Hi Greg

First off an 'Amazing' Job that few would want to tackle and certainly not me, who also agrees with everything 'Duke' said and though we may have touched on this in a previous Conversation, now that you have gone so far down the road with this

If you were doing this job again, would you take out the Engine out, or do it in exactly the same way?

Excellent Job

Well done!

 

I was lucky enough to have a factory rebuilt GM400 available. It was placed on the transmission jack and the following steps were done, ending up with the box properly installed in the car:

1. If a new flexplate is being fitted pull the dowels into the new flexplate using a socket and bolt as used above to remove the dowels done
2. Place the reinforcing ring and the locking ring in position on the flexplate and screw in the 10 locating bolts to the crank flange done
3. Do up the 10 flexplate to crank bolts to 66 Ft. Llbs (90 NM) torque done
4. Place the new gearbox on the trans jack and install the following items on it: cooler line fittings; speedo transducer; selector lever; breather pipe; modulator; Jaguar XJS gearbox mounting hardware. done
5. Offer up the gearbox bellhousing to the engine and locate on the dowels done
6. Ensure dipstick tube is fully engaged in the gearbox, and into its top section, and carefully monitor its position as the bellhousing bolts are tightened done
7. Do up bellhousing bolts done
8. Do up TC to flexplate bolts done
9. Attach oil cooler pipes to box done
10. Replace sump bolt (removed for TC/flexplate bolt tightening) done
11. Wind up engine beam screws and also push up subframe with jack to assist., so the rear subframe V mounts affixing studs re engaged into their holes in the subframe done
12. Attach V mounts to subframe done
13. Attach shock absorbers to hubs done
14. Attach steering column done
15. Install propshaft done
16. Push up gearbox tail to correct height and install gearbox mount done
17. Remove engine beam done
18. Install the selector to the gearbox, the speedo loom, the kickdown loom and the modulator vacuum tube; ensure the looms cannot flap about in the airstream using cable ties to secure done
19. Install heat shields
20. Attach top hoses done
21. Top up coolant done
22. Attach crank breather hoses (not needed if OEM breather installed) done
23. Attach cold start solenoid (not needed if OEM AAV installed) done
24. Attach wing bracers done
25. Tighten six shots
26. Attach exhaust centre sections
27. Attach flexplate and torque converter cover
28. Attach battery
29. Add fluid: 7 litres to start, then start motor for 5 or 6 seconds, then add a further 4 litres, then gently cycle the box through neutral, reverse, drive a few times, so you feel the box engaging.
30. Test drive

I am very pleased indeed to report that the new box functioned perfectly on a 20 kilometre test drive, and even more pleased to report that FINALLY, my steering oscillation has been cured. The new box is substantially quieter than the old one - which was not noisy by any means - and the shifts are quieter too.
I am certain that the steering oscillation was caused by an imbalance in the gearbox - most probably the torque converter - and this caused the entire engine, box and subframe to "pendulum" side to side as a unit. In effect the tail of the gearbox was acting as a "sideways pendulum" "hanging" from the six shot bushes. In turn, because the front wheels would, by gyroscopic effect, continue in a straight line while the subframe/engine/box assembly swung side to side, the rack was moving to compensate, and thus oscillating the steering wheel. I have never had this happen before in any vehicle I have owned in my long and eventful life! So one learns something new all the time.
The regular reader will know I have been chasing this problem for two years, and have in that time re-rebuilt the entire front suspension using a new subframe, renewed the propshaft, refixed the rear lower wishbone fulcrums which had been shaken loose, and also fitted poly six shot bushes. All these things reduced or disguised the problem, but, AT LAST, the real cause has been fixed

Useful data:
Flexplate bolts torque: 66 ft llbs (90 Nm)
TC to flexplate 30 ft llbs
Bellhousing to block 35 ft llbs

 

Ob
Thanks very much for your kind words. To answer your question more fully:
The total cost of the tranny jack and the adjustable tilting head was 140 UKP. This was the only expense I incurred apart from the ATF. I reckon it took 25 hours work, tops, start to finish, most of which was the careful preparation and undoing of things so that the actual box was accessible. For the box and the exhaust removal and refitting, it needed two people, ideally, but it took only about 1 hour to unbolt the box and less than that to put the new one back in. If I had removed the engine, all the preparation work I listed would have been the same, plus loads more as all the cooling system, radiator and all its hoses, heater and aircon would have had to come off, plus oil cooling pipes, and the bonnet, etc etc. This would have been loads more work and would have cost me more than the tranny jack tools I bought. With the jack, actually separating the box from the engine was a breeze, so I would definitely just do the box on its own again.
In fact, were I to remove the engine again, now, I would first separate and remove the box, as pulling the engine without the box attached is very much easier.