HI GUYS!

some of you may have read my threads, some may not.
long story short i bought a 88' vanden plas that wasn't running when i finally got her running something bad happened to transmission or transfer case, decided to sell, sold on ebay for $325 and buyer backed out of deal!!!

so i decided to keep the jag, i have an audi as a winter project and will take most winter to "save $" and "figure out the problem".

here's where i need some help, advice.

as i was driving the car made a grinding noise, i slowed down and drove back slow but eventually the car stopped. it leaked most of the transmission oil which was very thick and almost pink like a strawberry milkshake. so anyway any ideas on what happened? or what to look for?

hopefully u guys will b able to help me out n find the problem as this car is almost costing me a divorce.

THANK YOU GUYS

 

Lazzy,

It could be a number of things that caused the transmission to spill it's fluid and grind away... Without a complete strip down and/or pictures and/or an audio recording of what you described then it's going to be difficult to diagnose unless you are ready to get your hands (very) dirty.

First thing to do is get under the Jag with a mirror and a torch and completely go over the casing to try and figure out where the fluid leaked from...did it leak from the front seal? or the rear seal? or is there a hole in the casing? or did it spit it out the dip stick? or from around the sump seal? or from the selector shaft seal? maybe your torque converter decided to disintegrate?

From what you have said, there is going to be a seal or two (possibly more) that will need replacing for starters....I say "starters" because you will only really get a good idea of what's going on when you have a good look at the internals and you can't do that with the transmission in the Jag.... Failing seals are normally only a sign of something else going/gone wrong.

So if you are still keen to get your Jag up and reliably running then I'd be getting ready to pull it out and strip it down ready to either 1) investigate and fix it yourself... 2) investigate and get someone else to fix it... or... 3) investigate and source a good used or rebuilt transmission to replace your broken one.

From all the things you have been through, and I know you have said that you don't have much room (or money), I'd personally be keeping the Jag for parts and then look to buy another one in better running condition to keep you busy... I say this because there's not a lot of point in throwing good money after bad....

 

It is hard to say.







one baby that i am especially excited to meet is Harper Lee Moore who will be gracing us with her presence in just a few days! here’s a look at the invitations i made for her baby shower invitations

nailcare-tips.com

 

Well one thing it is not, is a transfer case. You haven't got one on a 2WD XJ40.

You've already decided that the car is not worth anything, hence your selling price of $325.

If the body, etc is mint, then why not slowly try to find one with a decent box and bolt it in.

You would at least have a spares car at the end of it.

It all comes down to how much you want to save this car.

If you have the box rebuilt then I would guess that you are keeping the car for life, but what will go next? The diff, the engine, the PS system, the brake accumulator....All of which are waaay more expensive than your $325.

Just my thoughts.

 

Sad but true! Have u guys been talking to my wife? She constantly reminds me the car is not worth a dime lol I would really like to save this car I know money wise makes no sense, but I feel like I could rescue it. I guess because I've never had an older car I just wish I could save this thing. But I agree it might make more sense to move on I just hate the feeling of failure. I have been determined to save her. I might just keep the body put some $ aside an do a complete overhaul! Maybe throw one of the Chevy v8 in. Idk! I've lost my mind but for now imma stick with it! Thanks for ur time!

 

Lazzy:
Dude, as much as I admire your tenacity, if it were me, I'd let this car go. It looks like you have plenty of them in the garage, and by letting this one go you would in no way be any kind of failure. As I always say, cars are cars; at some point they're going to break beyond what is reasonable to repair. And even though it's pretty, this Jag is still just a car. It could be potentially wasteful to spend money on something that very well may never run again. You might have more fun (and get into the holiday spirit!) taking those hundreds (or thousands?!) by going downtown and handing money out to the homeless! The other thing is, by letting it go you are not just freeing up space in the driveway, you are freeing up space in your brain. And perhaps it's just my age or stage in life, but I think that is worth its weight in gold.

Just my two cents... and you know what they say about opinions!
Cheers,
Scott

 

I saw you bit on dropping a chev in the Jag.
But I have read somewhere that the the 86-89 jags wont fit a V engine of any type because the Jag engineers were too scared that Rover would put their V8 in it so it was made to not fit one until the 90's.
If this is true it could a fortune to alter the engine bay to make it fit.

 

True....but easily fixed....just drop a V8 in the boot (plenty of room in there!) and make it rear engined/rear wheel drive!!!