Hello fellow heartache enthusiasts;

My KX8 2002 transmission has died *RIP*.

According to the ZF center in Jordan, it is literally in bits and pieces on the inside, and I can't find a used replacement. The technitians say that it can be rebuilt with innards from a Range Rover transmission. Does this make sense? Which Range Rover would be a donor?

 

While we're at it, is there an alternative straight swap other than XK8 or XJ8?

 

First, you need to identify the transmission. A 2002 XK8 in the US would be a 4.0 with the 5HP24 transmission made by German manufacturer ZF. They typically suffer form A-drum failure. If you have a UK car, I would be a 4.2 with the ZF 6HP26. These rarely fail.

These transmissions are pretty popular for a number of vehicles besides Jaguar, so there are lots of options. There are rebuild kits of various completeness available online.

Can you confirm the exact transmission?

 

Early normally aspirated XK8's were fitted with the ZF 5HP24 five-speed transmission and the Mercedes W5A580 five-speed was fitted to the Supercharged versions. In 2002 the new ZF 6HP26 six-speed transmission was fitted.

The 5HP24 was also used in several BMW models from 1996 to 2003 and some Range Rovers from 2003 to 2005.

Unless they have direct experience of using Range Rover internals and give a guarantee, I wouldn't be letting them practice with my bank account.

Graham

 

Thanks you for the good perspectives. It is the ZF5HP for sure, and apparently it's been slowly taking itself apart for while now judging from its shape. I've been looking for a replacement part in Jordan for a couple of months and there isn't even one in the entire country, hence the question on direct replacements..

 

A ZF master rebuild kit contains just about everything except the casing and this could be a solution if yours isn't totally destroyed.



Alternatively, is shipping a used transmission from Europe an option for you or would importing be difficult?

Graham

 

I am not sure I understand. If you already have a diagnostic from ZF, why are they not offering a rebuilt kit with all new internals? These kits are widely available (check eBay). The procedure to perform the rebuild is also documented, so any qualified shop should be able to do this. This is a path where you repair your existing transmission...

If the transmission is so damaged that the case/housing are not salvageable, why are they talking about the internals for a RR? Separately, these transmission have a major design flaw (involving a valve putting too much pressure on the A-drum), so a used unit is not necessarily the way to go, here. And yes, there are replacement valves to mitigate this flaw (look for the transgo valve kit for this trans).