Thanks for the info. I hate being stranded from coolant issues.

 

This soft carbon deposit in the elbow below the TB was also in the charge cooler matrices.

 

Spent this past weekend getting to know my new to me silver 2008 XJ8 a little better and treated her to her first oil change under my ownership. Reworked the lower panel and valance as they had some clips and screws missing and gave the panel a good power wash. Pleased with what I saw underneath but did notice the dreaded transmission cooler lines leaking slightly.
Already know based on what I have read here that I have a date with the auxiliary water pump. Already have a new coolant tank on the shelf waiting to go in so that will be a fun day!
The car has 115K on it and the previous owner confirmed for me today that he never had the transmission serviced.....uh oh... (probably should have asked before I bought it but emotion got the best of me...its so darn good looking) Luckily it drives nicely, but based on how scared I have gotten reading through some of the posts on the transmission in the forums I'm thinking I would be better served putting my money toward a lower mileage unit from the local yard, and running her til she needs it, than changing fluid now and possibly ruining what is at the moment a good thing.....Please be a good kitty for me!

 

Get busy on that trans oil 7 filter change, if things still work well still, fluid with filter is what your trans needs yesterday.

 

Went for a drive yesterday to try and "get rid" of a pesky P1000 code that has been plaguing me.
It was originally caused by starting the car with the MAF sensor disconnected after I replaced my water pump.

I also accidentally reset by DTCs with my new AutoolX60 a few times on similar drives.

Anyway on this drive I kept changing gears quite a bit manually staying in selected gears for a while each time as well.

Just read the codes using a general purpose ODBII reader and now have the P1111 code which my "more sophisticated" readers do NOT show they simply say "no DTCs".

Success!

 

jluv....I recently had the trans fluid on my wife's '04 XJ8 replaced at 119,000 miles due to the shifts at low speeds, especially from a standing start, becoming harsh. Obviously since the trans filter is built into the pan I had that replaced as well and since the trans fluid used today is of a different type the entire job was a lot more expensive relative to what us old farts remember from the bad old days of the 20th century<G>

That aid the improvement was immediate and obvious and worth every penny. I'd had no warning light, bells, or whistles that would have indicated anything serious but I'm sure continuing with the old fluid would have eventually led to that. Don't hold off out of fear that servicing yours is somehow going to some sort of cascade failure since and reputable transmission shop has to deal with the new transmissions and their special features up to an including modern 10 speeds

 

I call them sealed for death instead of life.
So far they seem to like the Mercon SP fluid, with steel pan, & filter conversion on my XJ8's.

 

RDMinor - Thank you for words of encouragement to move forward. That is why I joined this forum. Obviously you and Wingrider have more experience than me with these cars. I am curious though...was the change at 119K on your car its first change?
I am nervous though not opposed to doing it but, as I do my own service and I am thinking I should also do the leaking cooler lines at the same time, I need to plan carefully. Unfortunately I do not have a lift and this job seems like it might challenge my character for a short time. As much as I enjoy taking care of my own stuff, rolling around on the garage floor during New England Winters isn't my favorite thing. (That and God forbid if mama's X-Type has to spend the night outdoors!) I guess I should see if I can get to and remove the fill plug first before I get too excited. Thanks again for the replies. Nice to be a part of this group.

 

I did a total flush of my transmission at around 103,000 miles in my garage using ramps at the front and mobile home adjustable supports on the rear.

I used the transmission line inlet and outlet ports on the actual transmission body to expel used fluid a quart at a time, until it was clear, as I filled a quart at a time.

I expelled the cooler and lines with a pump.

Even following the correct procedure I still had to put a little more fluid in after about a 25 mile drive.

At the time a local JLR dealer quoted me $1300 for just an empty and fill with new parts. He even said that was just an estimate.

Others on this forum have found much better deals than that.

 

Floor jacks, at least two, four jack stands, to keep things level.
Was what i used, as i have no car lift either, a motorcycle table lift i have.

 

Just a little boast about my 1984 Merc SL repair.

It has a nice analogue VDO ambient temperature gauge on the dash which

was not working and I found out that originally there was a sensor clipped

behind the front no plate.

A friend told me about a specialist in the city (Howard Instruments) and I

emailed them about a thermocouple for a sensor.

They said what you need is a thermistor but they are NLA.

Searched the internet but nada.

Tried a thermistor which I had (10K ohm) and got a reading on scale!

I then bought some cheap little adj pots (2 +1K) ohm in series and got a reading

about right.

Then bought a 3K thermister for about $10 and she works!

I can't boast about replacing the front suspension spring but son coming to the rescue with spring compressor!

 

One victory at a time, wins the war, of keeping these relics from the past on the road, & working well.
Same battles going on in the motorcycle world, two 84 standard wings,an 87, & a 91, in the garage still running great on old used parts from salvage yards.

 

I purchased an '05 XJ8L with 110k miles early October following a pre-purchase inspection. The first thing I had done was drain and flush ALL liquids (Oil, Transmission, coolant, steering and brake fluids) as a precautionary measure given the mileage and the absence of knowing when or if the fluids have ever been changed. The battery was marginal so that was replaced as well. From my perspective this was part of the purchase price and gives a bit of peace of mind.

 

jluv.....this was the first trans flush and refill for this car. I pulled the work order and the mileage the day it was done was 117543 on 10/11/18. Total cost was $346.98 for labor, transfluid (Pentosin), and a new fuel filter to cure some steady speed surging at 50-70 mph. I also purchased a new trans oil pan with the integral filter for $112.53 w.frt. from partsgeek.com for a total on the job of $459.51.

As for parts on these cars I do a lot of searching for both used and new parts depending on what it is I'm replacing or repairing and partsgeek has become a valuable source along with some of the sites sponsors such as SNG Barratt and others. Since I'm also slowly bringing '99 XK8 back to where it should be after a life spent unloved in a Florida retirement village the parts hunt is almost a daily affair so I've had to work at it to keep the cost bearable<G>

 

New to me XJ8L, today I replaced all air struts with rebuilt units from rebuild master tech. New upper control arms. Cleaned up curb rash and repainted rims, then started after market stereo install. Has 140k miles and was garaged it's whole life.

 

Nice start, as long as we remember there's almost always a reason anything used is for sale going in.
With some work, to put right, these are great cars for the money, with pretty good fuel economy, as well.
Good luck with your new toy:

 

Just drove it.
Last week it turned over 139,000 miles, and passed its Annual MOT with no advisory items.
It continues to amaze with refinement, performance and dogged reliability.

 

Son and I had a big struggle to refit front spring on the Merc after new control arm bushes fitted but had to give up.

I have done the Healey in the past with no problem but the Merc spring is very long.

I found out that I need to use a special spring compressor which I was able to borrow from local Mercedes specialist for a slab of beer (thanks Ryan).

Operations suspended over Christmas day.

 

Watched the odometer hit 90,000 and had a new key (from E-Bay) ground. I've programmed it to start the car, now to finish the FOB programing.

 

I installed The JagDroid unit earlier this week and after a few operator errors and 1 equipment failure, everything is up and running. This is a great upgrade! Thanks Ben!!