Agreed! The tricky part is that getting a something like a box end or a ratchet on the open end of the wrench your using to extend it's length. Since your already reaching down from the top it's tricky on a convertible because of structure. You have to extend your breaker at 90 degs or so. That is why it can take and hour or so to get it out. You try 20 times and finally succeed. Yes...Right hand threads. Just remember your upside down....THINK!

 

Thanks for the verification Pascal and Ex- Thinking isn't the issue!
Force is! Will get after it again next week-end. Jac

 

Fill/ Drain plug - newbie here - so feel free to blast me with knowledge, but I am planning on tapping my diff, and adding a valve. This would let me flush, and refill using pressure with the vent allowing the oil to enter?

I have a drain/valve on my Triumph Tiger, and it works great. Just wondering if I'm missing something wonderfully arcane here.

 

First question is do you change your differential oil each time you change your engine oil. Tapping a drain is a good idea but a quick drain on it may not be worthwhile unless it will allow you to fill it without going under. Since I used the fill plug to determine fluid level, I'm not sure how well using the vent and measuring what you put in is workable. BTW the fill plug is a bear on the convertible whose structure is different than the coupe.

 

 

being an engineer-type guy, I change any friction-reducing fluids in everything that I own.

While is is certainly true that some things can last forever without a change, the act of changing creates a re-assuring confirmation that all is OK ... smells, colour changes, levels are all early warning indicators ( as well as testing - for those overly engineeeeery ).

So, after jacking up the XK8 this past weekend, I've found a nice way to add a lower ( glass covered ) drain port. This is the Pingel type, with a small valve / hose barb that can accept a filler feed. I'll take some fotos, once the parts arrive.

 

I cant wait until I see the photos.... thanks in advance.

 

As requested ...pics and a description of your fluid change method will be entertaining.

 

1.A local independent Jaguar shop can simply drill a drain hole, drain fluid, then add new fluid.
(Special drill bits are used, so no metal gets inside).
2 quarts of synthetic gear oil is used, the thicker, the quieter. OEM is usually ok.

 

Not quite. Take a look at the pics provided by XKE1963 in an earlier post. It's the old story of first "gain access to" by cutting an access in the crossmember. The key on the drophead is not the drain but a reliable way of servicing the rear end without having to remove the fill plug once your done. If the vent is a reliable way to release pressure then we may have a system.

 

Has the issue of accessing the fill plug in a drop head XK8 ( mine is a 2004 ) been resolved ? Also where is the differential vent located ?

 

Ditto on the vent location question as I think mine may be blocked.

Also, has anyone else succeeded in cutting an access hole for the diff. plug as demonstrated in this video?

 

Apparently this does not work for post 2001 or drop-head vehicles because there is a frame brace in the way. My car has over 100,000 miles on it so I would really like to replace the gear oil but would prefer not to have to crucify myself or my mechanic doing it

 

From the JEPC.

 

Did you look at the first page of this post?

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...iff-oil-71492/

 

This is how I did my 1999. Not in favor of drilling holes.

Link JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource

 

Yes thanks . I read both of those posts. I think that I will find a source of rubber plugs, buy myself a good hole saw and drill through the trunk. It's not like I'm going to be racing the car. Cheers all.

 

Honestly, there is no real difficulty to do this operation and it is never good to drill a hole in the body.
I have done this several times and a couple of years ago on my sold 2003 XKR: there is no modification on the body which force you to drill a hole.
You just need to have the right tool to do it.

 

I know an old thread but I took my 96 coupe to my specialist to have the diff oil flushed, they'd done loads of them, but learned a few things

1) Mine is a very early car, one of the first 50 coupes built
2) They used the same bracing on mine that they do on the convertible
3) Apparently Jag built the 'vert' first and then hadn't retooled fully for my coupe
4) Because I have an LPG (propane) tank in the wheel well the 2" hole cannot be drilled for access
5) There were no leaks from mine...or it's been running dry for years..was told to leave it alone

My specialist didn't charge me for their mechanic 'trying' for over an hour

 

An update from me. I did not drill through the trunk, as I decided that I did not want to compromise the bracing structure. I was unable to do the job myself from a creeper with the car up on jack stands, but with the car up on a ramp/lift at my local indy mechanic, we decided to unbolt the sway bar and link and move it out of the way. ( easy on a ramp/lift ) then it was not too hard to get the bit of square stock into the plug and remove it. The gear oil was as black as tar but the level was not down. Sucked it all out and replaced with new Royal Purple 75/140. Filled until it was just at the bottom of the drain hole. The longest part of the job was getting the old oil out. Started the flow with a hand pump and then let it 'siphon' for about 1/2 hour ( you wouldn't think that black oil with the consistency of molasses/treacle would siphon, but it did )

I had no problems before but with almost 190,000 km on the rear end it seemed a prudent thing to do.