I have a 2003 S Type with the NA V8 and the lower transmission cooling line leaks a little at the crimp fitting where the line goes from aluminum to flexible hose. The upper one isn't leaking I believe, but doesn't look that hot either. Is this a common problem? It leaks about an ounce every 100 miles now. Do these leaks get progressively worse or just stay the same for years? At the shop they will only replace both lines and it involves raising the engine, lowering the subframe, etc. and will cost about a thousand dollars. Doing that is beyond what I'm going to do myself. Has any one found any easier options, with less disassembly that works for a long time? Has anyone ever tried using AN type fittings and lines going all the way from the transmission to the radiator, snaking it through everything successfully? Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

Yes, common issue.

There are a lot of threads on this including DIY fixes, that IMO are better than replacing the lines with new as they will fail again.

You are going to need to address the leaking trans line vert soon as they can catastrophically fail.

 

One thing that I was thinking about is getting a separate aftermarket transmission cooler and just running new lines to that and eliminating the need to mess with the old stuff and the accessibility problems. Has anyone tried doing this or has any thoughts on if this would be good, compared to the existing set up in the radiator? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks

 

I've been through this and made a post showing info and pictures. See link below

I highly recommend replacing both hoses because I found both of them to be very hard / degraded. (garage queen w/less than 60k miles too)

NOTE: The trans lines route through the radiator end cap for BOTH warming the fluid and cooling the fluid. It's best to keep it plumbed as stock. I can understand a shop wanting to replace the whole line assemblies. But... doing it yourself allows you to skip that trouble and cost.

If a guy really wanted to additionally cool the fluid.. add the cooler *after* the fluid leaves the rad.
(trans operating temp is actually engineered. That's why they actually use the rad to help warm its fluid more quickly)


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...h-tips-215808/

 

Thanks for all the information. After looking into a separate transmission cooler, I also found out that for an everyday car, it's best hooked up to the radiator. You did a great job laying out the procedure to repair and replace the lines. The job is more than I want to do, or feel confident doing on the car and when it needs to be done I'll just pay a shop to put in new Jaguar lines, which is the only way they'll do it. Almost a thousand bucks for a seeping hose fitting. Amazingly, yesterday I had the transmission fluid checked after 450 miles since last checked and it was still full! It healed itself? I'm going to clean everything I can down there and keep it monitored for a while and see what happens. The next full moon I think I'll try an old Druid Jaguar healing ritual to be on the safe side. Does anyone know if there is more pressure in the lines at higher speeds and more spirited driving, compared to lower speeds and smoother driving, or does the pressure stay pretty consistent?

 

If you live near a major airport there will be specialist firms that replace the degraded flex hoses on aircraft and should be able to rebuild your pieces for a cost which is significantly less then complete new hose assemblies from Jaguar.

The kicker is that, of course, the hose assembly must be removed and taken to the shop for rebuilding/refurbishment. When I owned a part of a high-end European car specialist shop we did this quite regularly.

 

The pressure stays pretty constant depending on the fluid temp....when mine leaked, it was always at cold startup before the heat swelled the lines and fluid pressure drops a bit.....you can check by raising the car and startup and look....although,.you have probably done this already

 

The pressure in the cooling lines is not very high. That's why they slowly seep and then drip.

 

Just to be on the safe side, as long as it's the Summer Solstice today, I'm going to do an offering at sunset instead of waiting for the full moon. I'm not sure about the specifics of the old Druid Jaguar healing ritual, but I'll try burning a Jaguar logo with my VIN number on it, some cat hair, and two dollars. Worth a shot? It would probably work better at Stonehenge, but that's too far away for me. Getting up before sunrise was out of the question also. I'll keep you posted.

 

when i got my 02, the previous owner or someone must have used the lines as leverage to loosen the oil plug and bent them down resulting in rubbing holes in them from the frame. i could not find any and had no interest on lifting the engine to remove them. so i cut the bad part out, bought compression fittings and haven't had a problem in a year so far.

 

I can relate. Sometimes invoking supernatural, pagan rituals seems like the only thing that will help. For my Maseratis on another forum I would suggest l dancing around a bonfire at night waving a dead chicken around my head. Evoking Santeria was always more colorful and when you're done you can also have a nice chicken dinner to celebrate the success of your repairs.

 

Thanks for all the input, if I ever get a Maserati, I'll try sacrificing a chicken as part of my maintenance program. The Quattroporte is a pretty sweet car, but I'll stick with the S Type for now. The transmission cooling line is still pretty leak free, I'm glad that I didn't have to have everything replaced for nothing. On the Winter Solstice I did another burnt offering, just as before. No live sacrifice though, I figure unless there is a major problem, just the copy of a Jaguar logo with my vin number on it, some cat hair, and two dollars will be good enough. You don't want to spoil the spirits, you know. When I drove the car 150 miles before and got everything warmed up, the rubber transmission cooling line probably swelled up in the fitting and sealed it. But I am taking no chances, every solstice I am going to continue doing my offering as part of my maintenance schedule. I also noted that since my last offering on the Winter Solstice, the car is driving smoother and a little better throttle response too. On the part with my name, etc it says my S Type has 58,000 miles it has more now, still under 100,000 though.

 

Well i was thinking about replacing the radiator with an all aluminum one.

With it & fan removed, it should be the perfect time to do this job.

As well as the radiator hoses

 

That sounds like a good idea. When my radiator needs replacing I'll probably do the same, replacing accessible stuff makes a lot of sense. If the car has the original DCCV, I'd replace that too. I'm not sure if it will make changing the transmission cooling lines much easier though. It might be good for you to start a thread about it.