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A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a slight sorta scraping sound coming from the Super Charger. After a previous engine swap, I wasn't sure whether I had an 90K mile S/C or a 170K mile S/C, but in either case, I thought a fluid change might be in order. If it wasn't for this board, I never would have been able to do it - THANK YOU!
I bought the Delco two bottle kit (with big syringe, hose and fitting) off ebay. The quick use of plugs and hose clamps prevented much coolant spillage when I disconnected the coolant return line and intercooler hoses. I also disconnected the electrical connector just above the plug and moved them all out of the way. This gave me "just" enough working space. I also jammed a crumpled paper towel in just below the plug to catch any spillage (GOOD IDEA!). With the hose provided in the kit I was able to extract 6+ ounces of old oil. I used a different, longer tube after that, sucking, withdrawing it slightly, sucking, withdrawing, and so on until I'd extracted over 7 ounces total. The S/C took in just less than both 4 ounce bottles.
Considering that the new oil is completely clear, I was surprised at the dark brown color of the old fluid. And being as I thought the scraping noise might have been from a low oil level, I was also surprised by the facts: 1-I extracted almost the full 8 ounces of old oil, and 2-that after the change the noise was gone.
I really don't care "why" it's gone. It's just nice to have a blissfully quiet engine again and that my S/C may be good for another 100K (maybe ). MORE FAIRY DUST PLEASE!
BTW: for those planning to do this, here's a "Top Tip":
Despite the bottles of oil having a spout tip that plugs into the hose fitting, don't try just squirting the oil in directly from the bottles - you'll make a mess and it will take forever. Instead use the syringe to squirt the new back in. With the plunger removed and the syringe plugged into the hose, fill it 3/4 full with new oil, carefully insert the plunger and slowly squeeze. If you squeeze too hard the hose will pop off the syringe and oil will go everywhere. Once empty, disconnect the syringe from the hose, extract the plunger, reconnect the syringe to the hose and repeat until the oil flows from the plug hole onto the paper towel (remember the paper towel? - I knew you would - lol)
And despite our cars being metric, the filler plug takes a 3/16" allen wrench. Good luck!
Here is the eBay listing. The part number on the bottles crossed checked with some research NAPA did for me, so I'm fairly confident it's the exact spec oil we need.
OMG: I never even thought of dropping the plug! It might have rolled UNDER the SC and into the "Valley of the Lost". Yikes.
Allow me to explain "Sealed for Life"
A man walks into a restaurant advertising, "All you can eat pasta for $1.00" and orders some pasta. After finishing the first serving he asks the waiter for another, but the waiter says "No". Befuddled, the man says, "but the sign says all you can eat for a dollar". To which the waiter replies, "That's right - And this "is" all you can eat for a dollar."
The "life" of our SCs without an oil change is probably way less than 200K miles Sooner or later they will fail without an oil change, ergo ending their "life". So "Sealed for Life" doesn't mean the SC (or transmission) will last forever without an oil change, it only means that Jaguar is saying "We don't expect to service your SC until it dies and needs to be replaced". Therefore, it is "Sealed for Life". ;-)
Kinda like saying all of our hearts and brains have lifetime warrantees. - lol
All I know is this: The oil that came out was different than the oil that went in - therefore the oil does NOT retain its original properties forever. And: There was noise before the change and the noise was gone after the change.
End of conversation - Change your SC oil. The evidence proves to me that it DOES matter.
Yeh - I know you were poking fun. But I thought I "had" heard that the SCs were on the sealed-for-life list along with our transmissions. It bugs me when components costing so many thousands of dollars to replace are not given some type of preventative maintenance schedules. In essence, the manufacturers are treating them as disposable items or they expect all the cars to be in junk yards prior to 100K miles.
Yup. Like I said, "They don't want to see our cars any more."
Even the good guy Jaguar reps and sponsors in this forum are hamstrung by Mother Jaguar's pricing. They try. We do get discounts. But even the discounted prices are so frequently still off the scale of ridiculousness. It takes a network like this forum to keep these beauties on the road.
Make sure you post all the necessary nomenclature for the reservoir cap on the "Non-OEM Interchangeable Parts" thread.
Find the Alternative source for those other brake widgets PRONTO!
Here is the eBay listing. The part number on the bottles crossed checked with some research NAPA did for me, so I'm fairly confident it's the exact spec oil we need.
I just did this last night on my car and it's super simple.
First I put the hood into service mode; then I tied back my intercooler hoses, moved some wires out of the way; do all this gently! I also moved one hose behind the dipstick to just keep it clear. This all took maybe a minute. I left the hard line going from tstat housing to overflow tank, its only a year old, but last time i touched it a year ago...
Then I had access with the 3/16" allen wrench. I just used a small one; no ball end, just one that was short and it was easy as can be, then I used the syringe that came with the kit, but I added a WD40 straw as other posters suggested. I taped the straw in, and put a zip tie around it just to be sure it would stay and not have a vacuum leak. I used this setup on the sucking out part:
It was nasty!
When I got it all out, I removed the WD40 Straw from the setup to just be the syringe and black hose. I filled the syringe with fresh SC Oil, which is a very nice clear oil; and kept using the syringe to fill the SC; it took a few times until finally oil started coming out the fill hole. Then I put the plug back in and I was good to go! Then I removed zip ties and routed everything back where it was. Then reconnected the hood struts to the hood and was done.
All in, this took maybe a half hour. The kit was $30 shipped, but you can get a pair of these bottles for $16 on amazon (just bought to do my XJR) and get a syringe setup much cheaper; but honestly they aren't making a fortune off you selling the kit. Plus less time spent shopping around. I'm reusing this syringe setup though, worked perfectly.
Good work, you should measure what's removed to ensure you get as much out as you can s/b about 7-7.5 oz, so when you refill you're just shy of using the 2 4oz bottles. I had to twist and turn a bit once it stopped then it pulled another 2 oz out.
Just out of curiosity, I'm going to send my old oil in for analysis. I just looked so skanky. So does yours.
Oh sure: "Sealed for Life". ( I also have a bridge to sell you)
Oh I forgot to add in my experience, that when refilling the S/C I swapped to a larger diameter rubber tube. It only needed to make it into the hole (and then some), and this really expedited the oil injection.
Good work, you should measure what's removed to ensure you get as much out as you can s/b about 7-7.5 oz, so when you refill you're just shy of using the 2 4oz bottles. I had to twist and turn a bit once it stopped then it pulled another 2 oz out.
The syringe in the kit actually is indicated by the half ounce. It was between 7 and 8 ounces. I'm definitely keeping that syringe as it really is quite nice for other work.
07-06-2015, 03:18 PM
S/C Oil Change - Noise Gone - Thanks!
). MORE FAIRY DUST PLEASE!
