Hey Everyone,
I purchased an '02 x-type (standard transmission) about a month ago and did a transfer case oil change today. I used royal purple 75w140 gear oil and put in approximately 500-550ml although i lost a little bit re-installing the drain plug. I went on a short test drive and i now have a very noticable noise coming from the drive-train. If anyone has any advice or insight into what might have happened I would really appreciate it.

 

Can you describe the noise? Pitch, speed(s) it occurs, on acceleration or deceleration (or both)?

It could just be coincidence that the noise started now if you live in a cold climate part of the US.

 

It was a whirring sound that was directly related to the vehicle speed in either forward or reverse and independent of the engine speed or the gear i was in. The sound stopped after a slightly longer test drive. I am guessing that it was simply because the gear oil needed to circulate and get up to temperature.

 

However if anyone has any experience or other ideas about what the noise could have been i would love to hear them as i am still a little worried. Also, does anyone know how tight the transfer case drain plug should be. It's threaded all the way up but when i removed the old one it was only about 1/2 of the way into the case. I tightened the new one to a similar position but i'm not sure if that's correct.

 

yeah i have the same problme, after i did trasfer case, everytime i start the car, it makes noise like all those circular parts that rotates the engine are grinding or touching each other, then it stops, and as put in first gear and try to accelarate it makes same noise again and then stops when i get higher speed or may be i can't hear it because my ****ing car is loud

 

Probably not used to having oil in them ?

 

Maybe not the right oil in there? My local Jaguar dealer says they only use Castrol SAF-XJ 75W140 differential fluid. It's really hard to find (not officially sold at retail in the US).

 

I went to the Ford dealer and bought the Motorcraft brand 75W140 synthetic gear oil. It is sort of expensive, $20 a quart, but you only need about half a bottle to fill the TC, and this oil DOES have the Jaguar spec listed on the bottle.

 

The specs for the royal purple as well as what i've read on this forum lead me to believe that it exceeds the requirements for the x-type transfer case. Also my TC was not dry although it was somewhat low. Can anyone tell me how tight the drain plug should be?

 

Hello,

If it isn't leaking then it's tight enough so don't worry about it. The case is aluminum and you don't want to overtighten. Also, next time you do it coat the plug threads with Permatex thread sealant (not thread locker).

Good luck,

Steve

 

Thanks steve, I knew enough not to put thread locker on but I do worry that it will gradually loosen. Next time i will use permatex and hopefully that will put my mind at ease

 

A week or 2 ago I had the TC fluid swapped to a synthetic (Castrol or Lucas I can't remember) 75W140, they did 600ml and for a couple of days I got a whine on deceleration but only when the speed was below 30. Or maybe I only noticed it then since the road noise was less. But after a couple of days it went away so I assume it was just 'breaking in' even though the guy who changed it said the crap that came out was black and there was sludge on the drain plug at least he figured about 400-500ml came out. I also did a flush with some fluid with an additive to clean the rest of the crap out, I watched the crap come out and it was nasty.

 

That's very useful to know, Andy. Thanks! My local dealer wants $45 a quart for the Castrol SAF-XJ, so if the Ford fluid meets the spec at $20, it's a relative bargain. I'm going to look into it.

 

The SAF-XJ is a "better" than factory oil. It has an unnecessary limited slip additive in it. The transfer case does nto have any friction plates in it so no additive is needed. The Official jag fluid is actualy a Ford spec oil ( I dont have it at my fingertips) but it is a synthetic GL-5 gear oil viscosity 75W140. There is nothing terribly special about it except that ford and Jag love to charge for it.

Almost all the european cars BMW, Merc.. etc call for the SAF-XJ in a few models diffs that are Limited slip diffs. Typically the shops dont stock both oils (with and without additives) they put the "good" stuff in everything. This saves them from making a mistake in the LS diffs.

All this to say, that Redline, royal purple, Amsoil, and many auto parts supply store-brands of oil are fine. Keep in mind that we are all going to change our TC oil regularily now so the very expensice "filled for life" oils are a waste.
The dealer will certainly tell you to use the oil they have and they seem to love telling you that the oil is VERY specially developped for them .... All a bunch of BS.

I have been up to my elbows in this transfer case, the bearing and gears and seals are very standard issue. I am an automotive mecahincal engineer and I am quite confident on what I am stating.

 

Thanks Sport30. I ended up picking up a liter of the SAF-XJ yesterday from my local Jaguar dealer. I'm going to replace the fluid in the differential over Christmas, and tackle the transfer case in the Spring.

At $48 (including tax), I'm sure I overpaid when I could have bought another brand of 75W140 TC fluid for say $25. But I figure I'm only going to change the fluid every 20,000 miles or so. Over 100,000 miles of ownership, I figure I can afford the extra ~$100 in cost for the factory recommended SAF-XJ. It's worth the peace of mind to me, for the reduced likelihood of mixing incompatible fluids, or abnormal noises coming from the transfer case and differential.