Hey Everybody,
My 2001 Jaguar XJ8 Vanden Plas (225,000KM) is experiencing a strange sound when the car is cold and accelerating. I've seen a few people post an identical sound in the forums & on YouTube but didn't see any with a cause. I've noticed this mostly since the weather has been cold (November to now). The sound is very prominent when first driving the car and as it warms up the sound nearly goes away or is gone entirely. I've had the transmission rebuilt twice. I'm expecting it to be transmission related as the sound happens between shifts. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!

Here is a link to the video:

 

Check your trans fluid level, it could be low and the noise maybe pump related.

 

Thank you Sean B. This may be a stupid question, but how exactly do you check the transmission fluid on the x308? :O

 

You'll need to get the car warm, maybe on a ramp or stands and remove the fill port on the side of the trans, see if it'll take some more fluid. There's a lot of info on this within the forum, a search should get you there.

 

Yes, that is the transmission fluid pump starving for fluid. Change or top up as soon as possible.

As Sean says topping up is a bit of a process and frankly one of the stupidest things I've ever encountered. Jack the car up, get the gearbox warmed up to 30c then use the correct sized allen socket to remove the plug. If you haven't already burnt your hand on the exhaust, do it now whilst you race to get fluid into the hole before it gets too warm and sprays out at you and the exhausts which are getting hotter by the second. Then scrabble to get the plug back in without burning your hand even more and being careful not to cross the threads.