Funny shifting
 

Hi guys,

I've been reading through many posts on here and doing searches, but I can't seem to find anything that is similar to my concern. Basically my X-Type seems to shift funny. My first thought is that it's time to change the fluid (88K), but what's overshadowing my suspicion is that I just recently had the dreaded (Gearbox Fault) and had to replace the Throttle Body because the TPS finally crapped out. So I don't know if the car is just recalibrating or something, if it's actually time to replace the fluid, or if maybe I have something else occurring. What I'm observing, it didn't do before I replaced the TPS/TB.

Before I replaced the TPS/TB, two different shops drove the car and both said the Tranny was fine and it was in very good shape. No slipping, no hard shifting, good grab, good power and shifted properly. I think I should mention that it still does all of the above. But, when I'm driving in town, or just not on the freeway, it feels like it shifts from 1st to 5th relatively quickly (I guess if I were to be driving a manual I'd probably leave it in 4th at 35 or 40mph - my car seems to get into 5th no matter what) and then feels like it wants to bounce back and forth between 5th and 4th then gets confused by what gear it should stay in. So I give it some RPM and it doesn't shift right away. Then it seems like it 'catches up', for lack of a better term, and shift into 5th. It's actually kind of annoying because it feels like its in too high of a gear, but then down shifts and can't decide whether it should shift again. It doesn't 'drop' into gear or shift rough. It's all still smooth, but it makes me want to just put it in 4th and drive it in town that way. I've never noticed this before and it seems to be a development since I replaced the TPS/TB. I'm guessing this is relatively normal and I'm just being particular, but I wanted to check with you experts out there. I've driven a manual for the last 11yrs so taking on an Automatic after so long is making me hyper sensitive about all the 'feels' and 'sounds' that occur. I have no whirring or whining from the tranny. Last mechanic (European Shop) that replaced the Throttle Body said the fluid was not a concern but should be replaced at the 100K mark. Weather here has started to get colder, don't know if that is a factor. Like I said no hard shifting, no slipping, no missing, no lag, no tell tale sign of a tranny issue. It really just seems like it's shifting between gears to maintain fuel economy that at some point it just doesn't know if it should stay or shift. Any suggestions, insights, good news?

No feedback? Hhmmm, I must of posted either a really dumb question and scenario or a really puzzling one...... Well, I have a follow up question that might lead me to the answer of my question. How is the gearing set up for the automatic? To be more specific, is there a cruising gear or high gear? When the car maintains a consistent speed or RPM does the power or gear ratio smoothout or shift to maintain economy?

Well, the shift issue is something that was mentioned in a TSB from Jaguar years ago in their "enhancement package". Flashing the TCM+ECM with the latest firmware was the fix at the time. It could be that your vehicle never had this enhancement done, hence the odd shifting.

As for an overdrive gear at cruising speeds, etc. I'm pretty sure the X-Type goes into the highest gear and sits there. RPM on the tachometer is a bit above 2K when cruising on the highway, depending on your speed. Economy is good (around 30 mpg) if your car is in good shape and you do a lot of highway miles. Some people get low 20s though, but this is most likely attributed to the condition and maintenance of the vehicle and not the tranmission gear selection.

Thank you Blaydes! The "enhancement package" is something I wasn't aware of, but is definitely something I will be looking into and researching. Thank you for pointing me in this direction. I had looked through the TSB thread on here and didn't see anything, but if I didn't know what I was looking for I might have overlooked it. I think I'm just being overly sensative about the 'what if' when it's probably the nature of the car and how it was designed.

No problem. The bulletin is "XT303-S937 Enhancements To Vehicle Operation" and I've attached it here. Happy reading. :)

Hmm, I do see that this is for earlier model X-Types, so it may not apply, but you never know, as a similar thing may've come out for your model.

ugotmale,
My 2005 shifts the same way when driving normal (not hard) which is most of the time. It gets to 5th gear pretty quickly, also 1st to 2nd happens around 5 mph. I think your just over worrying.

blaydes99, how do you know if your vehicle has already had the software flash done?

If a dealer has done it, you can call your local Jaguar dealer and give the last 6 digits of your VIN and they can tell you all of the service bulletins that have been carried out on your car.

great. and if you find that your car hasn't had the software update yet, would they still do it?