Yes, that is your overflow bottle for the cooling system. From the sounds of things, you have a pretty good leak going on. This is good and bad. Good in that it will make finding your problem easier, the bad thing is, how did it get that bad so fast.

Now, don't fret. What I would tell you to do is to start adding water to the overflow bottle, making sure not to spill any. From here, you will need to look at the top of the engine and also under the car to see if you have any water coming out any where. If yes, then follow the trail of water and see where it is coming from. Hopefully it is coming from one of the coolant hoses and you have simply popped it. If it is coming from the radiator, then you will most likely have to install a new radiator. If it is coming from the area around the passenger wheel, then that would indicate a bad water pump more than likely. Again, replace the water pump.

Of note, filling the coolant system in the X-type is not a simple "keep filling till no more air bubbles come out". There is a procedure you must follow and it requires pinching a hose most of the way to provide some backpressure to help force the air out of the motor. If you need more help with this, write back and I'm sure someone will be more than happy to give you those instructions.

As for the additional coolant, the orange stuff is just long life coolant. If you go to the auto parts store, you can pick up some more. There is nothing fancy about our cars as it relates to the type of coolant that you put into the motor. Just make sure not to mix types of coolant (ie, green with orange, etc).

 

Please let us know how this cooling problem turned out.

 

car32, if you filled the system and are still having an overheating issue, then you have a problem with either a bad thermostat, a bad water pump, or a clogged radiator. The clogged radiator would be last on the list unless you tried something like "Radiator Stop Leak". That stuff is great if you are in need of getting out of somewhere. But, long term, it isn't good. Just talk to some mechanics and see what their feeling is on the stuff. They love it because normally when they get the car, they are getting lots of work to do since they are needing to replace a lot of parts.

If you look at the coolant bottle, you will see a small hose coming off the top of the coolant bottle and running to the engine. You will want to start the car and look inside the bottle with the cap off. With the engine running, you should be able to see the coolant moving around a little bit. This is from a small amount of coolant being recirc'ed from the engine directly to the coolant bottle. You may also be able to see the coolant running inside the bottle on the back edge of it. If you can't see the coolant moving around, then odds are your water pump is toast and that needs replaced. If you can see the coolant moving around, then odds are your thermostat is toast.

Another method for determining what is wrong is knowing when the car overheats. Does the car overheat going down the road or when sitting still? If going down the road it is fine, then odds are your issue is with a bad e-fan control module. If it is overheating all the time, then odds are the thermostat is stuck shut. If it only overheats when at highway speed but can be driven for a decent amount of time at say around 30 mph, then it is your water pump starting to go.

Let me know what you find and if you have any other questions. If you are not loosing coolant, then it really can only be but a few things. All 3 are easy to fix yourself, the hardest part may be if you have a bad e-fan controller, getting one without having to get the whole fan assembly which can be a pretty penny.

 

Been having a similar issue, last week-two weeks the fan has been going for a few minutes after turning the car off. Last night temp goes to the far right near the red line, get a red light warning that engine temp is hot. Was driving around 60km/h, and I think it went down a bit when I parked. Turned it off for a while, then drove it home, started heating up pretty quickly.

This morning checked coolant level and there's barely any left. Purchased coolant that is compatible and now to fill it... Since I bought the car a year ago, never changed the coolant. Does it need to be drained before I put new coolant in or can I just top it off? I am also mechanically inept What is the procedure for filling the coolant and pinching a certain hose?

 

Sparty, as long as you are using compatible coolant, then you are golden. Granted, because you currently have a leak (loss of coolant), I would recommend simply filling up the bottle with some distilled water to bring it back up to the proper level for the moment and then determine where you leak is coming from. You will most likely have to drain the coolant system to repair the leak anyways, so, save yourself a few bucks for the moment and find the leak. Then you can fill the system with a 50/50 mix of coolant and water.

As for the proper venting procedure, what you need to do is to remove the engine cover (3 screws and the oil cap-replace the oil cap once the cover is off). Once the cover is off, if you look to the left of the large black hose coming from the air box to the throttle body, you will see 2 smaller hoses there. The ribbed one (may be smooth if you have the old design, if you do, recommend upgrading to the newer style hose to prevent future problems) is your oil vapor hose and the other hose is your coolant hose. You want to use a smooth jawed pincher of some sort (smooth vice grips work or a strong "clothes pin" device) so you can pinch this line and restrict the coolant flowing through it. With the hose not pinched off, start up the car and let it come to temp. Once at/near temp, pinch off the line, wait 30 seconds, release, wait 30 seconds, pinch off again, wait 30 seconds, release, wait ........ repeat until you don't see air coming into the coolant bottle (look near the back edge at the top or have the cover removed prior to starting the car, do not remove once the car is up at temp).

With that being said, the motor does self vent. So, the need to do this procedure is not mandatory, but it does help get the air completely out of the motor faster. But, a few miles up at temp driving and all should be good too.

As for adding coolant, simply pour the coolant into the overflow bottle. Like I mentioned earlier, don't open the bottle with the engine hot. The bottle is under some pressure and in certain conditions, releasing the cover can result in some of the water flashing to steam when the cover is removed, resulting in burns to your hands/body. You should be good if you stop the car, open the hood, wait about 5 minutes and then go after the cover. Granted, if you stopped the motor because it was up near "H", then I would wait until the temp gauge is down below mid band (how ever long that may take).

 

Hi everyone
Firstly thanks for all the info.it's been really helpfull,I own a 2002 xtype 2.5l v6 awd model and have owned this car for over a year having no major faults touch wood,
But one day out driving i noticed temprature gauge in red and car engine warning light on,I stopped car and checked water level but header tank was empty this is when i thought the worst,the engine had seriously overheated and the fans where on full for obout five minuits after car had been switched off.
I fear i have either ruined head gaskets or damaged the heads, there is very little sign of oil in the header tank and on checking the oil filler cap no residue,but not knowing how long these symtums take to show i am expecting the worst.
Does anyone know? can anyone suggest way of testing?

 

spartan, you can have the easy way or the harder way. The easy way is to simply fill the coolant system and see what the car does. Granted, I would also recommend figuring out where the coolant leak is and fixing that. For our cars, you normally have either a broken nipple on the bottom front of the overflow bottle or the hose running between the motor, radiator, and overflow bottle develops a leak. May also have a bad water pump. So, make sure you get this figured out before you drive too much further.

As for whether it hurt the engine or not, you can fill the system and see if you get any white "smoke" out of the exhaust pipe with the engine hot (there will be some with the engine cold, but if you are getting a lot, we have issues). The other check is to do a compression check of the cylinders. if you have 1 that is low, odds are you have a head gasket problem. If you had water getting into the oil, when you removed the oil cap, you would have found a lot of gray sludge on the cap. You didn't mention anything, so, things are looking good for you atleast in that respect.

The final check that you can do is to rotate each piston to top dead center with both valves closed (will have to rotate the engine between cylinders to get the piston to the proper spot) and then you can apply some compressed air to each cylinder (normally about 90 psi). From there you can watch the overflow bottle for bubbles, listen in the oil cap hole for air leakage, listen to the throttle body for sounds of air, and also to the exhaust pipe. If you hear air anywhere, that is a sign of problems. Either a valve issue (throttle body or exhaust sounds) or a head gasket issue (overflow bottle, oil cap).

Hope this helps you figure out what is going on.

 

Thanks for the help so far, coolant was ok a week ago I think, no overheating issues. Took it to the mechanic today and they said they found coolant all over the thermostat? Cracked water pump(but its working) and thermostat to be replaced? I have been getting issues with the climate control where on a really hot and humid day the LCD screen wont even turn on, but the buttons all work.

 

Sparty, for the cost of a new thermostat, might as well have them replace it, but odds are, it doesn't need to be replaced. As for the water pump, if it is cracked and leaking, then that definitely has to be replaced. may want to see what they say about only replacing the water pump and seeing what the price difference is. The thermostat is only like $50, toss in another half hour of labor, that should be about $100 for a new thermostat. Price it both ways and see what the shop says. If they are going to charge you more than $100 for the new thermostat, I would think about passing. But, your call.

 

I've just had a similar experience to the members above, and i found a cracked/broken spigot on the hose connector from the left rear of the expansion tank, that seems to run around to the left end of the manifolds....


i've replaced the tank, and i'm working out any air locks with some patience, running up to temperature, then revving for a little, then letting it cool again before any necessary top up ....


however, doing so has me a little worried....

when revving at 2.5-4k the apparent coolant level drops, in the tank, and then comes back up when i lift off the gas...

there seemed earlier to be some bubbles in the coolant when this was going on, but then it cleared up, (so that could just be the air lock working it's way out.... )

is the fluid level change normal?

I ask, as i had experience with another car (Omega 3.0 v6) some years ago where the head gasket had failed through between the water ways and one cylinder, and was over pressurising the coolant system.....

but before i go spending money having it investigated..... i thought i'd ask....


the car has not overheated though, the temperature gauge has never gone above the mid line, I was only a few hundred yards from work when the fans kicked in for the first time since i've owned the car..... knowing it was unusual i checked the coolant immediately and found the expansion tank almost , but not quite, empty..... let it cool off then topped it up..... then checked hoses , found the cracked union/spigot and got a new tank, while awaiting it's arrival, the coolant leak was just slow enough for me to drive the 9 miles between home and work , topping up before starting the journey meant that coolant had reached just above, or just below the minimum mark by the time i got to work.... (depending on traffic conditions) , then topped up again before heading home..... (after many hours, when engine was cool )

I've also possibly identified WHY the spigot broke.... the clearance between expansion tank and the bonnet lining is quite tight, and whoever previously serviced the vehicle had left the spring circlip hose clip with it's prongs sticking straight up at the top.... it would seem likely that this was then pushed down by the bonnet , every time the bonnet was opened and closed, another impact would stress the spigot..... so, when refitting the new tank, i've rotated the clips so their lugs are at the bottom, not the top, so there's no danger of the bonnet pushing down on them and causing a recurrence.

there does seem to be a little white smoke in the exahust... but not masses.... and it reduces as the engine and exhaust warms up , i've not yet had the chance to check it after a long enough run to get the whole system up to temperature.. , (i'm used to the idea of some condensation needing to be boiled off the exahust on a chilly morning.... and so on.... )

any thoughts ????

 

(it's a 53 plate (jan 2004) 2.5 v6 sport estate by the way )

 

Idris, yes, if you have an air bubble in the block, the coolant level will change slightly as you rev the engine as the coolant system pressure changes and it will compress the air bubble. Keep running the engine and the air will work its way out of the engine as the water will absorb the air and then come out in the overflow bottle. Just make sure to periodically open the bottle to let the air escape.

Within about 100 miles, the air should be fully out of the system.

 

thanks thermo.... most reassuring.

 

Idris, I use the effect that you are seeing to get a feeling for how much air I have in the system when I do coolant work. There is a process by which you can pinch off a coolant hose to force the coolant through the block, pushing the air bubble out. Some people do this, some don't. I have never had good luck doing the air removal that way (atleast I don't see the results that others talk about). The purpose of the small line at the back of the overflow bottle is to take a small portion of the coolant going through the motor and vent it straight back to the overflow bottle to help purge the motor of any air. Unfortunately, the point at which it leaves the block is not necessarily the highest point in the block and therefore some air can remain trapped.

So, after a 20 mile drive, let the motor cool, open the bottle, let the pressure bleed off and then top up and coolant that might be needed. After that, do another check at 100 miles since service and that should be the last time you need to top up.

 

Well it would appear i still have a leak....


not a massive one, but a moderately serious one....

it's going to need the car up in the air though, it seesm to be coming from a fair way back.... looking underneath, a slow drip when running, at the back of the engine.... towards what i assume is the gearbox....


looking at the engine bay, there seem to be 2 coolant pipes running down in that direction from the right hand side of the engine, one meets a tee-piece from the connection from the expansion tank, the other seems to some off the end of the manifold/head assembly a little further towards the front.....

can anyone tell me what these pipes are connected to at the other end? and part numbers/ description of pipes so i can order some if necessary when i get the thing up enough to go looking under it ?

 

Would having air trapped in the system cause your rad fans to stay on for about 5 minutes or so after turning the ignition off?

 

My jaguar is leaking coolant, but only when the car is off cooling down, then it stops. It's not a lot, but goes down about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in overflow. I had water pump replaced about a year ago after an accident. When I went underneath the car it is dripping ( again only when cooling off, then it stops leaking) from a screw that looks like a nipple on the end, and is connected to a cork-like gasket. Someone recommended radiator stop leak, but would you put it in the overflow to circulate?
Thanks

 

RN_ER, first off, welcome to the forums. Lots lots of good information here and lots of people willing to help. But, please stop by the New Member Section and introduce yourself. We pride ourselves in being a better car group and as part of this, we like to keep things very friendly and like a family. Tell us a little bit about yourself and this will also give you a chance to meet those that make this place what it is.

As for using stop leak, I can not recommend that. it is a good product if you are in a place that you shouldn't be and you need to get out of there. But, much beyond that, it is going to create more problems than I think it is going to fix.

As for your leak location, I guess I am having a hard time picturing where you are taking about. if you are talking about the screw at the end of the radiator (big plastic screw), then that is your radiator drain. You may be able to simply open it up to drain some fluid at a decent rate to flush it out and then reseat it. That may fix your problem. If you could better explain the screw that you are talking about, I will go out and look at my car and get a feeling of what you can do to make things better.