Hello folks!


I noticed over the past couple of months that when I put the transmission into Reverse, it idles for five second or more and then kicks in. My local mechanic who does not work on transmissions (I live in Mexico) told us today that I am having some kind of transmission problem.


I phoned AAMCO in San Diego, and the mechanic told me that it could cost anywhere from $700.00 to $3,300.00 to repair, depending on the problem. How do you trust these guys not to make more work for themselves than is necessary?


Also, there doesn't seem to be a problem putting the car into "Drive" - only "Reverse", so I am wondering if something is slipping as I have heard this term used about transmissions before.


Thanks very much for any advice you can give me. I don't want to take it to a Jaguar dealer as they charge way too much based on prior experiences with them. The car cannot be worth that much anyway, but it is such a beautiful automobile!

 

Even if you took your car to Jaguar they would look to replace the transmission with new. Also, stay far away from Ammco - they are no good...

Find an Indy Trans shop. One of three ideas: stretched shift cable (possibly could be fixed by adjusting) Trans fluid/filter change may be in order and last - solenoid pack (reverse solenoid) - again, find an Indy Trans shop to diagnose...

 

You’re getting screwed. You have a very common Ford transmission. It's used in millions of Fords and all transmission shops have worked on them.

Total cost for a rebuild should be in the $1500 range including TQ.

But first follow JagV8's advice.

Have you ever serviced the transmission? You could be low on fluid?

Be sure and give us all the details. How many miles on the transmission? Original unit?
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Okay. Latest update. My mechanic was due to bring my Jaguar back yesterday morning after replacing ABS sensors. We got a call early in the morning telling us that somebody had hit the car resulting in some slight damage to the left front by the fender.


We went to his shop and saw the car. Not much damage - a slight dent. But he had looked into the transmission problem, too, and said that the fluid was low, and it was filthy!


He is going to change the fluid and install a new filter. If that fixes the problem, I am going to get the entire car re-painted (Westminster Blue) after having the dent fixed.


I won't know anything until later next week, but I will let you know.

 

Good idea.

Drinks all round.

After the filter change, and fresh fluid, have him simply drop and refill the fluid again after a few hundred miles/kms, and keep doing so until what comes out is the same colour as what is going in.

I did a paper on his, and it is in the "stickies" area.

Gradual freshening of the fluid as versus a flush is much kinder to the transmissions in MY opinion.

 

I got my S-Type back late yesterday, and the dent is no more. Looks good, but I want to get the entire car re-painted soon. I took it out for a spin this morning, and the transmission seems smoother. The mechanic is going to drain and replace the fluid in a couple of weeks. By the way, no Christmas tree lights on my dashboard for a change - however, when I went out this morning, my remote key would not work. I looked on this forum, and found a solution that said, "Turn ignition key on-and-off eight times in ten seconds, then press any button on the remote." I did that, and it worked! I need to get the power steering fluid changed, too. Mechanic says it ought to be changed. I'll get an oil/filters changed at the same time. Thanks very much Jaguar Forum!

 

Good to hear.

Being a 2000 model, make sure the mechanic uses the correct fluid in the steer, as it is NOT ATF, like the later ones.

I syringe out almost ALL the container, refill with fluid, start the engine, and go lock to lock a few times, switch off. Syringe again, and repeat. About 3 times should see the concentration level well into the 90% area.

I don't DRAIN the system, coz these early Ford rack vehicles can be a fair mongrel to bleed the air out of.