My 2001 Vanden Plas, non supercharged started slipping. When stopped, I accelerate and the engine revs up for a short distance and JUMPS into second.

Took it to mechanic who checked fluid and says it looks like coffee left in a cup for 2 weeks. Black and dirty. Says the trans is blown, and is what has caused the fluid to look like this. Says changing fluid would do no good.

I have found a couple of used low milage units for 1200 and he will change out for 3oo. Got to fix and love my Jag.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

Do you have a "transmission fault" message indicated on the gauge cluster?

 

Well,....I have two cars with "transmission sealed for life". I think that means (in a car manufacturer's lingo),.....transmision is sealed, and it will last as long as the oil inside keeps it lubricated, and after this oil looses its lubricating properties, this will be the end of the life for that transmision!

I treat both transmisions like they are not sealed. I change the fluid on S430 every 20K, and I will do the same with VDP. I almost crapped myself when I first heard about the "sealed for life" thing. What kind of space age lubricant are they putting in it? Oils (organic, syntetic, doesn't matter) are prone to thermal breakdown (some break down slower, and some faster, but they all DO break down eventually!). So I did some research. Turns out, the ATF is still ATF (with some fancy adittives), and no matter what they say, it has its LIFE expectancy. Does this expectancy matches the car's life expectancy? Hell no.

So,.....replace your tranny, fill it up with good stuff, and dump the stuff every so many miles (whatever you feel comfortable with). If they invented "unlimited lifetime ATF", I'm sure the world would buzz about it, and the engine oil would be available also,.....which reminds me,....10K between the oil changes!? Not for me. I happen to like my cars, and I also like my money (I was not born rich!). I use syntetic, and I dump it every 5K.
To each his own.

 

I'm still disappointed that I recently had to invest $3800 into mine after owning it for 7 days. The A drum, a know defect, failed.

 

Yeah, I followed your saga, but I never understood why you paid so much. In SoCal, you can get a rebuilt tranny (with warranty) for about 1500 (if you shop, and wait even cheaper!). Mechanics I deal with will swap the tranny for 500. 2K if in a hurry, and possibly way less if you wait.

 

rickysjag: It sounds like a pretty good deal on the replacement, but what's to stop it from happening again? It is not just a lubrication issue, the A drum is not strong enough. Do a little research on the subject here and you will find that you can by a reinforced drum for a little over $200 and your mechanic can quickly instal it before the swap.
Of course the existing unit might also be rebuilt, but there may be additional damage caused by parts adrift.
RJ_____________
95 XJ6 120K mi
97 XK8 86K mi

 

Gearbox failure warning is on and the code came up P0735.

 

Never a good thread title to see.

Here's the description for your DTC from the Jaguar list:

P0735 : Gear control malfunction - 5th

Default Action
TCM adopts limp home mode (4th gear)
ECM limits engine power

Possible Causes
1. transmission oil level low
2. output speed sensor problem
3. input speed sensor problem
4. transmission mechanical failure

Hope the guys can help you locate a low cost and reliable repairer.

Graham

 

I'm sure location is the difference. I spent quite a lot of time asking around, making calls, and sending emails. I even showed the ebay part to locals and they either didn't want to work on it or they gave me this jacked up price. They had me by my crotch!

 

My bad. Code was P0732. "Gear #2 incorrect ratio"

 

As you've said, it's Gear control malfunction - 2nd for P0732.

Default Action and Possible Causes are listed the same as for P0735.

Graham

 

Ratio errors are thrown when a transmission detects slip. When I notice slip, I like to check the fluid level. The slipping is what caused the fluid to change color, it is probably both burned and filled with old clutch friction material.

I would change the fluid and filter, properly refilling the trans and see what happens. If that doesnt work, there probably is something damaged inside the transmission. I have a zf 5hp24 transmission out of my 01 XJ8L parts car I'll sell for $500. It will need the tailhousing changed from your old one though because where the trans mount bolts up cracked off in the accident. Pm me if interested.

 

i wish i knew where to find that rebuilt tranny for $1500 i call around everywhere and they want $4000 to rebuild mine lol,

 

Search Craigs list in SoCal, and you will find it. There is a guy that does just that,....rebuilds trannys for living, for over 15 years. Gives 1 year warranty parts and labor, and I've heard good things about him. If you call transmission places on the phone, and ask "how much", what do you expect? A best price?

You can also get a low mileage used tranny from the wreckers, get the upgrade drums, and rebuild it yourself (or take it to someone that will charge couple hundred to do it). My mechanic will swap the trannies for 500 (including replacing the drums beforehand), and do it in one afternoon.

It all boils down to how resorcefull you are.

P.S. I did some work for you. You can thank me later.
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...470922002.html

And he is the one I mentioned, but there is MORE. There is a place (don't make me look, you have a problem, you should look!) that WILL rebuild yours (delivered to them on the palet, NOT in the car!!) for $450.- plus parts (that you can provide by shopping around!) it really is not that much work, once the tranny is on the bench. Do some homework son.

 

yeah, i could do all that, but if im going to pull down the tranny myself why not just rebuild it myself, Beats doing a half way job with a swapped tranny with only a new A-Drum and running the risk of something else going wrong.
as for the second option calling for me to remove it your right, might as well just rebuild it myself for the same price with the reinforced A-Drum and new clutches. (plus replacing that solenoid that tends to cause spikes in pressure as a precautionary measure)
Already got all the PDF files from ZF and my brother has all the tools i need (That helps out a lot) so im planning to take this task on with in the next couple of weeks, plus it would be a great learning experience with some assistance from my bro, even he said it's an easy job.
cheers

 

ZF autoboxes have had problems with the valve bodies going back into the 1980's. The root cause was usually wear in the valve block causing either fluid seepage & partial forward clutch engagement in Neutral-followed by burnout of the clutch pack in the old 4-speed autoboxes, or wear in the pressure regulating valves in the 5-speed autoboxes, which causes the pressure spikes & fractures the forward clutch drum.

Either way, the root cause of the problem is a worn valve body which then goes on to cause damage to the forward clutch drum & other parts of the gearbox. The problem became evident years ago on the older BMW's & a valve body overhaul was the usual method of preventing further main gearbox damage.

The valve body can be overhauled once the fluid is drained, the sump pan removed & the valve block removed-it can be done as part of a fluid & filter change anyway, with the sump pan removed.

 

i see, how often does it require this rebuild on the valve body?

also out of curiosity how often do you change your trans fluid on yours?
thanks in advance

 

Should only really need a valve body overhaul once, unless you plan on doing more than another 100,000 miles in the car. As the ZF boxes have this weakness in the valve body, it makes sense to change the fluid & filter while you've got the sump pan off to remove the valve body.

My XJR has the Merc gearbox so this problem doesn't happen-as for fluid changes, mine has 150k on it with the original fluid & there's another forum member with 220k on his XJR-still on the old fluid.

XJR owners live on a wing & a prayer