Good morning all. I have been reading this forum since I purchased my 2005 Jag VDP a couple years ago. Great site for information, tips, etc. I'm somewhat of a diy'er and am willing to work on my car - depending on what it is. Getting ready to install a new thermostat and spark plugs today. Paid $120 diagnostic charge at the dealer just so they could tell me what the problem was (I really need to get an obd2 scanner), but I'm not willing to pay the $550 in labor they want to do the job. Will let you know how it turns out.

 

Welcome to the forum Greg,

Good to have you with us.
I hope it all goes well, you obviously have found the tech section, did you check your regional section Mid West US - IL IN IA MI MN MO OH WI - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum
You do know you could have bought a bucket full of scanners for $120?
Enjoy the forum.

If you haven't already done so you should add your car details to your signature to help others to help you.

 

Thanks Norri. Appreciate it . I always used one the auto parts stores to tell me the codes (at least on my domestic cars) but I think it's time to get my own. Thanks for the tip. Will get my signature updated appropriately.

 

Welcome to the forum Greg,

Good to hear you've already been finding useful information here.

What you save in labour fitting the thermostat and spark plugs will more than pay for a scanner.

Enjoy the forum.

Graham

 

That's what I told my wife...somehow I'm sure I'll pay for that comment. Well, I need to get at the car. Will post after I'm done.

Greg

 

Welcome, Greg: and greetings from the Midwest Region. Good to have you aboard! Best of luck on the fixes. As you know, you'll find lots of pointers, support, and encouragement here.

Cheers,
Scott

 

ok...did a "drain/refill/run car" 3 times using distilled water (emptied about 5 qts or so each time I drained it) then replaced the thermostat and refilled with 5 qts of dexcool. Ran the car for about 20 min but got an "Engine Coolant Low" warning about 15 min in. I'm letting it cool down right now before I check the level, but it didn't look low. Is that normal?
btw-hardest part of the job was taking off the radiator shield. Thankfully it's nice here today (38 degrees or so).

 

It's normal on the S Type, I usually get a couple of low coolant warnings as the air works it's way out.
Top up is usually minimal.

 

I appreciate the response, Norri. That was it...should have waited until after I topped it off before posting. Shows my "newness" . This was the first thermostat I've done. Haven't tackled the spark plugs yet. Somewhat tentative about pulling the cover off the coil packs. Is there a trick to getting them off or do I just pull with some force?

Love this car on the highway! 28-29 mpg and smooth.

 

Good to hear the Thermostat change went OK and you've got the low level resolved.

The coil cover isn't difficult. Be sure to disconnect the ignition coil-on-plug electrical connector before trying to remove the coil.

Once the securing bolt is removed, the coils then sometimes need a slight twist to free them.

Graham

 

Hey Greg and welcome aboard....... good to have you here with us here at Jaguarforums

Any useful site information you may need such as how to post pictures, edit signatures, add videos,
use the search facility etc, can be found here within the following link Helpful_information

Please also take the time to check out the regional section for your area!
There are lots of members local to you with the same interests with info on local dealers and possible meets.
Regional - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum

I've manually upgraded you to Full forum access so you can better view the site and all its features
Please Jump on in and enjoy the site.................

 

Appreciate it Jim.

 

Welcome aboard Greg.

Good to that you are getting things sorted.

Enjoy the forum.