My 2001 left hand drive Jaguar Vanden Plas has possibly met it’s end.

the transmission gave out, I took it to have the transmission codes read, and the codes were P1722, P1747, & P0733. I’m assuming the front drum is the problem since reverse works fine.

They said the transmission would need to be replaced and their cost would be $5K

this car is not “worth” that much $ with 185K miles on it.

where would you guys suggest I go from here? I would love to put in a manual transmission, but it doesn’t look like Jaguar made a manual XJ8. I know BMW used the same engine in their 5 series Of the era, but I’d assume I’d run into issues trying to fit it onto a Jag.

 

While no transmission rebuild will be cheap, I think you can do a lot better than $5K. You should be able to have a full transmission rebuild for between $2,500 and $3,000 at a reputable independent shop. There are several forum members who have had this done and may chime in here............?

 

Local junkyards around Texas will sell full transmission for 100$ (pick n pull) I think a 2 month warranty is 30$ extra.

 

Several years back I did a full rebuild on mine when the A drum failed. At the time, a shop repair was already far more than the car was worth with a dead transmission. To add insult to injury I had just put new tires on it and they cost more than the salvage yards offered for it.

As I had nothing to lose I did the rebuild. Driveway job, hardest part was getting the box in/out of the car with it on blocks alone. However, as I recall, only ~30 bolts to remove to drop it. It took me under 1/2 day to do the in/out. As others have said, an aftermarket can be sourced cheap, or you can order the needed rebuild parts and do the job. Lots of info on the process and it is actually pretty simple. I also replaced the Torque Converter to see if that would help cure a driveline vibration issue. At the time my full rebuild cost ~$1250 Canadian in parts (~$900 USD) - taxes and shipping included (no free shipping on most parts to where I live). 10 years and several 1000 miles later it is still shifting perfectly.

As a help to your thinking, I've attached a writeup I did at the time for some other forum members. I think it is in the archives here, but after all the years it may be buried. If nothing else, you may find it has some info that will help your decision on where to go next........Minor differences to your 2001, but basically the same job.

I've owned the car since early 2000, bought it as an early lease return, and based on forum posts am running 100% on the "common" XJ8 failures. The good news is that for several years now nothing has gone wrong, as most things have been fixed (touch wood).

 

ZF transmissions are pretty common these days: our local indy has three BMWs on his lot waiting time on the lift; the AAMCO guy has about six or seven cars with ZF boxes including one S-Type and a LR3 . . . wouldn't give it up yet!

 

I have done trades for X308s with the failed 5HP24.
I got a whole 2000MY sedan (bad engine) for repair of the customers 2000VDP gearbox.
He gave me the car with bad engine, I repaired the forward drum in his VDP (I normally charge $1000 for the total repair job)

I did NOT rebuild, just replaced the forward drum a few years ago and he is still driving the car.

I put a 2002 S-Type AJ28 engine (converted to AJ27) in the car he traded me and my wife drives that car everyday.

I also put a new updated forward drum in the 2000 X308 while I had the engine out 'just because' I knew it was going to need it eventually.

Drum, new LifeGuard 5, filter and some gaskets are all you need.

Wish you were closer, I have 4 good-used gearboxes on a pallet, covered in plastic outside my shop.
I just keep at least one 'ready to go' and a few for parts.

Plenty of write-ups on the 'A'drum replacement here on the forum.

 

Had mine rebuilt @ a small indy for $2,200.

 

My rebuild in Australia $3,000
5 yrs ago runs great
good luck which ever way you go

 

Wish you were closer, I have 4 good-used gearboxes on a pallet, covered in plastic outside my shop.
I just keep at least one 'ready to go' and a few for parts.

Plenty of write-ups on the 'A'drum replacement here on the forum.[/QUOTE]

if i were closer, how much would you sell me one of the transmissions for?

 

I trust Bob explicitly, if you have a vehicle to do it and Bob is a willing seller, your about 10 hrs away. Roughly 2 tanks of gas there and 2 back, 1 hotel and food. I drive a lot, so this is an easy weekend for me, if I'm in a hurry, its a long day with a friend. But I'm buying Bob a beer first...

...or more local,.... https://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi ...but those are yard units and then some remans in GA east of Atlanta. Its up to you what you can and want to afford.

 

if i were closer, how much would you sell me one of the transmissions for?[/QUOTE]

I am mostly retired but I used to do the front drum swap for about a thousand total parts, fluid and labor.
It's not hard to put the gearbox in a tall barrel (vertical) to get the front drum out and the parts installed.
I like the old gearbox for parts so I don't like to just part with a rebuildable unit.

I just did this on my 2000 XJ8L and I have one for my 1999 XJ8L when I get a chance to get it on my lift.
I do have one gearbox that seems to be a very UNHAPPY unit that might just be a PARTS unit. (might be a cracked valve body)

Having a few parts cars is a very handy way to keep the fleet going.

The problem with selling a repaired gearbox without it being installed by me is that I don't know if it is any good after the repair.
If the part fails right away I can control the situation and tear it down again before the customer picks the car up.
IF I sell it and the gearbox is faulty, I am stuck trying to figure out how to rectify the situation.

I can read the TCM DTCs if the gearbox is at fault because I have WDS and IDS for diagnosis.
I don't rebuild gearboxes, I just repair the front drum as a common fault.

 

Hi Aaron,

Sorry to join your thread late.

The most common cause of P0733 and P1722 is low fluid. Are there any signs of leaks? Have you checked the fluid level at the proper temperature?

It is possible for Reverse to seem to work even with low fluid, because you don't expect to accelerate very quickly or go very fast. But in Drive, you expect the car to accelerate firmly and will notice the transmission slipping due to low fluid.

The listed possible causes of P1747 don't include low fluid, but I know from personal experience that it can be triggered by low battery voltage or extended cranking while starting the engine. This also is not listed in the manual as a possible cause, so who knows?

Here are the definitions of your codes and the published possible causes:





I'm not saying it's not your A-drum, or pressure control valve, or output speed sensor, or some other internal issue, or even the gear selector cable. But ruling out low fluid might be well worth the time, as would checking for oil in the electrical connector and that the gear selector cable is still securely connected to the transmission.

Cheers,

Don

 

Prices have gone up, guys. Ericsson charges about $3,500 with shipping for a rebuilt 5HP24. Coventry West $3,200 plus. I am going with a new A drum,(TransStar) a pressure regulator valve, torque converter, filter and fluid. Valve body and solenoids all seem good. Two year warranty. Parts $2,285 Labor $1,900. at an independent shop. (Two days, maybe $120 an hour?) While they're at it, I m changing rear main seal that has had a slow leak for years. And, yes, I checked fluid level before I agreed to this spend-a-thon. Car isnt worth that much, but who can part with it especially after doing a throttle body, rear bushings, MAF, a rebuilt diff, ABS module fix, alt/starter, tensioners and chains even a P/S pump.

BTW, there once was a reinforced A drum and a regular A drum from ZF. Pricing didnt make sense. Now there is only the reinforced version. My source: Nat at Ericsson.

Besides the rear main, if there are other known defects or aging out component nearby the tranny, please, please let me know. All suggestions welcome. Ill refresh while I can.

Thanks,

L

 

Len,

I had the same issue with my 2002 xj8 (x308). 70,000 miles It reversed ok but would only move forward a very little with about 1500 rmp.

I changed the fluid, desperate attempt, no help,

I got a new / used transmission from a vendor in Allentown PA. ( I agreed not to disclose the price I paid but it was a good price) I Installed it. Medium difficulty job. Its working great so far I've put about 2000 miles on it. I guess its always a bit of a gamble installing used parts.

Anyhow, I opened the old trans and saw what I think is a destroyed A drive. photo.

This approach worked out for me, maybe...

good luck, jeffxj8

 

Gearbox smooth as glass. But just a few miles from the shop I get P0174 code and Restricted Performance. I have read widely on this site about 02 sensors, MAF sensors, etc. I checked around top side to make sure all air flow channels to the two-year old throttle body are secure and no leaks or cracks.

But this is too coincidental to the tranny job, yes?

What could have been knocked askew or done incorrectly near the transmission to throw this code?

I am of the mind to reset it and see if it comes back. Have not done so yet.

All guesses, suggestions and wisdom welcome!

LA

 

Hi Len!

Great news about your transmission!

It sounds like you've checked well, but it might be worth a closer look at the engine air intake plumbing from the air filter housing to the throttle body, especially on the undersides of pipes and pipe joints. They probably had to allow the engine to tilt while they were removing the gearbox, which may have pulled something loose.

To diagnose the P0174 code, you could monitor the Live Data with your scan tool to see if Bank 2 really is the only side running lean, or if Bank 1 is also lean but has not yet triggered a code (P0171). You can view the fuel trims to see if Bank 2 is running significantly high positive (e.g. +25) and if Bank 1 is similar or closer to 0. You can also compare the readings for the O2 sensors to see if a Bank 2 sensor is reading significantly different from its Bank 1 counterpart (the upstream sensors are probably the ones most relevant).

If Bank 2 really is the only side running lean, check for simple things like a loose oil filler cap or dipstick, disconnected or cracked breather hose, etc.

Cheers,

Don

 

Thanks, Don. I checked those simple things but I didnt run a check on the bank 1 and 2. Will do.

Tilting s hose or the engine makes some sense.

Thanks!

Other ideas, folks?

 

Don, I checked bank 1 and 2 and when it seemed normal to my untrained eyes, I cleared the code. Drove for a day and no code reemerged.

Today the car started normally. Then I got restricted performance again. Can I DM you screen shots of my scanner to see if anything ;jumps out at you?

Thanks,

Len

 

Hi Len,

Sure, you can PM me, but why not post your screen shots here in this thread so you potentially get more brainpower and experience working on your behalf?

Cheers,

Don

 

Cleared the code and this was the live data streams. P0174 came back in 24 hours.