1999 Jag XK8 , I had a serious rear main seal leak. Red Devil/Barr's did nothing but make things worse. I pulled the tranny , changed the seal , have everything back in place. The old fluid and the pan looked great. There were no metal shavings in the bottom of the pan when I pulled it down, (some sludge on the magnets). The transmission fluid was dark but still transparent. It did not have a burnt smell to it. (perhaps it was changed previously). Looked like the factory filter from Germany and it looked pretty clean as well. Car has 170K on the O.D. I put about 4 qts of transmission fluid in her (her name is "Luvvy") She was able to go into gear and drive her around my lot at work a little bit to move her from the lift to the parking lot. I put another qt and a half in her thinking it would help , but now she wont move at all. I filled her correctly with the infrared thermometer to 40 degrees Celsius until , drip drip then tightened the drain plug. When I shift , it sounds like she is going in gear , but no torque is available to move her. I have checked the linkage cables and they seem like they are in the correct position with the shift linkage moving to the correct position. I have cleared all the codes and re started. I get "Traction control and stability control failures" (I have cleaned the plugs and sprayed down the sensors with contact cleaner") I am at my wit's end. Can any of you enthusiast's offer any help pretty please? Thanks so much, Danbeatles
feel free to send me any tips here on the forum or REMOVED PERSONAL CONTACT INFO FROM PUBLIC FORUM I have pics of the whole process if that will help.

 

If she moved before you added more fluid and now she doesn't and nothing else has changed, I would progressively drain some fluid from the level/fill plug and see if that restores movement. If the engine is running only a trickle should come out but if you loosen the level plug but if the engine is not running and you are careful you will be able to drain out a few 100 mls each time and see what happens. Obviously, make sure the battery is in good condition and fully charged before doing anything else.

Richard

 

What fault codes are you getting?

 

I have the exact same car - same year and color, AND unfortunately I need to do my rear main seal now also. Sorry about your issue!

 

Hi Scott , Its Dan from Fayetteville NC.
It is a bitch of a job, I will start there.... You have to be patient and not expect it to go smoothly. You will curse the engineers and almost hate your car during this proceedure.
A few tips that will really help you out , as there is not a ton of info out there.
Video you will watch about 20 times , very helpful:

 A how to on removing the transmission after exhaust and driveshaft are out of the way.
www.youtube.com 

Tools I went and purchased that really helped and are critical:
Wobble socket extensions 3/8" drive assorted lengths (harbor freight around 30 bucks)
Swivel socket, used for starter bolts, exhaust manifold bolts, really helped out alot. The top starter bolt you have to use 3 extensions. It helps alot if the oil filter is removed. Upon re installation some Buetel tape (its sticky like chewed gum, black in color) really helped. I put a small ball of it on a 13 mm socket and put the bolt in the socket to hold it steady.
When removing the bell housing bolts I used 5 long extensions to my deep socket. You need that many to have your 1/2" impact gun have enough room to get in there to the top bolts of the bell housing.
The torque converter mates only one way to the fly wheel. Score one of the bolts before you remove it from the fly wheel so you can re attach it correctly. I used a paint marker on mine, but after I cleaned everything the mark went away. When I went to re mate it after seal installed, the fly wheel bolt holes would not mate up correctly. FINALLY I figured out that it only goes One way ..... (I lost a few nights sleep thinking of why it wouldnt line up, then I got it right)
When you have your catalytic converters down and out, one thing I found tremendously helpful was I re tapped and died the exhaust studs. This proved to be an excellent move (also use graphite "Never seize" on any bolts/threads). Each stud is $20 if you break one! Use WD 40 a few hours before you try to break them free. Your swivel socket will come in handy. Have a nice bright light to shine down on the manifold, It's tight in there , but you can just barely get your hand in there. The beutal tape comes in handy when you go to re install the manifold nuts.
When you remove the transmission cooler lines take a squishy ear plug hearing protector and put it in the end of the line to keep gunk/dirt out. Then I took a plastic bag and zip tied it around each of the lines. The heat shield on the driver's side will interfere with your removal of the coolant lines as well, I took the 8mm shield bolts off and bent the tin out of the way. It gives you "just enough" room to get the line to pop out. Be sure to replace that tiny little o-ring at the end of the cooler line while you are in there, on both sides.
Score the linkage for the shifting lever on the driver's side before removing the 8mm bolts. Also , score , on the passengers side the position of the neutral safety switch. Paint is no good as you will be giving her a deep cleaning when everything is down.
I went through 12 cans of carb cleaner in total , just cleaning up everything in sight.
Be sure you score the driveshaft position before you remove it.
Get a new transmission pan gasket and filter (amazon) buy the best you can afford. I went with fram for the filter, and fel pro for the rear main seal.
When you finally get the pan off, pay close attention to the color, smell and taste of the old transmission fluid. (the taste part is a joke, dont drink any) there are 4 magnets in the pan. One in each corner. Look for signs of metal and shavings. They tell a story. Luckily mine was pretty darned clean with no metal chunks or pieces. I cleaned it profusely with carb cleaner until it was bright, shiny and new looking. I also sprayed carb cleaner all over the solenoids on the bottom of the trans. I got everything as clean as possible before putting the pan back up. I would suggest taking your utmost time and care when you remove the transmission bolts. Once again, spray them down with WD40 the night before you plan to remove them. I also took a small pick and a stiff wire brush and cleaned each of the torx head bolts to ensure I wouldnt strip any of them. I used a ratchet with a 3/8" drive and made sure my torx bit inserted all the way and firmly before trying to undo anything. I would recommend the purchase of a torx bit socket set 3/8" drive (harbor freight around 20 bucks). You may want to buy a new transmission drain plug as well. Mine was incredibly tight, I thought I was going to strip it out, but it finally gave way. My torx bit (hex head) bit was stuck in my plug and I just left it in there. (I will order a new plug and replace it)
I would also recommend a can of electronic component cleaner for all your plugs and sockets ($8 can any auto store) be sure to clean the big connector on the drivers side of the transmission, the O2 sensor plugs/ sockets, the neutral safety switch itself, and the plug/socket on the other end.
I also purchased a tube of "Mega Black" silicone sealant $15 any auto store. I used this on the Oil seal gallery plug that is 12 o'clock on the engine block when you remove the fly wheel. This is an area that is proned to leak. I removed the plug (has a giant allen key head) , cleaned it , then put a thin bead of the silicone on it. Doing this while I was in there , allowed me to sleep better at night , knowing that it wouldnt leak after I completed the job.
I took great care to clean the rear main seal race with brake cleaner to make it spotless. I tapped the new seal in using a wooden block and a dead blow hammer to make it flush with the motor housing. Be careful not to hammer it in too deep. I lubricated the inner seal before I re mounted the torque converter.
While on the subject of the torque converter itself: If you are able to suck out all the old fluid that is in it more power to you . I made a homemade rig with my transfer pump ( I bought one at harbor for $10 bucks, you will need this for re filling the trans fluid) You will also need an infrared temp reader $25 harbor for filling the case to the proper level when you are done. 95 degrees till you get the drip drip. Videos are available if you search them up. This thermometer can be used later to check the doneness of your steak so it's well worth it. Fantastic little thing to have in your life. You will monkey around and measure the temp of all kinds of stuff. Your wife will get sick of you saying "look honey" the A/C is 72 degrees etc.
When you go to re install everything be sure that you connect all of the rear exhaust first , then to the cats and THEN to the manifold. I made the mistake of putting the cats on first and then not having enough room to maneuver the X Flow pipes correctly. I also used never seize on the pipes themselves , it gave it plenty of movement to get it back into place. Clean any and all threads you encounter. I sanded the exhaust pipes lightly and cleaned them up the best I could. Makes everything smooth and dreamy when you re install. I would suggest a set of small wire brushes $6 harbor. I used them on plenty of nuts and bolts you will interract with on this journey.
I hope all this helps as it was all info I had to learn along the way and experience. I wish I had had a post like this to guide me.
Great colored car you have and a good looking dog too!
Reach out if you have any questions, I'll do my best to help.
Danbeatles

 

I forgot to mention this:
I was not able to vacuum out the old fluid from the torque converter. What I did was leave the converter out in the afternoon sun. It made the fluid seep out because of the heat. It took me a few days to empty. The heat will fill up the center of the converter , which you dump out. Swirl it around , rinse and repeat until its empty. It's a bit arduous but it works.

 

after clearing codes im getting traction control and stability control failures.

 

you wasted a lot of time trying to get the starter out it doesn’t have to get touched

if your converter is spinning and engaged onto the splines with a full level you lost all line pressure

 

Did you refill the torque converter before installation ? Asking because I don't see it mentioned in your notes.

 

If you fully drained the box and TC, but only put 5.5 quarts back in, then you are low on fluid.

 

Surely the torque converter will be refilled by the pump once you start the engine?

Richard

 

This is correct. 5.2 litres is leaving the box seriously underfilled and that will be the problem. I always put more than that in and I don't drain the TC.

I think that the TC should refill itself from the pump but it's going to take time unless something has been incorrectly reassembled such as the TC not being located correctly on the input shaft, which is a common mistake I believe.

If the engine is running and the gears have been run through and you cannot get at least another quart into the fill plug without it overflowing, then I suspect that the TC is not seated correctly.

Richard

 

Yes, the TC will refill from the pump on startup but you risk serious TC damage if your start it up dry - You might be okay because the TC did have at least some fluid in it.

However I doubt the accuracy of your transmission fluid level readings until the TC has been filled, it may be beneficial to thouroughly recheck your fluid level which I believe will be very low.

As mentioned by other forum members, the TC may not be correctly installed - do your revs drop when you engage gear ? If not this may indicate that the TC is incorrectly installed.

 

Yes she starts up, idles at 900 pm. When she goes into gear the rpm's seem to drop. I will re check fluid levels next chance I have on the lift.

 

You still haven't told us what codes you're getting?

 

I cleared all the codes and took the battery out to ensure it's fully charged. These "were" the ones I had prior to the seal change

 

A little update to my continuing saga..... i re dropped the transmission. I bought a brand used torque converter (110k miles ebay) for 75bucks plus shipping. When I removed the tranny (make jokes here about sexual preferences and dressing habits) and TC, the TC was empty. I filled up my brand used TC with 1.5qts. Dexron VI fluid and spun it on some scrap 2.6's until the fluid was over the first set of splines. I was looking inside the tranny to make sure I had it aligned correctly with the trans shaft. I noticed a 3mm sized chunk of metal that had been sheered off from something (the oil pump i presume) I have since ordered a brand used oil pump from ebay $60 +41$ shipping that should arrive tomorrow. I plan on flushing the transmission oil lines with my transfer pump, installing the new oil pump (with casing) and see where we go from that. Thank god I saw the damage before re installing! Will update soon! D--

 

PS: I bought a new rear main seal.
The one I put in was leaking because I sunk it too deep and the lip was also curled the wrong way. So, either way I would have encountered problems in the future and had to re drop tranny.
D--

 

my boss pulled out the first clutch pack trying to see what was the problem, and now the clutch pack will not re align and go back inside the transmission. It's about 2" out of place. Does anyone have any info about how to get it to re align please?