Just had gearbox sump changed and refilled with ZF life, but has started within days, will be taking it back to garage.
All the bolts were torqued up correctly. Any body seen this problem before?

 

Was the pan removed and changed, or was the old fluid just drained by unscrewing the drain plug? If the pan was indeed changed, then it could be a gasket issue or a pan bolts issue. If only the drain plug was unscrewed, then perhaps it needs to be tightened a bit more. It could also be coming from the fill plug not being screwed in properly. Get the car back to the shop immediately before you lose too much ATF and cook your ZF....

 

pan was removed as old one was warped and leaking, new pan fitted.
they had jag diagnostic plugged in to get the temperature and topped it up correctly, the sump was dry when I left there.

maybe they over torque'd the bolt's?

 

Could've pinched the gasket on installation. It has happened to the best of JagTech's before.

 

Turns out that the new sump is bolted on correctly and not leaking but an 'o'ring wiring/cable seal to the gearbox is leaking, you need to remove the sump to do change this seal.
So my advice is of you are getting your gearbox oil and sump changed then change the 'o'ring at the same time.

 

Ok went to a gearbox specialist to fit the 'o' ring seal (C2C 39599) I think.
They fitted it no problem but said the oil was a bit dark looking and could not salvage it all, had to use 3litres of new ZF life . They said there is wear in the box (83K Miles) and I should get the oil drained and filled again in about a month.
Gearbox works OK, so is this normal to change oil a few times on ageing gearbox?

 

Sounds like the garage didn't do a complete fluid change the first time and the old oil has mixed with the new.

 

Too bad you did not check with this forum before getting the work done?

The sealing sleeve is a well-known leak spot and cheap to replace. As long as you have the pan off! ZF changed the O-ring on the sleeve which was the cause of the leak.

You 3L of fluid is too low. Any time the pan is taken off you will need at least 5-6L to refill.

Next question; Does anyone working on your car actually know the proper way to check the fluid level? I think you are low with only 3L being changed.

Make SURE to have the shop explain to you how they checked the fluid level. Don't fall for we did it the proper way!

The pan bolts have also been upgraded and should be swapped out at the same time.
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First garage:
Advertised as a jaguar specialist, with jaguar badges all over the place, basically his forecourt has about 30+ jags on it all the time and he has been there for 5 years (not sure If Im allowed to give names of garages on this forum?)
He changed the fluid and sump due to a warped sump (some weeks ago), he put about 5 or 6litres in (that's what he said), the replacement sump had the new bolts and a sump plug and a bowl made of plastic and ZF life (I made a mental note of it when I saw it on the floor, only those parts).
But they did not change the 'o'ring (I was not aware of 'o'rings at this time).
So I went back with with leaking gearbox again and he said the 'o' ring was leaking, the sump itself was OK and said it would be about 6 weeks before he could look at the car again.
He also said it was OK to drive!
I Asked why the 'o'ring was not changed when the sump was but did not get an answer.

I found the part number and picture for the 'o'ring on this forum and ordered it from Ebay (Tom at the one stop gearbox shop, £15).

2nd Garage
Not impressed with the "jag Specialist" I took the car to a gearbox specialist who fixed my Toyota Truck some 10 years ago, they fitted the 'o'ring.
The chief there said he would keep as much of the original oil as possible. But had to dispose of some due to it being 'dirty or dark' so he added in 3 litres of fresh oil (not sure of how much he disposed of or how much leaked out of the seal while I was blissfully driving it around thinking all was OK).
He suggested that I get the oil replaced again in a few weeks as he thinks it needs it because of the colour of the oil.

So to my question, is this common for an S-type, autobox, 80Kmile gearbox to have this oil issue (dark oil, needing more than one change)?
Thanks for any guidance in advance.

 

Well it can but unless the guy who did it knows Lifeguard6 very well maybe not? Dark is subjective and I know it's too late now but if you could have got a picture of the oil in a clear container we could tell you. As long as it’s not black you probably are OK.

I find Lifeguard6 is a very odd colored transmission fluid as to me looks like a light to medium brown (maybe golden?) color when brand new. It does get darker with use and that does not indicate a problem by itself.

Your miles are maybe a bit high for the first change but I also waited until 80K or so before I had mine changed. Did you get a look at the magnet in the pan? That to me tells an awful lot. Some hair is to expected from general wear but it should be a very fine metal paste with no chips or chunks in it.

I still don't see where the fill technique is described? Even some Jaguar shops don't fill it properly. Ask what temperature the fluid was when the level was checked. If he does not know then they did not fill it correctly. I keep harping on that because it really is critical to your transmission.
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Just managed to talk to tech. that worked on my car in the first Garage.
Oil was brown, not black also not thick or sludge like.

There was a few minor deposits on the magnet but minimal, hardly anything on it.

Unfortunately I did not ask for the old sump and is no longer there!

Just to complete the information all the bolts came off without difficulty.
And the end of the procedure went like this; temperature was 37'C, the oil plug removed until a trickle and resealed (before temp was over 45'C or thereabouts). Not sure about the full details putting in oil and gear changing stuff as the other more experienced tech did that and I did not get to talk to him.

Not sure about the second garage [gearbox specialist] that fitted the 'O'ring thingy, as I have not had a chance to contact them yet [to ask about the temperature]. As you say the colour and consistency if very difficult to describe and is very subjective.

 

I have yet to do that process, I have 6 qts of zf, the pan, new bolts and the new sleeve. From y'all's experience is there anything else missing? Do I need more fluid? I hate to start a project only to find out I need more fluid or something else that I didn't know about. Sorry to tag on this thread, but it concerns the same issue

 

It depends on how long you let it drain. For maximum drainage leave it overnight which no commercial shop will ever do. Several people have gotten over 7L out if left for a long enough time.

I went with 7L and Brutal ended up using 6L. If you are really worried it would be worth your while to get one more liter just in case. Normal drain and fill is in the 5L-7L range.

My other recommendation is to make sure all the pan bolts and especially the fill port have been broken loose and then snugged up before taking it to the mechanic. No point in wasting his expensive time with something anybody can do. Just be aware the fill plug on the passenger side of the transmission will be tight as hell. So be sure and at least get that one broke free before taking it in.

If you are in the rust belt or the car has seen salt then make this a priority!
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