Hi everyone!
Just got an '02 X-Type 2.5 and on the way home everything was great then the temp gauge jumped up to just below red and the engine symbol came on.

I slowed and the temp went down and got it home - found it was almost out of coolant so I added some after it cooled off, but I still have the light after driving it the next day.

Anything I should be looking for that may also be a problem - sorry if I am missing info- 1st jag and 1st car I'm getting my hands dirty on...

Thanks!
Pat

 

Probably the two most common areas to check when you lose some coolant are the coolant reservoir tank and the water pump.

The coolant tank can crack or also check the top nipple fitting at the top of the tank. Water pump can start leaking slowly and they seem to typically fail at about 90K-10K miles. There could be a number of other things as well, but those two are at least a good place to start.

Good luck. Hope you find your issue soon.

 

Thanks Alfadude! I'll take a look. I was just wondering if there was a way to clear the light or know if something else was bugging the engine.

Thanks!
Pat

 

Welcome to the forum.
A local auto parts store should read your codes for free to see what's bugging the engine. Most will not clear the codes though. For less than $20 you can get an elm327 OBDII adapter (wi-fi for apple IOS or bluetooth for android) and a app for a phone or a tablet that will allow you to read and clear basic engine codes. Post the codes here for more information.

 

Thanks - I didn't know that existed - I'll have to put it on my to get list.

I definitely have a coolant leak - but it's happening right near the front near the radiator so I'm hoping it's just a hose issue and not the radiator...

 

The light will also go out on its own in the issue is not present for a certain number of drive cycles. Like if you fix the issue the light will not necessarily automatically go out right away, but will after driving it a certain number of times without the issue present.

A code reader is definitely a must. Makes things way easier to diagnose.

 

+1 the light will extinguish after about 4 drive cycles with the problem fixed. The best check of the engine coolant is with a pressure test. A few auto stores have a tool loan program and can loan you one. The most likely leak forward if it isn't the radiator is the upper hose and thermostat housing. The plastic cracks from thermal expansion/contracting. It is around $90.00 from SNG Barratt and comes complete with hoses/pipes and thermostat. It is a fair afternoon of work for the mechanically inclined.

 

Thanks everyone - I'll be taking a look this weekend. Until then I'm just driving around with some spare coolant and keeping an eye on it.

 

Thanks everyone - there's definitely some kind of coolant leak - looks like the tank was replaced recently so I'm guessing from the area that it is dropping it is one of the pipes on the radiator.

Follow-up on the engine light - bought a cheap code reader at walmart and it was a P0455 - so I reseated the gas cap as it seems to be a generic replacement and then drove a bit and refilled and the light seems to be still off... so maybe I just didn;t have the cap on tight enough.

Thanks!