Well, it was bound to happen. I have a major issue with my 2012 Jag XK (5 liter, NA). I think it is driveshaft or differential-related. Here is the story ... any help is appreciated.

On driving home from work I began hearing a mechanical/metal creak (like a fatigued or stressed piece of metal as you hear in buildings like Chicago, in high wind.) That was 5 miles of stop and go. There was a little thunking in the driveline tunnel. I jacked the car up and tried to see where the issue was/is. I learned nothing.

Next day I drove it to work, thinking the creaking had to be suspension-related, but nothing major. Oh no...I should only be so lucky. I heard a horrible metal sound like splines of a shaft skipping or shearing. Of course, it could have been anything but it happened primarily on deceleration. I hobbled into the office, parked and began wasting my company's investment in me by thinking through the issues. I even contacted a fellow forum member (thank you, thank you, thank you Sean W for being available). We matched wits and decided it had to be the center coupler or driveshaft related.

I drove home and the noise became loud enough and violent enough that I was afraid the car would be disabled in rush hour traffic. Upon deceleration, the crunching, banging noise was happening so I put some throttle down and more pressure on the brakes - and it helped keep the noise at bay. It could have been coincidence but my goal was to put pressure on the driveline (which is when I didnt hear any noise) while coming to a stop.

Fast forward, shop has it now and after a day of looking it over, they think it could be the differential and the driveshaft. Am not feeling very excited about that. I have been searching the forum for similar threads but in the end, I will probably have to rely on the mechanic.

If you are still reading, I would appreciate any feedback you have on any known issues.

Car details are 95K on the clock (miles), tight and runs perfectly fine, no service history to refer to (I bought it from the original owner and, well, I sort of bought the seller not the car.)

 

Too little information provided. let us know what the estimate states.
But with 95k miles, I’m hopeful you’ve done a differential service at some time.

 

I acquired the car in 2021 and haven't yet done any major services. I put at best 500 miles on it thus far.

So...assume that the diff was not serviced. Ugh.

 

...and it seems there are three types of differentials for this car...but based on my SN, mine is the expensive one. Anybody with any experience with the various differentials that can opine on the differences, I would appreciate it.

 

There's two diffs for the 5l

The e-diff for xkr which is LSD and mechanical open diff for the n/a.

There's a member here that actually swaped out his open diff in his xk 5l for a V6 s ftype diff as it comes with LSD which is a straight bolt up according to him .

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That would be interesting...maybe they will see this and post.

 

Clutches, bearings and seals do wear. A jaguar service department may replace the diff whereas a another shop may overhaul the diff. Still, its all guesswork until an inspection is done. And if its on warranty, eureka.

 

Shop went through it all and pronounced the issue very likely dry cv joints.

They repacked the joints with grease and sent me on my way. Changing differential oil next week (they didn't have the proper lubricant.)

Thanks to all that offered help.

 

Was it a clicking noise as this usually points towards CV, grinding or most likely winding noise points to diff centre nevertheless I hope it's fixed

 

Hey steve_k_xk - it was neither. It was more of a sound like splines on a shaft had come out of their proper position and were skipping while trying to go back in. I actually used the phrase, "shearing off" but that might have been a tad over the top. Also, the driveshaft thumped in the tunnel. It makes more sense now that maybe the half-shafts were somehow freezing up or ?

All I know is that they are repacked and I have driven it about 15 miles without any hint of noise or issue.

I need to buy a lottery ticket. Or, ask Britney Spears out on a date.

 

Without a doubt, she is waiting for you to do just that.

 

She's quite fond of the xk

 

Just a quick follow up as I know there are different approaches to repacking CV joints @Speedmaster . Did they pack with the joints in situ? Eject via needle? Remove them and R&R the clamps? Finally how many hours did they charge/take for the job?

 

Those are all very good questions. Short answer ... I have partial feedback. My understanding was that they r/r the joints. They inspected them, said they were caked with dried-out grease. Said that the bearings appeared to be fine. They then greased them up. They said they inspected the differential fluid (not sure how you do that short of a syringe and the replacing what you take out. They also r/r the driveshaft. Not sure what else to add to that part. Total job for all of the above was ~800. I am not upset nor am I thrilled. What I do know is that it is better than a new differential.