I pulled the transmission pan on my 87 series III and drained about 6 quarts of fluid (dark but not burnt) out if it. I put the pan back and filled it up with 6 quarts of common type F fluid.

I also tightened the right side rear band adjuster bolt on the outside of the transmission. It calls for 60 inch-lbs but mine was loose so I adjusted it to where it was just starting to snug up. I didn't touch the left side front band adjuster because it was difficult to get to.

Having done this however, I still get a bit of a kick from the transmission when I shift into D or R from N.

Wondering if anyone can suggest how to best set these exterior band adjusters to achieve a smooth shift through the gears?

 

not sure how to adjust bands but I do know there might be an access panel on each side of the transmission tunnel, you have to raise the carpeting and insulation to see them. Both my '65 S type and '84 XJ have these access panels, they are sealed in place with caulking and a bunch of posidrive screws around their perimeter, about 9 or 12 screws per panel.

 

Its been a looooong time.

My memory (haha), on the BW65/66 is 45 inch/lbs, then back out 1 full turn.

I stopped using the type F long ago, as Dexron 3 was deemed a smoother reacting fluid, totally compatible, mmmm.

Harsh take up in these transmissions is generally the idle that is too high.

Bear in mind these are a tad "clunky" as compared to any later transmission.

On all 3 of my S2 cars I had that awful "clunk" on take up, and it had NOTHING to do with the transmission, or idle speed, it was the diff assembly loose in the cradle. The 4 lower mount bolts come loose, and the shims drop out, and then clunking etc is always there until the time is taken to restore those shims and secure those bolts. This is NOT a simple task unfortunately.

 

FWIW, since 45 in/lbs is only about 4 ft/lbs, I've always used the torque wrench built into my fingers and merely snugged the adjuster and then backed of 3/4 turn.





As do many others.

The Dexron is more slippery than the Type F thus the smoothness. In theory this would increase clutch plate wear. In reality I'm not at all sure there would be any signficant difference.




You're right on the money, on both counts, as usual :-)






Interesting. I wonder if there are thousands of others with the same issue but the owners not realizing it?

Inevitable wear in the diff and the trans can also add to the "clunk" problem, as the wear-induced free play is taken up when shifting into gear. Sometimes this get a bit noisy....which worsens the perceived severity of the issue

Cheers
DD

 

Right! Or, at very least, an access panel on the left side. Never noticed one on the right but, then again, I never actually looked :-)

Cheers
DD

 

One more thing....and I'm a bit foggy on this so don't take it to the bank.

I recall the the left side band adjuster might be partially obscured by the shift linkage, specifically the lever-arm that the shift cable attaches to. Or perhaps partially blocked by the back-up lamp/neutral safety switch as installed on the later cars.

It's a simple matter to remove the lever arm and/or switch, if needed.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanks for all the tips guys. Sounds like finger tight and then back off 3/4 of a turn on the adjusters. Also, I've never looked at the diff and it is possible I could have some slop back there. Is there a reference somewhere to adjusting/replacing the shims and tightening the bolts for the diff?

 

What is the rpm in park/neutral?

 

If the shims have left the scene, then the cradle out and a total realign if the brackets with the through pins is required. There is NO short cut here if you want it done right. I have seen many botched repairs that simply did not work.

If you remove that lower tie plate, and look VERY CAREFULLY at where the diff casing meets the cast brackets, there should be some shims in each bolt area, 2 bolts each side, tucked behind the spacer tubes so you CANNOT get at them.These bolts are wired, and come loose, and the shims drop out, sometimes you find them on the tie plate, and then the whole thing gets even worse.

NOT a nice job, but I have done 7 now, and NO more, too old for that stuff now. One I did had 2 of those bolts sheered off, as if sliced, and the top 4 bolts were also loose, and sadly the cradle was cracked really bad. How she kept the car on the road is beyond me.

I do not use the Jaguar "horseshoe" shims. I make my own from shim stock, and use full circle (like a washer) so they simply cannot fall out.

 

Grant: Thanks for the tips. I will look at the diff this weekend to see what situation I have back there.

CalXJ6: Rpms could be as high as 800 since I notice this in the mornings when I first start the car. I always have to back out and then pull forward from my parking spot. After it warms up, the rpm drops some but I still notice a kick although not as much of one.

 

I checked the rpm and the rear end this weekend.

RPMs are closer to about 850-900rpm in park after the engine has warmed up. I guess that is a little high. What should it be and where is the adjustment?

I didn't see any loose bolts on the rear end but I did notice the plate was dented and that was probably caused by someone lifting the car with a floor jack. Also there was an almost triangular piece of something about a 1/4" thick sitting loose above the plate. I hope this wasn't a shim!

 

I think 750 +/- is the rpm, but others much more S3 orientated will chime in with that spec, and the idle adjuster is a fair mongrel to get at, but they will explain that better than me.

That unknown is possibly a handbrake pad that has parted company with the metal backing, they do that.

The shims are steel, and are 0.002"-0.005" thick (or thin), and shaped like a flat sided horseshoe, about 2" long, and 3/4" wide.

 

apparently all Jags have them, left and right, but in the XJ they are covered with the thick roofing goo insulation that covers the trans. tunnel. In my S type there is "yute" insulation behind the carpet instead of the tar goo, so it's a lot easier to access those panels. If you look at the tunnel from under the car (in the S type), you can see a dozen screws sticking out on both sides, but not in the XJ because it has another layer of foam insulation under the tunnel. Better to leave that alone, too much work reversing what needs to be undone! I think it is less work to remove the transmission :-))

 

Idle speed is adjusted at the "air distribution block". Here's some reading
Idle Speed Adjustment

I'd try for about 800 in "P" and see what happens. Lower is OK if the engine will tolerate it...some won't.

Clean the throttle body before resetting the idle speed.

Cheers
DD

 

Air distribution block? I had a look for this last night but all I saw upstream of the TB was an elbow and then the MAF meter and all the rubber belows to connect them. No block with hoses that I could see?

I did however find the accelerator cable going into a lock nut that directly connected to the TB linkage. It looked like an easy place to make the adjustment. Is it possible the late model Series III did not have a air distribution block with an idle speed screw setting?

I was hoping to find this block because I've been chasing down the lumpy idle problem and I liked the idea of closing the screw completely to verify if an air leak was present or not.

 

The air dist block is on the intake manifold. Go to where the throttle body is mounted to the intake manifold. got it? :-) Now, the air dist block is 2-3" forward on the manifold







Resist temptation :-)





Nope


Cheers
DD

 

I think I found the part you are referring to. I've attached a pic. If I'm right, the air distribution block is the part in the middle. The TB is on the left and the I'm not sure what the part on the right is.


The hoses to all these parts look original. I might get ambitious and replace them while I am at it!

 

Right-o !





AAV-Aux Air Valve. This is what gives you the higher idle speed when cold



Good thinking :-)


Cheers
DD

 

Since I am going to remove the MAF sensor/intake assembly to get the ADB and AAV below, is there any other cleaning/maintenance/adjustments I should consider while I'm at it?

 

I finally started on removing the air-flow meter and the hoses around the air distribution block (ADB) to renew them. The ADB was so dirty I even removed it to clean it.

I found that the ADB contains something called an over-run valve (ORV). When I pulled the ADB out, the spring part of the ORV was positioned upward and projected into the ADB. However, from the diagram I attached previously, the spring part of the ORV is shown oriented downward into the plenum. Does anyone know which way is correct?

Also, does removing and replacing the ADB requrie a new gasket everytime? This manual doesn't refer to one.

During the removal, I did find that the throttle butterfly valve appears to be set to less than the required .002. Also, I found a big crack in the crankcase breather hose boot and the top front of the engine. Perhaps the vacuum leak I was looking for.