HELP! Feedback/thoughts are appreciated! I recently purchased a 2004 xj8 with 70K (its not a 2003). I am having the transmission service done at a private Jag transmission shop. After getting the car on the lift, they called and said that the input shaft seal is leaking and the torque converter maybe scored... They also said the fluid is down a quart. I have not read (I have been reading many topics before and since I brought her home) about the input seal being a problem on the zf/h6 trannies. He said they could see it through the site hole in the tranny. I am not sure how they deduced it is a quart low when the only way to determine that is by topping it off, which they had not done. I checked for and did not see any fluids on the ground when I bought the care nor since I have owned it over the last few weeks. I told him to do the transmission service, including replacing the connector sleeve. I figure to then keep close eye on it for any leaks and any shifting problems. The car does have harder shifting from 1st to 2nd but otherwise the all gears **** smoothly. Ideas? is this seal a typical problem?

 

Would it be detrimental to add something like a Lucas product to help expand the seal and reduce any leakage? or would it damage the XF transmission?

 

I have never heard of an input shaft seal leak and I have been reading

the x350 forum for 6 years.

Sight hole in the tranny? Never heard of it!

Scored torque converter?Never heard of it!

I have been wrong before but it all sounds very suspicious to me.

 

I have the same concerns. My plan is to have the service done and then monitor any leaks and have the level checked by another shop in the near future...

 

+1 on those comments. Something a bit fishy.

 

The sight hole is a small hole in the bell housing that allows any oil leaks in the front seal of the gearbox to run out of it . If you had a quart ( about 1 litre to us brits ) of oil leaked out of your car it would show on the underneath of the car so have a look with a torch you will soon see if you have a leak .

 

The TCM connector socket sleeve is the most common issue. I have been posting here since 2010 and have never read about any input seal failing. Obviously there is a first time for anything ! If it was leaking then fluid would dribble out from the bottom of the bell housing. The TCM socket leak is at the other end of the tranmission case.

 

If the tranny was R&R'ed and had a TC replaced without replacing the seal it could be an issue. Also, the bronze bushing that the TC rides on, if failed can also see issues. This is not a frequent problem, but anything is possible. If you are using LifeGuard6 fluid, it certainly looks a lot like engine oil when leaking underneath, meaning it could be a crank rear seal. keep an eye on it.

 

The previous owner of my 2004 Vanden Plas provided me with most of the repair invoices for the car. The following invoices were included---

A burning oil smell was reported in Mar 2011 and the technicians replaced the crankshaft rear seal, at 64,053kms. Total cost $785.

This apparently solved the smell of burning oil, but in Apr 2011, at 66078 kms an oil leak under the car was reported and the technicians replaced the transmission oil pump seal, C2C6727. Total cost of repair $887.

My guess would be that the transmission oil pump seal may have been damaged when removing/replacing the transmission to fix the rear crank seal.

The next oil leak under the car was the transmission oil cooler lines, at 169,000km in 2015.Replaced by me for a total cost of $206.

 

Sorry to hear about your repairs to the VP Six Rotors. I did get the car back from the shop after they completed the tranny service. Unfortunately, the car is still has a hard shift from 1-2. so off to the dealer for a reflash. I did get under the car, and pulled the plug from the site window on the bell housing and stuck my finger inside and there was not oil! nor was there any oil on the outside of the bell housing as far as I could tell, so the shop was trying to bamboozle me for some extra work...very disappointing. I will submit some kind of online review...

 

Hello Meirion1,
I realise this is an old post, but I also have this problem. There is a plastic 'plug' at the bottom of the Bellhousing and I have a slight trans oil drip from it? I was told that this was a leaking seal on the input shaft? In line with what you said above, I have been unable to source an 'Input Shaft Seal'? Perhaps some sort of seal for the torque converter is what is causingt his; what do you think?

See 2 (Seal) & 3 (O Ring) below:

 

Hi Ray
I do not know about an input shaft seal on our Jags but it sounds logical.

I have a similar problem on my old Mercedes and have done a bizarre repair!

I have suspended a shallow metal tray containing some thin felt under the hole in the bell housing

and fixed it on with cable clips (zip ties in Americanese).It works ok

My friend has the same problem with his Healey and has a shallow container made

which screws into the hole (tapped)

For more sensible info suggest that you do a google search starting with Jaguar x350 etc etc

 

The tiny weep was picked up at a previous Registration Inspection; at the last inspection, I simply cleaned the area beforehand. The long term solution obviously involves dropping the gearbox out at great expense! Not sure if I want to spend 'stacko' money on a tiny weep on a 17 year-old car!!