I seriously have a problem with my mechanic he's such a money hungry *****.

Wanted my trans rebuilt and took it to him asked how much it would cost he said around $1200 i said thats fine do it. 3 months after the date it was booked to be fixed i get it back and he said it only needed a new filter . . the bill was $900 for labour new filter oil. was not happy as i wanted it rebuilt. anyways after that was done i drove 3hours to another town noticed no trans fluid . . . got more drove home. . . no more fluid left. booked it in last week for him to fix it today as it wasnt leaking before i took it to him, mechanic had a quick look and told me the torque converter seal is stuffed i asked him if he fixed it he said no.
Well im moving towns this saturday which is 3 hours away and i need my car driveable otherwise i have no idea wtf to do.

How hard is it to change a torque converter seal and is there anything else i need while im at it? any special tools required etc i need to try fix this myself tomorrow otherwise im stuck on the street with no money no car and noway to shift. but don't want to get into it now if its a job im not able to complete in 1 day start to finish.

Thanks

 

I am assuming you realise it is transmission out to do that seal?.

That is not a simple task in anyones book.

With a hoist, the right tools etc, a full day would see it done, just.

 

Yeah but is the seal itself easy to replace? unbolting the trans and taking it off is the easy part just wasn't sure about assembly when i got to the seal is it still straight forward?

 

Seal is pretty straightforward: it's a seal. A little more complex if the shaft is grooved. Trans shop can handle.
Sounds like you'd better change mechanics before you start changing the seal. $900 labor to change the filter and oil? Really?
If you already have a negative experience or opinion of a mechanic or shop, stop using them and find another. Some are out there just robbing people who don't know better; most are trying to do a good job, though.

 

Consideration:
You're relying on the advice that the converter seal is stuffed by the same person who misdiagnosed the transmission in the first place and charged you 900$ to do a minor service. Get a 2nd opinion. Sometimes a bad transmission with an internal leak will blow fluid out strange places like the front seal or top vent.


Your question:
After you remove the transmission you simply remove the torque converter. Wiggle it slowly and it will just pull out. Be sure to note the depth the converter sits inside the bell housing so when you reinstall it you know its in properly. Then examine the key shaft on the converter where the seal rides. Use normal tools to replace the seal just like any other round lip seal. Use a seal puller to remove and get a socket that rides on just the metal of the seal or use a seal installer tool to install. If the old seal was dried out it may have left a ridge on the converter and if it did you will need a remanufactured converter. The tricky part is reinstallation. The converter engages the front pump by keyway in the converter and pump. You have to catch it just right so the convert bottoms out in the pump drive properly. This is why noting the depth before you remove the converter is important.

 

Thanks for the answers, and yes true im not 100% sure it's the seal i'm just going by his word. he said when its in gear driving it squirts fluid out which is why there was no fluid on the ground when parked and it drained out when i was driving, which is why im scared to fill it back up with fluid and drive as not sure how long it takes for fluid to drain i think its pretty fast.

if the torque converter is stuffed are they easily available to buy new at a local auto parts store?

 

OK, the ehad is a tad clearer at the moment.

Since it was NOT leaking prior to his involvement, and now it IS, my thought process is as follows.

He had the pan off.

He undid the huge nut for the filler tube to do so.

He replaced the filter.

He replaced the pan with a NEW gasket, and DID NOT overtighten it, thus destroying the gasket?????.

He refitted that huge nut for the filler tube. NOW it gets interesting,

That nut is a mongrel to refit if you if you do not watch what you are doing, it is SO easy to cross thread (seen heaps here), and then the Gorilla realises, and tightens it with a BIGGER spanner, applies thread tape/RTV/whatever, but it does not seat the filler pipe properly, and no matter how tight, it will NOT seal. Sometimes the spigot in the pan gets cracked/ripped out, during this nonsense.

Before getting the trans out, slide under the beast, have a look, it will be something he has messed with I am sure.

 

none of this makes sense to me... first of all $1200 to rebuild a tranny is a good quote, its like he only said that to lure you in, but al he did was change fluid and filter... how does that add up to $900.

I say you've already paid him more than enough to get your transmission operating like new. does he not guarantee his work? he should fix the leak free of charge, he caused it!!!

 

just thinking about this is making me mad, so sorry about your troubles man.

the more expensive transmission filter kits including the gasket and such that I saw online still only cost like $25, add the price of shipping and handling and transmission fluid and round way up to say... $75 and figure in the typical $60 an hour mechanic fee... ... ... it took you're mechanic 13 hours and 45 minutes to change a freaking filter gasket and fluid. He should be embarrassed and ashamed of himself, I'm a novice and I could have that job done in an hour tops, and I don't have a nice shop or lift at my disposal.

You should march back to that mechanic and run these numbers by him, and see if he doesn't go ahead and fix your tranny RIGHT.

 

The receipt here says, trans filter $19.85 trans oil $144 trans gasket $9.85 labour $555. was off about $200 added upto just over 700 but still I could of changed a filter myself I was expecting a full rebuild as that is the only thing that hasn't been rebuilt in my Jaguar.

I even booked it in 3 weeks before hand before i took it in for the day it was ment to get fixed and took at least a month to get it back and had trans problems ever since.

These are making me sad about owning a jaguar had problems ever since just little things which could be avoided if people done there job right ^.^ but im still going to hang onto it it looks so nice and nice to drive.

He also told me he tightened my belts which not sure how to do that this is my first auto i have owned but ever since then when it gets to 2nd gear it seems to drive not the same like the belt is to tight and i have to put the pedal down harder for the car to even move it sort of seems like my brakes are still on but it only does this in 2nd gear first gear and 3rd seem fine and accelerates fine with slight gas but not in 2nd.

i wont be going back to this mechanic and i told him to fix the leak because it wasn't leaking before hand but he said its a new problem and he had nothing to do with why it broke.

Side note, Have found a good trans and torque converter for only $300 which seems cheap imo but its from a series 3 jaguar, do series 3 jaguars have the same trans and torque converter as a series 2, I know they are efi not carb but not sure other differences in drive train, or would a series 1 be the same as series 2? 1 and 3 are common parts over here but to see a series 2 parts is very hard to come by at a decent price .

 

I have had a look underneath to see if i can find anything but couldnt see any leaks when i wiped the fluid clean around the trans, i started it as well and looked but couldnt see a leak only leaked when driving, not sure if the nut fault you described leaks while running or just driving but haven't been able to jack the back wheels to go through the gears while i get underneath as my jack isn't very good and wouldn't jack both wheels high enough for it to be safe.

 

Mmmm, reading the whole post several times before typing.

That dipstick nut would leak 24/7, so forget that theory for now.

A few things you mention lately have me thinking, so here goes.

It apparently drove fine (sort of) before his intervention, but for some reason he has convinced you to rebuild it when all it needed was some fresh fluid. The filter in these is a Brass mesh thing, and simply washing it in solvent is more than adequate.

I am thinking he has removed the trans, removed the convertor for some reason, then refitted the convertor, and nicked the seal, easily done, and in the midst has adjusted the bands, tooooo tight.

Then the gearchange issues point to "kickdown" cable adjustment. It sounds like it is adjusted too tight. That adjustment is fiddly to do, but certainly not rocket science.

Also remember the lowering of the fluid will result in loss of drive, gear change issues, so maybe that is more of an issue than that cable adjustment.

With the amount of oil you are apparently dropping, I would expect the underside of the car to be totally soaked, as would the rear suspension unit. Also when you park up, the drips of oil on the ground would be numerous and large, trust me, I have had a convertor seal leaking and the mess is HUGE.

If he has dissmantled the transmission, and not filled it correctly, and with enough fluid (maybe 9litres or more), in which case, the drop in fluid as you drive it is "normal" as all the internals fill with fluid. This is normally sorted at the initial start after such a job, taking about 3 minutes tops.

Is there a mess under the car when you park it??.
Is the underside of the car coated in oil??.

To find out where all this oil is going is most important to giving good concise advice.

 

if the belt is to tight will that cause damage, should i loosen it abit?

there is fluid under on the trans covering the pan but not really sure if its elsewhere was abit hard to see when i had a look under but there isnt any big marks where it is parked just the odd little one

and thats good to know about the filter but im assuming hes thrown away the brass mesh one

Thanks for all the useful info as well good to know for the future

 

A too tight belt can damage the bearings of the various components it is driving, so if it is too tight, I would back it off slightly. Not too much, or slippage will be annoying you.

Sooooo, if there is no oil in copious amountrs dripping off the bottom of the car, I reckon he simply did not fill it correctly.

My suggestion is to get it on an area that is as level as possible (dont get carried away with that, just as level as you have easily available) and run the engine, brakes ON, move thru the gears, return to "P", leaving the engine running, remove the trans dipstick, wipe it with a rag, re-insert, and remove again and note the level reading. It may not even have a reading, so add a pint (1/2ltr) of fluid, recheck, and so on, until you get a reading at the "full cold" mark.

That "cold " reading is fine for now.

Go for a drive, about 5 miles or so, which is deemed the distance to get the trans fluid up to temperature to give an accurate reading on the "hot" scale.

Check it again as above, but being as how it is now HOT, be careful. Do not panic if it is over the full mark a bit, it will be fine.

Now you have it where it is designed to be, you can accurately note if it still drops as before.

Some moisture around that tin pan under the front edge of the transmission is a sign of that seal leaking, or the pan gasket weeping (it travels in there) and the amount of oil will deem if it is BAD, or not so bad. OK, it should be dry, but some careful diagnosis here will assist with nailing this fool if that is the path you choose.

 

I did fill it up a little bit over full when i first realised it was low but now its not on the dipstick again and only done about a 5minute drive which is why i took it back to him because it couldn't of dissapeared, Am taking it into another mechanic today so he can have a look at it on monday and i will also ask him to check the belts if they are to tight fingers crossed this mechanic is better and not going to charge an arm and a leg.

Will let you know how it all goes

 

best of luck to you!

 

Have dropped it down to another mechanic today to look at and he's going to give me a quote and see what he thinks is leaking.

I'm thinking they are going to charge me about the same as it would cost me to buy another trans+ torque converter which i can install myself but would this trans and torque converter bolt onto my series 2 jaguar with a twin carb engine? Jaguar/Daimler XJ6 Borgwarner 65 | Trade Me its out of an 1986 xj6 series 3

 

Thats confusing a little.

BW65 is S2 6 cylinder.

BW66 is S3 6 cylinder.

Basically the same transmission, the 66 was strengthened in some internal areas to handle the FI engines HP rating.

Both will physically fit in either car. The S2 has a heavyish flywheel, and the S3 has a flexplate (lighter tin plate thing).

When I put a BW65 into my '65 S Type, in lieu of the BW DG, I used a S3 flexplate and the BW65 transmission. OK many other items had to be addressed, but not related to the original ask.

You will require the CORRECT torque convertor for each variation of transmission, meaning BW65 TC is for BW65 only, etc.

I would NOT use a BW65 in a FI S3, MY opinion only. The BW66 being "toughened" for a reason should stay with the S3 engine.

 

Thanks for that and mine is a series 2 so the bw65 should be ok but good to know a series 3 will bolt up might get one of those instead for a slight upgrade

 

Good idea.

Get the trans, convertor, flexplate for the '66, or spring for a new flexplate would be nice, and a NEW kickdown cable, which is easy to fit with the thing in bits.

Fit a NEW convertor (front pump) seal whilst its out, mmmmm.