SO, [I]M A NEW JAG[U]AR OWNER AND ALL WAS WELL WHEN THE TRANNY DASH L[I]GHT W[I]TH THE X Lit up. I figured I was in limp home mode and once I made home I went up to the car parts store to borrow their OBD reader. The car sat for a day before i was able to read the trouble codes, except when I went to see if the car would start without the dash light on, the warning light was gone and there weren't any codes stored. Now the car drives fine but im currious as to what happened and whether or not i should be concerned that this will happen agin. Just a side note, when the dash light came on the car would stall out on me and then it finally wouldn't start. it would crank but not start, thus giving me a clicking noise. I'm assuming they are connected. Thanks for any input from you forum members.

gregoose

 

the light will turn ON specially if the engine stalls its just there because it detected something wrong maybe you even felt the car hesitated to move at first right after the stall. happened to me when my engine stalled due to crank sensor plug going loose.
but dont worry. there is nothing wrong with your tranny. it was simply the engine stall that triggered the light.

 

well, thats good news. I was really afraid that I had issues. I did notice that the fluid was more brown than red, should I drain the fluid and replace it? Ive seen where people have filled and drained two or three times to really clean the system, if so, any particular type that I should buy? The Jaguar does stall out at times. Only when I'm coming to a stop light or stop sign. So I've taken to keeping the engine revving a bit above the normal idle. Also, if the AC is on then the rpms are high enough to not stall out. anyhoo, thank you for your response.

 

the trans fluid depends on the miles of the car. like at 70k or below most technicians would say its ok to change it but after that im pretty sure its recommended to not change it until it needs a rebuild if ever. im talking general trannys not specific to jaguar wich could but shouldn't be different.

maybe check your idle air speed control valve (IAC) for the stalling at stop lights altho it sounds like its ok if it compensates when you turn ON the AC.

maybe the EGR. on mine ive found most electrical problems are caused by dirty, corroded connections. easy fixes with contact cleaner and in some cases bypass if the plug is all messed up. you can also apply silicone grease after cleaning so it will stay protected against weather and corrosion.

other than connections, cleaning parts, like throttle body ( no need to remove) just disconecting the rubber intake and cleaning with carb cleaner spray. while at it checking the MAF for dirt or or other stuff stuck on its mesh.

 

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In addition to the above comments, I would have the battery load tested at autozone or other store. These cars are very sensitive to a weak battery. You say it cranks, but just a clicking noise. That sounds to me like it is NOT cranking, which means the engine is turning over but not firing.
It would also be wise to clean the throttle body, they can be gunked up around the butterfly if not maintained.
The transmission fluid was likely changed while the car was under warranty, since Jag owners were pretty meticulous with a new car. I would change the fluid and the filter, then drain and fill a couple more times over the next year. I am using Mobil 1 synthetic, but the spec is for Dexron III.

 

yes, you are correct, the engine was not turning over. I will do the tranny flush soon as well as clean the throttle body etc. The Jag has a brand new bosch battery and the whole charging system was tested with no issues. I'll post back after i complete the above 'to do" list.

thank you all.

GREYGOOSE

 

Transmission: As a first step I would suggest dropping the pan to clean out any muck (hopefully not too thick) residing in the bottom of the pan. Since pan gaskets and filters are usually sold together you can replace the filter at the same time.

Refill with fresh fluid, drive 5 miles, drain, refill, and then repeat 3-4 more times until all the the fluid is red again. IMHO, might as well get all that brown fluid out of there *now* and be done with it. Three or four quarts of fresh oil on top of seven or eight quarts of yucky brown oil won't do much. If you stretch this process out over a long period of time you'll be doing lots of driving with mostly old oil.

Then, in the future, just do the drain-and-refill once a year or so to keep the fluid sweetened, so to speak.

If the trans is operating well this is *very unlikely* to cause any problems. The horror stories arise mostly from shops using pressure-type flushing equipment to exchange trans fluid. In some cases this *can* stir up muck and cause a problem.

Cheers
DD

 

Ill give my differerring opinion on that one Doug. That car is so easy to drain and fill when doing a oil change on the engine I used to(before wrecked) drain the trans(4qts) every other lof and refill I used mobil 1 atf(free from work) but I first did a drop and filter with 4-5qts holds alittlemore when dropping pan and filter. Next low drain pan and fill, do that 3 or four times. My concern is always when fluid is dirty it has a thicker particle filled consistancey. And over the yrs Ive run into several that shifted fine before new fluid and did not after, no Im talking drain and fills with lots of new fluid not a pressure fill. We dont do them period at work. Seals that seal fine and clutch that dont slip with older dirty fluid MAY NOT with a bunch of clean new fluid from multiple at once drain and fill or complete flush. For me its just a BEST PRACTICES from experiance. Customer are weird abotu thinking you should give them a new trans becuase they let the fluid go too long and all you did was replace it with new. Good thing engines dont suffer the same issues

 

Well, thanks again for each of your responses. I went ahead and drained the ATF and didn't see any real amount of metal shavings etc. and I refilled it. I plan on dropping the pan and changing out the filter in the next month or so. I didn't notice any real difference after draining it so I will take that as a good thing. Tranny shifts like it should and the color on the dip stick is a nice red color. With the engine nearing the 100K mark, what is the typical maintenance that I need to be aware of with a Jaguar?

Thank you,

Greygoose

 

Nothing very exotic; pretty much the same as you'd do on any other car.

As far as the engine *itself* goes there's not much routine servicing to do except change the oil regularly and flush the cooling system every 3 years or so.

As for the rest of the car it's ordinary stuff:

-change differential oil
-repack wheel bearings
-flush brake fluid
-replace fuel filter
-lube axle shaft u-joints

^Unless you have evidence to the contrary I'd assume that all are due for attention.^



Take a good look at drive belts and cooling hoses. If in doubt, there is no doubt...replace them in the comfort of your garage rather than by the side of the road.


Pre-emptively cleaning the EGR valve and throttle body might save you from suffering some driveability issues.



Others will chime in.


Cheers
DD