where does your coolant gauge normally stay once warmed up?? mine is usually dead center, but the last couple of days it has been inching upwards and im still getting this weird stutter when i accelerate even so slightly.

 

Mine is center once warmed up.

If your temperature is increasing and you are feeling a stutter when accelerating I would get it checked out ASAP.

I'm sure some of the more technical on here will assist with some advice pretty soon though.

 

Dead Center...

 

looks like i may be affected with the torque converter issue. Found a link online last night that pretty much nails down what mine is doing. Is this something i can have done other than at the dealer???

 

I'm simply posting in case others have a similar issue.

In short, for the last year the torque converter has exhibited a "surging" feeling, typically when cold and only between 35 and 50 mph; i.e. no load cruising and then you lightly load the throttle - the car stutters, surges, hesitates - almost feels like a "miss" as it accelerates. This is a very subtle feeling and can be evidenced on the tach if you look closely. Symptoms would completely disappear once at operating temp.

The tech has written it up three times and actually "felt" the surge once. All three times they attempted to fix the issue with a "TCM reflash/update". The problem was never cured but because it was so subtle (did not throw a code) and so temporary in duration, it really didn't bother me.

Then...two weeks ago the problem began to get nasty as the same symptoms appeared at highway speeds and were anything but subtle. The car felt like the plugs or coils were mis-firing or there was an intermittent fuel pump. FWIW - it only occurred in 4th, 5th and 6th gear. Because the dealer couldn't get me in right away, I drove around like this for another week and then it FINALLY threw a "gearbox failure" code. Interestingly enough, once the code was thrown the symptoms, while still present, subsided greatly. Additionally, the code did not relight when I restarted the car later in the day.

The long and short is that the torque converter will need to be replaced.

Good luck...

 

Oh dear. That is a bummer!

My 03 STR temp gauge is always a hair over the halfway mark once at operating temp. I'm on my 2nd thermostat at 49K miles....when I replaced it the temp gauge is where it always has been, so maybe mine just runs a few degrees warmer than everyone elses? Who knows....these things have a mind and personality of their own anyway. It's easier to understand a woman than it is to understand my Jag.

 

okay so ive been waiting to post this for a few days. For some reason, the vehicle has stopped exhibiting the symtoms. As quickly as it appeared, it has now disappeared.

I dont know what made it decide to do it, other than hammering the gas one night when a guy at work decided to cut me off on the highway as we left work(he has an M3)lets just say he was very surprised as i passed him and the next day he reminded me to not race him as it hurt his feelings/pride on having an M3. LOL . I dont know if something in the torque converter finally decided to stop slipping or what....maybe i am driving it like a grandmom too much????????

 

Jason,
I believe that was my torque converter post you referred to above.

There was a specific VIN range relative to the faulty TCs that I found on the www.thelurch.com

If you haven't already, it might be worth a check to set your mind at ease or on alert.

FWIW, the repair bill was $3,000 and then Jag covered $1,000 (I was 2,500 miles outside factory warranty).

Good luck,
Eric

 

ive seen eurotoys sells a t-stat thats like 14* cooler then stock. so id imagine its a 180 instead of 195.

great mod for any supercharged car, which love to run a little cooler. may see a .5mpg drop..

 

My car seems to do this sometimes as well. I have checked the lurch and my vin is in the range of cars affected. I do sometimes get a gearbox fault but it goes away before I can read the code. I have not had the code now for about 3 weeks. I am going to put the code reader in my car and when it happens again I will read it. Since its a TSB, I assume Jag doesn't pay for the repair, but I do have a extended warrenty that might cover it.

 

hey silver, just so you know, i did replace my thermostat and for SOME ODD reason, the car has quit the weird stutter and misfire type of feeling. I HAVE NO CLUE as to why it would do that anyway. Its really funny, but since replacing the t-stat, my vehicle has gone from kinda quirky to really no issues at all.

I still think something happened when i hammered it. I dont know if it somehow became unglazed or what, but since then............no slippy slippy. Now the t-stat issue is resolved, and everything is cool(pun most defintely intended),(crosses fingers and bangs on some wood) Where you at in jersey by the way?

 

My STR's stat always stays dead center, but it was replaced (along with a waterpump) last spring at around 65k miles.