Hello mates,

Hope all is well. Have lurked the forum time to time but haven't needed to post anything until just recently. Weather in SoCal has been very hot, and conveniently, my A/C has gone out. When I say "gone out," I mean to say, there is a heavy rattling noise, and only hot air blows. Based on what I have read it seems like I will need to purchase a new A/C compressor from ebay or amazon.

Now the second issue/concern, is that since I will be paying my mechanic upwards of $500 to install a new A/C compressor, would this be a good time for me to have him repair/reseal my oil pan gasket leak? It's been a slow, on going leak for a few years now, and this may be an opportune time for him to fix it if any of you experts think that it would be killing two birds with one stone although I do imagine the oil pan gasket resealing will require far more labor than the a/c repair.

Last but not least, I have held off on replacing my transfer case fluid, as well as auto transmission fluid. I am thinking of flushing both of these as I already have the new Royal Purple fluids waiting to go into the car. My concern and real question is, is there risk of ruining my tranny when I do this "flush" and put in new ATF? I have read that some people have issues after they change the fluid. Overall, I don't want to open a can of worms, as my tranny seems bearable in it's current state, albeit a few jerky moments between 1st and 2nd gear.

Thanks so much for reading this far, and of course for your fantastic answers!

 

Drain and fill if you want a gradual, safe way to keep your transmission alive.

I had a draggy, sluggish shift from 2nd to 3rd, did a SINGLE drain fill with Amsoil Signature Series ATF and bam. Symptom eradicated, first test drive.

I've performed a few more since then to get rid of the majority of the old fluid, and the shifts are sooo smooth. Just really great.

DO IT!!! It's really easy, if you need help, we'll be happy to give it.

 

So, as I was afraid of, I got the terrible "reverse shake" issue.

I had my mechanic put in a new oil pan gasket, as mine had been leaking for years. I also had him do an oil change, change the filter, drain the ATF, and refill it as well as had him replace my AC condensor and tensioner, as well as recharge the freon.

Just got my car back yesterday, and I think the car is driving much smoother now. The AC works amazing as well now! But all that can go wrong, will go wrong....

When I put my car in reverse, it rattles and slooowly creeps into reverse. What do I need to do to get this fixed?!! I just paid my mechanic about $1400 for just labor alone as I purchased all of the parts and fluids myself. Now what kind of expenses am I looking at in terms of fixing this reverse issue? This will definitely be embarrassing when I am on dates and on the road in general!

I absolutely love my X-type but is it time to sell her? Not willing to pay for a new tranny if that is the issue. Please advise!! Thanks.

My advice: do not drain and refill. The car was working fine enough prior.

 

If you are still experiencing issues with your tranny add 6 oz of powerUp NNL 690 to the ATF fluid this may solve the problem. It did in my 97 XJ6 that the tranny light kept coming on going into limp mode. The ATF fluid had been changed 10k mi ago when the light started coming on. PowerUp frees up tranny parts that may be sticking by cleaning contaminants and holding them in suspension until the next drain.

 

Hmmm...well, is your mechanic familiar with the Jatco transmission? Because if he is not, he may have mistaken the reverse band bolt for the drain plug (this is a common mistake, so much so that the transmission service companies have bulletins on it). If the reverse band bolt is loosened by mistake it will create the problem you have - and it can also result in loss of forward gears as well. This may not be what happened but you may want to investigate further. And no, it is not time to sell the car.