My transmission gave up the ghost! It was on its last legs for the past few months, my running the car after the fluid stopped registering on the dipstick (unbeknownst to me) probably sealed its fate. I topped it up (probably too much) with Dexron 3 (only thing available from the gas station at 3:00 am) and it "ran" for another month. I found I had to let the car warm up for an extended period of time or the car wouldn't move forward with much grace. Of course this all had to happen at the worst the worst time of the year for anything mechanical with temperatures usually in the single digits!
So now I need to replace the transmission.
My first question is model: What is the exact model of the transmission in my 1982 Series 3 XJ6? I know it's a toss up between a Borg Warner BW65 and BW66, but which one, and is there any difference when replacing the transmission and torque converter?
Second question is removing and replacing: Can the work be done with the engine in situ, or does the entire combo need to come out?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

I think all US series 3 had the BW66 box.
Gearbox can be removed without the engine from under the car. Need to raise the car quite high to ensure the bellhousing clears the chassis, but safety first!

 

Before jumping to complete trans replacement, try tightening the clutch bands to see if that helps at all.


Its an external adjustment process and can be done in situ

 

I will try that first, I've read the procedures as outlined in Jag-Lovers. My concern is that I have fried the disc clutches inside the transmission, as I have reverse, but nothing forward.

 

I can tell you from my personal experience that you're right, Tom.
When I started college I bought a *CHEAP* project car that had the same symptoms. In fact, there was a hill between where I bought it and where I had to take it, the only way the car would climb it was in 1 but it had to be hot to do it. It Screamed like the proverbial Banshee in D.

Disassembly revealed NO clutch material on the discs and the pan literally sparkled there were so many steel shavings in the oil, also the shaft seals were hard. This is why you need to have the car good and warm before it will move; seals soften with heat and a bit of pressure is able to build up on what's left of the clutch packs.

This usually happens (Drive doesn't work) because Reverse is controlled by a band, (which also applies in 1 [LOW], hence the name, Low/Reverse band) so those two gears are more or less unaffected by burned clutches.
(';')

 

My progress thus far... Got the old slippy transmission out over the weekend. Had purchased what turns out to be a rebuilt transmission a few weeks ago. Now I just need to clean everything and attempt to get the "new" one re-installed.

Old slippy out





New(ish) hopefully non-slippy transmission.

 

There's Nothing wrong with a rebuilt transmission if the work was done properly. It's Certainly expedient!

I hope it works out for you, Tom.
(';')

 

Absolutely not. A rebuild by a quality shop is as good as and at times better than new.
Unfortunately, the converse is true. Do, I see the tag denoting the shop? That in itself is good. Proud enough to put their name on it.


And, where in the wide wide world would on find a new BW!!!!


Great work. The light has shined forth.


Carl

 

I would have mentioned a transition to a GM 700R and Od. but, that is a few dollars. I suspect you got a good deal on that BW66.


Carl

 

The BW66 is a really good, robust box, it just doesn't have enough ratios, that's all. And anyway with a torquey engine do you need more than 3 ratios ? Of course it was designed before the car makers made engines with aero-engine powers, so cannot take huge powers for long, but, really, it's good enough, as "Detroit" would say !

 

Does the bw66 have a lockup torque convertor?

 

No lock up. That takes a method of control in the box. It isn't there. It is as simple an auto box as can be.


It is the available torque that would make the 4th gear nice.

 

I found the transmission for $400 plus a few hours drive to go pick it up. I believe it came out of a 1985 Series 3 that lost the war to the rot worm. I'm not sure how many miles were on the transmission before it was pulled out and put on the shelf. It's very clean inside, a little evidence of moisture, as is expected in New England, but no gunk in the pan, no shavings on the two magnets. There was a tag on the pan bolt, though I cannot remember who rebuilt it. I'm very pleased with my acquisition. Hopefully it's just a simple bolt in, fill, adjust and drive.

 

Magnets in the pan are good!
If you can rig a cooler in the lines and an inline filter, it should last you for Years and Years!
(';')

 

OK, all done, mostly. The "new" transmission is installed, all the bolts are in and "torqued". I cleaned and coated the parts of the massively complicated mount with POR15. I even repaired the cat/down pipe of the exhaust because I had believed it to be leaking, though welding on that it was too easy to burn a hole right through it and then have to repair that.

I have yet to fully install and adjust the kick down cable. I have read the factory service manual regarding this, but it speaks of hooking up a gauge to the rear of the transmission and test driving. Anyone ever done this? OR any success in simply adjusting it by eyeball and everything working out well in the end?

Please let me know.

 

I had to replace my trans also. I got extremely lucky by hooking up everything as is, everything worked as it was suppose to. I did not have to do any adjustments. Been loving life ever since, besides my fuel issues, but that is a different subject all together.

 

So, the question now is, what to do with the old transmission. I dismantled it completely, as a learning experience. I cleaned and inspected everything and determined that the failure was in the front clutch pack. Pretty much all of the friction material was gone from most of the discs and the steel plates were worn heavily. The rear clutch pack looks to be in good condition as are both brake bands. All other components appear to be in spec with no damage or considerable wear.
Should I:
A - buy a rebuild kit and rebuild the transmission and put it on the shelf for future need.
B - Rebuild it and sell it as a rebuilt transmission (though I'm not a tech)
C - Sell the transmission as a whole for parts or rebuild
D - Part it out (is there a market for serviceable parts?)
E - Throw the whole thing in the scrap heap

Please vote and comment.

 

Tom,
You're half way there if you've already got the thing in pieces on the table! You could rebuild it for personal satisfaction (just to see if you can) if you want to, or keep it as a spare. Get a book for that specific transmission and follow directions. It's Not That Hard!

The transmission was the project in that car I bought in college, the one I mentioned earlier in this thread. I'd never done one before either. But I drove that car several years, on that very transmission.

You can do this, Tom, if you got it apart, you can get it back together. But, don't wait too long or you forget where all those little things go.
(';')

 

Two thoughts:


1. In about 1964, I bought a well worn 57 Ford pickup. It had one of the first auto boxes. Very closely related to the BW 65's and 66's of later years. Alas, it leaked like a sieve!! I dropped it and took it apart. High adventure!! All looked good. Installed a "soft"kit. Well it worked sorta. So, I visited a pro shop. Helpful guys, amazed that I got it back together. They' made some adjustments and voila great. Only a trwo speed box!!!


2. After my DOHC in the jaguar went Tango, I tried to sell it's clean and functioning BW66. No takers!!! I gave it and the bum DOHC away. Taker pleased. SApouse pleased. So, OK!


3. Son and I did a MOPAR slush box. Yowee, no parts left over and it worked!!


Carli

 

Decision made: to the scrap heap it goes.