I am a "worry wart" by nature...have discussed the Y pipe failure and preventative fixes with a very knowledgeable F Type owner a while back...I am curious that if I am aware of the "warning" signs... that holding off on any preventative engine work is the best plan of action?...I am unsure of any data regarding the % of failure rate for Jag F Type owners?...the below video makes sense...any comments?...


Cheers

 

As I understand having read up on this, about the only warning sign is evidence of coolant, either smell or by carefully looking into the valley underneath the SC. Unfortunately, the leak is into a location that doesn't necessary make a puddle under the car.

 

Well…given that you are a worrywart, a scenario: you are on the highway between Nanaimo and Victoria when your “coolant low” light comes on - perhaps on one of the single lane segments - at Goldstream Park, for example. And within seconds steam comes out of the engine compartment. You must make an immediate decision because the next stage is the “engine overheating” warning, and when that happens you are already in emergency territory…or so deeply in, that the engine is being damaged. But there is nowhere to even pull off the road….

I made the decision to avoid such a scenario by replacing the leak-prone early pipes with aluminium versions (and replacing other bits such as the water pump while access was easy). Not inexpensive, but if the weather were better I could get in the F-Type and make the Victoria-Nanaimo trip this morning with no anxiety. And that is worth more than the cost of replacing the pipes.

 

What model year is the Y pipe failure no longer an issue due to manufacturing changes? Are MY21 and newer F-Types relatively immune from this leaking problem?

 

The redesigned pipes were introduced late in the 2018 model year.

 

First thing I checked on my car after reading the horror stories. My car has a build date of 10/16, but the pipes are the redesigned ones. I guess they were replaced by the PO.

 

There are loads of anecdotes about people who've had the line blow and their engine exploded, but I've seen very few actual documented cases with evidence (maybe none?) so I honestly believe that case is fairly unlikely. That being said, one possible consequence of sudden coolant loss could be total engine failure as the gauges in modern cars often run on rolling averages, and it could be too late by the time it shows anything.

From a risk assessment point of view you have what I'd consider a relatively unlikely event but it has potentially catastrophic consequences... In any risk hierarchy this would be considered "high risk" and in a safety industry you would not continue work without controlling the risk. Control might be changing the pipes, but it might also be installing a more accurate gauge to get more warning... that's a decision only you can make based on your budget etc.

I'm still driving my XES with 100k km on the old coolant pipes, but the new ones are going in soon. I consider it high enough risk to do the job preventatively, but not high enough to pay my mechanic $2k to do it today when I can do it myself in a month.

 

Several years ago there were a few threads on here about removing the engine cover. I think someone said that they tested it and the engine got about 20 degrees hotter if you left the cover on. Certainly part of the reason for the failure of all of the plastic piping is the repeated heat cycling.

I took my cover off as soon as I got home from the dealership. YMMV.

 

First sign if you're driving is steam coming out the front of the bonnet when you slow, and "Low Coolant" warning sign. I had that. I fortunately had water with me, so waited until it cooled, topped up, made it to the nexxt garage, topped up, etc until I got home. So maybe carry water while you are pondering?
The replacement part is cheap, but the labour isn't due to where the pipe is and the removal that is necessitated of the supercharger and lots of other CxxP

 

All great points..!!

 

The MY2017 6 cyl premium that I have was built in late 2016 and did have the flanged pipes. Easy enough to spot them, though I would think that VINs farther into the MY2017 year would have been built with the solid pipes.. Whatever was in the parts bin at the time................

 

Whatch these video same engine, my updated pipe failed,so went to metal pipes

 

Grab yourself a comfortable seat and read over all the info you need concerning Y pipes.....

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/f...inally-258775/