So i'm trying to get my dads old x308 (repairing it is probably cheaper than buying my own car)moving, but as the title says the transmission has failed, here are the symptoms we noticed a year ago a few months after purchase.
The transmission failed at roughly 176,000miles , and from what I know she hadn't been serviced since 130,000miles
-luckily there are no engine failures at all.
-The previous owner had told us that she has a tendency to enter limp mode after idling in traffic(not a problem considering the fact that we can't get her to enter any forward gear anymore; she will go into neutral and reverse though)
-When attempting(and failing) to enter a gear the engine will reach around 5000rpm before the transmission attempts (and dashes all hopes) to enter a forward gear, and subsequently proceeds to slip with a loud hiss and no noticeable forward motion.
-She has a few dtc codes(or had its been months since we last started her;battery's probably flat) on the transmission computer , that we can't access.
So what do you guys think ; i'm guessing a transmission rebuild will probably be necessary. I've considered purchasing a remanufactured/repaired transmission but I can't seem to find any locally. From what I've read on this forum the zf 5hp24 is prone to failure especially if the vehicle hasn't been serviced on time/properly.
Just trying to get an idea of what a rebuild/replacement would cost me. I'm particularly interested in what the labor for the rebuild would be ,as well as the installation cost.
Thanks in advance.

 

I would check the transmission fluid level first.

 

I won't be able to check the fluid level , the house is on a hill and we don't have access to any level ground, but maybe I can get a shop to do it? How much do you think that would cost?

 

Have it towed to the AAMCO transmission shop in Danville VA. These ZF transmissions are fairly common . . . but, no transmission rebuild is cheap. There are also junk yards up towards Fredricksburg that have transmissions. Might grab one of those and rebuild it yourself (lots of threads).

 

Just remembered that the ZF4HP22 (on my ex BMW) was once making a hissing sound and jumping out of gear when its filter got clogged. Replacing the filter solved the problem.

 

Its possible, I wouldn't be surprised if this xj hasn't had its service done, the previous owner only had it for two months before selling it, and the original owner had loaned it to her grandson before selling. so its extremely likely . In any case I'm sending her to a shop to get a proper once over this week(got my dads permission, to get her looked at); I'll update this thread when I have the chance. Thanks for the advice!

 

update: okay called the shops and it looks like i'll be the one turning bolts(no one in my area wants to do a rebuild, and the *********** wants 10K for an old stock unit assuming they have one around), any suggested threads where I can read up on this?

 

google 5hp24 rebuild and will have many threads and u-tubes.on the diy.

 

$10k to swap in a used unit? This has to be a joke.

 

Call Price's Transmission service in Virginia Beach. Should be under $3000. It would be worth towing it 150 miles. Might also be shops in Richmond or Greensboro. Not a really hard transmission to rebuild.

 

I wish it was I really do, but good new is the auto tech shop says they can do a swap for $1,500 if I can source the trans

 

There are a series of junk yards on US Rt 1 South of Fredricksburgs with engines and trannies for these. But you are buying an unknown. Almost all of these have an A-drum failure, better to rebuild.

 

To be honest your transmission is done, but rebuildable. The A clutch drum is blown apart due to a bad pressure regulator valve. There’s a guy on YouTube who does a great job of rebuild videos and there’s a store in the northeast that sells rebuild kits for this specific transmission. I did the job in my driveway. Took me about $500 in parts because I broke additional parts not related to the transmission and 2-3 days of labor. (I don’t have a lift and this was my first ever rebuild, nothing close to a professional.) Hard work but runs great.

 

Carter Wedding, could you enlighten us with some more details? i'm weighting the options cus i will be pulling mine rather soon. i know if it is doable on the driveway but i'm trying to imagine how to drop it and pull from under the car without lift and also how to lift it later and put in place without dropping on me
Thanks in advance

 

I don't recall the exact numbers, but you need to have the car about 0.5 m off the ground to get the transmission out from under. A transmission jack would be useful to prevent accidents, and a manually actuated one would be sufficient and not too expensive. Here is a link from Harbor Freight in the US as an example.
450 lbs. Low Lift Transmission Jack

I have done this using an ordinary floor jack with some extra hands, but it's risky and could result in damage to the transmission, maybe even the assistants.

 

I've been trying to imagine how to make a lifting tool out of floor jacks, but given that it would be risky lift and i would have to purchase them first, low lift jack is far better option, not sure how i missed it while on tool search, thx a lot..

 

Like rj said, a transmission jack would be great to have. To get the car high enough I used truck stands. You do need a significant amount of height to clear the car of the bell housing (tallest part). It is pretty heavy and I couldn’t imagine doing it alone. I used a floor jack and sat a 1/2 inch square piece of plywood on top of the jack to lower the transmission. It sounds as risky as it was. The weight of the transmission will balance on its pan, but you definitely need some type of border between that and the jack so you don’t damage it, and plywood worked for us. Another hard part was getting the 16 bolts going all the way around the bell housing. An air ratchet came in super handy because trying to get torque on those bolts through very small gaps is nearly impossible. Be sure to keep labeled ziploc bags of the bolts and the parts they go to. You have to drop the exhaust as well, not take it all the way out but at least drop. Taking it out would clear you of some headache though. There is a tough coolant line attached to the transmission on the passenger side(American model) that was tough to get loose and I had to order a line wrench. There is a guy on YouTube who had a decent video of an xk8 transmission pull which is the same. This is a 2 man job.

 

Unless i'm lucky to find some volunteering soul willing to risk his life under my car it gonna be one man job, but with the right tools, knowledge and one or two extra days it can surely be done, while carefully dropping the gearbox is not an big issue lifting it back and aligning at the same time may be really daunting so i will have to arm with the load of patience before attempting that project

 

So I've went to car-part.com and found a few transmissions , just waiting until October to have enough funds to send her off for repairs. I'm thinking any transmission I purchase from car-part.com will likely need a new filter (all of the decent ones are at or around 100-120k miles) , do you guys think its a good idea to get a filter from ZF or would an aftermarket unit be better. on another note I did some electric gremlin sleuthing today (the right rear door's window , hasn't gone down since before purchasing) and it seems like we're missing a few relays in the heel boards and about 2 fuses; i'll update with pictures later. This xj wasn't really looked after the paint is in really bad condition(there isn't a body panel on this car that isn't peeling and its peeling bad); yeah so it looks like I might be going a little further than a simple transmission repair, Do you guys think its a bad idea to sand and prime this car only to have it vinyl wrapped (if i can afford it i'll have it repainted later , I just don't want rust to form)the carnival red color it came with ( I don't intend to sell if I can help it; i'd like to eventually pass it down; even if that means paying for an electric conversion someday in the distant future when the ICE's are completely phased out in the civilian market).