The breather is VERY easy to get to and can be disassembled, cleaned and put back relatively easy. I did it on two cars without even using a jack (used my hands and felt around)

 

I have a 115k mile jaguar xj8 transmission is going out. pretty positive. any good transmission shops in AZ?

 

I also got a warranty and was told they would replace valve body if ever needed @ parts cost only.

 

Ok! What tool did you need to get to it? I'll jack it up this weekend and go ahead and see how it looks.

 

It's a small wrench- 5/16? It's on the top of the diff on the passenger side towards the rear. It's the little thing that looks like a button in this pic:

http://pics.eurochopshop.com/x/XABK/XABK123.JPG

You can pry off the "button" and clean it out- the whole thing consists of a nipple (much like a brake bleeder, a spring and a "top hat" which is bent to stay in place. Bend the crimps and it comes apart. OR pay the $15 or whatever and buy a new one- I just clean them out as a precaution.

 

This really helped. Thanks for the pic! I'm hoping this was the culprit for all the dampness.

 

From what I understand, if it is clogged it creates pressure- causing the "leak"

Once cleared, no more pressure, no more leak. Probably want to spray clean the areas so you can tell if it continues to leak.

 

Pressure washer or gunk cleaner?

 

Either- just want it clean so you can see if it leaks

 

just read this whole thread, glad you got your transmission fixed, and got the Jag back on the road

 

So far, so good!

I truly enjoy driving it. The longer it runs without a surprise, the more comfortable I'll get. It has so many new parts underneath, it glides over the road. I'm very hopeful that I'll get many years of service.

 

HI GUYS!!!!!
How sweet it is!!!!
Dsnyd, sorry bout ur trans. It is probably the "A" if, wen u put it in gear and it feels like it's goes in but "don't go nowhere". It may also slam into a higher gear wen the pressure is finally diverted, or "limp home" gear. Don't drive it as you can also damage the "F" drum. If you can drop a tranny, you can prolly change the a drum. Ebay has a reinforced (so they say) drum fr $120. You need to save and clean all parts and re-install them. What happens is, the pressure from the piston that locks down the clutches wears it's landing and splits the drum along the top of the drum, so the clutches ride too high to engage becoming ineffective.
If you need to, keep in touch and one of us can prolly help.
I've coined the phrase, "Its simple but not always easy"
Steve

 

That is, the snap ring that holds the clutches etc. in.

 

Hi guys, I'm a newbie on the block, drove a '98 Jag XJ8 lwb, a friend with a '98 Jag XK8 needed a family car, we swopped with a sizable cash input on the XK8. Problem is that one of the oil cooler pipes chafed through, oil was lost, no "oil low" sensor or other warning system, transmission was toast! Professionally rebuilt but "slipping" in 5th gear only! Repairers are unable to diagnose fault or correct the problem.

Can the problem be the "A" drum, or is it some other problem affecting ONLY 5th gear?

I would love to have my car back on the road for the festive season.

Thanks in anticipation

 

Bad news! Tranny has started slipping and tonight it got gear fault and pulling away from a stop, it would barely go. I pulled it off into a parking lot and turned it off, started it back up and slowly made my way back home two miles away. Seemed to run okay @ 30 mph with just a little slip and gear fault went away.

I had to go somewhere so took family car and will check this out tomorrow. I cannot afford another drum and tranny fix.

 

Check fluid levels, do a hard reset and hope for the best!

 

Yaeh, I'm with Mr. Snyder-
I bet and hope you just have a fluid leak!

 

Morph, I'm from Jackson if you need to source another tranny let me know. There's a guy with a small salvage yard that had a tranny (not Oscar Delahoya LOL! ) and two parts car 1 white 2001 vdp with dove/white interior and a 1999 carnival red with tan interior.

Seriously good luck with your car.

 

Hey, sorry to jump onto your thread, Morph. I have a slightly different transmission issue. if the moderators want to move this post to create its own thread, awesome.. if not, it seems there are some transmission savvy guys here so thought I'd see if I can get some help!!

my issue: bought this car a couple of weeks ago. got it running last sunday. after really enjoying the feel of the V8, doing some rapid accelerations, and giving the guys at the shop a drive around the block, thursday I noticed a slight slippage in the transmission... now, I never spun the tires or anything, just gave it a little gas...

I drove it to work yesterday. as long as I just give it gradual pressure, it shifts fine, all the way to 80 mph... but if I give it even the slightest extra pedal, it slips and bumps... hoping this is just a vacuum issue, or low fluid...

I plan on doing a fluid and filter change, but wanted to see if someone could list a chronological order to troubleshoot this.. with details of where to look for vacuum leaks, where to find solenoids, etc...

thanks in advance!

Jon

 

My failure was sudden as well. Stopped for gas on the way to work when I started the car and put in gear, slipping and codes.


What the photo shows is that the drum has a snap ring groove that is pressed and not machined. The sharp edges of the grooves allow stress to concentrate and a crack to start. The crack spreads in both directions until enough sections of the snap ring groove fail and allow the disks to no nonger maintain friction.


A rebuild to replace the drum will fix the problem.