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During an oil change today, the techs broke the intake accordion big time while getting my clean filter out. Since this is my daily driver and I really need to drive, it was time for a quick repair.
I cut the accordion section out, leaving the end of the last pleat, and sanded those down to leave a 1/8th lip.
i purchased a couple 3" intake couplers and a 3" chromed plastic tube and with not too much effort got it all fit together.
i left everything loose until it was properly fit back to the car, tightened it down, and I'm good to go until I get a new intake tube.
Ever felt that you're just repeating the same jobs over and over.
With the recent failure of my convertible hood hydraulic hoses, I put in a temporary fix, which of course failed, before finally fitting 3 out of 4 replacement hoses. That was last week.
Today I fitted the headlamp powerwash mirror cover which disappeared into the sunset. The wife blamed me of course as I previously changed the headlamp lense a while ago. I had to take out the new head lamp lense in order to properly fit the power wash unit that the little mirror is attached to. It was my fault as originally the power wash unit wasn't sitting 100% in the bottom recess of the new head lamp lense unit but I had thought it would be ok (as it never rains in Bahrain). Ended up sanding and grinding the plastic power wash unit to fit the recess slots and clip in.
Then I failed miserably to install a switch on the rear quarter windows, as my wiring doesn't look like any of the threads here. Might have to put that job on hold until I get into the quarter panels again to check the wire colours leading the window regulators.
I just feel I'm repeating the same jobs over and over...... so just to cheer me up, I ordered new music speakers from Crutchfield USA. Retail therapy works!
David, I would have figured you would have gone to the F1 race today to blow off some steam instead. But I'm guessing the speakers are probably cheaper then a couple of tickets to the race. And the results last longer. Either way, I hope you enjoy.
Yesterday and today are being spent gathering Electrical parts and removing the Console Lid so that I can tap into the Antenna wiring and install a switch to stop the Antenna from going up and down when I use my CD Player.. I've watched the "How to" Movie several times and bought all the Parts and I'm almost through.....I currently taking a break as I'm about worn out from bending around backward trying to hook -up the wiring. This looks so easy but with the confined space that you have it is more than I really wanted!!!
I'll go out there and finish the job before dark, so I won't have the Antenna sticking up anymore, unless I need to listen o the Radio....Thank Heaven for CD's....
Hope you have more success than me on electrical work- wiring your anti-Alien Detector switch. Good luck. That radio antenna is really long and it’s sure to break doing 120kph down the freeway.
I hear yoga yoga courses are good for preparation to work on Jags. LOL!
You won't believe this but before I finished the connections under the console lid, I decided to oil and clean the Antenna mast and while I was moving it up and down....the nylon ram broke inside...…Now I don't need to put the switch in.....but now I have to order the Antenna Mast and replace it in addition to hooking up the switch..... If it's not one thing it's another...The XKR's are like Blondes, do one thing for them and they want another!
Today I spent hunting down compatible o-rings to put in the Norma connectors to the octopus hose for the cooling system. This including an unfruitful visit to Home Depot, hours spent online, and finally ordering $35 worth of o-rings to be reasonably certain to get what I want/need.
The big surprise was yesterday when I actually managed to "unplug" the passenger side Norma connector without breaking anything, and then carefully removed said o-ring which was severely eroded and no longer round in several places.
<sigh>
What I *should* be doing today is replacing the passenger side secondary tensioner (driver's side done a week or so ago) ... but feeling a bit lightheaded today and that does not seem like a good time to do something so fiddly. :-)
Ever felt that you're just repeating the same jobs over and over
Haven't we been all there?
I purposely took the last 2 weeks "off", to do other things, to refocus a bit, and to get the spirit back.
I learned if I don't stop myself at a certain point, I start to take shortcuts, leading to the exact same situation, costing more time and more money ...
Take care, you do a wonderful job, not envying you in those temperatures.
After I picked up pieces of various things in the back yard that were in one piece before the dog found them, I installed the VVT brackets and then the timing chain cover.
After last week end’s failure to put in the rear quarter window switch, I was inspired by BC, in Texas, to put in a switch to control the radio antenna.
Completely by accident, last week, I was under the Centre console, hunting for a green/black wire, I noticed today if I left the circuit open the radio antenna didn’t go up. So I soldered a switch on it.... Wham! I have a switch to control the up/ down of the Mars communication antenna.
I went with a round on/off switch, already in my box of stuff, as it was easier to just drill a hole in the console, rather than faff around cutting a square hole.
Many thanks to this forum, both past and present members, as after months of planning, I finally got stuck into changing out the gearbox transmission fluid and installing the Transgo pressure relief valve.
Temperatures are climbing in the Middle East, as summer approaches, and I'm sometimes driving all day, from one meeting to another, all over the island of Bahrain. When the XK8 is on a freeway, going uphill into traffic, the gearbox would occasionally stutter going down from 5 to 4, and then sometimes stutter from 2 to 1 to a stop. That made me want to sort out the ATF change this weekend. Good rule of thumb I find in life, don't let small problems get large.
There's a lot of info on this forum on this Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) change job, and I also had the Transgo pressure relief valve to install as I'm in that area of the car doing the ATF change. As I didn't have access to the usual ATF supplies, like ZF ifeguard 5 or Mercon SP etc., I went with LiquiMoly ATF 1200 for the fluid change. I bought 8L (and finally used 7.5L more on that later).
This weekend, I persuaded a local indy Bahraini garage specializing in Land Rovers, to let me have their 2 post car lift for Saturday morning. I really didn't want to be on the flat of my back under the car, like Rev Sam's Youtube video, as you also need the engine running when you refill the sump. I had my wife's friend's young boy to help, as I've been persuaded that it's beneficial to teach this smart young kid about cars. He was absolutely fascinated with the job, and he'll probably not see this type of job for another 10 years. Working with hands above your head at my age can be really tiring so a second set of hands was useful.
I checked I could remove the filler bolt before draining. There's not much space between the ZF gearbox filler plug and the exhaust. Note for future people, it's best for your skin to do this job from cold, but that was not really practical for me as I drove the car to the garage. The old ATF fluid was black and obviously hadn't been changed in eons, and removing the corroded T27 sump pan bolts wasn't easy, but I had a set of new bolts to replace the old. The old sump pan gasket was totally shot and broke into pieces. as I removed it.
However the garage had a smart little tool, to fit the filler cap, that fit between the gap between the gear box and the exhaust pipe, that made things a lot easier.
There's a lot of T27 bolts to remove both in the sump pan and the valve body so I would advise to have at least 2nr T27 torque bits as you can easily strip the tool.
Transgo had given this forum the instructions in PDF (copy attached with this thread for ease of reference). My advice would be put the Transgo paper plan in a plastic cover, as the dripping ATF fluid really makes a mess as you try to compare the bolt pattern on the paper plan with your view of the car. I have 2 further hints to add to the info on this forum.
1. There's a guide pin connecting the top and bottom halves of the valve body which means even with all the bolts out, it's a mm by mm wiggle to remove the front lower valve body part.
2. Take note of the gear selector rod location, and make sure when you re-install the valve body it's properly attached in the right location. I found that out to my horror, when I tried cycling the gears during the initial refill, that the gear stick wouldn't move. I had to go backwards, drain again, take off the sump pan & filter, loosen the valve body bolts, to get enough wiggle room, to attach the valve body's selector rod to the pin.
If I didn't have the selector rod issue the entire job would have taken 4 hours and it was long overdue in my car. Initially I put in 6L of the new ATF, but due to the selector rod issue, I ended up re-filling with total 7.5L.
On a long test drive all went well without any crashes/bangs/stutters from the gear box. Seems that job done!
I'm curious about the results you get and what problems you had prior to installing the Pressure Valve Kit and what were the results, as for as shifting and such.....It is my understanding that your XK8 is a 1999 and apparently you have the 5 speed Mercedes Tranny....Am I correct?
Thanks for all this information and congratulations on the hard work and your success.....I'll bet the young Man was amazed looking at the bottom of that Tranny with all the channels and stuff...Thanks for inviting him into the Car World....
Nope my XK8 has a ZF gearbox. Your later car has the 6 speed Mercedes tranny.
The young kid’s mum called me to say she’s so excited that her son was so excited having seen the job. Nice thing was that all the garage mechanics were keen to show him jobs they were working on.
He was perticularly keen on changing a L322 Range Rover from RHD to LHD. He never saw a dashboard disassembled before
Nope my XK8 has a ZF gearbox. Your later car has the 6 speed Mercedes tranny........"
its the early XKR's that have the Mercedes 5 speed transmission (the 722.6). When I was trying to decide on which car I wanted, the "8" or the "R", it was the weaker transmission in the XK8 that steering me toward the XKR. Admittedly a close call.
My 2000 XKR had a 5 speed Tranny that was shared by Mercedes and then when I got the 2003 XKR, It has the ZF 6 Speed and it is my understanding that the 2005 XKR has the same basic ZF 6 speed tranny as the 2003.....
Over the period of 100,000 miles this 2005 Tranny has had the Oil and Filter assembly changed out 5 times and is due. Because of that, I had read that I should change-out the Valve Body or some valve needs to be replaced at around 100,000 miles but I can't find where I read that......If you guys have some idea of what should be done and where I can find the details I would appreciate you help!
Mine has started holding 1st gear when first starting up this Winter.....When it decides to shift to 2nd it creates quite a bump. I don't think that's real good for it and would like to know what should be done to prevent it! If you could help, I would really appreciate it!
David, I was also amazed when I replaced my Dash Lights....There a lot of stuff in that Dash...and I'll bet he was thrilled.....
02-10-2019, 09:54 AM
Intake tube repair
