Hi all, so I have a 97 XK8 coupe with 93,000 miles on it which i dearly love after having it for a year.
Previously i had the issue with the micro switches going out and the car would not shift out of park. I found the override and then disconnected the switches so it wod keep driving. I then had about 1000 miles of hassle free driving.
On the way home from work the other day i noticed the car hesitated to move away from a stop light and it sort of jumped as the engine revs coimbed and then it popped into gear. This happened twice so i drove cautiously, i stopped on the way home and when i restarted the car it was much worse.
The computer threw up a transmission fault, i havent been able to read the exact code with my reader for some reason. Now the car will not go into drive or reverse, it may do if i rev the engine higher but from what i know about cars that would be really bad for the transmission.
I have checked all the fuses, and the transmission control unit is there (not sure how or if it is possible to visually see a problem if this).
Is it possible the shifter is the problem? In addition to this i took the car to my local repair place, Jaguar Purrformance in Los Gatos (from what i have seen of these guys i would highly recommend them to anyone with a jaguar or land rover), as the car had a horrible rattle on the overrun when revving the engine that was only apparent afyer the car warmed up. They diagnosed it as a catalytic convertor problem but when i first heard it i thought it sounded like a transmission problem. I trust their diagnosis but thought i should mention this in the post so everyone has full information.

Thanks for reading the long post and i hope someone has an answer, even if it is just to buy the new transmission i found for $1200, which seems a fair price to me.

Sam

 

sounds low on fluid. need to check the level underneath.

 

Your description is right on target for a failed A drum. Do a search here for many threads by fellow sufferers.

 

Thankyou, for your help guys do you think there is any point me trying a transmission fluid flush or should i just bite the bullet and get a new transmission. Also how many hours labor should it take to replace a transmission?

 

There is no harm in checking the fluid level as xk8don suggested, but I doubt it is the answer.

If you use the search and read about others with the same problem you should find prices.

I believe used transmissions can run anywhere from $800 to 1500 and exchange labor $500 to $1000. A rebuild of yours should be in the same range.

 

he lost rev as well . drum is forward

 

Read your codes first and post them so we can see what you have going on.

Gus
www.jagrepair.com

 

I just had my Gearbox rebuilt on my 97 xk8, the slamming into gear is a high pressure problem caused by a worn valve body, for unknown reasons they used plastic parts which break down over time, add that to a inherent weak A-drum and you are dead in the water. it costs roughly 3600.00-4600.00 for a total rebuild including the torque converter. don't buy a re-manufactured gearbox because it will have the original parts without the upgrades. while your gearbox is out check your rear main seal on the engine

 

BTW its approximately 700.00 just to remove and replace the gearbox, something to think about when buying a used one When mine went out i found re-manufactured gearboxes from 2500.00 to 2999.00 add the labor, torque converter and valve body you can have yours rebuilt better than when it was new
scotty

 

My 99 XK8 4.0 starting to have similar issues as well. I think the drum problem mentioned here is a result of a valve body problem. Sticky valve, cause bore scores which overheats the fluid adding more problems for the valve body. I had the fluid changed which cured the problem for a few hundred miles. Starting to act up again. Not sure which route I will take now. Thinking of calling Jaguar to see if they offer a Factory Remanufacture like many Domestic manufactures do. Rich

 

you don't want a re-manufacture you want rebuilt othrwise you get the same parts as it was when new not updated parts

 

I'm a very junior member, but I've done quite of bit of research on this issue. The results were interesting: 1) the average life of a well-cared for early XK8 tranny appears to be in the 90,000-100,000 mile range. 2) recent discussions with Jaguar HQ tech support is confusing, apparently many upgrades were proposed and instituted but they never really or conclusively solved the problems with the early 5 speeds. 3) the primary culprit appears to be and still is the aluminum valve body, which is the weak link in the system. Its wear characteristics are the cause of the A Drum failure issues. This mechanical issue coupled with poor or non-existent transmission fluid maintenance shorten the life of this tranny. (caused in part by ZF's "lifetime" no change fluid policy).
To the best of my understanding, there are no "upgraded" valve bodies for these tranny's on the market, only used or new ones. The only other "upgrade" I've seen is a valve pressure regulator which supposedly reduces wear in the valve body. You can draw your own conclusions on whether to do a rebuild, buy a used tranny or a re-manufactured one...

 

Thanks for the input everyone, i had 93,000 on the transmission when it went. I was expecting that it was maybe some over enthusiastic driving on my part which caused my problems but i guess it was just time. What surprised me was the speed at which my transmission went out. It was fine until two weird starts and then it sounded like a bucket full of bolts. Im going to get my original transmission rebuilt.