Driving slow in the quiet of the night, I noticed a light whine while the car shifted through its gears.
Just wondering if this is typical for this car?
Or a warning ?

 

When the A-drum on my XK8 went out the precursor was a whine similar to a bad u-joint from the old chevy days. The whine was constant and most noticeable when decelerating without the brakes.
Might be a good time for a fluid and filter change and see how that effects it.

 

Agree with Vern.
After I did the A drum on my xj8 it had a whine. It was because the oil was a little low. Topped it off to proper level and the whine went away.

As Vern suggested I would do a fluid change. Also that way you can look for pieces of metal in the pan or heavy amount on the magnets. These would be signs of a problem and more than likely the A drum.

 

I'll start with a fluid change.
Anything other that, the car goes to auction. Don't have the time or patience to deal with gearbox issues.

I'm assuming a local transmission shop could handle this?

 

The A drum issue is the number 1 reason I sold my 2001 xk8. My older 1997 xk8 had the tranny go also. Did a lot of research, the early 5-speeds are a ticking time bomb. 2003 and up is the way to go, the tranny is the main reason.

Just look at how many XJ8's are being parted out(same tranny). It's incredible! Since those cars are cheaper, they're not worth fixing. It's usually always that same tranny going

 

Soooo... I guess I have to ask..... Is the whining sound a sign of things to come?

 

Anthony

A shop in Flemington NJ quoted me $300 to change tyranny fluid. I did not ask if that includes new pan / filter. They are quite familiar with Jaguars and were knowledgable about tranny issues. Just giving you a local point of reference.

 

Others on this forum have had success changing the oil on it, others haven't. I had the same whining sound on my 2001 xk8, you could barely hear it. I sold it.

I did so much research on it, that to me it wasn't worth it. The main reason for getting my current 05 XKR wasn't the supercharger, it was the better tranny. Everyone has different levels of risk taking with their cars, I've just seen too many XJ8's/XK8's with blown transmissions to play with chance.

 

It's really too bad.
The car is immaculate and has a perfect and new suspension and tires.
Engine is sound and everything works.
I'd be very upset at this point if a tranny results in a total loss for me.
There's just no way I'd go for the repair.
I'll get it checked by a local trans shop and go from there.

 

UPDATE:

Went to a local transmission shop. They've been there for about 30 years and have a great reputation.
The shop owner was very familiar with the car, and took it for a ride. Besides loving the car, he told me I was crazy to think anything was wrong with the transmission.
Regardless, I made an appointment for a fluid / filter change for tomorrow. We both agreed that no harm done in doing so..

I feel much better

 

Changing the main pressure valve for the ZF upgraded version is recommended. This only takes about one hour when the pan is off for a filter change. Unfortunately, you don't have time to get the valve before the appointment, but it will not cost that much to do it at later.

http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...%20ZF5HP24.pdf