The past few days I've noticed a growing spot in my parking place under the middle of my car. I have not been able to get under my car to see but I suspect it's the transmission. What else is in the middle that would leak? I have not noticed any problems shifting nor any increase in noise. Unfortunately, I'm on a business trip and do not have my other car to drive. I'm also not near a Jaguar dealer. I've contacted a local import car shop but they can't look at it until Wednesday. Should I chance driving it or get a rental until after I have it looked at by a mechanic? What does the collective think?

Mark

 

Mark,

Examine the leakage spot.

OIL - transmission or engine (colour and smell tell which it is)
WATER - A/C drains (odourless and clear)

Similar to water but a pungent odour - different kind of cat is responsible.

Graham

 

What color is the fluid from the leak, and is it greasy? This past week I had an increasingly noticeable trans leak, and I had just had trans serviced and gaskets replaced. It turned out that it was leaking from the wiring harness plug, where a 10 cent o-ring was the culprit. We bought a whole new harness/trans plug (somewhere around $20), simply plugged it in and there was no further leak. Good luck.

 

There is just a very thin coating on the ground so it's really hard to tell but it appears to be amber colored like engine oil. I could detect no smell but with my allergies, that's not really conclusive.

Mark

 

That is mostly likely transmission fluid and the leak is probably at the back of the transmission where the electrical plug sleeve is located. It is a rather straightforward fix but one needs to be careful removing the plug and sleeve and this follows for resetting the new sleeve and then the existing electrical plug. You will need to add fluid and depending on access to the plug and sleeve you may need to remove the transmission pan. A good general mechanic can do the job but a Jag tech/expert would be your best choice.

The sleeve is higher up on the transmission , so if it is leaking you are not likely to loose all of the fluid in the unit. I had the same problem develop and I was able to carefully drive my XKR 85 miles to a trusted Jag tech.

Hope this is helpful.

 

Very helpful, thanks very much.

Mark

 

Mark, just a couple other points. Your transmission is different than the one in my 2005 XKR so, proceed cautiously until someone can advise on the exact location of the leak and an approximation of how much fluid has been lost. I would only drive the car to get it to someone for repair. If you do drive it and notice *any indications* of shifting problems do not continue to drive. Since this is the hottest time of the year, particularly in the South, avoid midday driving and go easy on the start and stops.