It has been a while since I have posted, so I thought I
would share some information about changing the supercharger
oil in my '04 XJR.
I had read a number of magazine articles and posts on
various forums, Jag-lovers and others, about the
desirability (need) to change the oil in Eaton superchargers
used with Jaguar V-8s. Since I didn’t embrace the notion of
�sealed for life�, I set out to perform the change myself.
What I had read led me to believe this was a fairly
straightforward task, albeit with some subtle points.
However, none of the articles or posts showed all the photos
of the work I would have liked. There were also several
differing opinions about the best tools to use for removal
of the oil. A writeup of my experience can be found at the
San Diego Jaguar Club website under NEWS
(http://www.sdjag.com/NEWS.html).
The task took ~90 minutes, but part of the time was allotted
to taking photos, working out details of steps, etc.
Overall, this is likely one of the easier tasks that one can
do with a supercharged Jag V8 and certainly worth the effort.
BTW, I have owned six Jags and the '04 XJR is by far the
best built and most reliable of them all. While the styling
doesn’t suit everyone, for the money there are few if any
luxury cars that offer the amenities and stunning
performance of the aluminum-bodied XJR. But I am biased.
Dan–
Dan Jensen 95 XJ6 01 XK8 04 XJR
La Jolla, California, United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
In reply to a message from Dan Jensen sent Sun 6 Jan 2013:
Dan,
I don’t have an X350 or a supercharged car at all but I have
just read your post and felt the need to comment.
the description of what you did accompanied by the photos is
excellent. Well done! posts like yours with the photo
support are what makes this site one of the most valuable
tools in the box when it comes to Jag ownership.
I am glad the job went well for you and I am sure, with your
notes for guidance, many Xjr owners will be comfortable
taking on the challenge.
good luck and keep up the good work.
Dom.–
The original message included these comments:
It has been a while since I have posted, so I thought I
would share some information about changing the supercharger
oil in my '04 XJR.
In reply to a message from Dan Jensen sent Sun 6 Jan 2013:
I have a 2000 xjr and have not changed the oil in the super
charger. Is this a necessity and at what milage?–
The original message included these comments:
desirability (need) to change the oil in Eaton superchargers
In reply to a message from Wayne Seaman sent Mon 7 Jan 2013:
Wayne:
Per Eaton: ‘‘The sealed oil reservoir in a supercharger is
designed to last the life of the vehicle. Changing the oil
is not recommended unless you suspect contamination,
leakage, or other issues like bearing failure. Also, if your
vehicle has an abnormally heavy duty cycle, such as racing
or towing, you could consider changing the oil at regular
intervals such as 20k, 30k, 50k, or 100k miles depending on
usage.’’ Whether this is to coincide with dealer
recommendations, I can’t say.
If you look at the photo of the SC oil from my unit after
70K miles of normal use, you get an idea of the potential
degradation that can occur. Given that the oil change is a
relatively easy task for the DIY mechanic, I see no reason
not to proceed. In my case, there was evidence of leakage
(visible if you look closely at the photos) based on the
amount of oil removed vs. added to refill the SC.
My take is I will change the oil again at 25K miles. For ~1
hr of my time and $25-30, it seems like very inexpensive
insurance.
Dan–
The original message included these comments:
I have a 2000 xjr and have not changed the oil in the super
charger. Is this a necessity and at what milage?