Hey hows it going! well lets start off by i was a devoted mercedes owner of the years 1983-1995 and i bought a 1996 c230 and seen where quality started to lack!

I am a big DIY because im 25 and cant fork out money all the time.. But i always had an itch to own a Jag and yesterday i found a 1998 Jaguar XJ8 L with the 4.0 V8 and it was for selling for $1900 the interior and exterior looks great with 123,000miles on it with all service records. LOVE the sound of the engine and it ran nice with no leaks.

But im in for what's to come because i bought it knowing the transmission is in limp mode.

So here is the story, An old lady owned the car up to 75000 miles and when she passed away he got the car and drove it up to 123,000 and said it was a very nice ride, One day he said it would do a little slip in-between shifting once in awhile.
Then one day in traffic he went to press on the gas and he said thats when it went into limp mode, he said there was a lack of power and very slow take off, he drove it just far enough to get off the freeway and get towed to his mechanic.

Of course the first thing the mechanic told him was he needed another transmission, and wanted $1500 to fix it... (thats when i thought to myself a rebuild should cost way more?)

So i decided to get the car being it had all the records and low miles on the engine....

Im picking up the car tuesday and not planning to drive it home, i am going to to it and start my inspections before i do a rebuild on the transmission.

ive been doing research and notice that it could be something as a slow transmission leak if thats the case im going to fix all leaks (i heard it can leak from the pin connector coming out of the gear box due to the o-rings, or maybe the gasket) change out the transmission filter with a new one and put fresh fluid in there. clean the transmission connecting pins (another thing i heard if they are tin to change them out with brass/gold connectors? to make better contact?)
Then i am going to do the hard restart to reset everything before starting the car and take it on its first drive to see if that resolves the problem.

If not my second attempt will be to switch out the TCM but i dont think that will be the problem as the failure tends to be the Drum, IM HOPING ITS NOT. but if it is then it's off to rebuilding the whole thing.

knowing a reinforced drum in there and new clutches etc will make for a more comfortable feeling on those long road trips.
well if anyone would like to give me some insight on if im crazy for what i did feel free! and wish me luck on my trials! because im dying to feel how it is to drive a properly working Jag!!

 

Welcome to the forum 98JagXJ8L,

Good to have you with us.
For help and advice check out the tech section XJ ( X308 ) XJ8 / XJR - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum and don't forget to look into your regional section too Western US - AK CA NV OR UT HI WA ID - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
Good luck on Tuesday, let us know what you find.
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't already done so you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

awesome thank you so much! ill be sure to post pictures and all that great stuff with the stuff i find! should be lots of fun, i love getting feed back from other and helping other out with what i find out, learning together is what keeps the passion of the cars we love alive

 

Welcome to the forum 98JagXJ8L,

Congratulations on the XJ8L.

Follow Norri's link to the X308 section for help, advice and information.

You've clearly done your research and know what the transmission issue could be. Hope it's not the drum but if it is and you can do the rebuild yourself, you've still got a lot of car for the money.

Good luck.

Graham

 

Welcome to this friendly Forum.
Follow Norri's link for technical help.
Worth reading DTCs to see if that helps with your transmission problems.

 

Welcome to the forum.

The X308 guys will help you, even if it is the A drum.

Good to see you.

 

Hey there and welcome aboard....... good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums
Thanks for a nice informative intro, only missing a pic or two.

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