I have some play in the differential so I wanted to change the oil for 140 EP being thicker. Pumped it all out about 2 litre and pumped in the new .. Put the plug in thro the hole I made .. No No MOT man says the diff is leaking...No its just the excess I pumped in that went everywhere ...No No the plug was not in square . So I got a new plug from the masonic plug supplier because they always stand square ...No No ..must have damaged the threads at the start of the hole......
So which of the ones below provided a solution?

Original ..plastic ..touched by the lathe.
The plastic was not tapered so that failed so I argued that to align with what remained of the first threads I needed to guide it in . I Turned off some of the deepest threads so it would be guided by the undamaged threads on the inner part ..,.Coated with sealer and it went in fine.

So if you are re fitting ..always use a wobble end and when you think you have it started get under and check its square before you tighten, Always wear your masonic ring to ensure it goes in square.

Or get the grand master to do it.

 

I hope never to do that job again lol. Previous owner had a shop do it, cost nigh-on $1000 bucks, judging from some of the missing hardware under the car I think they pulled the whole IRS off to do it, which would explain the labor charge.
When they did so... they didnt clean the breather, so it was sitll leaking out one side, so i felt the need to change it again cos i had no idea if I had oil in my rear end... Of course, the diff was full of oil and just dandy, after I spent many hours extracting that bloody thing.

Tl;dr on this esp on convertibles - if you have any kind of recurring oil leak in your diff and you need to do this more than once, drill an access hole in the boot and use wobble extension.
IF you just need to do it once, and you have reasonably magic fingers, pull the rear sway bar, use a socket cap and an open ended wrench which is what I used. Then again, that shop that dropped the IRS may have cracked that fill plug before and made it easier for me to pull out. No idea if I could have applied enough leverage to it to loosen it if it was seized or in any tighter. When I put the plug back in I used the socket cap and a small socket to get it engaged manually. FYI these were the magic ingredient for me: https://www.harborfreight.com/3-piec...aps-67011.html but the diff fill plug is a strange automotive item on the jag in that the best procedure is the one that works best for you. With a better equipped garage and 4 post lift I probably would drop the IRS and service the damn thing outside of the car.

In the end removing the plug took all my strength applied through one arm in a godawful position and the neighbours commented on the noise I made when it started moving. According to my neighbour who is a retired nurse "it sounded like you just passed a kidney stone" which I am assuming is loud, painful straining and swearing followed by palpable relief and hysterical laughter. The wife thought I dropped the car on myself.

Like with any good relationship, you aren't truly in love with an XK8 until you've persuaded the rear end to open up for you with a subtle combination of persuasion, communication, persistence, love, frustration and lubrication. And you also risk a stinking mess in your face if you stand in the wrong position.

 

Stories like these make me feel lucky to have a coupe. Not particularly easy to R&R the differential fluid on a coupe, but at least not necessary to drill access holes and only a one hour job start to finish.


Z

 

If anyone needs a spare plug these are standard Land Rover items back to 1947 lots on ebay at about $4. " Land rover differential plug " If anyone needs one machined just ask they are easy to post.
If you know where the vent is ...Top ? left? Right ?Front ?Back ? let me know ..could not feel one on the 97

 

True, but on the convertible it isn't necessary to cut any sheet metal in order to remove the top.

 

ha-ha

The list of pros & cons is pretty lengthy. The decision to buy a coupe or a convertible usually comes down to feelings, not logic.

Z

 

Well said; I didn't buy 2 cars with no roof because I'm smart, I did it because I'm a hopeless romantic.

 

Dunno if there's one a 97 (don't see why there wouldn't be, but I don't know) but it was on the top right hand side towards the rear of the car, so the opposite side to the input shaft. I felt around up there and found a little bolt-shaped thing with a loosly sprung cap on it, and I *think* I used a 6mm wrench to remove it. It feels smaller in the hand than you would imagine it to be, so possibly you already found it and didn't realise. I imagine you could get a little 1/4 inch socket wrench up there too. Wasn't on too tight and was surprisingly easy to remove. I say surprisingly just because of the difficulty compared to removing the #$%^ing drain plug of *******ness.

 

I've owned both, and I prefer the convertible for the obvious reason that you can open the roof. I also find it more comfortable than the coupe, despite having 20" wheels on it compared to the standard 18". Then again if I were to buy another XKR, I would probably go for an X150 coupe for the convenience of the hatchback and the safety of the metal roof - if I could find one with an interior I didn't loathe. As you say though, the choice is really down to feelings - which one you like the most. If it was down to logic we would be driving Toyotas.