Hello,
My 2005 S-Type R has a very slow transmission fluid leak from the rear, passenger side of the transmission near the pan. From what I can see, fluid appears to be leaking just above the rear corner of the pan at an electronic connection point. Not sure what the component actually is so it is pictured below. The arrow is pointing to the component and the area where fluid is dripping from is circled.Any insight into how to fix this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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The leak is from the megatronic sleeve o-ring.

The o-ring can only be replaced by draining the fluid and removing the pan/filter to release the sleeve.

Here is a link to a vendor selling the necessary parts and correct fluid:

https://www.thectsc.com/catalog/6-speed-jaguar-102.html

 

Thanks for your prompt response!
The transmission fluid was changed 6 months ago along with pan replacement kit. Is there anywhere I can just purchase the mechatronic sleeve and pan gasket?

 

You can purchase the parts for the 6HP26/28 separately as well:

https://www.thectsc.com/catalog/sealing-parts-9.html

 

Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and helping me!

 

@ tourdotc:
I think you'll find my thread below helpful:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...s-type-264102/

The "key" to unlock the sleeve seal is behind the transmission oil pan: The white grip/handle next to the valve-body wants to be pulled down, and there is a trick about how to pull it, as I wrote in my link above... Make sure that your new sleeve seal has also the actual rubber seals (because once I received a kit with the plastic sleeve only, without the rubber seal, and this would obviously not work...).

 

This is very helpful info! Thank you very much for sharing! Between this and a couple of videos I've found, I'm hoping I can do this. It's frustrating because the prior owner who is my uncle had the transmission "flushed" just 6 months ago. I question what was done because on the service record it's states 8 qts (7.5 liters) were used and the cost of the fluid was $5/unit so I'm suspicious they didn't use the correct fluid or do a complete flush. Also wondering if they replaced the mechatronic sleeve since it's leaking now.
The process to replace the sleeve and flush the transmission fluid sounds like a pain but to have the peace of mind it's done properly and to save some $, I want to do it myself. I really appreciate the kind help those of you who have experience have shared. Thank you!!

 

Yes, 7.5L is not a full flush, it's a simple drain after opening the drain plug, where about half of the old ATF remains stuck in the system. Not good.
Also, as you figured yourself, $5/L means they used the wrong ATF.
And those, who know, what they are doing, they would always swap the sleeve at the same time when they do a full flush, which obviously includes a filter change.

I could not say, if you should change the filter now again (as half of the ATF is still the old ATF), but I would. Also, given that that garage showed utter incompetency so far, I would not even trust them that they had put a new filter in, even if your uncle paid them for a new filter. It might well be the old filter. And if you look at the second picture of my thread: If you look at the bolts of the pan, and they are the old ones, that would be suspicious. More though, if you see traces of wear on the underside of the plastic tray: It might indicate that it's the old tray (=filter).

I'd like to add something, I do not fully believe in, but some people do: I don't know your mileage, but some people say, if no ATF has ever been done (hey: This possibility is also in the room: That the garage did not do any ATF change at all, just charged for it) and the car is high mileage, then you should not do an ATF change anymore, but just wait for the transmission to die... They think that an ATF change on those cars would lead to a sudden death of the transmission. While I do not believe in it, I can only suggest to capture the old ATF in a clean container and keep it until you are confident that you do not need it anymore. Because if the Jag's transmission plays up after the ATF change, then maybe it helps as a very last resort to put the old dirty ATF back in again instead...

 

I've serviced mine using the exact same kit mentioned. No regrets. I came up short 3/4 of a bottle during fill process and had to drive to a neighbor's Audi shop to get a bottle. Consider getting an extra. I also renewed the screws but evaluate what you got. At least they should come out easy.

While the process of replacing the seal isnt hard, it is very precise. You'll feel better doing it first hand. Either way, the pan must come down to do the seal and the fluid is the just a loss. It's a shame being so pricey.

The whole process is well documented on the forum. Look for one post in particular for having pics. I don't remember who posted it but it was excellent. Documented the whole job in detail.

The fill process is also documented on the forums. It is also pretty damn exacting but again not hard. The car has to be level during the fill and probably important during the draining too. You need to run the car to check the level at a specific operating temperature. You are going to need a lift.

Did the work invoice mention Mercon SP being used insteadif ZF fluid? I don't want to set off any firestorms here, but if they did substitute for it, I wouldn't be as nervous as you might be now. The residual fluid from two fluid changes is going to have plenty of freshness to it if there aren't any companion problems.

*edit* Right after posting, i noticed Peter's link. That was the post I meant. Nice job Pete!

 

Thank you for your insight! It's good to be reassured by someone with experience with this transmission that I'm reading the situation correctly.
I'm confident the filter was changed because the pan is shiny new and bolts look new but they clearly didn't do a complete flush and likely skipped changing the sleeve. The initial reason for the service was due to a leak but the service record then reflects a transmission fluid flush. The car has 43,xxx miles on it.
I'm going to take my time reviewing notes from the forum you shared and prepping to do this. It's a well cared for STR with hopefully a lot of life left. I want to do all I can to ensure that.

Thanks for your time and your help!!

 

Just 43.xxx miles? Your Jag is just a baby then...
So no worries about doing an ATF change (a bit early, though, but since you have the leak, just do the ATF change as well.
And... - I overlooked something before, but I noticed it now: You have an STR! This might well mean that you have a different transmission and not the ZF 6hp26... - my thread is about the 6hp26... - but I just checked on Wikipedia: I think you are in luck: You should have the 6hp26 in your STR.

PS: I think it is the XJ8's (X308), where the supercharged version has a different (better) transmission... (A Mercedes Transmission, if I recall correctly).

 

Thanks for verifying that! I was assuming the ZF 6hp26 was what the STR has but just based on what I'm being told.
I only found the leak yesterday and the fluid was on concrete so I wiped it up without much analysis. Now I have a pan under it. I'm going to let enough collect so that I can compare it to fresh ZF lifeguard 6. In the meantime I'll order a new sleeve. Even though the pan gasket is just 6 months or 1000 miles old, should I replace it too?
​​​​​It is really kind of all of you helping me learn and maintain this Jag! Many thanks!

 

Wasn't there an upgrade available for the pan fasteners? Can't remember all the details, but think the new bolts took a larger Torx bit so the heads were less likely to strip. Ring a bell for anybody? If so, might be worth the swap if dropping the pan.

 

Yes, Karl, the OE bolts did have a much too small torx, hence the trouble of getting them out: See the first few pictures in my thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...s-type-264102/
The updated, newer bolts have bigger torx. Those newer bolts came with my sump/filter, which obviously also contained the sump-gasket & the sleeve.

About putting a container under the leak: That's a good idea anyways for many reasons:
1. You don't want the ATF on your concrete.
2. You want to know, if it is ATF at all, or engine oil (based upon where your leak is, it is very likely to be ATF, but in general, you can never be too sure, WHAT leaks from your Jag - hence, it's a good idea to catch it and check it: If it smells funny, it's ATF - engine oil does not have that funny smell.)
3. Yes, MAYBE you can see something on the colour of the ATF like which ATF it is, but unlikely: Lifeguard it brownish, if I recall correctly, the wrong ATF (like Multi Vehicle ATF) is most of the time red. But since the last ATF change was only a 7.5L change: 50% brownish plus 50% redish makes brownish - also: Even 100% redish may look brownish after many years.

If the garage has used more RTV than on just the uneven sections, you would need a new sump gasket, I think. But I would worry more about the sump (=filter). The complete lower plastic part under the transmission is the ATF filter. Since you are probably going to do a full flush, you should use a new filter (=sump), and this comes in a kit with the gasket anyway, and hopefully also with the sleeve (AND ITS SEAL RINGS) and new bolts. As I wrote in my thread: I figured out that BMW uses an identical filter and I found that this one was heaps cheaper on ebay.

 

What is the color of the drippings? Honey colored or red? That should give you a hint as to what was put into your transmission, with the exception of Mercon-SP (which is Lifeguard-6 produced for Ford and dyed red per their specs). Your pic looks browniah, but the small amount of ATF present may have picked up some dirt in its travels.

BTW, (without starting a big debate, hopefully) Mercon-SP is quite a bit cheaper for those of us here in the states than the ZF branded product and comes from the same source, Shell...

 

From what I could see based on what I wiped off the concrete, it looked amber colored similar to motor oil and I thought it was until I got under the car and saw where it was coming from. I just checked my catch pan and the area around and have no drippings in the past 24 hours so that is how slow the leak is. So I will wait awhile until more collects to make a better judgement. I'm also going to contact the mechanic to see if I can get further details on what was done (and what wasn't).
The pan bolts have definitely been replaced because they look to be T40 or T45. Luckily for me, these should be easier to remove along with the fill plug since it was just serviced 6 months ago.
I'll share my results when I complete this repair.
Thanks to all of you who have helped me thus far! This is a responsive and kind group. I will reach out if I have questions along the way.
Holiday cheers!
Chris
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Reporting back-
Shortly after my last post, I decided to start simple and check the tightness of the transmission sump pan bolts. I found that none of the bolts were tight; most easily turned with a little force on a 3/8" ratchet. I went around the pan and snugged all of the bolts and then around again and tightened them. Since then, I have had the car out on a couple of drives and we have had some wild temperature swings. No more leaking of ATF has occurred!
I think what originally appeared to be coming from the mechatronic sleeve was really just leaking from the rear of the sump pan over the top of the rubber gasket.
The fluid was changed in last June when temps in WI are 80+ degrees F. There were no signs of ATF leak until we got into December and had freezing temps. I'm thinking that the temperature fluctuation along with the heating and cooling of the transmission itself may have caused the sump gasket to compress so that the bolts were no longer tight. Regardless, I'm very happy the leak has seemed to be stopped without having to drain the fluid and replace the mechatronic sleeve.
I did contact the mechanic that did the ATF flush and am told they used a compatible ATF called Serice Pro Full Synthetic ATF. So little had leaked out that I'm going to leave it alone and monitor how it is performing but hopefully this case is closed.

Thanks again to all of you who took time to share your experience and knowledge to help me out!