Greetings!

My 2002 X-Type 3.0 has a couple of problems that I'm hoping someone can give me some insight on.

First, the gearbox shifts harsh and oddly. When it shifts from first to second, and sometimes from second to third, it shifts pretty harsh. The worst, though, is shifting from a high gear to a low gear (such as 4th to 2nd, or 3rd to 1st) - it's extremely noticeable almost to the point of jerking you in your seat. I don't have a check engine light or any message saying the gearbox is bad. I put in 1/2 bottle of Lucas transmission conditioner, and I'm wondering if I should just put the rest of the bottle in or if someone has some insight.

Last, my car has a wobble. It's hard to explain, but it makes a "whop whop whop" noise when driving and it can be felt everywhere from low speed all the way until over 70MPH when it starts to smooth out. I had the alignment checked out and they said it needs to be aligned, but they didn't think it was a problem. It feels like it's in the front driver side. They said they think it's a "tie rod or a wheel bearing". I'm definitely no mechanic and this is the first Jag I've ever owned, so I'm clueless. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

 

Koster, as for the tranny, not much of a tranny guy, so, hopefully one of the other members can help you out there.

As for your wobble. I would first start with having a tire shop doing a balance of your tires and also doing an inspection of the tire itself to make sure that the belts inside of the tire are not coming apart. If the belts start to come apart, it will form a bulge in the tire and it will be like adding an inch to the tire in that one spot. That will cause the car to wobble/hop. Having a wheel out of balance will do something very similar.

If the alignment was out by just a little bit, you would feel a wobble in a limited range (atleast that is what I see in my car). When my alignment starts to get out, I will get a shimmy in the steering wheel between 60 and 70 mph. I get outside of that range and it will smooth out. Sounds like you have something a bit worse.

If you want to prove it is not a wheel bearing/tie rod end, it is really easy to do. All you do is you lift the corner of the car that you are wanting to check so that the tire is off the ground. Now, grab on to the tire at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions (NEVER!!!!!!!! grab the 6 and 12 o'clock positions). With a firm grasp, attempt to turn the wheel like you were turning the steering wheel. Does the wheel move while the suspension does not (may require the help of a friend). If yes, then your wheel bearing is starting to go. If you can see the brakes and whatnot move, but the steering system is not moving, then your tie rod end is going. If you want to check your lower ball joint, get your hands on a pry bar (a 2x4 works too) and place it under the tire. Now, lift on the pry bar like you would be trying to push the bottom of the tire under the car. Do you see the suspension parts moving in relation to one another? If yes, then your ball joint needs replaced. If no, then the ball joint is good.

Please keep in mind that most of the movement I am talking about here is only going to result in maybe an 1/8" or so of movement. Things shouldn't move at all. So, it will be pretty obvious if things are moving or not. If in doubt, take the car into a shop and have them do a suspension check. Granted, the shop that told you the alignment was out should have told you if the suspension was good or not (atleast one that is worth their weight as a good tech).

 

Thermo,

Thanks for the reply! It's great to have someone of your caliber respond.

I'll see if I can check it. I had it inspected at a Tires Plus, and that's how I know the alignment is bad. I asked them if they checked the balance, and they said yes, and that it wasn't the problem...However, the report they gave me mentioned nothing about balance and only indicated that the alignment was out of whack (admittedly quite a bit). They did say the tires were fine, though. I had this done because I just purchased the car less than a month ago and I wanted to make sure the thing wasn't a total lemon.

I think I'll have the alignment done and see if this has any effect. If it doesn't, I'll check the tires for any movement. Thanks for the advice!

Can anyone comment on the tranny issues? I appreciate any help.

 

I'm not much into transmissions either, but when was the last time you've done a fluid change?

Secondly, could it possibly be a bad clutch? Could be slipping.