Hi all 1998 XK8 Coupe - 150k Miles in London UK.
I did try to check all the stickies 1st but couldn't find this precise fault/solution for me
I was driving normally in town last Thursday, car was running great as ever, occasion RP msg which i put down to battery needing a a little charge as it would always go away again after about ten mins of driving.
Anyway - out of the blue, the gearbox made a kind of clunking noise and it seemed to be stuck in in one gear - msg came up gearbox fault.
Now i'm convinced a lot of these problems stem from the battery not being in top charge/condition. So i thought, well i want to buy a new battery anyway - that should solve it.
I wasn't 100% convinced of that however, so i charged the present battery and to be honest it seems fine and fully charged up pretty quickly.
So i thought ok - hard reset and hopefully we'll be fine.
I tried to connect my Can 900 code reader but it doesn't connect (i tried many times)
I called my local Jaguar Indie on Friday too - to enquire about changing/checking the transmission oil, as i know many people on here have changed theirs and i have no note of mine being done and it has covered 150k Miles!
He said it's sealed for life and he doesn't recommend changing it.
He then said to bring it in and he'll hook it up to the proper Jaguar Reader etc.
It may well be just needing the oil changed/topped up - but my local Indie says - he'd be happy to take my money off me to do it but doesn't rec.
Any advice meanwhile?
Thanks in advance.

 

although they say sealed for life, fluids characteristics degrade over time due to cyclical temperatures. I recall recent posts stating the manufacturer has changed their thoughts on this and recommend a fluid change at 60k miles.


With 150K on the clock, it may need more than a fluid change especially with the clunking sound and limited gearing (had a similar issue recently with ~125K).


Recommend having it looked at.

 

thanks - i will press on the Indie i rang on Fri that i at least want the gearbox level checked - he's going to put it on the Jaguar spec reader and we can go from there - i really doubt i suddenly need a gearbox - there was no sign of a problem at all before Thursday - is it worth getting a new battery anyway?

 

most batteries are good for roughly 3 - 5 years so depending on the age of the battery, it might not be a bad idea to replace. If possible have it load tested first - I know on this side of the pond we can take to most auto parts stores and they will check for free.


Mine was running fine before I got the gear box fault as well. Hopefully the gearbox is ok and all it will need is fluid change.

 

Don't know why he said that, I had mine done at Winspeed when I first got the car (at 107K).
As well as changing the oil they have to change the gearbox sump-pan as well, as, I believe it has a built in filter. Cost was about £290 in total.

 

The one piece pan/filter is only for the 4.2. Those with older cars can buy the filter and gasket for under $20.

 

Transmissions are not sealed for life although thats what Jaguar say.....I had mine on my XJ changed at around 63k, new pan / oil / filter at around £300

See below list of companies rcomended ( Les Pauls ) in your area I believe?

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/u...rvices-113590/

Why not call and discuss with them?

Failing that, look for the Mackies Transmission thread / meet in the UK section, tons of good info there for you.

Good luck

 

thanks all - I think i will call Les Pauls and see how busy they are - if they are too busy i will call my local Jag Indie to ask him to at the very minimum check the level and then ask him to change the oil/filter and gasket - if he still doesn't want to do it - i'll get someone else who will.
Do you think a low battery would have caused my gearbox fault?
I read you can tell the XK8 to relearn it's gear changes. The indie guy seems to be just keen to hook up to the computer and see where we go from there.
I'll also do as good a job of a reset tomorrow and see if that helps... cheers guys.

 

I think you should start looking for a reasonable deal to rebuild or replace the transmission.

 

Thanks it's in the garage as i write this for precisely that...

 

Ok - thanks guys - i managed to source a gearbox from an XK8 - had only covered 54k so should do me for a long time (fingers crossed) all in all £850 supplied and fitted.
These guys did it - so far so good: Home simply perfomance in Surrey UK

 

Definitely have it serviced with new oil and filter every 50 to 60K miles. And modified pressure control valve if that applies to your transmission. I just did it on my XK8 and it was a very pleasant experience. See my post after yours.