Well while we wait for the new box to get here, I had them pull codes and yeah in short, that transmission is dead. And after flushing the dead transmission, man, so much metal particles! Yeah the transmission rebuild was in order. But no worries, I'll get another box with the reinforced a-drum. Just playing the waiting game now.
Hopefully this will be last time I have to do this.

 

oh yeah, given that the S/C and the non-SC is basically about the same engine but different transmission, what is preventing someone from therorectically bolting up the MBZ trans found in the XJR to an XJ8?

I guess the transmission computer is different (which seem to be relatively cheap compared tothe box.), and driveshaft and mounts maybe? What else am I missing. Havent heard about the MBZ trans given most people early low mileage problems too much and would assume it would last long time on XJ8 given the less power going through it.

 

The MB 'box needs the ECU, kickdown switch, dash harness and selector mech from an R, and probably a few other things for it to work, a big job. And no guarantee it'll behave once in.

 

When dealing with transmission, what isnt a big job?

Wellthinking about going that option. Seems that while costing a little more upfront would save me more down the road, aka, in another 40-70k miles wont be trying to replace the ZF transmission again (Cheapest place here to take it out it out and repair A-drum is no lower than $1,000 total ($650 is just removing and replacing the box). Compared to replacing the box, ecu, shift mechanism, kickdown, and little odds and ends. But I imagine it's no harder then the manual transmission conversion in the XK8/XKR.

But more than likely though to speed up the process and get my car back on the road, I'ma stick with stock again until it goes kaputz again and then I'll probably will do conversion then to MBZ box.