Hey guys after gathering all the info from the XJR thread(thanks to Vector and Plums for their infos) about changing the SuperCharger oil, I finally completed it tonight. First let me tell you this is no walk in the park drain and fill I guess I'm the first to do a write up on the STR SC oil change because I looked all around and there was nothing I could find on the S type Forum for the info; I maybe wrong so don't take my word for it.

Tools required:

1) 3/16 hex bit
2) 1/4 wrench
3) 1/4 ratcheting wrench
4) 2 4oz Supercharger oi (SuperCharger capacity 7.3 oz) ( New bottle is made by ACDElCO no more GM written on bottle, has same part#refer to pic)(available at any dealership..GM or Chevy dealership for $10.89 per bottle)
5) 2oz Syringe (Very Handy!! Cardone Industries 100-105000MCB - A1 Cardone Master Cylinder Bench Bleeder Tools - Overview - SummitRacing.com)
6)1/4 plastic tube
7)1/8 plastic tube
***As an Alternative you can also purchase from ACE HARDWARE STORE one polyurethane tube with a inner diameter of 1/4 and another with a inner diameter of 1/8 (The Syringe will attach to the 1/4 tube). Tell the employee you want to have it joined together the two tubes, he will give you two small barb hose fittings connected.

***Please note what you see in the pic I made from a 1/4 rubber hose and brake line tube combined together from 1/4 to 1/8 with a round rubber connector in between and attached it to the syringe. I found the brake line tube to be the perfect fit and size might be less than 1/8(get it from Nappa store) SMALLER DIAMETER THE BETTER to fit downwards in the SC oil filler hole!!

Alrite now the fun part, man ohhh man was this a pain in the *** for me. My STR has 92k and I'm dead positive the SC oil never been changed. People at Jaguar say and its stated that our Supercharger oil is Sealed for life (BS ) Honestly in our STR we don't have much room to work with in that small area you'll see once you remove the Air Intake tube and the 3/16th black colored hex drain plug is very visible just behind the Thermostat housing. I really would have liked to squeeze a flex drive wrench with the hex bit but no go! Tried everything but that option didn't' work. Like I said you have to remove the Air Intake tube completely off no work around.**Make sure you pack the surrounding area under the SC drain plug completely with paper towels or a cloth, no spot should be left uncovered and also it will catch the overflow. Why? Because you will definitely drop the hex bit and it will save you from digging around looking for it. I dropped it many times just trying to turn the dam hex bit with the wrench luckily it was very easy to recover bc it was packed with paper towels. Then use the 3/16 hex bit with the 1/4 ratcheting wrench first, once loosened, then use the 1/4 wrench to remove it completely. LIke I said very tight spot to work with, it took me a good 15mins or soo trying to turn the hex bit little by little. Finally once off you should see the small drain plug with the washer on it.
Now comes the time to drain the fluid out. The **** smells horrible, I don't know why some ppl say it doesn't smell, but once that drain plug came undone my garage was stinking like something died! lolz..no joke. The new fluid doesn't smell at all which is weird; must be the SC burning the oil to produce the stink, I dunno. Anyways this is important, you can't just stick the dam end of the tube inside the hole and expect miracles of sucking it up! YOu have to go in a downward angle, b/c there's some kind of metal or gear I dunno right smack near the opening of the drain/fill hole, took me long and mutilple times to get it right(this is where the majority of time gets eaten up; so be patient Once you get lucky and feel you can't push the tube down further, start sucking up the fluid with the Syringe. It will take some effort and muscle by pumping and retracting slowly till you start sucking up air then stop. My first try I got around 2oz of fluid out. I had to keep poking the end of the tube in different areas of the hole, seriously its not that easy as the XJR people who done it. I thought it would be a walk in the park, but hell noooo!

Now this part I did on my own thinking and it actually worked. I was able to completely remove all the fluid from my Super Charger by jacking up the REAr Passenger side only till the wheel wasn't touching the ground(now the oil is tilted to the front drivers side, angle the tube in the drain/filler hole towards the drivers side to suck up the remaining oil). Then I was able to suck out the remaining fluid. In total I was able to get out 5.5oz, now I said in the beginning the recommended capacity is 7.3oz for the SuperCharger, what the **** happened to the remaining 1.8oz Seriously no clue. I ended up using close to 7.5oz in total refill.

Last Step, now after making sure you completely did your utmost to drain the fluid all out, you will start pumping her up with the fresh fluid,(ohhh I like the sound of that) It doesn't matter where you stick your tube, try to get it in as far as possible and start pumping it in. Keep doing it till it starts to over flow. Once you start seeing it over flow from the drain hole stop, and plug her up. Use your fingers to tighten it up firstly then start using the wrench then lastly tight her up as hard as possible using the 1/4 ratcheting wrench. Phewwww....I took my time and did this carefully making sure you don't put any hand pressure on the coolant tank or any hoses on the Intercoolers of the SC.

Conclusion
My fluid was like dark coffee color(see pic)(normally should be clear) and it smelled terrible. My STR has 92k at present, so it looks like its been in there since it rolled out of the production plant. Jaguar may not give any guidance other than just saying the SuperCharger oil is "Sealed for Life" but General Motors gives guidance in their scheduled maintenance - "check supercharger oil level every 25k miles or 3 years, whichever comes first". AFter putting all the **** back together I started her up and knock on wood, I heard her scream like never before , honestly I heard the smooth rich loud whine more than before on WOT; music to my ears

Hope this write up and the pics of the tools used help those to take the challenge and change the SC oil, I think its a must just like any fluid change, tranny, motor oil etc.....at the end you will be happy you did

 

Good info!

 

Good write up, I'm going to link it in the FAQ's

 

thanks for the post

 

Thanks guys for the compliments! I'm always leeching for answers on here and I thought this would be something very useful I can help contribute to this wonderful forum and its members.

 

Nice work and a good write up too!
Vector

 

Added to my "to do list".

 

XJR people are just more tolerant of drudgery

A ball headed allen key is a bit easier to use, and the allen key can be extended with either a short piece of hose or the handle of a flux brush from Home Depot.

Having the longer reach is a great help in aligning for the next 1/6th turn of the plug.

$10+ per 4 oz. bottle at the counter seems a bit unfriendly.

 

Ohhh I have complete respect for the XJR guys
Good idea of using the end of a flux brush! I did use an allen key the first go around, but didn't like the way and feel while trying to loosen off the SC oil plug. Thats why I resorted to using the small thin 1/4 wrench & ratcheting wrench which made it easier for me by taping off the back end of wrench with electrical tape so that the hex bit won't fall off. I'm sure theres many other intuitive ways to go about it; whichever way you feel most comfortable just go with it.

 

did you notice any difference with sounds or performance after the fluid change?

 

I changed my 2005 STR at 65K miles. No change in noise or anything else but the old fluid was very dark and smelled even worse than the new stuff. I think it was well worth it.

Yes I found it a pain also. The fluid is on E-bay and at Ford also.
Ford #XL-4. Old part Number E9SZ-19577-A
Won't save much if any money Ford is about $14-12/bottle. Same 4 oz size.

I used the GM stuff.
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Didn't notice anything in performance wise since I really didn't have a good chance to gun it. But the whine noise is much improved and a bit louder as compared to previously. I have magnaflow mufflers and you know those bad boys are loud, so now my whine shrieks louder over them to be heard; imagine that!

 

There is no advantage to changing the supercharger oil unless you have to open it up to seal an oil leak or change the coupler.

Changing the oil alone is mainly a feel-good thing.

 

Really? Please tell us more about this...........Must be "sealed for life," eh?
Vector

 

Very bad advice! All lubricant’s break down and the condition of my SC oil at 65K miles very much reinforced that.

The minor cost and hassle factor to change compared to the cost of the SC is very large so it's worthwhile. Jaguar’s price for the SC is about $1750.
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Unless the fluid is leaking or the bearings have gone, changing the oil does nothing as there is no combustion in the crankcase only moving gears.

 

I can think of lots of fluids where moving gears are involved that are changed regularly that are not exposed to combustion: tranny, transfer case, differential, power steering, brakes. I could also name quite a few more from applications other than automotive where lubricants and fluids are changed in locations like these. Fluids have purposes other than absorbing combustion products and they do break down under use, heat and with the passage of time.

Considering the cost for this service for us DIYers is about $20 or less it's not much to pay to ensure that bearings and gears that are spinning much faster than the engine have clean lubrication.
Vector

 

No. Changing the oil replaces deteriorated oil with fresh oil and coincidentally ensures that the oil is topped up to the proper level.

In addition, the manufacturer of the component, EATON, has recommedations with regard to oil changes.

Furthermore, GM uses the same EATON series of superchargers, and recommends changing the oil at 30k miles.

The fact that Jaguar omits this information, or chooses to ignore their vendor recommendations does not make it correct.

 

contamination from combustion byproducts is not the only way of degrading oil.

shearing comes to mind in the case of a supercharger.

 

For your reading enjoyment...

The Lowdown on Oil Breakdown