I have a 2003 XJ8 with 93K. no problems with tranny---it has not leaked. I think the thing should be serviced(not by me!)----i know it says lifetime ,but, i know when i had the xjr it had been serviced and Vector had a homemade measure stick and we stuck mine and it was red and full------when he drained his it was black gunk!!!-----i have been told i have a zf5hp24 tranny---what is the procedure and the fluid, gaskets and parts i will need. i cannot do it myself ,but, i want to have the knowledge before farming it out. thanks doug I LUV THESE!!

 

Lots of posts on this subject but here is a recent video, thanks to Reverend Sam, on the subject that will answer most of your questions or help you ask more specific questions.

Jaguar XK8 Transmission Fluid/Pan Change - YouTube

 

Oops! I just realized that you have an '03 XJ8 and Sam is discussing an '03 XK8 which had already moved to the ZF 6HP that appeared in the '04 XJ. Anyway, you get the point.

The 5HP24 uses an ESSO LT 71141 spec fluid that was state of the art and proprietary in the mid '90's. Now, any number of ATF's meet or exceed that spec. The filter is a replaceable unit that doesn't require replacing the entire pan and is generally available at your local auto parts store for less than $30.

 

You will need a new filter and pan gasket. A new plug might be needed depending on the condition of the existing plug. If you just drain and refill with a new filter it will only change part of the fluid. I believe its around 7 litres or so needed to refill it. I would recommend changing the fluid. I pulled my trans and when I pumped the torque converter fluid out, it was almost black. The fluid in these cars should be a honey color. The fluid from the Jag dealer is going to run you about $50 a litre, but you can find it online for less. Since I did a complete teardown and pumped the torque converter dry, I refilled with pentosin ATF fluid available at Napa stores for 15 a litre. Once the car is refilled, it has to be brought up to temperature and then run through the gears and the fluid level is checked and topped up. There is no dipstick on these cars, they use a spill-over method much like a rear diff. The car is filled while up to temp and running until the fluid starts to run out of the check plug. Hope this helps.

Jeff

 

Short of removing the transmission from the car and then pumping out the converter, what is the most effective way to get the most fluid out of the entire system?

 

For years I have had transmission 'flushes' done on any number of cars that probably gets 90% of the old fluid out of the transmission, torque converter and radiator cooling lines. For some reason few, if any, folks are set up to do that with the Jaguar/BMW/other ZF transmissions. I do not know if it is because of lack of fittings or the 'filled for life' (FFL) philosophy.

Other than the FFL there is little reason not to do it that way IMO.

 

I wonder what that looked like since there is not a fill tube on the NA XJ8, or did something change in MY 03?

 

I think he was referencing a previous XJR.

 

YES i was referring to vectors XJR (02)---he drained the tranny once and drove it and then drained and filled it a second time-----his stick looked like any other dipstick ----------sounds like this job is way above the paygrade of anyone in my area!! doug

 

They call it a tool -- but it works as a dipstick -- the dealers use it with the computer hooked up. Then you seal the tube with a new locking cap - this for the MB trans in the R.

As with anything -- properly done with the correct fluid you have no worries.

It's the "A" drum that often kills these things and the bearing in the early MB units-- a simple dump of the pan fluid gets most of what you are trying to achieve and eliminates many of the pitfalls.

You hear all kinds of issues with the flush -- who knows -- it is not something I have ever felt the need to do.

Two issues that happen with transmissions: People change the fluid when they feel something is up -- changing the fluid does not fix the problem and they blame the fluid. Also, people use the incorrect fluid and the transmission fails 10k later and they blame the transmission -- or they sell it and it fails on the next owner.

 

Well I'll use this thread as the topic of my question is strongly related to the transmission oil change.

As my car is already at 150'000 miles and I wasn't sure if the previous owner has ever changed the automatic gearbox fluid I decided to do so. I ordered online from UK a new gasket, new filter and found at the local Jaguar dealer new Esso oil. We drained the fluid - it was looking terrible! Almost black and after removing the pan we've noticed that the 4 magnets inside the pan were full with metal chips/residues.

We've left the transmission for about 15 minutes and turned on the engine for about 10 seconds on P and intermediately switched off. This helped to drain even more from the old fluid. After that we assembled back the new filter and the pan with the new gasket and started filling with the new oil. It initially took about 4 liters, after that we started the engine and went through all the gears keeping on each one for 5-10 seconds. We've waited until the infrared thermometer showed up 45C, turned off the engine and refilled with about 1 liter more.

I was pretty sure we did everything right. But then all the problems started to appear. After the first start there was a very strong whine sound coming from the back of the engine. After we lifted the car we noticed the sound was coming from the front side of the transmission - from the converter. The sound is like worn bearing or even more like old drive belt. This sound appeared only on P and N while the car was not moving... after putting the car on D or R and increasing the RPM to more than 1500 the sound appeared even more noisy. I decided to make a test run and it was horrible - the transmission shifted gears with incredible lag and with a kick... after driving when I put to N or P the engine stalled. The worst happened when I tried the kickdown - it was like the gearbox didn't know on which gear to switch and it was only kicking forward and backward.

After all that I was afraid to drive the car and we left it in the garage. The strange thing about all this is that before the oil change there wasn't problems at all... and while doing this problems no light appeared on the dashboard - like everything is ok.
Unfortunately the OBD reader wasn't there so we couldn't check for errors but we will do this tomorrow morning.

Please - give some advices... I'm absolutely shocked and I'm afraid this could be signs of a very big transmission fault

 

I'm pretty sure you did some damage with this idea of running the tranny dry, who thought that one up?
Vector

 

This was mechanics idea... But as much I understand his arguments - after draining the pan, the oil in the converter was still there... so actually the transmission hasn't worked without oil... because without switching out of P gear the only think that's under pressure is the converter! But in terms of transmissions I'm total amateur.

After all... if this was the reasons of damaging the tranny what could happen?

 

Ok I found an expert on BMW transmissions and I'll bring the car to him... The main question now is how risky is to drive the car for about 30km having this problems

 

Ok, a little bit late, but that's the way the car technicians work around holidays. A have an update over my car's problems but it's more than strange.

We have removed the tranny and disassembled it using the documentation for the ZF 5HP24 gearbox. We took everything to pieces inside - nothing damaged, nothing broken, not even worn. The only problem we found were the black thick oil residues inside the "brain" paths. The A-drum looks perfect, as well as everything else.

So the question now is - what could be the reason for the problems I had? The strong kicks while shifting, the engine stalls, the whine coming from the transmission?!?! Any ideas what to do? Tomorrow morning I'll post the errors from the OBD.

P.S> Another strange problem that appeared - the front windows refused to close. When I tried to close the driver's window it didn't work at all... and when I tried to close the passenger's window, the back-right windows started to open All this happened after we removed the transmission. Well we fixed it by resetting the battery... but still it's very strange and funny

 

A whine and repeatable restricted performance after hard braking to a stop was due to low fluid. Did you do an oil change before deciding to take the gearbox out and strip it?

I would suggest checking the pumps and solenoids, take the control pan off and have it looked at by a transmission specialist, they usually have test benches for this work.

Assembly with oem filter/gasket, correct fluid. Just a suggestion ;-)

 

Actually it started to do so just after an oil change Which means that maybe all the problems could have been from insufficient fluid... well at least I had the chance to inspect the gearbox and replace all gaskets and other consumables inside the transmission as well as to check the condition of the A-drum

Thank you very much Sean! The only thing from the gearbox I haven't checked is the torque converter but two experts had assured me that it will be better not to touch it... what do you think about it? And is there something else to do before I start assembling back the gearbox and bringing back the cat to the road

 

The way to 'check' a TC is to machine the weld around the case and split it. Then weld it back up....not something you'll require, unless the TC is suspect in the first place. (what's the needle bearing like inside the TC?)

I'd just confirm everything is in good condition, rebuild it with genuine parts and fill it exactly as required. If the whine is still there, keep adding small amounts of fluid to it while stone cold, it might take a couple of top ups until the whine stops. Having the car exactly level when filling is vital. The idea is to remove any air locks. The sound I think is pump cavitation?

 

Personally while I had my trans out, I went ahead and replaced the a drum anyway and also the portion of the valve body that holds the pressure regulator which is partly responsible for the a drum failure. I have attatched the pdf explaining the failure point.

 

XJRJeff,
how many miles on yours when you did this?