My 1998 XK8 with 90K miles has left a drop or two of oil on the floor daily since I've had it for a couple of years. I just wipe it up and rarely have to add more oil. All of a sudden it started having puddles of what looks like oil, but looking at other threads the transmission fluid can be coffee color also so I'm not sure and not smart enough to know how to tell the difference. it feels and smells like oil to me. Trying to determine the source I found an opening in what I think is the transmission housing that seems to be above the puddle. I wiped it clean before taking the attached picture, but sticking my finger in the opening there is oil inside. Is there supposed to be something covering this opening? There are some other areas slightly wet with oil, but nothing that concerned me too much before. This just started and my oil level hasn't dropped much, but the puddles may only be an ounce or two so it may not show up much on the dip stick. Is there anything I can check/do before trying to find a shop to take it to?

 

It looks like oil coming down both sides of the transmission so I would be looking at the cam/valve cover gaskets first. You can check by reaching down below the rear of the cover when the engine is cold and of you have wet spot you found it.

 

What is the opening for? There are wet areas on the side, but don't appear to be dripping and I would think it would be hard for oil to pool inside the opening if it was dripping down the side. I did find some oil in a couple of spark plug recesses months ago, chasing a fault code but don't see any drips from that area.
Thanks

 

The opening is to allow access to the flex plate bolts.

If the oil is not coming from the cam cover(s), it could be the rear main crankshaft seal, or, if it proves to be gearbox fluid, from the front pump seal.

 

The opening at the bottom of the bellhousing allows access to the three torque converter securing bolts (one of which can be seen in your photo):



It is normally covered with a black plastic mesh stone guard (see item 2):



This guard just clips in.

Graham

 

I have the same issue, rear engine seal , however my cover for that access point is still there, I know I'll probobly get flack for this , but I did an oil change adding blue devil rear seal additive and it appears after 200 miles to have worked, this is only a temporary fix and pulling the transmission and replacing the seal is the only true fix. But for now I will live and hope, note...my leak was very small so that my be why the additive worked... For now

 

If you want to replace the torque converter housing stoneguard, the part number is NJA4465AA.

 

jeremys, you're correct. I went through the same using Lucas sealant, finally had to replace the rear seal.

 

You need to positively identify the fluid because both engine oil running down from the cam covers/leaking past the crankshaft rear seal OR fluid from the transmission through the front seal are possibilities.

Something is going to let go and far better to repair it in your chosen timescale rather than have it fail on the road.

I had a torque converter fail on an XJ40. Bit of a challenge to change single handed with only a pair of ramps to lift the vehicle. Little more than a month later the transmission front seal failed and dumped the fluid out through the bottom of the bellhousing. Two things I'll never forget - a collapsed torque converter sounds like broken glass rattling around in a tin can and a front seal replacement only costs 1.40 UKP when you DIY.

Graham

 

Thanks for the responses. In my other vehicles transmission fluid smells like transmission fluid. Is there anything different about this fluid. I'm fairly sure it is engine oil, I'll have to see if my oil level drops, but it only seems to puddle after being driven and I'm hesitant to drive it very far now. The engine and transmission have been very smooth and still are up to this point. This just started after I let my son drive the car for the first time. Maybe just coincidence. Anyone have a ball park cost to replace a rear seal? The car is 20 years old, but mostly everything still works and I think still looks cool, but will have to decide what it is worth. I will try the sealant if I find my oil level going down. Again, thanks for the information.

 

As a side note to this. My oil pressure has always dropped to just above red line when idling with the engine up to normal temperature. It comes right back to mid scale when above idle speed. Before the engine warms up it doesn't drop so low. Does this indicate any problems or a need for thicker oil?

 

See if this helps.

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

That's good info Gus but is there any risk of overfilling, I was always under the impression that you would get the most accurate measurement when all the oil had returned to the pan?

 

Low oil pressure at idle may indicate worn main bearings.

Best to test with an external gauge rather than rely on the instrument panel gauge.

 

You can check with a local Jaguar specialist for the cost of replacing the engine rear main bearing seal. Since this requires removal of the gearbox, it may be best to have the gearbox fluid and filter changed along with the front and rear seals.

Replacing the rear main bearing seal by itself should be about 600$US depending on your location.

 

assuming that you have installed the Real Gauge system, it is not out of spec. to have 10.5 to 12.5 PSI oil pressure at idle, fully warmed oil. my technician even warned me to not be shocked by this when i installed the Real Gauge. the scale of the gauge face makes it look dangerously close to the red. if you do not have the Real Gauge installed, the only thing that i can think of is that you are briefly getting a very low read of less than 5 or 6 which could be a bad sender or worse a little wear in the engine bearings.

if you have Real Gauge and get a low pressure warning, the beep, red light and low read; i recommend moving up in the oil to the next recommended viscosity. the base is 5W-30, next is 0W-40 then 15W-40. with synthetics the latter two are often one product as they can cover the range. additionally synthetics tend to be a little thinner in their range. this is why they can do what they do. my friend's XK8 1997 started dipping a little low at hot idle, often after pushing the vehicle a little such as uphill in the engine midrange, makes a lot of heat. he simply switched to Castrol GTX 5W-30 and the problem is gone for over two years. he probably has a slight scratch or cavitation blemish on a bearing surface. worst case he moves up to 10W-40 Castrol GTX. resist the urge to get the 90 weight gear oil or 20W-50 stuff or something similarly insane because you will trash other things that are fine in the process. i do not know about this particular engine, but have removed bearings from below as well as piston ring jobs in place on others.

when you check your main seal, inspect the little block plug just above it as this was my leak. it is torqued with an o-ring. if you want to get really crazy, while the trans in dropped it is easy to replace the A-drum before it breaks.

lastly, invest in a good oil filter. Champion Laboratories champlabs.com
they make the filter for Royal Purple and Amsoil. even though i use synthetic, automotive engineers have told me that as long as you are changing oil according to design and use, the filter makes a larger difference. it is only about $12.00 USD online.

good luck.

 

The local Jag dealer informed me they don't work on the "classic" Jaguars and referred me to another shop in town. That shop told me 6 hr labor at $100/hr plus parts for the rear main seal. Another mechanic who works on imports, but not Jaguars referred me to a different shop who told me 8 hrs labor at $100/hr plus parts. Do shops steer away from the older Jaguars? I found another thread about XK8 rear seals and someone said he changed his own in 3 hours. I'm guessing he knew what he was doing and had the requisite tooling. I'd like to think I am fairly mechanically inclined and have all the common tools, but don't have any experience in this area and don't want to tear things apart and come up against some roadblock so I will pay someone who hopefully is good at this. The previous owner of this car had a lot of it rebuilt and upgraded so it's probably worth putting money into it. As far as the oil pressure goes, the previous owner said he installed "RealgGauge". I had to google it to see what that meant. The oil pressure gauge doesn't have psi markings, only lines so I don't know what the psi is. The low oil pressure idiot light has never come on with the engine running. I'll ask whoever I take the car to about it. This has been very educational for me. Thanks to everyone for the information and advice.

 

Don't be surprised if even a specialist is not aware of the Realgauge. Go to Steve's site thejagwrangler.com for information.

When you do consult a specialist for services it's not a bad idea to come back here for opinions on what was suggested.

I replaced my rear main seal and it took a lot more than three hours, so I think six hours is not out of line.