Yet another dreaded Jaguar fluid post.

Long story short, after replacing my coolant reservoir tank, the water pump decided to go. I've already gone through ~30% of my $90 Jaguar coolant (URGH) when I replaced the tank.

Option 1
Use remaining Jaguar original fluid. But, are ~1.5 gallons (50/50mix) gonna be enough for a complete flush when changing the water pump?

Option 2
Take the loss and seize the opportunity to rid myself of the Jag coolant fluid for good and use something more available and certainly more economical. If I go with this option, is the Zerex DEX-COOL compatible with our cars? It meets the Ford WSS-M97B44-D specification (not sure if the D at the end makes it that different).

Thoughts?

 

spielnicht, I would say that since you already have the Jaguar coolant, might as well use it. I would try and save as much as you can from the radiator, so, while it may make a mess, I would pull out the water pump without draining the system. This should then minimize the loss of coolant and therefore give you the option of being able to just refill using only the jaguar coolant. If by chance you need to add even more, then I would do some looking and find the coolant that can be added to all types of coolant. You should be fine using that as the Jaguar coolant isn't anything really special.

Should you decide to go with something aftermarket, as long as you are sticking with a brand name, you will be fine. They all work. The big thing would be to make sure that you flush the system good with some distilled water to get rid of any old and then if you are getting the concentrated stuff, to dilute that stuff down with distilled water (minimizes the amount of corrosion later due to the inherent amount of calcium/zinc/etc found in tap water).

 

Jag doesn't make it's own coolant. It's a relabelled jug from one of the big suppliers, probably a negotiated contract through Ford. Use whatever brand of coolant you like that meets the OEM spec.

 

Recently I was at the local Jaguar Dealership (Spare Parts Dept) they had 5 Litre (White Bottle) of Coolant available. All clearly marked JAGUAR COOLANT.
I queried the sales guy and asked about the specification and if it was indeed Red.... we looked over the bottle and could not find any Part No. or Code or reference to any standard or performance specification.
Then to my surprise he broke the sealed cap and showed me that is was not red either - but a yellow/gold colour.

I agree with Chris..... whether you choose a Synthetic coolant (green) or Organic coolant (red) flush out the remains of whatever is in there now (to clear water) then refill at 50/50 dilution with whatever your preference is... and replace that every 4-5 years.

 

The colour of a coolant is not a reliable indicator of it's suitability for a given vehicle, which spec it meets or miscibility with other coolants.

No, I'm not going to run around finding 'proof' for you.

 

Nope..... hope you are not stalking me.

 

Someone more knowledgeable may refute this but I was told by a Jag Tec at the dealership that the WSS-M97B44-D spec coolant was the same as the Ford Motorcraft coolant part # VC3B. I bought a gallon for $22 at the Ford dealer and have been using it to top off my reservoir due to a very slow leak near my thermostat. No ill effects yet but I've only had to add maybe a pint so far. Thoughts?

 

Hi Inky,
What colour is the Ford stuff ? (Red I'm betting)

 

Reddish /orange.... looks exactly like what is already in the system.

I know it's qualitative but it looks, smells, and feels the same.... makes sense that it would be a coolant Ford was already using.

BTW... my X type is a 2004 3.0

 

The writing on the back of the jug will state whether it meets the spec or not. This says it does:

https://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubrican...ing%20Products

Note also the cautions of intermixing with other types.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Just finished the job yesterday. Ended up taking Thermo's advice and saved as much as I can from the reservoir tank and reusing it. I wanted to reuse some of the drained coolants, but it it was bouncing all over the place and as it was coming down (long story) and I didn't want to take a chance with contaminated coolant in the system. Luckily, I had enough new Jag coolant with some to spare.

Just an FYI on the water pump. Did a lot of research before purchasing to decide on whether to go original or OEM and I ended up with the AIRTEX. It was the most expensive (as much as original from JPLV), but it looks like a top quality part and only OEM not made in China (made in the UK).

 

Hi Spielnicht,
Glad it all worked out OK for you ... in the end

 

Hoping I didn't do a bad thing by topping of the reservoir with off the shelf Dex Cool with Jag coolant? Have an 04 X Type with a 3.0.

 

I topped mine off with a little bit of distilled water last time when my pump went out and I had to drive to the shop.
Not sure , but I think you can also top off with Prestone Universal - but maybe someone else here has some comments on the Prestone for topping off. If you did a full flush, then I guess you could use the universal stuff to fill it completely 50/50