Ok so I searched long and hard on the forum and only came up with one post that described my issue and, the thread was never 'finished' or given reason. Here is the thread:
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I have a 2003 X-type 3.0 with 57,200 miles. My transmission is slipping under normal driving conditions between 2nd and third gear for about 2 seconds then it does a mild lurch into 3rd.

The dealer told me that the computer that operates it is like a bad version of windows 98 that needs to be rebooted all the time to fix the issue. This was gradual before but now its constant.

My question is, is this tranny breaking or what?"



I have started to notice this problem as well. That in stop and go traffic it jerks sometimes. Not terribly bad except for today when i was costing at around 10mph then pressed on the gas very lightly, the engine rev'd up before a large jerk and proceeded to drive normaly? I have also noticed that the trans seems to have issues with selecting what gear it wants? and, it doesn't like to be kept at 2K RPM as a shift point (usually when problem is most noticable) Basically, Can't drive it like an old man haha.

Today i noticed that at around 25-30 mph, the trans/car is jerky like a person driving a manual car that's relatively new at it . Basically it's like when your letting the clutch out after switching gears that it was doing this...

This is on a 03' X-type Sport Automatic with 73K on the clock... Just purchased it in September and have since, sunk a $H!T ton of money into...

Could this possibly be a transmission computer going faulty? It almost seems like the 'shift linkage' is off somewhat. Haven't had the opportunity to explore the car much, being winter and all, so I've yet to really "Scope" the car out.

What is your opinion's

 

In my Opinion and I work with Microprocessors and CPUs all day long...So, it's been my experience, they Either work or they don't..they don't gradually go bad unless we have a viral issue and I don't think your car has been on any **** sites on the Internet lately..

But seriously..I hate to say it..But I think your Transmission is about to crap out totally, soon..

 

It sounds bad. Your symptoms are pretty much the same ones I had before my 2002 X tranny bit the dust at 82,000 miles. Did you ever change your tranny fluid? There could be a chance that you have a solenoid problem, but Jaguar doesn't sell parts for the tranny, they only do rebuilt entire units. You might be able to have a shop investigate and see if they could find a solenoid from another Jatco that works, if that is the issue, but I doubt you'll have any luck.

Sorry to say but you will soon probably be dropping northwards of $4,000 for a new transmission in my opinion.

 

Thanks 'The Chris X' and "Colt" for your replies. I've only had this car a short while and have not yet had the tran's fluid changed. I'm making an appointment with my Indy asap to have that changed as well as, the transfer case fluid changed....

Today the trans seemed mostly normal and, completely smooth when on sport mode. Honestly, I think it's more confused on what gear to select more so than any 'slipping' i've experienced. For instance, when i'm coming to a stop but, don't completely stop and then hit the gas (a California roll through stop sign ) It will jerk. So i've always come to a complete stop and have had no troubles...Hopefully, it's just low on trans fluid / or needs to be replaced.

Maybe I'm just use to Chrysler transmissions and how they 'take out', with the limited gear range and reverse going out first.

Or rather, im just kidding myself and, am looking at a bill that's half of what the car's worth!.. wonder if comprehensive insurance would take care of this... hehehe he he

 

Best of luck! I hope it is the tranny ECU programming (mine has been flashed for updated software before) or bad fluid and not the tranny in the early stages of terminating itself.

 

Hey dudes,

Unfortunately, I am starting to feel a little jerk on occassion in my 2003 X-type with 105K miles. Can a tranny fluid change fix this? Or am I just counting the days now till a crapped out tranny? I tried to get the tranny fluid changed, but no one wants to do it, including an import specialty shop that did my transfer case and differential fluid change.

What do you think? How much should this fluid change cost?

 

Honestly, I think it's just the way ive been driving it because i've been keeping on the gas during shift changes and its smooth as can be.. I've also noticed that instead of getting 15mpg in the city, I'm now seeing between 19 & 20 MPG when driving it 'how a jag should be driven' if that makes sense.

Additionally, It doesn't feel at all like any of the transmissions Ive had go out on me before.. Usually i feel a whole lot of slipping, going into 1st or 2nd gear randomly, and no reverse have been the 'key signs'. This however just shifts funny, Like it's confused on what gear to select when I 'Drive like an old-man'. When I punch it (not all the way of course) It shifts flawlessly.

As far as a trans-fluid change, My indy who specializes in German Luxury cars and, I take my Mercedes when it needs servicing beyond my means, Gave me a price of $257 to do an trans fluid change I almost chocked. I mean the shop owner does me a favor by working on my Jag (non-german), because he's worked on enough I guess and has friends that work at dealerships around the area but, ive never seen $257 for a fluid change! Cost me $30 to change the Mercedes-Benz's tranny fluid. darn fords......

 

That is actually a great price..count your blessings...My dealer charged $300.00 for a completed drain, flush, conditioning, and refill.

If you do a little searching pertaining to Transmission fluid..you will see why the JATCO is expensive to service.

 

'Our test vehicle's standard five-speed automatic (a manual is a no-cost option) did its best to embarrass the 3.0L V6. When we hammered on the gas pedal, the transmission seemed to shift flawlessly. In every other instance, its reluctant kickdowns and sloppy upshifts — which were almost always accompanied by a thud felt through the driver seat — destroyed the driving experience. "The transmission couldn't find a gear to save its life," said one editor. "It was hesitant and making a wrong choice almost each and every time I hit the accelerator." This transmission includes normal and sport modes; we tried both and found no difference in shift quality, though sport is still useful for enthusiastic drivers since it allows more aggressive shift points.'


This is From Car and Driver I believe... And it explains how my Jag feels/ shifts... Maybe i've just taken notice of it.... who knows, only time will tell I suppose right?

 

You still might have a software problem then. You'll know it when you actually get tranny slipping, it will rev way up there and then lurch into gear hard. That's the scenario that eats the tranny.

I had my ECU reflashed just for sloppy shifting as described in the article. If that is all you are experiencing then you are probably ok. Trust me you'll know the difference.

There is a guy on here who sells a little gizmo to help you change the tranny fluid - Wild Bill. Do a search and you can see why your guy wants so much $ to do it.

 

Where would someone go if they wanted to have their ECU reflashed? and how much would it cost?

 

This would be a time for a trip to the dealer.

 

X-type, transmission...oh yeah it will eat itself in short time. Jag knows these transmissions are a POS. Mine went at 61K miles. And if you inquire about getting a transmission service done at the Jag dealer they'll tell you it's not recommended by Jaguar...never...ever...nada. They claim the synthetic fluid lasts the life of the vehicle. BS!!! I work with machinery and synthetic fluids every day...synthetic fluids breakdown same as organic. Maybe if they started to do tranny services the trans. would last longer.

 

Actually Chris X' I've experianced the scenario you had described above with the 'rev way up there and then lurch into gear hard' one time.. I thought someone had plowed into me!! I've only experienced it once so, hopefully this reflash does the trick

 

Fingers crossed for ya....but I fear the worst still......maybe it's because it just happened to me so recently.

 

Welcome to the joys of driving an X Type... Ive driven 4 different X's and they all do the exact same thing. There's nothing wrong with the tranny, it just has no idea what gear its supposed to be in. Best solution is to keep it in Sport mode, punch it a little more to keep shifts smooth, and once in a while use the J gate to just pick the right gear yourself when it really counts.

 

this is reassuring. I have never kept it in sport mode at all times since I had her in 2005. I would imagine the gas mileage is going to suk even worse now. I noticed in sport mode she revs higher on the highway, doesn't that burn up the wimpy 2.5 engine? i try and baby the cat, because she is getting old and I still really like her and don't want anything to happen (105K well serviced miles). Plus I have a powerful Vette to get all the sport mode out of me

 

Im in the process of scheduling an appointment to have my ecu you re flashed. My question is, and this may sound silly, but how does the ECU relate to the transmission control? is it the ECU that's making the transmission control confused as to gear selection?

This is just for my own reference because I love to know how things work.

 

I agree - total crap. If it were for 'life' why would they bother installing a dip stick for the transmission?

Was wondering the same thing when I called the Jag dealership and they told me not to bother with getting the transmission filter and fluid changed, sealed for life, yadda yadda. Supposedly ZF recommends doing it every 60k. Not sure about which fluid could be used besides the dealer brand, but I hear good things about BG Synthetic ATF, which lists compatibility with my XK8 transmission.

 

Badplan, any updated on if it was the ECU needing to be reflashed?