, mine was the same when I got the car, at 143000kms.

I serviced the trans, as normal, with Dex3 (quite clean old fluid), better, not really happy, same as you. Talked to ZF in Perth, and the guy suggested going to Synthetic fluid, mmmm. Also to check the kickdown/shift cable adjustment, mmm again.

The cable setting was more guess than science. I disconnected it at the throttle, and pulled the inner in and out a few times, so as to get a "feel" for where the cam was inside the trans (lazy **** did not want to drop that pan again), and set it at about 2 flats tighter than "zero", if that makes sense. That made a difference, but still not what I wanted.

OK, bit the bullet, purchased a 20ltr drum of Synthetic fluid. Reached under the beast undid the dipstick tube nut, and let it drain, redid the nut, refilled the trans.

Being the daily driver, about 300kms per week, 1 week later, I did it again, and so on, at 1 week intervals, until I used that 20 ltrs and another one, so about 10 drain and refills.

Now that made a difference, SOOOOOOO smooth, and the 1 to 2 slur is all but gone. The 2 to 3 and 4 are all but unfelt, and the lockup is basically a drop in the rev counter. Down shift is a non event, no idea it has even changed, it is sooooo much sweeter.

I am a conservative driver, but spirited events have this thing sharp and crisp.

Now at 202000kms after 3+ years of ownership and NO regrets.

 

thanks for the reply Grant.
To get it straight - you partly changed the fluid 10 times? Was this to wash out all old fluid and clean out any residues? Could you have done the same thing by completely changing it once by dropping the gearbox sump off?
How do you re-fill the gearbox - down the dipstick tube witha small funnel?
2 drums of synthetic ATF sounds expensive - what brand did you use and how mucho dollaros?
thanks
By the way - your 500,000km V12 - how many of those k's have you owned and serviced it?

 

Yes, as you only get about 4ltrs at a time out of it.

Yes again, as I am a firm believer of slowly flushing hydraulic systems, as the shock factor of a power flush can have ill effects in MY opinion.

NO, coz dropping the pan for a "standard" service still only drains about 4ltrs. The torque converter is not drain, nor is the valve body or any other chambers in the unit. The old DG auto of the 60's had a drain plug in the converter, how clever?.

Yes, refill via the dipstick tube.

Maybe expensive to some, but a ZF trans rebuild is serious $$, no brainer to me. About $150 a drum, but I work in the industry, so deals are always in hand haha. I used Nulon, best $$ we had at the time.

The V12 has had 380000kms added by us, and I do ALL the maintenance, and always have. No "mechanics/monkeys" anywhere near my Jags EVER.

 

thanks Grant
I will try your gearbox approach of multiple partial changes. i have done this before on a smaller easier scale with power steering fluid in my BA Falcon

in 380000 km how much have you had to do to the V12 engine - valves, big ends, etc? or just oil/plugs?

 

The engine is as Jaguar built it, UNTOUCHED, never had the cam covers off.

Spark plugs, oil, filters etc as with any car.

The Opus (hopeless) ign was replaced with a Crane on day one of my ownership.

The trans is original

The diff is original.

The fuel pump is original.

The steering rack is original.

Front suspension "re-rubbered" when we first got it, including shockers all round.

OK, brake rotors/calipers etc were overhauled in the first week I had it, and only pads since. Brake fluid is an annual change thing for me on all the Jags, as is coolant, trans, p/steer, diff oil.

Falcon twin thermo fans fitted early in the piece.

A/c compressor updated to Sanden unit when R134a was retro'ed.

Being as it was her DD until she took over the XJ-S, and then the S type arrived, it had to be spot on, and still is.

 

that is awesome testament to potential Jag reliability if servicing maintained. Inspiring for me in my slow quest for a top-notch 6 litre X300.

Grant, can you give me any more details on your partial-oil chainge method for the ZF? up on ramps or stands, undo nut at base of filler tube ... is it easy to get at? I am a competent home mechanic - previous simple engine rebuilds etc, but don't get my hands dirty too often these days. However the gearbox oil sounds like a job to chip away at every weekend or two. I am off to NZ Repco to enquire about a drum of synthetic. Any brands you'd avoid?
thanks, Al, Napier, NZ

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edit - 2 hours later..

Grant, it's Sunday, I just went to Repco and their price for Mobil syn ATF is $600NZD for 20 litres!
So I bought some wheels ramps, a 4 litre of Penrite synthetic ATF for $58, and I am about to drain it and replace.
Do you rate Penrite, coming as it sounds like you do, from the oil industry?
I am treating this as a 'first flush' with a view to doing a bit more homework during the week for cheaper good bulk ATF.
thanks for all your help Grant.

 

I just bought my X300 last Oct. and changed the filter and refilled with Mobil 1 syn. I will shortly drain again and refill with same. Fortunately, it only costs about $7/qt. here. Anything Grant does is the process to follow, in my book.

 

Al,

I avoid Repco at all costs.

Synthetic ATF is made to a specification, and that is waaaaay higher than the spec back in 1995 or so, so brands is brands, they all have to meet this spec. OK, some political nonsense gets in the way sometimes, but basically thats how it is.

Penrite is fine, Nulon is fine, Hi Tec is fine. My boss does deals, and whoever comes out with the best sweetener gets the order.

If you are removing the pan, then ramps are a must.

if you are simply undoing that filler tube nut, raise the LHF, reach under and simple undo it. Slide the drain pan in so the EPA dont belt you around, and lower the car again, go for a beer of 2 or 3.

Return to the car, raise it again, refit the nut and tighten (not Gorilla tight), remove the drain pan, lower the car, refill the trans, drink more beer.

Whenever the warm and fuzzy strikes again, repeat the process, dont forget the beer.

I am not sure what Auto mobs you have in "the land of the long white cloud" but there must be alternatives to Repco??. Maybe online (scary I know), or even direct from the manufacturer, not always easy, but they all want your $, and you want their product, so worth a try.

 

I just drained the ZF gearbox sump through the Allen-keyed sump plug. I couldn't get the big nut on the filler pipe undone, even with a 12" Crescent spanner, so I used the drain plug with the front end up on ramps.
3 litres came out, slightly dirty looking even though only changes in the last 2 years or so.
4 litres went back in, haven't test-driven it yet.

Grant, what would you estimate the residual capacity in the valves, torque converter etc - about 2 litres?
Does anyone know the total capacity of a ZF box when completely empty?

 

You got a drain plug, fair dinkum, look out when I come your way, I'll knick the thing, haha.

So the car has had a gorilla at that nut, absolute stupidity. It will need to come undone eventually to drop the pan. Measure that nut (32MM I think), and find a suitable spanner at the local "chinese tool depot" which will possibly be longer and will fit better than a shifter.

The "dry fill" of the trans in ours is about 15ltrs. Unless the convertor is split and the trans totally dismantled that figure means squat in my opinion.

I once had a chart from ZF, cannot find it now, maybe on the old laptop???, and it showed the amount of concentration increase at each change using 4ltrs per change, and it was 8 times to get into the 90% area.

 

that would make sense, Grant, if 11 litres of 15 is still left in the trans after draining 4 litres.

11/15 is approx .73


0.73 x 3 changes leaves 39% of the old oil
0.73 x 7 changes leaves 11% of the old oil
0.73 x 8 changes leaves 8% of the old oil.

However having done one change today, it is happier already on a short 5 km drive (it IS Sunday!)

tomorrow is work, so I will give it some stick to assess difference.
Friday I will do it again, as Saturday I have a 4 hour drive where I will get a real sense of improvement (after 2 changes I should be down to about 53% old oil..)
Just gotta source some cheaper synthetic ATF this week. if no luck, I will stick with the Penrite, as the others cost more.

 

regarding the ZF 4HP 22 transmission:-

I've done a bit more sniffing around the 'net to find the 'dry fill' capacity of this gearbox.

estimates (often on BMW forums) vary from 7.5 to 9 litres.
this one suggests 9 L Ashcroft Transmissions - 4HP22 FAQ's

so, that would be good news for those following Grant's method of multiple partial fluid changes - the maths:-

4 litres changes from 9 litres = 5/9 of old fluid left
= 55% of old fluid after 1 change
= 30% of old fluid after 2 changes
= 16% of old fluid after 3 changes
= 9% of old fluid after 4 changes

if only 7.5 L capacity, it gets even better -

after 3 changes, only 6% of old fluid left

It would be nice to know from ZF sources the true 'dry fill' or total capacity of this transmission, however!

 

I have found Valvoline MaxLife ATF, a fully-synthetic ATF designed for higher mileage 'boxes.
Even better, I found a distributor who will sell direct to me, so a 20 litre drum is arriving tomorrow for $200 on the doorstep, versus $600 for Mobil Syn ATF from Repco.

 

Told ya.

Now you got $400 to have a drink or 3.

Side note. The 15ltrs I had jammed in the brain was/is the son's BMW 740iL, and ours is about 9ish ltrs from what I can sort, but add the "small amount" in the lines to and from the cooler, and the exchanger itself, maybe another 1 ltr tops.

I am now on change #5 on the S Type since purchase 6 months ago, and sweeeeet is the word, so a pan off and filter will happen sometime soon.

 

Excellent stuff - do let us know how it goes. Mine behaves very similarly to yours, and that job's getting very close to the top of the to-do list!

 

I am 2 changes into the synthetic ATF
the first change 4 days ago with Penrite, improved alot but was still a bit jerky under load when upshifting.
Last night (200 km later) did second change - now using Valvoline MaxLife synthetic ATF. Smoother again after 2nd change, my only criticism being 3rd-to-4th under load: same 'jolt' but much less noticeable - perhaps it is the lock-up engaging too quickly?
Other changes smooth as silk now.
My ZF seems to have mysterious capacity properties however - first change 3L out 4L back in, second change nearly 5L out, 4L back in... go figure.

I will do another 2 changes (should be down to about 9-10% 0f old ATF by then) and re-assess.
I would recommend this process to any of you - very simple.

 

I have done my 3rd ATF change tonight. I drained just over 4 litres, then thought I might read the handbook... NZ males try not to read instructions, just have a go, but I thought it might behove me.

The handbook says drain-and-fill volume for the 3.2 ZF is 3 litres, and for the 4.0 AJ16 it is 4 litres. I have had it way up the dipstick so this might account for some minor jolts when changing.
Anyway, I topped up with 3 litres, and the dipstick is about right. I will see how the next 200-300kms go.

 

Glad to hear the positive results.

Handbooks, mmmm, mixed opinions on them, but I do relate to belated reading.

Now you are into the home stretch with this, I would leave that newish fluid a tad longer than 200kms, say about 1500kms, which in my opinion gives the fluid time to do its thing.

I also suggest as many gear changes as possible (peak hour traffic comes to mind), to get the new stuff right into the valve body and working bits that would not be so reached at highway speeds in lock up, and 4th gear.

 

will do, Grant
the unpleasant smell of the Valvoline MaxLife is permeating the house, even though I do changes up on ramps in the driveway. There is 12 litres of fluid lurking in the garage awaiting disposal.
I will give it a rest for a while, see how things are in a month or so. Cheers.