Yes. Assuming ONLY your IMT O-rings leak and not also your timing cover gasket (this too, is a possibility - I think Joyce'sJag had this or someone who responded to his IMT post...) but I digress...assuming only an IMT leak, then you are not leaking whilst engine is running, only when shut down. So at some point, with a long enough run, everything that gets hot enough to cook oil will cook its entire supply (think self-cleaning oven)

Additionally, since your HVAC (should have been) was designed NOT to pull in engine bay air, you need conditions favorable to that scenario. This would include stopped/idling and low-spd operations with prevailing winds having an effect. The lower you run your blwr speed, the smaller the window of opportunity to draw in the stinky smoke. Currently S-type-less as all are out on the road, (so I can't go make an airflow study) but I believe the witch's brew has to waft up out the trailing edge of the hood and back down thru your cowl hvac opening, or either out the bottom pass. side of engine bay and back in through the cowl opening. Highway speeds generally preclude this unless winds are really stiff and you are running downwind, creating relative wind conditions similar to sitting in traffic.

On the other hand, I can't imagine a scenario within your HVAC system that would result in the intermittent conditions you describe that would not also include abnormal blower noise, blown fuses, or both. Best of luck in sorting it and please post back telling us what you find.

One last thing...JagV8's cogent observation carries more punch than it may seem given its brevity.....I'd be PRAYING it's IMT o-rings if I'm told the alternative is to dig into the dash deep enough to get the HVAC case apart! but that's just me....to each his own...some people don't like to get their nails greasy...and interior work is "cleaner" than engine bay work....feel free to have at it but make sure you disconnect the batt, wait, wait some more, then ground the airbags. You don't want a faceful of that!

 

I cannot imagine a situation, other than a foreign object having entered the HVAC, where it would continue to operate electrically (not blow fuses etc), but randomly start burning / smoking, and blowing that smoke out the vents.

Despite the smoke do you still get proper heat?

Oh and ahol: Ricks car needed a valve cover gasket, not a timing cover one.

Take care,

George

 

First off, let me say 'WOW!'

I am overwhelmed by the fantastic support from all of you. Thank you.

I will check the O-rings as soon as I can next week - I think I will print out the photos and show them to my local mechanic who loves to see me come in and class up his garage!

How much time does it take to change these o-rings? How many need to be changed?

I will check with my local Jag dealer to get the original parts - from what I see they are not expensive.

I have been having this problem for a little over a week now, but the funny thing is that I have not had the smoke or burning smell now for 2-3 days. Could something have splashed up inside my engine compartment that burned off and I no longer have an issue?

When I had the smoke/smell, my driving speed varied from parked to 30-40km/hr up to 60-80km/hr - it seems to me that when whatever it was started to burn/overheat the speed didn't seem to make a difference.

It seems to me that this is an issue caused by something overheating and starting to smolder.

Again, I want to thank all of you who have given me great advice.

PS - Since my car has reached that grand old age of 100,000km, is there anything I should be looking at or checking in order to keep it running smooth and to try to avoid common problems?

 

As far as the heat goes - the blowers work fine - no strange noises and the heat is very hot - no problems with keeping toasty as long as there is no added smoke!

 

At your car's year / age / mileage especially if you were not going to do this yourself, I wouldn't attempt this or pay for the IMT-O rings as a separate repair.

Your car is going to need spark plugs at 70k miles = 112,000 km.

For that the intake manifold is going to have to come off.

I would do at once, IMT O-Rings, spark plugs, check the valve cover gaskets and replace as needed, and the 3 ignition coils on the passenger side of the motor (they cost around $120, BUT you need to remove the intake manifold to get to them - cheap insurance).

Pretty much EVERYTHING parts wise, especially the intake gaskets can be sourced from ford for much LESS than Jaguar pricing.

I know it's cold, and I don't know if you're a DIY kind of guy, but it's not that hard. We can walk you through it.

Take care,

George

 

Good catch George, in my defense, I was trying not to offend the purists...thinking "OHV = Valve cover" so OHC must be something else...but ja ja...timing cover would indicate up front over the timing chain...so I was misleading. Many apologies.

2003,

There are 2 turning valves with one o-ring each, so two total. Not sure what the published time is but Rick could probably do it in the space of one or two beers, whereas I managed to strech the '03 out over most of a weekend (Long-form - Did plugs, too, but not coils, though that is a good idea) but managed the '05 (short form - through the cowl) in an hour or two, but then, I'm a bit of a piddler, and these kinds of malfunctions serve to keep me out in the shop and not in the house, underfoot of the missus and subject to management so I'll normally complete no maintainence before its time.

Best of luck and keep us posted on what you find. Oh...I do REALLY hate to mention it....but you brought it up....there IS another way I can think of to stop this, and other oil leaks without changing any parts...and for IMT you'd have to be running 100K or so miles between oil changes for it to be a factor.....but you have had the engine oil level checked lately, right?

 

2003 S-Type,

Just an added note here to ditto the suggestion that your problem is likely to be failed IMT O-rings. Factory IMT O-rings were poorly designed, the new ones are vastly improved and will stop that leaking oil once and for all, there are two of them, they are a dealer-only item but very inexpensive. You can change them yourself without having to remove the intake manifold - I did it that way in January 2010. Search the forum for joycesjag's post called something like "Changing IMT O-rings using the Short Route". You'll get great step-by-step instructions from Rick (joycesjag) on exactly how to do it. Allow two hours. Getting your hands back there behind those two black plastic valves to unhook their electrical connections, pull out the valves, change the O-rings, push the valves back into place, hook up their electrical connections, and finally bolt them down again is the toughest part. Small hands will shave a lot of time off the job. I have huge hands and I fumbled around quite a bit, but I eventually got it done. Good luck and keep us posted....

 

Slathering things in permatex doesn't work if they are already wet LOL...

(Just kidding I hope).

Take care,

George

 

That's funny...not where I was going, though. Mostly because I couldn't figure a way to work in some baling-wire with the permatex....

and yeah..was quasi-kidding....but think about it.....very small leak...drip drip drip.....long long long time between oil changes.....and now I'll assume you don't have a teenage daughter or a friend with a teenage daughter to regale you with tales of their aversion to oil-checking and their belief that the only thing required to make the car "go" is the key...and possibly....some of that bothersome stinky gas.....let's say this form of leak-stoppage portends grave consequences and VERY expensive repairs....

Zane

 

It's not just the teenage daughters. It starts during the teen years, but it carries on well beyond them unfortunately. Our daughter turned 36 a few weeks ago and still treats her car as she did when she was a teenager. Having moved to Tampa in early December, she's on her own now. I'm no longer around to monitor her car for her, and she won't be bothered to do it herself. I predict that her car won't last through 2011 without a major problem caused by her negligence. Think I'll cave in and send her money for the required repairs? Not going to happen, and she knows better than to even call me to ask. I don't reward negligence and/or stupidity. She'll finally learn this lesson the hard way....

 

No Wife or daughters to neglect or inflict damage on any of my vehicles in my case. They are rarely driven by anyone else.

My girlfriend drives a 2003 Acura TL. She keeps her car clean and tidy at least inside. I detail it for her a couple times a season.

The other day I drove it, and I hit the brakes and the wheel started pulsing like the rotors were taco shells. I was like what the hell did you do to your brakes? How long has this been like this?

Her response.. "What's wrong, what are you talking about? It stops fine!" (insert eye roll here). So I explained the rotors pulsing. She's like oh all my cars have done that eventually, she honestly believed it was a natural and normal part of brake wear.

I'm actually shopping online for brakes for it now...

Her car has also had a fog light out for the better part of a year (In her defense I've been meaning to fix it, but never got around to it).

Take care,

George

 

LOL..I hear ya, Jon. I married into an '82 Monte Carlo factory-equipped with "GM's fabulous 350 diesel" but her dad had yanked that and installed a small gas v-8 when she left home to go to college. Pensacola, FL - July....hot..I get a call, "Honey, the car started smoking, then a red light came on...and while I was trying to decide what I should do...it quit. I'm at Jennifer's, car's at Hwy 90 and Pace blvd and I'll assume you want to get your lovely wife home before you mess with it..."
"What red light, dear?"
"It was a picture of a thingy. A bunch of yucky-smelling fluid and steam came out of it too."
Since the intersection was on the way to pick her up...I stopped by and confirmed some kinda coolant leak, and it was safe in an empty gravel lot....so next morning I threw a 30-gal. trash can in back of the Jeep, filled it with water and grabbed a garden hose and a few tools. I siphoned from the trash can into the rad. filler and then had to look under the car immediately for the cow she parked on...cuz there was surely one under there whizzin' on a flat rock from the sound of things. Coupla freeze plugs had blown out. If you got within 20' of the thing it reeked of burnt coolant. Had it towed to a shop I'd used several times and he just shook his head...."aluminum v-8, that smell...I can't give you much hope....but we'll see" and I lucked out...new freeze plugs and an oil change and I think I put another 200k (even though it smelled of burnt coolant for 100K of 'em) on it over the next 7 years then sold it out of the driveway unadvertised for $500!

My daughter has solemnly promised (maybe only to humor me) to check the oil every time she is both parked on level ground AND putting fuel in it and to note any puddles/noises/smells and call me..that's the best I can hope for given her mother's auto-awareness!

 

Thanks again for the advice.

I think I will be bringing my car to my garage guy, especially since I have fat hands that the Jag maintenance was not designed for...hell, I cut myself 3 times when I tried to change a headlamp because I could barely fit my hand in the space behind the headlight assembly...

I will have him check out the o-rings.

My oil was changed and checked very recently.

BTW - any opinion on synthetic versus dinosaur?

Last year I had a very slow oil leak, like 1 litre after 4 months, and was told it was from my oil pan gasket. When I repaired my transmission in September I had them change the oil pan gasket - or so they said...

I had the work done at a Jaguar transmission specialist and I could write a book about that experience. The garage was not bad, but a series of issues popped up that made for a long and harrowing repair.

I am now thinking maybe it was just the o-ring? The oil leak has stopped since they did the repair, but maybe it was a 1-2 hour job with $10 of parts - not what they charged me for.....

With the o-ring oil leak, could the entire underside of the oil pan be covered in oil? What about on the sides of the engine? I never had any smoke or burning smell for the 6 months that I knew I had the leak but before I had it repaired.

I can't really tell now if I have an oil leak again (causing the smoke and smells) from the o-ring because of the ice and snow on my driveway. I suppose I could put a piece of cardboard underneath the engine, but first I will do the paper towel test.

 

The factory oil pan gaskets on these S-Types are indeed known to leak. Rick (joycesjag) had to change his within days of buying the car if I remember correctly. It is a labor-intensive job - the engine actually has to be jacked up a few inches in order to allow the oil pan gasket to be changed. Most shops charge a thousand dollars or more in labor to do this. If your shop didn't charge you considerable money to do it, I doubt if they really changed the gasket. My guess is that they just cranked the oil pan gasket bolts down tighter, and perhaps they even used some Permatex sealant or something similar around the pan. All of this would be a temporary solution at best. If your oil pan gasket is indeed leaking, sooner or later you'll have to change it. As I said, it is a costly job if you have to pay a shop to do it....

An entire underside of the oil pan soaked in oil is a result of the oil pan gasket leaking, NOT the IMT O-rings. The IMT O-rings don't leak much oil (a few drops at a time), but when they do, they sometimes cause misfire codes to be thrown because they are also considered a primary source of vacuum leaks, and these cars will misfire in a heartbeat when vacuum leaks are present....

Plenty of threads about misfires, vacuum leaks, and the like here on the forum. Just do some searches using those phrases and you'll be able to read for quite some time on these subjects....

 

My regular mechanic told me it was a hell of a job to change the oil pan gasket, requiring (as you said) moving the engine - which is why I sort of let it go as long as the leak was slow and the only issue I had was oil stains on my driveway.

Once I had the car in to have the transmission work done, I had that garage change the oil pan since the car was already half taken apart - and yes, they charged many hours to change the oil pan gasket, but I probably saved a bit of money because the car was already in pieces.

I am pretty sure the garage was being straight with me about the work done due to other issues that happened during the repair. I believe they are trustworthy.

I haven't had any codes or misfires with the car.

I have had to change the bushings on the front wheels - is this also a common problem on the S-Type?

Overall, I have been really happy with the car - a few small repairs but (other than the tranny job) nothing that would be unexpected in a 7 year old car.

I have owned many higher end cars - Lexus, Mercedes, Land Rover - I bought this Jag used (my first used car) due to getting an offer I didn't expect and couldn't refuse! I really don't think it is the best car for the winter climate where I live, but in the summer - it is a blast to drive!

And it does have a really classic sexy shape and that front grille with the leaper - just awesome!

 

Wait, what happened to your trans. This is the first real issue I have ever heard of with a zf6hp26??

The oil pan leak is interesting because of the belly pan. The car collects the oil in the pan, and it generally wont drip on a flat surface. Park the car on an inclined driveway and it leaves the oil there..

Take care,

George

 

Yes...please share your transmission issue? Your car is about where my daughter's was, mileage-wise when we acquired it. I had the fluid renewed while she was home for Christmas and all seems well, but if you had a failure, I'd like to know if there are peculiar symptoms early-0n or anything.

 

Check them yourself, all it takes is raising the hood (bonnet) and you will defintely now if they are leaking.

4 hour job, Fel-Pro oil pan gasket $23.99 (Auot Zone) plus 7 qts. of oil and filter! So $50.00ish in parts (depends on the oil selection).

Most likely not, sounds more like valve cover gaskets again Fel-Pro valve cover gaskets $49.99 Auto Zone. Last weekend I replaced in another members car all the above mentioned gaskets plus IMT's and upper and lower intake gaskets.


Drop the belly pan and slide the cardboard under it.

 

Thanks once again for all your suggestions.

The story of my transmission (a little shorter than War and Peace):

First off, I bought the car from a retired older man that I knew. He bought it new in 2003 and babied the car like no ones business. All maintenance was done on it by the dealer and I doubt anyone ever sat in the back seat before my son did. The trunk was spotless - I think he may have put golf clubs in the trunk once. He drove mainly on the highway to the golf course 3 times a week. The car had 60,000km on it when I bought it in 2008. A really great car.

Now for the problem: As I would slow to a stop, my car would 'thunk' very hard as it was coming to a stop (I guess when shifting down) - so hard sometimes that it felt as if I was hit from behind.

When I would accelerate over 50-60 kms, there would be a strange noise sometimes - very similar to the sound you get when traveling on a US highway and you drive too close to the edge of the road where they have ridges cut into the shoulder's edge to wake up sleepy drivers.

Also, I would often get on my dash the message: GEARBOX FAULT.

Once or twice, I had trouble getting the car to move once it was put into gear.

I had a Toyota Camry whose transmission died on me - thankfully I was able to get off the highway I was on and pull over to the side of the road where it was much safer. Once stopped, the car would move no further - I had it towed to the dealer and had the transmission changed under warranty. Many (but not all) of the same symptoms happenned to me with the Toyota which is why I took it in to be looked at.

I brought the Jag in to a transmission specialist, he took it for a spin for 10-15 minutes and concluded that 100% I needed a $3000-4000 refurbishing. Well - time for a second opinion I thought.

I found a European Car specialist with great credentials - in biz for over 30 years with the same owner, authorized ZF dealer, and even better - very close to my house.

He took the car on a test drive and said it might be the transmission, but he felt that it was probably the transmission computer. Apparently there are (at least) 3 computers in my car.

He opened the transmission and concluded that it was in decent shape - the oil was clean and the parts looked good. He said that the transmission comes in two parts - the gears etc. and the computer plus other parts. He gave me an estimate of $2,200cdn or so for the part plus labour. I had him do the oil pan gasket once the car was there, and I also had a cracked coolant reservoire tank - so he changed that too.

Then the fun started.

I originally brought the car in on a Monday. He gave me the estimate Wednesday and I said go ahead. He ordered the part from ZF in (I think) Chicago on Wednesday and he said he should have it in by Friday. So far so good.

Friday the part is stuck at Canada Customs. Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving - everything here was closed.

Tuesday passes, then finally on Wednesday he gets the part. 10 days so far. At least he had a loaner car for me - a 1986 Audi 5000 with god knows how many kms on it - at least 300k. My neighbors must have thought I lost my job!

So he changes the part - and now for some reason, the car won't start. I never had a problem starting the car - not even in sub-zero winter. He tries to read and reset the computers - and he tells me that he can read 2 of the 3, but he cannot access the third.

He has a mechanic friend at a local Jaguar dealer - this guy gives him some advice, but basically tells him that the third computer can only be reset by the dealer. Since my car won't start, he arranges to have it towed to the Jaguar dealer - I assume on a flatbed. So they brought it to the dealer.

The garage owner told me that as they were pushing the car onto the tow truck, something cracked in the steering.

The dealer apparently spent 6 hours on the car - they said one computer was not communicating with the other two. There is a connection point in the upper left side of the engine and they said there was a faulty line between that and the other computer and that to replace the wire is very expensive because it passes under the engine, through the firewall, etc. etc. So they apparently wired a bypass of some sort to reconnect the bad connection. And then they towed the car back to the transmission garage.

The garage removed the steering and had it sent to a refurbisher since replacing the steering would be double the cost.

This all took yet another week.

The garage got the steering assembly back the next day, installed and tested it and finally I was able to pick up my car Thursday morning.

I left the garage - new coolant reservoire - no leak there. New oil pan gasket - no more leak there. Repaired steering - although I never had any issues there before either. And of course a new transmission.

I drive for 20 minutes and all of a sudden I get a rainbow of lights on my dash - dsc off, abs off, gearbox fault, etc. OK.

I turn around and head back to the garage. He plugs into the computer and resets it. He tests drives the car - all seems fine.

I drive to work - so far so good. I drive home later that day - all ok.

I go out for supper with my family, and after driving 15 minutes - all the lights come on again. DAMN! I pull over and stop the car. I try to restart the car after 2 minutes - it won't turn over. First and only time I ever had a starting problem. By coincidence, I was parked just outside the other Jaguar dealer in Montreal when this happenned - but they were closed! I waited 2 more minutes, tried again, and thankfully the car started. I drove home and we went out with the wife's car. Strangely, all the lights reset themselves when the car restarted.

Next morning, back to the garage. He opened up this connection box - sort of like a wall socket plug but with like 20 or 30 small blades instead of 2. He put a coating of some sort of conductive lubricant on the blades and reconnected it all. The car started, I had no lights - I said ok - let's try this and see how long I am good for.

Overall now, the car is driving fine. I had the lights come on occasionally again, but if I would shut the motor and restart the car, the lights would clear themselves. After a few weeks, I no longer have been getting the warning lights.

For the last 3-4 months everything has been fine with the car.

The only thing I have done since is replace the front passenger wheel bushing - but I was told it was a little loose a while ago, and finally it gave out so I had it changed.

So that's my story. From start to finish the saga lasted over a month.

Sorry to be so long winded.

 

One more question -

Any preferences for synthetic or standard oil?