Guys

my apologies if this has been asked many times before, but I have had a good look on the forum and through Google and can't find an answer to this.

I was looking at forum members GUS site JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource for changing the transmission oil. On one of the pictures he shows the old filter cut open and it looks pretty clean. It seems that an oil change only may have sufficed. I have had other cars (Volvo etc.) with auto gearboxes, and it is normal to change the oil only on those, as there is no accessible filter.

My car: S Type 2000MY 3.0 auto, has 192,000 on the clock but looks like its been maintained well. The gearbox is changing smoothly with no issues. I know that changing the filter pan as well as the oil is the best way forward, but is there any reason I shouldn't just do an oil change.

Thanks for any advice.

 

I have dropped and refilled the trans fluid on both my S Types, until what comes out is basically the same colour as what goes in.

Both cars were just on 100K kms each, when they followed me home, and receipts "stating" trans oil change on both.

The fluid on both was grubby, and thats the polite word.

The transmissions on both worked just sweet prior to the drop and refills.

Once I was satisfied with the oil colour, and that was at about 6 drop and refills over the first 6 months, I dropped the pans and replaced the filters, and now just drop and refill at the annual service ALL the Jags get.

The shify quality has improved considerably with this practice that I have applied to ALL the Jags for a very long time.

Your car has the Ford 5R55N transmission, and the filter is inside the transmission, as apposed to teh later ZF 6 speed units that have the filter incorporated IN the plastic pan.

 

Grant

many thanks for the info. This has chuffed me up no end. On my Volvo V70 (so called sealed for life by Volvo), I had carried out about 4-5 dumps with around 500 miles in between until I got the colour as it should be.

I'll do the same on the Jag.

Again, many thanks for the info - I learn something new about this car every day - and loving it!

 

Was there a similar improvement on the V70 resulting from
changing the fluid?

 

When I bought the car, the auto box was shifting OK with 130,000 miles on it. However, having read on the Volvo Forum just how many owners were having shifting problems once the car went above 100,000 miles, I decided to carry out the dumps. Just as well; the first dump looked like Black Molasses and smelled horrible. On the 5th dump it was looking more like the oil that went in.

Hopefully I have staved off any future issues with the Volvo gearbox. I also want to try and do the same for the S Type.

I am amazed that manufactures can still go with a sealed for life mentality.

 

Jag do not say they are sealed for life. They say to change the oil - see their tech site.

 

My '06 Mustang had a 5R55S transmission in it, and according to Ford, fluid was to be changed at 150,000 miles.

For the 03 and up S Types, I'm assuming ZF dictated to Jaguar that the 6HP26 was a lifetime fill, which Jaguar has changed to 60,000 mile intervals, however a local Jag dealer here still strongly adheres to the lifetime fill theory and suggests never changing the oil because " filings and dirt are whats keeping the transmission together"..........

 

Zf has always stated that the fluid has a 10 year life expectancy.

bob

 

Sorry guys should have made my statement a little clearer - I was referring to the Volvo gearbox as "sealed for life" by the manufacturer, not the S Type. I think they only recommended a change if the car had been run in "adverse conditions" at 160,000 miles. The gearbox is the Asian Warner 55-50SN (Mine is a 2003 - so they may have changed this policy for newer vehicles).

I'm still learning a lot about the Jag as I'm working through it, but I have to say (not surprisingly) that I am very impressed by the state of the vehicle, given that its 17 years old.

 

Drop the pan and change the filter. It's cheap insurance. Remember you need to check and clean the magnet in the pan. It should be furry but NOT too furry with metal shavings.

These transmissions are hard to get the fluid level right. So spend some time getting it right because it does matter.
.
.
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Thanks for the responses, but now I'm a little confused. The reply from Grant Francis seemed to say that the Ford transmission in my year 2000 S Type, did not have a pan filter, but one that was built into gearbox and inaccessible (like many other cars).

I haven't got JTIS working yet on my PC so I'm a bit in the dark on some of this detail.

Any clarification would be helpful.

Thanks

 

OK - answered my own question - obvious really.

 

Good ya sorted that one.

The 5 speed has a replaceable filter inside the trans, just like any older auto trans unit.

The 6 speed has the filter as part of the pan, and the pan comes with the filter, as does the filter come with the pan.

I did this write up a while back on how I NOW do the trans drop and refill on the S Types. Some do not like my method, fine, but when you are as physically challenged as I am, and trust NO ONE with your Jag, you find ways to simplify the tasks that must be done.

S Type 5R55N trans fluid drain and refill.doc

 

Grant many thanks for posting that - it is exactly what I was looking for - the pragmatic rather purist approach. This is the procedure I will follow when I do mine.

As the gearbox has been OK since I got it, I'm going to leave this until we get a little warmer weather. Just been out today inspecting the brake pads / Discs etc. and its darned cold for my old bones.

Thanks again.