Not really. That's not an XK8 transmission AND fluid recommendations are in conflict with the unanimous use of Mercon SP in this thread, so I'm actually more confused. I know the Rev Sam's video well so I know the procedure - what I don't know is what is the $15 sleeve that needs be replaced at the same time and is there a TC drain plug as I have read?

 

Great timing on the question Mike. I was just about to update my own SP analysis thread. I've just finished putting 41,000 miles on a simple drain and refill with SP (replacing some Redline that I was never happy with), and I'm just about to do another drain & refill. My filter only has about 70,000 miles on it, so I'll leave it in again. Other than one recent quirky upshift to second, there have been no problems whatsoever, and every aspect of the transmission's functioning improved after I switched to SP "and" accurately set the level. My transmission has 211,000 miles on it. I firmly believe that when, or if it fails, it will be due to age and miles, and not in anyway because of the SP.

I don't know anything about that sleeve - I still have the original installed.

There are different theories and urban legends pertaining to monkeying with the TC. The most prevalent of these supposes that any solid contaminants in the TC are sitting stable inside it; held in place by centrifugal force and in areas undisturbed by fluid flow. Playing with the TC can disturb these particles and release a bunch of junk into your fluid. Much of this crud may make its way into and around your transmission before being eliminated by the filter and magnets. I don't know whether this is true or not, but I choose to not mess with the TC.

 

Thanks scardini1. It's nice when someone answers the question being asked and not another.

 

Do you mean the electrical sleeve?

Mechatronic sealing sleeve

 

IF this is the one jon89 said to replace. Is it?

 

Yes, that is the infamous sleeve. You must drop the pan to replace it. We indeed did so on my wife's 2006 XK8 the first time we did an ATF drain-and-fill, but I opted not to drop the pan on my 2005 S-Type so it continues to run with its factory sleeve after two ATF drain-and-fills. The original factory sleeves are prone to leak, but not all do. The new-and-improved sleeve has not yet been reported to leak. Time will tell....

If you opt to drop your pan and replace your sleeve, seating the new sleeve properly can be very tricky. Be sure you pay close attention to how the old sleeve comes out, and orient the new sleeve in the exact same position before you attempt to seat it fully....

 

Mike - I'll tell ya what.....

Your transmission is a year newer than mine and there's no doubt is has fewer miles. I don't know what the symptoms of that sleeve leaking are, but if it isn't, I'd probably leave it alone. I'm certainly not an expert on this thing, but I don't consider the sleeve to be in the same risk-of-failure category as hoses, belts, brakes, etc. Plus: If replacing it requires particular finesse, as Jon mentioned, your learning curve may have you going back inside the tranny a lot sooner than you'd planned.


Questions for the "Collective": Can a leaking sleeve strand you? What are the symptoms of a leaking sleeve?

 

I would definitely take advantage of the pan being replaced to change the sleeve. The sleeve is locked in place by a lever that can only be accessed when the pan is off. As pointed out, there is an "old" part, and a "new" design. The old part has orange seals, the new ones has black seals.

If there is a leak at the seal (anywhere, really), then the fluid level is off by an unknown amount, and everyone knows the fluid level in these trans is important. In addition, folks have reported that if the fluid leaks inside the plug instead, then the electrical connections become compromised and error codes show up. I suppose the worst case is if the CAN bus is somehow compromised, then you are stranded.

To replace the sleeve, look at the instructions. The key part is to gain visibility. The sleeve is oriented by a notch, so there cannot be any twisting action, it should pull right out once the lock is disengaged. The hard part is to re-engage the lock after the new sleeve is in place. The trick is to manage to keep (gently) pushing the sleeve in place while engaging the lock.

There is great documentation here: CTSC FAQ

If you have the time and inclination, there is another cheap seal on top of the valve body. If that bridge seal fails, it is another set of headache to diagnose and the entire job has to be re-done. The valve body has to come off, unfortunately, which is probably more scary than difficult. There is a readup here: Transmission Fault ZF BMW Repair Fix Problem with Jaguar Range Rover

The idea is that you take advantage of removing the pan to call this a major service and replace most cheap seals now. Then, the next services are just to replace the fluid.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thanks Fred. That was pretty good. Maybe I "will" change it out with the next filter. Where do we find that Bridge Seal? I've removed valve bodies from other transmissions and I will agree: It's more scary than difficult.

What about the servo actuators? ( If I'm taking the valve body off, .... dot, dot, dot) I think I've seen recommendations for the 5HP, but I can't recall ever seeing the 6HP's servos being discussed anywhere.

 

Why is my transmission, the 6HP a SIX speed when the gear stick only goes to the number FIVE? Is there a automatic overdrive or maybe I have an %HP in a 2004?

 

I am going through that evaluation myself. My trans is OK, but not the greatest. 1-2 is noticeable, and 5-6 is a bit rough (but not 6-5!). There there is that funky converter flip flop in cold weather (3-4-3-4, etc) and light throttle.

I already had the dealer upgrade the code to the "latest" version. I recently did the Mercon SP, new pan/sleeve and rear mount. No real changes. Of course it is not cold here. Next step would be reset of adaptations, and I am working on it.

I feel that these "external" action have their limits. Once you read up, it seems BMW folks have issues with these trans that require actual surgery, so why would we be immune? Same trans, right? So, the logical progression is to do more advanced maintenance in order of increasing expense. At this point, with the trans on the car, the valve body can be serviced at moderate cost/effort in the garage. I am looking at the bridge seal (cheap), seal sleeves (cheap) and also a replacement set of solenoids ($400) with foam seal. Once the valve body is on the bench, though, why not open it and go to the next step with a Sonnax ZIP kit for $100? The hope is that these advanced maintenance would restore the trans to its operating status for the rest of my ownership. Worst case, the issues are elsewhere (worn valve body, bad converter, actual clutches) and these efforts are in vain. The oil I drained had that fishy smell, not burnt. There were no shavings on the big magnets, so I am assuming this trans is mechanically sound. Apparently, these bridge seals do fail, and these solenoids get erratic and very temperature-dependent.

Let me know your thoughts...

 

Because the right side sets the MAX gear you want the car to not go over. If you want the normal behavior with all 6 gears, you stay in D.

If you look at the older 5HP24, the right side only goes up to 4. Same logic.

 

Yes, I just worked that out! Went on road today and watching the tachometer I saw that. Thanks.

 

ALSO, why all the rigamaroll with filling hot?
Why can I not catch what comes out and fill with same quantity, then run engine to hot and undo fill plug to see if I have too much or too little and adjust?

 

Because you have no way of knowing whether your ZF's ATF is currently at the proper fill level. Some ATF may have leaked and you are not aware of it. A previous owner could have done a drain-and-fill and botched the fill level. It is risky to assume that your current ATF fill is exactly to specs....

This is why automatic transmission dipsticks are so valuable. I have them in my 1999 Ram and 2013 Subaru. Our two Jaguars are the only vehicles we have ever owned without transmission dipsticks. I know they are becoming rare as hen's teeth, but I do not have to like it....

 

You'll find that you'll grow to love the set-up. When getting ready to pass someone on a back road, you just slide the stick over to the left - this drops you easily into 5th. Then when the opportunity to pass comes, ease on the throttle, the trans steps-down to 4th, and you are GONE, baby. Once you're achieved a sufficient speed delta, just ease the stick back to the right, ease off the gas, and she sedately slides back into 6th. Ummm, .... well, by this time I'm usually approaching 100mph, so "sedately" may be a relative term - lol

 

This is the one but don't buy from CTSC they are OVER TWICE the eBay price when you factor in shipping.

 

A quick note from my experience today: I just finished doing the whole trans service on my 2004 XK8 and, once the car was up high enough, it really wasn't a big deal. However, I learned a useful trick in the process. Rather than burn myself on the exhaust pipe or struggle with vinyl tubing in the refill process I fabricated a fill tube from some 5/16 steel tubing and a few leftover fittings. I made it the right height to stand on the floor and route into the fill hole (pics attached). I put a shutoff valve on it so I could stop the flow quickly and attached it to my pressure bleeder for brakes. I


also discovered that this Blue Point flexible 1/4 inch drive thing I have had for years actually plugs nicely into the hex hole on the fill plug. So I was able to bend it 90 degrees and screw in the fill plug around the exhaust without burning my hand. After the final fill I did snug the plug down with an alan wrench and short cheater pipe but removing the plug several times during the topoff and such was easy with this tool.