Clearly, this looks like a simple drain plug. However, I have searched through my supplemental Jaguar Service Manual for the Automatic Transmission and, while it appears in many pictures, it is never referenced. You can see it in the image below taken from the book:
Before I start wrenching on it, I was hoping someone could give me some insight into this. Is it in fact a simple drain plug that can be removed, interface cleaned up, and reinstalled? I assume there is a gasket?
I looked through the same DG250 manual and in the large cross section picture is seems that the extension housing may be “walled” off from the rest of the internals and contain mostly the park pawl mechanism. If that is the case this plug may be a method to drain this area of the gearbox. Does anyone have a partsmanual which might be more definitive on what exactly this plug is. Sorry, that is probably not much help.
I have disassembled my DG250 many times, the plug mentioned is just the drain plug from the extension case. But there is a great change that is it also leaking somewhere else.
I even made a good working box from 3 defect ones.
I could never get the DG250 leak free, even after replacing all seals.
Great looking Mk1 !
I hope mine will be like in two years.
Your rear axle looks wide, is it a Mk2 upgrade, or wire wheels add this much to rear track ?
Thank you John for taking the time to look that up. the fluid leaking out looks so fresh that I doubt that it’s walled off from the rest of the transmission or it would look old at this point.
Peter Jan, thank you for confirming that it is in fact just a drain plug. Now I feel confident that I can remove it, clean it up, and install it without hurting anything. No doubt the transmission will still leak, but maybe it will be reduced from a pint a month down to drips. So far, after cleaning up the bottom of the transmission, this is the only leak I see. Even the intermediate speed hold bellows aren’t leaking yet.
LesioQ I appreciate the compliment. the Mk1 was purchased by my Grandfather new and he owned it until he passed away at 97 about 15 years ago. I’ve owned and enjoyed it ever since. It sits next to my father’s '52 MGTD/c which he owned since new. I’m just trying to be a reasonable steward of our family heirlooms and keep them running for my kids to take over some day.
I suspect that the rear axle is original and the width is nothing more than an optical illusion.
Interesting story… My Grandfather was an airline pilot, and upon landing a flight in England, he searched out and found one of the mechanics at the Jaguar manufacturing plant that was involved in building his car. They became pen-pals and continued their relationship for what may have been 30 years. He used to feed parts to my Grandfather direct from Jaguar in England. When my Grandfather retired from the airlines he went on to become an academy award nominated set designer. I remember him bringing his friend out from England to watch movies being filmed. They truly became lifelong friends.
Here is my Grandfather in his driveway with the Mk1 (yes, he was a bit eccentric, and yes that was a buggy on his roof). December 1987
Great story, but looking at the picture I think Your grandpa’s pen-pal may have come from up-north, more like Lapland. Wasn’t Your grandpa notoriously reassuring grandma that all parts were free at Christmas time ?
You know by now that even great-looking Jag can drain every brave man.
