Planning to put my 03 XK8 up on jack stands, all 4 corners high enough for me to crawl under it and do some maintenance.

Want to change the trans fluid, grease the rear U joints, repair the parking brake and just general inspection and maintenance.

I'm old and fat so I plan to get it at least 24" off the ground. Problem is my driveway is not level, it slopes slightly either up hill or to the side, not much but enough to make getting the trans fluid fill correct an issue.

Is there a spot on the car where a level could be placed reading both the X and Y axis to be sure the car is level?

 

You got me on that one, so I checked mine in my garage where I know the floor is very close to level.

In back of the brake light on top of the trunk lid is good for side to side. There is a slight crown, but my level fine at the center. Inside the doors is good for the other direction.

 

so the rear u joints can be greased? They have a place to attach a grease gun, or how do you put in on?

 

RJ237, thanks buddy, I thought the door sills might give me the front to back, I guess any side to side surface that is flat enough for a level would work. Might try my 4' level with the trunk open from side edge to side edge.

 

You probably know anyways, but please make sure you have backup
under the car. Mounted tires laid flat are good.

 

I'd find a quiet road and check it's level, then check which parts of the car are level. Then go home and get those same parts level again when it's up in the air..

 

Good idea!

 

My first thought was driver's / passenger's floor panel but the insulation and carpet covering make it difficult.

The sill would give you a level front to rear.

The luggage compartment sections arrowed in blue and purple in this photo should give both X & Y.



Maybe not sufficient for a laboratory experiment but adequate for the transmission fluid level!

Graham

 

You attach the grease gun onto the grease nipple & squirt until you see grease coming out from between the yokes & caps.

 

When Rick and I changed the ATF in my wife's 2006 XK8 in July 2013, we used the door sills for the level. As Graham said above, it's not perfect but it's good enough for the job at hand....

 

For me, I would take the hard line and make sure the transmission is level when adjusting the fluid, and put the level on the transmission itself. The car being level is just an approximation, contingent on the condition of the mounts, etc.

I have done those jobs recently, and they are not entirely comfortable. You are talking about pumping fluid and maneuvering a hex plug on a short extension around a hot exhaust pipe, under the car, engine running all the while measuring temperature. I would definitely think twice before doing that on a driveway with 2 slopes.

Separately, be prepared for some level of frustration removing the existing pan bolts. A bit of corrosion and they strip right off. I found out the hard way that the chisel technique works best to remove them. I would recommend getting the new hardware with the bigger bit, and replace them all. Best of luck. Keep us posted.

 

Fmertz, my service records from the PO indicate a trans filter and fluid change completed by a dealer at 48K due to a complaint about the common trans squeak when downshifting from 4 th. Car now has 90 K on it and every now and then will squeak if I'm hitting the gas hard with a 4 th to 3 rd down shift, seems to happen more frequently when I'm turning at the same time..as in rolling thru a green light and turning right aggressively.

So, I think I will forgo the filter change and just freshen up the fluid.

 

Jandreu, Keep in mind if they didn't do a "flush" there was still about half the old tranny fluid left in the torque converter (I think 03+ doesn't have the plug to drain it) which mixed with the new fluid (prob about 4 qts). This old fluid has passed through the filter so it's a matter of how much effort you want to perform and from your threads you do seem to take good care of your car.

 

FWIW, when I did mine a few months back, I did not see any evidence of this. When I flushed the old fluid out (just opening the drain plug), a lot came out. It filled and overflowed a small oil pan. When I refilled, all 6 liters that came with the kit went in, so I think the 6HP26 flushes out quite nicely. I also changed the filter/plastic pan combo, and removing that flushed out maybe another half liter.

That being said, I agree with your overall point. The expensive part is the fluid (if you stick with the LifeGuard), and messing with the fluid is the technical part of the project. Might as well spend a few bucks more and get the filter/pan plus the new hardware. In addition, there is value in inspecting the pan. There are 2 big magnets meant to catch metal shavings, early signs of failure I gather.

 

Thanks all for the replies and advice.

Will tackle all this in a few weeks and report back.

Honestly the reason I don't want to change the filter is the potential hassle with the bolts and my limited access under the car.

This is a hobby car that gets maybe 3K miles a year put on it, but that being said those are extream wear miles as it's all stop and go with no long trips.