I have a 2003 4.2L S-Type and it suffers from the dreaded surge. When cold and traveling at a slow steady speed, say 60km/h the engine surges up and down slightly until it warms up after about 10 min. I found a Jaguar Technical Bulletin from 12/03 S307-14 that describes how a simple software fix can get rid of the problem. I took mine in to a dealer and paid to get it done without any luck however, I have since read that you must "clear the existing adaption" before doing the update or else it wont work so perhaps that is my problem. Is there anyone out there who has had this done with success? I have attached the original bulletin to this post. Cheers

 

Dave,

I've moved your question from Australia - South/NT to S-Type forum. The Region forums are the place for 'local' topics but technical issues get a much better response in the model forums.

Graham

 

This sounds like the (cycling of the) torque converter about which there are threads.

If so, people generally live with it and it seems harmless.

 

My car has had that surge since new and the latest software did nothing.

I just live with it. There again, I no longer drive the car in cold weather so it has little impact anyway.

 

Thanks for your reply. I drive mine to work every morning and no matter what time of the year...it still surges. It does not even feel quite right when sitting on 60km/h even after the surge stops. I hold out hope its a software issue because i am not forking out for a new torque converter. Cheers...Dave.

 

I have records of my car dating back fom 06 , having going to the dealer for several adaption resets and subsequent softwear updates . And 3 fluid changes . For this surge , With no avail! Each time the dealer requested the owner to purchase a new torque converter.
Which in turn ended with the car being traded in .
I find selecting 4th gear for the warm up period fixes it just fine .
I will never replace the TC unless the trans drops its guts . And I have to remove it .
Try the forth gear trick it works for me .

 

Thanks for your reply mate, I have a feeling you are spot on. The only permanent way to fix it is a new TC... so for me on my budget it means either sell it or put up with it. I am not sure what you mean about selecting 4th gear. I have never attempted to use the left side of the J gate. Could you please explain to me how I would go about doing this when I drive off in the morning. Cheers

 

i would not let this force you to sell it . its a petty issue . that only lasts about 10 to 15 mins on warm up .
as for yours continuing to feel a bit of a surge afterwards .
may be you have a small vacuum leak .
might pay to monitor your fuel trims via obd2 with a cheep diagnostic tool.

literally just push the gear lever to the left and forward to 4 on the j gate .
it will drive just fine like that .
no harm can come from this .

 

So just leave it in 4 all the way? Will give it a go. I do love my S-Type and it is in great condition. I have had to spend about 5 grand on new injectors, coils, headlight refurbish, interior roof, radiator replacement, trans pan replacement, aircon etc etc but other than the surge, a whining stereo and cracked de-mister (which is very common over here in Australia with temps over 45C) its a gem! Thanks for all your insights, I am thinking maybe it is a keeper after all. Cheers and beers... Dave

 

Not at all related to the 6 speed cars,

But,

All mine that have a sport mode button, are permanently IN Sport Mode. The 5 speed S Types just love that mode, and the X300R is a hoot in that mode.

Prior to me even noticing that button, and then using it, the S Types were a real "slush" box, and erratic at best. Fluid changes, (many) made a huge difference, but that mode change sorted them 100%.

 

Hi Grant, I have tried using the sports mode but I couldn't notice any change. What about the Jaguar Technical Bulletin from 12/03 S307-14 that describes how a simple software fix can get rid of the problem. I don't know if my mechanic actually cleared the existing adaption before doing the update so i'm wondering if thats the problem. Quite a few people on the various forums say that if its done correctly the surge completely clears up. Did you see the Bulletin I attached to my first post, it sounds exactly like what is happening to mine. It still bugs me

 

I read it a while back.

I was looking at a 2006 4.2, and did the section read of issues, and decided that the X200 was a better car, for me anyway, than the newer versions.

They all got issues, and that is fact, and brand of car means nothing.

Clearing existing whatever would be a mandatory 1st step in my book, as it is yours, but too many dont follow steps. Shortcuts become the "norm" sadly.

I dont hear of this issue with the 6speed trans in the Commodore/Falcon/Territory etc, so maybe there is a Jag item causing conflict.

 

Dave, Datsports is spot-on. Just put the gear selector in "4." When you get the idea it may have warmed up sufficiently, drop down to "5" and then kick it right to "6" if you are feeling adventurous. If it surges, just slap it back to "4." The electronics and computers between the engine and transmission will sort out when the car has decelerated sufficiently to actually change the gears in the gearbox - no damage incurred, and, depending your sensitivity, you may not even feel the change.

However, if you are sailing along at a brisk clip and slap it forward into "2" and don't feel the change when it decides to actually drop down into "2".....eh...maybe you are no longer sensing as many variables as you should to qualify as a safe driver!

 

HaHa, will give it a try (maybe not "2"). Cheers mate

 

The software update fixes a condition occurring only during warm up, nothing else. If your car does it continuously, then that's a different matter.

To be sure, can you confirm that the RPM fluctuation continues even with the car fully warned up?

 

No, it stops after about 10 minutes in the morning and does not seem to happen again throughout the day (even when I leave work in the afternoon). But every morning the surge is back. The car itself runs beautifully but the morning surge is annoying me. Cheers... Dave

 

Ah- thanks, that's the classic symptoms that the TSB addresses. It didn't work on my car as noted above and on many other cars around the globe.

The work-around of placing the shifter temporarily in 4th is effective. give it a try and let us know.