hello all,
I have a 1999 xk8 which I suspect needs a transmission rebuild in the future, it may totally not right now either, but I know they do have a tendency for drum failure, etc and I need the car to be somewhat reliable for the summer, I do what I can do but I think a transmission rebuild would be beyond my personal capabilities. This is my first car and everything I know and do is DIY off of forum and YT videos, I don't believe I have the proper equipment for this either, although if it's extremely expensive I will risk it and do what I have to do because I love this car.
the car has an occasional reverse delay, not sure if its F clutch plate plate deterioration or A drum, not an expert on trans, and I also don't know if it would save in the long run to have it rebuilt before it gets worse/irreparably or if it's about the same

I wanted to ask, what should I expect to pay for a rebuild in this current market? (in the US, if it helps any this is north FL), a friend that works on these in the Netherlands told me it's best not to just replace A drum but have it fully rebuilt if I want it to last, he said over there they cost about 2,700 to 3,200 translated to USD to rebuild, which sounds a little cheap but I assume they are more familiar with ZF there, but if an A drum replacement is known to last, that would be an option too.

local tech who seemed to not like jags even though he worked on them, quoted 5500 usd or more and said I should sell as is because the cars are "cans of worms" and get a honda, which is not the plan, but his quote could be the market too, not sure.

also could these be symptoms of low or bad trans fluid?
88,300 miles

 

What you are paying for a rebuild is more than I paid for the whole car .....
With anything transmission,change the filter and fluid first its only done 88k.
You could stick some Dr Tranny in it while you are changing the fluid.

 

oh I don't intend on that, that's why I'm asking here and asking around, definitely going to do oil and filter first, but I have heard of them going out this early, if not earlier (in the 70ks), although i'm hoping that's the exception and not the rule for most owners, the $5500 is when all other options are exhausted, even then it would be hesitantly and would look into somehow doing it myself and figuring out where to find a place I could do it at or something.
I will look into dr tranny thanks.

 

Not sure in today's prices but my first rebuild was $3500 and second was $4800. I would try fluid/filter first and if no change, then either find a local ZF specialist to diagnose or see if Eriksson - Jaguar - has a rebuilt you can swap in

 

Google up gary ferraro transmission. He is in new york but will answer any questions. He really helped me a lot and i live in ca. worth a try before you just spend money

 

I got a quote in the UK for a ZF6HP26 of about £2800 if that helps. There are prices and details here. Jaguar Gearboxes Archives - Automatic Gearboxes - Gearbox Rebuilding Experts (automatic-gearbox.co.uk)

 

thanks, I'll look into it, funnily enough I had my alternator and starter/battery thoroughly tested today, and it was all healthy, don't need to replace it apparently, so my main focus now is figuring out the transmission, battery not charging light could be a relay.

I'm going to look into some of the resources you all sent here, I will probably call Ericksson because I can't find any specific zf specialists as big as jacksonville is.
can I ask how recently your $4800 rebuild was? that's pretty close to what the first local guy quoted
i'm narrowing down my reliability issues to a potential dirty maf sensor I got checking with OBD (P0300, P1316, only codes that came up) which according to forums I think links to my very occasional rich or rough seeming start, and the transmission reverse problem.
your cars mileage/use is definitely an inspiration and what I hope for.

 

thanks, I sent him a message, he seems very qualified, I definitely plan to see all other options before resorting to 5500 rebuild

 

slap a pressure regulator valve and drive till it gives up. part out car and buy XKR. lesson learned

 

XKRs are great but I plan to keep the 8 long term, it suits me well and has been reliable until this, my preferred color combination too, have a bit of an attachment to it, but either way didn't buy it with resale in mind, was hard enough to find one this color in north fl with good history.
i'll look more into the pressure regulator bore, but hope there isn't already irreparable damage on the drums, it's mainly a delay with the sound, the shift sound won't happen until I press gas after shifting, vs normally it happens immediately when you shift gears, I'm not a transmission expert though.

 

*^^^^^^ this.

First, due to budget constraints it was a given that my X100 search was confined to the 4.0 years.

I re-discovered the Jag forum & read thru all the 4.0’s known issues. Armed with this fascinating knowledge I knew I had to concentrate my search on the XKR variant.

Reason:
With the XK8, the distinct possibility of the (A drum) transmission failure would force me to park the car while my resources caught up with my Jaguar enthusiasm.

Being patient enough to pass up several great looking XKR’s was hard, but I was keen to only consider cars with a service history that showed the known issues already fixed.

Z

PS just in case I ran across a deal I couldn’t refuse, I did keep an eye out for 4.0 XK8’s with new transmissions, but those were nowhere to be seen.

 

My last rebuild was December 2016

 

Mine is at 112k miles ..fluid changed at 77k and now at 112k due to the well known grumble now gone.
Until you change the fluid and filter you assumptions about reverse are guesswork

 

I live in St. Johns and own a 2000 XK8. When I need work on the car that is beyound me I go to Sachs Automotive The Jaguar Experts. This is the only shop in town other than the dealer that I will have do work on my car. I would talk to them and get their opinion on your transmission issues. My guess if you need a new transmission would be to find a shop that specializes in remanufacturing transmissions and gives a warranty. The ZF is a common box and should not be overly expensive.