Greetings group. 2011 xf with possible electrical issues. Need experienced response. Coolent level low alert came on, but tank is full. I'm thinking electrical due to overhead dome light intermittently goes on and off. I checked the fuses and no issue. Trying to DIY diagnose before sending her to the shop.

 

lol...I had the same lighting issue in my 2011. The dealer replaced the circuit board in the overhead console. First time it happened it freaked me out. Lights would just come on randomly. Don't know if the coolant level is related to this though. I am thinking that you have two separate issues. My lighting problems only happened during cold weather.

 

Thank you Cherry_560sel. I guess I'll have them check the console when they get their hands on her.

 

You're checking it when it is cold correct? Don't just assume it is nothing as many people on here have lost engines due to a sudden loss of coolant and overheating.

I got lucky and caught mine the other day. I smelled coolant when I got home and the next day it was almost an inch below cold fill line and there were some drops of coolant under the car. Turns out the water pump was leaking and it was fixed under warranty. The sad thing is I bought the V6 to avoid the coolant leak issues on the V8 SC models.

 

BlckCat...yes I'm checking when engine is cold. The alert comes on approximately 5mins into driving. I pray it's just the sensor and not a leak. There is no puddles or coolent smell.

 

Jaguar may be using the same coolant level sensor as in the Land Rover LR3 range - in which case it's a known issue where the sensor becomes porous and "sinks" triggering a low level alert. Always wise to check anyway but the fix in that case would be a new coolant reservoir as I don't think the sensor is available separately...

 

The light isn't related... on my old 2011 it did the same on the drivers overhead light.

I just pulled the one bulb

 

I had exactly the same issue on my '09 SC. Look in the reservoir tank (when it is cold, take off the cap) and see if the float switch in the tank has sunk. I've had this problem on 3 different Jaguars. It is an easy DIY, the tank was $120 on ebay. It's been a year since I did it but IIRC there are different part numbers for SC vs. non-SC.

 

I have 2011 XF Supercharged.
One more thing to check before you spend $$

did you have any service work done prior to the fault?
On my vehicle the sensor is inserted up into the reservoir tank from the bottom. The reservoir tank was moved and then put back. When that was done the sensor became dislodged from the bottom of the tank and triggered the fault. 5 minutes to pull a couple screws and make sure the sensor is fully inserted in the bottom of the reservoir tank....

just a thought....

 

Had the same issue with mine, as the float had sunk. You can use those styrofoam rings that come with blank CD/DVDs and put one under the float to fix the issue. I did this years ago and have not had a problem since.

 

I recall finding a thread there this was mentioned as a possibility, but when I started looking into how to actually do this, I could see no way on earth that this could be physically possible. It's just too tight to get anything under the float. Can you share, for the good of the group, how you did this? Also are you positive that the float still works? I actually used some fishing line to hold the float up for a month or two, but eventually chickened out when I realized I would never know if the coolant was truly low!

 

I got the dreaded, "low coolant message" on my '09 XF, a week ago. I added about 5-6 oz. of coolant, and the message went away..........

 

Sometimes the message really means low coolant and other times, your float sensor done sunk...

 

That's correct.




Therefore, look at the obvious FIRST, before assuming the worst........

 

Sure, when the car is cold, open the coolant reservoir, and look directly in from the top. Use a flashlight or something to see everything well. You'll see a black circular plastic piece, which is snapped in to the top of a plastic vertical rod/pole. This black plastic cap can be grabbed with needle-noise pliers and removed. Under this, you'll see a white circular float which has probably sunk to the bottom of the tank, about the size of a lifesaver candy. Also, remove this float (you may need a wire hanger or something similar to hook it and grab it).

What I did was I trimmed one of those foam rings that comes on the top of a stack of DVDs, making sure the middle hole is big enough to go over the vertical pole in the tank, then hold the foam ring down with something like a wire coat hanger. Then, use some needle nose pliers and put the dead float back on the pole, and then snap the black cap back on the top of the pole. Most important is to keep the floating foam down during the process so you can get the cap back on.

So, the order of objects from bottom to top, is the DVD/foam ring at the bottom, then the bad float over it, and then the black plastic cap at the top. The DVD foam ring will give enough upward floating/buoyant force to help the float to function and register the correct liquid level.

After this, you can put the reservoir tank's cap back on and enjoy. Buying a new tank and replacement float isn't necessary, and I'd bet that over time the float would fail again, so this is a more long-term fix, crazy as it may seem.

 

I got the low coolant warning. 1st time it came on I made a hard turn red pulling out and accelerating then it came on - oooh ****. Any way coolant level was slightly below the Cold fill level, so I topped it up - warning comes on and off. Usually it comes on after a fixed period of driving say 5 minutes. I did notice the coolant level box was not as securely fastened, I tightened some nuts and figured the box was moving slightly.

After 95K solid miles with the 2010 XF v8. I new I had new tires and new brakes to cash out sooooooo I got an amicable divorce and and got hitched to a meaner and faster 2012 XFR - ROLF. BTW I STILL HATE the NEW XFR - the exhaust pipes are for old farts !!!!!!

 

Thanks to those before. I just had the same problem and it did turn out to be the float sinking to the bottom. I was able to use the instructions to locate the float and the retaining clip that keeps it from floating away. It took about ten minutes to remove the clip and float, then replace all with a foam CD ring underneath to remedy the problem. I did find that by placing all of the items on an extra long phillips screwdriver it was much easier to place them all back where they belonged. Thanks again!

 

I'm having a really hard time getting the plastic retainer you mentioned removing with needle nose pliers. I'm trying to not squeeze it too hard but i'm pulling pretty hard and the pliers keep slipping off but the retainer is not coming off. Any advice on what you did to get it off without destroying it? I've already had plastic fragments that broke off and I don't want to contaminate the reservoir any more or just destroy the retainer and have to replace the whole reservoir which I'm trying to avoid. I can post a pic tomorrow to make sure yours looks like mine. I have a 2013 3.0 AWD. Thanks.

 

You bet, if you have a pic that might help, as Jaguar perhaps redesigned the part a little since the early model. My only advice that may help is to get a good grip on the "cap" and then wiggle/shake it as you pull it upward. If I recall correctly, the plastic retainer at the top "snaps" around the center shaft, by interlocking with flexible ribs that clip into the inside circumference of the circular retainer.

 

Sorry for poor picture quality but hopefully good enough. I tried to loop a wire around from underneath and pull it off but wasn't able to do it.