I’m getting ready to do the transmission fluid change on my new-to-me XKR with just under 60k miles on it. I recall researching this same debate on my E55 (same transmission) when I changed the fluid on it, so I figure I’ll rehash here.
Mercedes has their expensive fluid, Chrysler puts this same transmission in their cars with ATF+4. On my E55 I ultimately decided that Valvoline MaxLife fluid would be acceptable. I used that, no issues in the E55’s transmission since doing that change and the benefit of much cheaper than the Mercedes fluid.
I’m curious if there’s any more movement on the topic since I was looking into it a year or two ago. Right now I’m planning on ordering the transmission flush kit from FCP (I’ve used them on my BMWs and Mercedes before) which includes all the parts needed and 5 liters of Pentosin fluid, and then buy some MaxLife to flush the pan another couple of times afterwards.
like told , every used car buyed here i changed ALL FLUID , if seller tell already changed…i changed again!
Often xk8/s type readed on jag manuals that trasmission don’t need fliud Exchange for all car life…i don’t like this.
Miles+20/25 years give a bad fluid, so wash and full again with new fluid.
About brand …i have no experience , considering people never change this lower price is best choice…will be new ! however will be the only one change in car …why don’t use best quality without check price??
i like your approach to your new car!
think you can open a new page about fluid change will be a good help for Others!
I’m not always as good about changing all fluids on a used car as I have been in the past, it depends on the car. But this car definitely deserves it, especially being low miles and 18 years old with probably original fluid.
I decided to go with the following for fluids:
Oil: Castrol Syntec 5W-30. The manual recommends 5W-30. Although it doesn’t specifically call out synthetic from what I could find, I think given that this is the supercharged version it will have higher temperatures and probably benefit from it. Even naturally aspirated I would expect it to benefit as this does run higher temperatures than your typical American V8.
Rear differential: Going with Valvoline Synthetic 75W-140 gear oil. I know Jaguar has their specification on this for their special fluid. From some other posts I’ve found it seems like 75W-140 feels close in viscosity. Frankly for a rear differential I don’t get too worried about much other than 1) the oil actually being oil (as opposed to water) 2) it being relatively thick and 3) it having limited slip additive if required. It seems the XKR doesn’t have a limited slip differential, but the oil I bought does, which won’t hurt anything.
Transmission: When I was working on these cars when they were new, I don’t think this transmission was as well understood as it is now. Part of that was probably due to the fact that it was a transmission that hadn’t made it to as many Chrysler vehicles at that point. On my E55 I went with Valvoline MaxLife fluid (which claims to meet Mercedes-Benz NAG-1 fluid specification). This is commonly recommended on forums for Mercedes and Chryslers, and I’ve had success, so I bought 3 gallons worth and will be using that for my flush. I went with a CarQuest filter (which is good quality).
I’m not looking forward to changing the differential fluid, but having a lift will help.
What i would give you is my “little” experience , owners think xk8/xkr/xjx300 only like a “new generation” car…needed usual works like a 2016/17/18 car…
This is sure opposite to an xj6 coming from '70, however we do think that 18/22 years have a big impact on fluid/plastic component /oxidation + humidity in electrical parts without thinking to miles!
low mileage + 20 years give a car need protection and works.
This approach , in my needless opinion , bring our cars from here to the next 10/15 years without problems.
For some aspect an xj6 coming from 70 was a car developed for 20/30 years …,
millenial cars aren’t develoeped for this so we do work for give an extended life.
You can work directly in car , worked on a jag shop?
Your posts are of great interest to me as I recently purchased a 2002 XJR with the Mercedes 5 speed. It has 38,000 miles and appears to have been lightly used, but I’m also of a mind to change all fluids.
A few questions as I’m new to this equipment. In your first post you mention the FCP kit for an E55, which includes Pentosin fluid. In your second post you speak of flushing the system with Valvoline, do you mean draining the pan (and torque converter), refilling, running the Valvoline for a while, then draining and refilling with Pentosin in the FCP kit, or refilling with Valvoline? Would you drain the torque converter during the flush process to eliminate all old fluid (drain plug? I’m not clear as to capacity of the pan, and of the converter. Is there a plug in the pan or does it have to come off? I don’t even know how to fill the dang thing or even check the fluid level. Sounds like I need to find a shop manual. Would an independent Jeep or Mercedes specialist shop be able to service the transmission (complete flush, filter and refill)? Labor estimate?
I’m not sure I would say that the older Jaguars were designed as 20-30 year cars, but moreso that cars in those days were built with more structure to them than was seen starting in the late 90s with the greater introduction of plastics and the like. Certainly I would agree that the XK8/R has its structural deficiencies, however I also see a lot of areas of significant improvement on it vs. the XJ-S I used to have. For example, the rear suspension is much better attached, an area that on the XJ cars of the 70s/80s was a constant problem. They have better rust proofing and do seem to have fewer rust issues than we perpetually saw on early XJs when they had the same number of years on them.
Eric, originally I was going to order the kit from FCP Euro, and the Pentosin fluid I think is good. However I’m satisfied that the Valvoline will be fine as well. On my E55 the transmission had a drain plug, and the procedure I followed was draining the fluid from the pan, remove the pan and change the filter, put the pan back on and refill. Then run the car for a bit to get fluid through the transmission and drain/refill another time or two.
The thing I don’t like about draining the torque converter on these transmission is that they do have some sensors that can get you into limp mode. This happened on my E55 because on that car there was no dipstick for the engine or transmission. As it turns out, the dipstick for the engine had a red cap on it (which made me think transmission, like most other cars), and I ended up dumping 4 quarts of transmission fluid into the engine, then ran the car and drained the transmission more. End result: limp mode and $150 to reset the limp mode at the shop. Oops.
Got it. I think I’ll follow your lead and stay away from the torque converter…or certainly research the hell out of it before/if I decide to drain it. A couple of dilutions should get most of the old fluid removed. Thanks
Another method that I’ve done on transmissions I’ve been more concerned about for whatever reason (design, etc.) has been to simply drain and refill the pan every couple of oil changes as well. My thought is this time around I’ll do a more thorough flush and then after that given that this is a low-use car I’ll change it every so often based more on calendar time than miles.
This weekend I changed oil, transmission, and differential fluids in the XKR. It really wasn’t a big deal at all. The differential especially was a lot easier to change fluid on than I’d expected. I did record a video showing what I did and I’ll upload that to my YouTube channel and post a link with a description later that will hopefully be helpful to others.
The transmission fluid I have the aftermarket dipstick, but I’m still not 100% certain if I’ve gotten it down all the way down the tube. I put in the same amount of fluid I took out for the moment and will fiddle with the total amount later. The fluid and filter were original for sure. I’m going to do a few more rounds of transmission fluid just draining the pan after I get a few more miles with this, and do it a few times to try to mostly get out the old fluid.
My opinion: Nothing to be feared about the differential or transmission fluid change.