People owning x300s... I was wondering if it would be wise to have the tranny flushed for preventative maintenance?
Would you/do you have the transmission flushed and fluid replaced every few years? I bought my xj6 a couple years ago and although the fluid seems okay looking & not burnt smelling my car does seem to slip out of gear then back into gear occasionally and was told be someone that sometimes its a bad idea to have a car of this age flushed as it could make the slipping problem worse....
any opinions on this?
Aloha & Mahalo

 

Opinons vary. I think it's a good idea.

In some cases the flushing has been known to stir up gunk in the bottom of the transmission pan and push in through the trans....causing transmission failure. IMHO, if there's that much gunk in the pan the trans is probably on it's last legs anyhow.

Yours sounds like a good candidate

Cheers
DD

 

I would say it depends. There are always horror stories of flushing the tranny and then having it go bad right after.

I just had mine flushed and replaced, and I think that mechanic said it best..."If sludge is the only thing holding your tranny together youve got some big problems anyway"

If the fluid looks OK then I would change it. However there are different ways of "flushing". My mechanic did a very gentle flush by simply running the old fluid out and pouring new in until the fluid out looked good...this took 18 quarts or so he said.

There are also pressure machines and I would stay away from those.

Fluid viscosity changes, so you got to do something. If your a shade tree guy drop the pan and replace with some new fluid. THis only replaces some of the fluid, but its better than nothing.

 

thanks for your advice. A gentle flush seems like the best thing to do. How much did that run you? Besides the cost of the fluid.
Thanks again everyone. I need to show my tranny some love

 

My .02. If changing fluid destroys a trans...than what condition was the trans in before the flush? To me, it was about to go and was a matter of how long? who knows 5-10k miles, but was at the end of it's life. Old fluid will have small particles of clutch material that act like a friction modiffier. When you change the fluid you remove this and that could cause a trans to slip, but a worn trans. I beleive in changing fluids. Just did mine....the fluid was dark and smelled like varnish! The trans only has 48K and i'm pretty sure it was original fluid. If the car had 120K I would have left it alone. So, make an educated guess. Also, I did it a week ago and havn't had any problems let......

 

On that car (same as mine) i would do a pan drop, filter and new gasket. If you dont let it sit overnight and drain this will require about 4qts tranny fluid to refill and up to 5. I do this every 60k. But in the meen time since the pan is easy to drain when doing an oil change. I drain the trans every other oil changte and fill it back up(again about 4 qts) and i use mobil1 synthetic trans fluid. Still shifts like new at 140k miles

 

Thanks a lot Brutal, I highly value your opinion. Learned a lot from seeing your posts around the forum. & you must have the meanest headlights of any x300. Big fan. haha
I'm gunna drop the pan & throw in a new filter and gasket then. Anyone recommend a particular website(s) for the gasket & filter? I'm in Hawaii and I have to order a lot from over the oceans and have yet to find a site that doesn't charge astronomical shipping rates.
Many thanks again

 

It's good to hear you can use Mobil1. I want to flush it again and didn't know if Mobil1 would give me any problems.

 

what about the local jag dealer there. I know theres 1. I thought about getting a job there 5 years ago when on vacation. Or even local auto parts. Thats cars been out along time now. Or check rockauto.com, i get alot of stuff there too

 

none of the major shops keep it stocked gotta get em shipped in & they charge me for shipping. The dealer is last resort for me as their prices are double if not more but then again its OEM. For the gasket & filter would you only use OEM or do you spend 3 times less and get an aftermarket?
Whats your opinion on the importance of OEM when it comes to the gasket & filter for the trans? I found a powertorque gasket & filter kit for $18
When the OEM is closer to $100. I plan on keeping this Jaguar for as long as possible so I am leaning towards OEM but I dont wanna take the plunge if its not necessary.
Many mahaloz.
Maybe you should reconsider moving to Hawaii. Its paradise all year round. Have yet to find a better place but im sure your truck & cars can see more action on the mainland

 

yeah I rented a Jeep while I was there, and I learned real quick what time of day to stay off the roads. Many times I just walked cause it was faster. Ive used both and while not always a differance in oem vs aftermarket it dependso n what they are and who made them. The seal is probobly more an issue with sealing when not oem. That trans you really have to watch not overtightening and go evenly. Once youve done that itll be easy to pop the fill tube loose todrain and refill. And after a couple of thos youll have new fluid and wont run a risk of a sudden viscoti change between old and new

 

Yea its all about timing in Hawaii, you gotta get the traffic on the flop.
Thanks again for the tips.

If you don't mind me asking, since today I put new spark plugs in the jag and 3 of the 6 plug holes had a lot of oil in the cylinders, had to vac them out.

The question I'm getting at is do you or anyone else reading this have any tips on replacing a valve cover gasket set on the x300? &/or do you recommend a brand or suggest only OEM replacement for the valve cover gasket & lastly have you found any deals on these anywhere online? Sorry to pick your brains, BRUTAL. I highly appreciate everyone who answers questions like these. I will even set you up should you come to Oahu again.
Mahalo for your time

 

You need new cam cover gasket and spark plug seals