A couple of weeks after a spirited drive last month, I noticed a small puddle of transmission fluid on the garage floor... a very slow leak it seems. Amounts to perhaps a quarter cup over three weeks. I've looked over the forums and found all kinds of threads, but as a novice jag owner, it's almost impossible for me to sort out the good from the bad. No lift at home, so I haven't looked at it from underneath yet. Some threads state that a mere "connector" may be the issue, but if there's anything clear on what connector and where, I can't find it. Can y'all point me to a good source of general info?
Also....Had a tranny flush done at the nearest jag dealer (4 hours away) last fall prior to parking it for the winter. It did not leak over the winter, not until after that recent full-throttle romp... I assume the issue isn't a result of something done wrong at the dealer, but a consequence of having over-stressed something, yet I have to ask... what do you all think?

 

The connector is on the left side of the transmission, not a unusual leak. Replacement of the seal requires removal of the pan.

 

^^ What he said. Most of us call it the "ZF sleeve" in these ZF 6HP26 transmissions. The factory sleeves tend to leak, whereas the redesigned replacement sleeves are better. I do not recall seeing reports of a redesigned replacement sleeve leaking. We replaced the factory sleeve in my wife's 2006 XK8 in July 2013 at just over 67,000 miles as a precaution during the first time we did a pan drop / ATF drain-and-fill. No issues with it since (the car now has 122,200 miles and we have done multiple ATF drain-and-fills since then, all without dropping the pan again). Back then these sleeves were under $20. Not sure what they sell for today....

Search the forum using "XK8 ZF sleeve replacement" as your search phrase and you will have plenty of reading to do....

 

You definitely need to locate the source of the leak with more precision. Remember, the power steering pump has a Norma/quick connect fitting on the high pressure side. This is a known failure point, most don't bother with a factory part and just work a barb-type hose fitting instead. The power steering is filled with red ATF. Leak would be towards the very front.

Other possibility is a leak around the trans cooling lines, from the fitting on the side of the trans all the way to the cold/left side of the radiator. This is not common.

Leaks at the sleeve involve internal leaks flooding the plug and causing network errors. I suppose external leaks are possible too. Sleeve in near the rear of the trans, by the output flange, so sort of center of the car.

Another possible leak is through the bottom of the trans bellhousing at the dust cover/plug. These show up typically after a refill. Some say it is just a way for the trans to get rid of an overfill. It eventually stops leaking and that is that. Others say it is a failed seal and needs to be replaced, taking the trans off the car and all that.

I suppose if the pan was replaced during the maintenance, it is always possible it was not properly torqued back into position. There are (21?) separate screws that are supposed to be torqued in a documented sequence. There is also a drain plug with plastic threads. I suppose the fill plug could also work itself loose if left finger tight.

Best of luck, keep us posted.