I replaced my radiator and thought I might share my findings and be 100% forthcoming about the cost and time it took me. (I'm a perfectionist so... I take my time to do it right)

Car has only 59,xxx miles on it and the coolant has been flushed several times during its life. Considering the low miles and multiple flushes.. there is no reasonable reason why the OEM rad leaked. Just poor quality!
I've been noticing a faint whiff of coolant for about 2 months and I've lost maybe 6oz of coolant in that time.
About 2 weeks ago the smell suddenly got stronger and my wife started to notice it too so its time to fix this!
I don't have a pressure test kit nor a working air compressor so I used the shadetree diagnosis tools that I do have. My nose and my brain

The smell was strongest at the center / fan opening. There was no evidence of fluid dripping nor any witness marks (white-ish or red-ish) anywhere. Because of the strong smell and center location I knew it was either the radiator or water pump. (I replaced the DVVC and flushed the system last yr and there was no odor around it)

This is my family car and I needed to get it fixed no matter what! So I ordered a new radiator and figured I'd deal with whatever I find.
I know some are bent on OEM only parts... but it's my car and I'll fix it how I please.

NOTE: After getting the rad R&R (removed and replaced) I could not get the coolant overflow bleed hose sealed. I tried for over an hour and there was just not enough barb left to clamp the hose onto. So I plugged it off temporarily and road tested it so we could at least drive the car locally. I ordered a new Dorman tank and put it on a few days later when it arrived. (this is in part why it took me so much time)

Here are some details and pictures:

$134+ tax $77 Coolant recovery tank – Dorman #603664 https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo...410624&jsn=349
$32 Dexcool and distilled water from W-M
Cost total = $244

Install notes 10-15-19:
- Old rad = strong smell of coolant when exiting vehicle. No dripping and strongest smell at center near fan. No noticeable leak paths or whitening.
- Old coolant tank = The bleed hose barb previously broke off but was working. After radiator R&R this time it would not seal and leaked even using RTV gasket maker and screw clamp.
- New rad = ok except top trans fitting flange OD had to be filed about 0.25mm to get to fit past ID of threads.
- New tank = ok except excessive flash on lower connection would have cut or made O-ring leak.
- Total time = 13hrs which included 10hrs on Sat & 3hrs on Tues after work.
o Lifting car
o 4 plastic covers R&R
o Jaguar oval grille R&R
o Air intake / filter box R&R
o R&R of 5 foam strips (seals radiator & AC condenser & coolant tank and ram air) - This took some time to do w/o ripping the foam
o Radiator R&R
o Inspect and tightened screws on DVVC (no signs of leak but the screws were only snug. Hum...)
o Cleaning / back flushing AC condenser & PS coolers
o Belt R&R and inspection of all FEAD components
o Cleaning old trans oil and coolant off everything in engine bay (the trans lines leaked and I fixed earlier this yr)
o Hosing out garage floor of spilled coolant 2 times (Sat & wed)
o 25mile & 1hr run time to test for leaks.
- Coolant measures -26F freeze point
- Previously replaced and back flushed heater core so no need this time. Old coolant looked new
- Bungee straps were used to support AC condenser and PS cooler

 

very nice write up....keep an eye on your trans cooler lines if they are original....when I replaced my radiator, i tweaked them just enough to make them leak at the crimps....ending up doing a nice repair, but it would have been super easy while radiator was out...i left off the main underbelly cover for a couple weeks to make it easy to spot any leaks and replaced my anti sway bushings while radiator was out

 

Thanks for the heads up.

Earlier this yr I replaced those rubber hoses because they were hard and leaking at the crimps. Used gasket maker and double clamped all four ends They are tight and bone dry after about 5k miles so far. (I made a post w/pics--> https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...h-tips-215808/ )

I too left the under cover & radiator cover off for a few days to make sure there was no leak. When I swapped the reservoir, there was no drips and no odor of coolant. (maybe 50 miles and several heat/cool cycles).

 

Sounds like you good to go.....i remember your hose write up...that one good too....amazing what you can see with radiator out

 

Short term update:
We have about 600 miles on the new rad & reservoir. Earlier this week we made an out of state trip driving 3hrs+ non-stop each way. We'll be repeating that same trip tomorrow too.

After a few days of local driving the fluid level dropped just a little. I put a few OZ of distilled water in and now its consistent and holding pressure as it should.

All things considered.. this inexpensive mail order radiator & reservoir seem to be doing just fine.

 

that is great...when I replaced mine last year, I noticed a significant difference in the engine cooling....and I have the r model and realy noticed better cooling there, even though the 2 systems are isolated from each other except for a small balance hose....increased airflow probably....if you ever get troubles with the cap...i found that the motorad brand works better than oem jag, stant or any others....gets tighter before it starts clicking

 

I've not observed any difference in cooling. Since my car was serviced at least once before me and by me.. the rad and heater core were not clogged at all.

I noticed the OEM cap is rated at 140kpa (20psi) and the cap that came with the reservoir is 120kpa (17psi)

 

I think my new radiator was upgraded aftermarket with slightly larger tanks and more fins per inch....old one had some airflow restrictions where the foam is.....not actually cooler operating temp, but the ability to cool quicker as best i can explain,... interesting about the cap...mine is 20 psi also.....i was having trouble getting a tight seal before the clickover.....not enough to leak liquid just vapor....oem jaguar and stant both popped at 16 psi via tester.....motorad went to 20....strange.....i overlooked the obvious assuming my new oem cap was good

 

Hi , i have the 1999 UK model so no header tank to move and the oil doesn't go through the rad ,just 2 water pipes top and bottom ...so this should be an easy job ,,,,yes/no ? Si

 

Other than the DVVC and plastic under panels complicating things, its not a hard job.

 

Thanks for the guide! Having a hell of a time getting the fan out of my 3.0. The condenser and PS cooler are independently tied off. All the hoses are out and the upper trans line put aside. Can't get the fan past the throttle body because of shroud hitting the high side ac line going through the foam. JTIS says to just take it out, I'm not so agreeable right now.

 

You should be able to remove it w/o removing the TB. I've not worked on a 3.0L version... sorry can't be of more help

 

the 64000 $ question.
Where is the leak on the radiator??
Looks fine from pics.
Sure it was not a leak from expansion box?

 

I wound up lust ordering a new seal for the TB. Once I took it off the fan came right out. Now I need only to remove the water pump and radiator, clean everything up, and reassemble with a new radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, and serpentine belt. The 3.0 is generally nice to work on for access but clearance is clearance, you either have it or you don't.

 

It wasn't the expansion tank.
The rad was leaking / evaporating from the finned area. It wasn't bad enough to drip onto the ground but it had a strong smell of hot antifreeze.

Eight months on now and no problems...