My pristine 1997 Jaguar XK8 Coupe with 50k miles is showing
a little dampness.
I was getting my car serviced and my frind who works on Jaguars said
it is just slight and not to worry. I am Ledaving for Mass next week
for the Military Police Association top shot competition.
I will probably have 5000 miles added by the time I get back.
Should I worry? No other problems.
Thanks

 

Did he identify it as:

1. coolant
2. engine oil
3. transmission fluid

It would be useful to know which of the three so you don't need think any more about the other two!.

As he works on Jaguars and has described it 'just slight and not to worry', go with that as long as you trust his judgement and experience. Check your oil and coolant levels daily if you're putting on high miles (you can't check the transmission level without workshop facilities) and look for fluid under the vehicle after it's been standing overnight to be certain it hasn't developed into a leak. More than likely it'll be no different by the time you get back.

Good luck in the competition.

Graham

 

Thank you very much.
The mechanic told me it was slight dampness.
He then told me since I only put maybe 50 miles a week on my Jag
the seals can shrink and the drive would do it good.
He opened up the service cap under the car no leaks and
on my garage floor no leaks. Oil was full and he didn't think it was tranny fluid since he had smelled it.
Thanks
Dave

 

I also have just a showing of engine oil at the bottom of where the engine connects to the transmission. Can I try to tighten the lower bolts or does a real fix mean dropping the transmission and a new gasket? Ugh!

 

It would be better to have opened a new thread rather than use this old one. You need to determine the location of the leak.

If coming from the pan it would be best to replace the pan gasket. If coming from a valve cover you may be able to remove the cover, clean the gasket and surfaces, the use a little RTV at the front cover/head seam and replace the cover being careful to follow the torque sequence.

If the rear main seal is leaking you can confirm by removing the rubber plug at the bottom of the bell housing and feel for a puddle of oil within. That can only be fixed by removing the transmission and replacing the rear main seal.

 

Thanks. That's what I got.
Popped of the plug and there is quite a lot of fresh oil in there! Oh dear! Just how much of a leak if can I live with. Dropping the tranny for a seal is too big a job for me. It certainly is engine oil and not tranny fluid.

 

Check your oil level every week. You may be able to gauge how much oil you're losing. I've replaced the rear main seal on my XK8. It's a big job.

 

Any videos out there of this job? I could do this easily with a hoist but I have benign positional vertigo and even small jobs on my back are difficult. Like to know just how to get at what's needed with the cat just on jack stands. I've done transmissions before and I know it's all the electrical connections and bolts many out of reach that make this a nightmare and you need the car high enough to be able to wheel the tranny out.