definitely refrain from trying to drive it .
possibly a broken trans cooler line has emptied your trans of its fluid .
or something of that nature .

so trying to drive it will destroy it if thats the case.

you will need to have your codes read to find the cause of your restricted performance . it may have been trying to warn you of a fluid level related issue .

 

+1 on not attempting to drive the vehicle until a proper diagnosis can be made from underneath.

Have the vehicle brought to a Jaguar specialist so they can determine the type of fluid lost and the cause(s).

 

Engine oil or transmission fluid? Engine oil will be amber, or brownish if not changed in a long time. Transmission fluid will be red or purple. Big difference in how to proceed, so make sure you know what spilled.

+1 on the previous advice not to attempt driving the car until fixed. If all that happened was a leaking external line at the transmission, and the engine was shut down right away, you may be just fine after repairing the leak and refilling the transmission.

I'm not sure of your experience level. Refilling the transmission is not overly difficult, but you have to follow the procedure carefully. There's no dipstick/refill tube like on most cars, which is annoying as everything must be done from underneath. If you have the car towed to a shop, they may try to tell you the transmission is toast. Personally, I'd gamble first on a fluid service (drain old fluid, new filter, and refill) and see what happens.

Many shops try to push transmission flushing, but I'm not a big fan of that. Due to normal wear and tear on the internal linings, fine debris settles in the bottom of the pan, where it is safely out of the way and causes no harm. A transmission flush stirs up all that debris, which can cause new problems, in my not-so-humble opinion. I much prefer to either just leave it alone if not having any problems, or dropping the pan, washing it out, and then replacing the filter. Either way, none of that debris gets stirred up and recirculated.

Keep us posted.

 

Thank you. I'm towing it to a jaguar specialist on Friday. I didn't drive it after it spilt fluid. I pulled over immediately to get it towed.

 

Just a couple of things KR ....
The ZF lifeguard 6 fluid is light green . Not red or purple .
Also the pan is not washable it is the filter and really was not designed for re use .

 

Uff da!

I forgot we were talking about the ZF transmission. You were right and I was less correct than usual.

Green transmission fluid? That's the stuff made from unicorn tears, judging by the price...

 

The ZF stuff I've met was not green. Pale yellowish. Golden, maybe. Green - no.

There are alternatives to LG6 but I've not met a green one. Ford's Mercon (er, V? SP?) is red I think.

 

LifeGuard6 is a golden color. I have never seen a green ATF.

 

If you have green colored trans fluid in your trans cooling lines your seal between the trans part of the radiator could've ruptured or cracked introducing coolant (which green coolant should not be used in these cars)

No such green trans fluid out there. Either gold or red.

 

sorry. i only have experience with my own zf-6 speed
strange though !
i clearly remember a yellowish green fluid coming out when i dropped
my fluid, may be thats gold to others ?. it was previously changed by the jag dealer in Auckland . i have the receipt for the work . it does not state life gaurd 6 fluid . but i would have thought thats what they'd use .
i refilled with Total lubricants equivalent fluid witch was red .
i've never had coolant loss in my 5 years of driving this s type . except when the water pump took a dump .
may be going color blind .

 

 

reading this thread kind of compels me to make a mention ...I have been told that drips of fluid on garage floor are hard to distinguish between motor oil and trans fluid because both " golden "?

 

Engine oil is not golden for long.

 

That ZF6 trans fluid has a color unlike any other fluid I have used in any car. Kinda brown/golden/straw color when new.

Sorry for getting off topic and yes the color of floor drips can help but I have found a clean piece of card board and then precisely locating where the drips occur to be the best.
.
.
.