HNY !
a helper and I will be replacing the BW66 transmission of my 1984 XJ6 with another BW66 with engine in place and will appreciate any advice since I have never before attempted this.

Thank you.

 

It’s all simple enough, it’s just nuts and bolts, biggest thing is support the engine, or it will come to rest on the steering rack and bad things happen!!
Been a while since I did it, so nothing special comes to mind, if you still have the flexplate that came with engine you got from me, I would say use it, as it’s the solid type, doesn’t have the rivets that come loose and sound like a machine gun!

 

Darrenmb,
thank you. Yes I still have everyrhing I got from you. Yes I want to use the solid flex plate.

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As Darren said, an engine support is needed. I think I purchased mine from harbor freight along with a transmission jack. The transmission jack is very helpful also. You might check craigslist or facebook marketplace in your area. A lot of people buy these two items for one specific project then look to sell them.

-lots of various socket extensions and wobble extensions are needed for getting to the bell housing bolts
-begin hitting exhaust bolts with pb blaster or similar; dropping exhaust from manifold is necessary as I recall for access
-take lots of photos of that transmission mount before disassembly; it's a complicated affair and if it's a while between removal and reinstallation, you're going to forget how it went together;
-take lots of photos in general; I recall having a hard time recalling a few things and having to consult my photos,

 

Thanks Noah. Good idea to take photos. I have lots of tools. Maybe I should order the mounts in advance ? the car still has the original rubbers. First time the original transmission has been removed.

 

Only thing I can think of it unbolt the torque converter from the flexplate, There is the access panel at the bottom remove than to see the bolts. You will have to rotate the engine to get all the bolts. Front crank pulley size is 1-5/16". Once the torque converter is unbolted. then pry it back as far as you can into the transmission. There should be a pilot stub on the torque converter that goes into the crankshaft.

Once the transmission is unbolted from the engine, slide everything backwards to remove the torque converter from the crankshaft, then drop trans and torque converter down. Transmission and torque converter should come out together as a unit.

 

Thanks Jagboi64. Will do.

 

Raise the front of the car as high as you can so that there is enough clearance for the gearbox to come out from under the car once you drop it. You probably need to go slightly higher than a standard pair of axle stands will take it or the gearbox will be stuck between the car’s underside and the floor of your garage.

 

we will be raising it on a lift, not on jackstands. I already confirmed a jack for the transmission but are unsure how to support the engine, if from above or from below.

 

Engine support is from above. A piece of timber across the engine bay is sufficient, resting on the fender joints. Then tie up the engine to the wood, a ratchet strap is sufficient.

 

as in a 2 by 4 ?

 

Yup, that should be fine.

 

Hi Jose,
In my younger days ( later 90's ) when I first owned an XJ6, I had to drop the trans TWICE by myself to replace a leaking front seal. The second time was because the new seal started leaking between the metal shell and the trans case ! I would make sure to clean the seal mounting area, use your sealant of choice inside as well as filling the seal to case seam making a caulk "bead" around it. It's out of site and might save ALOT of aggravation later ! Car was on jack stands, engine braced from bottom ( not so good ), with a cheap regular floor jack to hold the trans until loose. Then I wrestled it from under the car ! Younger & dumber days indeed !

As mentioned, you will want a variety of wobble & other extensions to remove the large number of fine thread mounting bolts ( 14 seems stuck in my memory ). A air ratchet might be very handy too, as the space to work is minimal.
Lastly you will need plenty of Fast Orange GoJo etc as you will get nasty !

Cheers !
Brian

 

Well well,
I got the transmission replaced by a garage located four red lights from where I store the XJ6.

Totally unknown to me, it is a garage that repairs Mercedes, Jaguar, BMW, RR.
Totally hidden, it was referred to me by the prez of the Florida Jaguar Club.
Took the car on monday, it was completed by thursday.
Cost was as expected.

Replacement transmission shifts fine except it is shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear too quickly when I step on the pedal from zero.

Is there any adjustment for this ? The old transmission shifted later from a standstill.

Or is this normal and the old transmission was wrong?

 

It depends. If the shop set the low band and the transmission kickdown cable properly (the latter has to be set using a pressure gauge) it should be fine. Your old gearbox could have had a knackered governor, which would delay the 1-2 shift. There could have been other things afoot in the old box as well.

 

thanks metalbasher.
I don't know how they set those items or if a pressure test was done.

**I also had the flex plate replaced with a solid flex plate. Same Starter was reused though I forgot to give them a High Torque Starter to replace the original.

 

I don't understand. I thought a flexplate was supposed to flex? How can a flexplate be solid and inflexible? What am I missing? Ian

 

Solid as in single piece, not one that’s riveted together

 

yes Iramphal, like Darren said, no rivets, looks like a Flywheel, solid steel. I got it from Darren. I kept the original flex plate. It does not flex at all.

 

Jose, thanks for the clarification. What is the benefit of using a solid plate. I thought it was supposed to flex for a reason. Does the original just provide a softer shift from Park to Reverse or Drive by absorbing the transmissions initial engagement to the engine? Ian