Due to the very cold weather and snow in Denver recently I parked my 07 XK ( 47k miles) for about 10 days w/o driving her in my unheated garage. When I finally backed her out I noticed a puddle of "oil" about 8 inches in diameter. A finger test showed it to be some sort of oil, but it was located at the rear of the automatic transmission. I searched the forums and found a fellow( search "orange oil") who had a picture of exactly what I saw under my car, but there was no solution given:



I put the car up on my lift and pulled off the transmission mount bracket:



after cleaning her up I found no source of the leak. I decided maybe it was just the drain plug, so I carefully tightened it up. I was able to give it about 1 full turn.
My theory is that the extended cold period allowed the plastic to contract and allow leakage. The other fellow also mentioned he had parked his car for an extended period in December. I noticed he is from Canada so it was probably pretty cold there also.
I will report back after a few weeks when I see if I fixed it.

 

My transmission pan was leaking and had to replace it. Jag dealer said they are seeing a lot of that. Replaced at 27K miles.

 

Did they say the pan was cracked?, warped? Or what?

 

I don't think it was cracked, just really leaking. Had an indy shop do the work.

 

I have not worked on an XK (unless you consider my E type) but I have had over 50 years working on a variety of sports cars. Based on what I see in the picture this looks like a pan gasket leak. There is no sign of a leake coming from the plug. Also I am not sure but you can correct me but it looks like the pan (cover) is made out of plastic. If so I would look for either cold/heat expansion or a crack as the problem. By the way did you re-torque the pan screws. If the pan is aluminum then it would either be a gasket problem or it is warped. In either case I would predict it will leak again. What I would do is drop the pan and check it for flatness and or cracks. Look closely at the bolt holes. Replace the gasket and torque per specs. Please let us know what you find.

 

You are correct, they are plastic and in my case it was leaking around the gasket at minimum. Unfortunately, that means basically the only option is the pan-filter-fluid replacement kit.

 

The six speed ZF is known for leaking at the sleeve where the wire harness goes thru the case. Many threads on it. Cheap to fix as the updated sleeve is only about $20 but can only be installed with the pan off.

The pan can leak too but is less common.
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I think you are correct. After removing the transmission mount I inspected the trans and there was no source of the leak up high. I have read about the leak where the wiring passes through but in my case I don't think thats it.

 

Since I started this thread I have not had a leak. I snugged up the trans pan bolts and the drain plug and haven't seen a leak for months. Due to our recent snows in Denver I haven't driven the car for a couple weeks. I looked under it this morning and the puddle is back, same place. I don't understand why it only leaks when it sits for a long time? Any ideas? I guess I need to get a new pan/gasket/filter assembly.

 

What it the temperature of the garage you are parking the car in. Is it heated or unheated. If unheated I would suspect the cold has allowed the pan/gasket to move which would cause the leak. When you drive and warm up the car the gasket expands and the pan will move. Also you might find the gasket is cracked when you remove the pan or maybe the pan is warped or out of flatness . I guess the only way is to pull the pan. Please keep us informed as to what you find.

 

I had similar issue with car in garage in Calgary over a winter. What happened was the oil filter gasket got cool and dry and shrank a little and just needed snugging up. Big pool of oil so I thought it was something major!

 

Thats a good suggestion Jagtoes! Both times we did have a cold snap and my garage is not heated. When I did drive it regularly I saw no leak...possibly keeping gasket warm and sealed! Will let you know when I get a chance to put it on my lift.

 

I came home after a 4 month leave and found the same problem with my 03 Stype. Took it to the shop, 3/4th quart low. Filled it and they added some dye so if it leaks again it will indicate where. It has not leaked since I have driven it every day. Very strange. I suspect an old seal or gasket on the pan. Hand the pan replaced over a year ago, however. It has 172K's on it but still runs great and looks classy. I will take it to the garage in the morning to see what they find. Very puzzled here.

 

Took it back to my shop and it showed a very very minor leak I believe around the place where the electric wires go into the transmission casing. There was no leaking on the garage floor after a week and still not spots. The mechanic said to keep an eye on it. Unless it becomes major, I will not have more work done on the leak. Will keep you posted. Still puzzling.

 

I wanted to update on my trans leak. I posted my trans pan replacement procedure with pictures on a separate thread. The repair worked and I have had no leaks for several weeks. We even had a long cold spell when I did not drive the Jag, which for some reason was a cause of the leak. No leak this time! The cause was never apparent, not the electronics sleeve as others have had. But replacing the pan/filter assembly worked. Be sure to order from California Transmission Supply....great prices and fast shipping!

 

Yesterday I posted about my tranny leak... today I lifted the vehicle and by inspection It appears to be leaking at the sleeve where the wire harness goes thru the case. I do house the car in a garage and I keep it from freezing but I think temperatures need to be about 50 to 60 degrees to avoid contractions and expansions. The pan looks like it’s made with some poly material which could possibly crack but as I inspected the area I cannot id and cracks. Someone had mentioned they may have lost ¾ quart of fluid… this is when I wish the tranny was not sealed. My kit cat is 11 years old with 31k miles and I was avoiding to dropping pan… is there a way to inspect the fluid level hopefully through some inspection port and add fluid if necessary before doing the pan kit? I understand the wire harness kit requires the pan to be dropped. I would like to repair it myself any assistance would be greatly appreciated.