I got Coolant Low reading on 2009 Jag XF 4.2L luxury (no super charger).

I let the car cool off, opened the cap and saw the min/max indicator exposed. I put what amounted to about 20 ounces of coolant in and proceeded to drive, with the warning indicator no longer on.

A couple of days later the indicator is on again. I open the hood to see overflow coolant around the engine from spraying out from what is now probably over-filled. So I assume I screwed up and maybe it did not need more coolant. Maybe the sensor is defective.

So for a week, no warning indicator - then it goes on again "coolant level low". While driving home I turn off the warning and then I get "Engine Temp High".

Ouch. I pull over and shut down the engine immediately for 10 minutes. I'm 1 mile from home - I restart and make it home with no warning signs.

The car appears to have enough coolant in it. Makes no sense. Engine is not blown, but very scary.

Going to real mechanic in a couple of days. I'm going to have it towed to him.

Anyone have a similar experience?

Thank you

 

I have the same problem in my 2010 XF with 5.0 litre engine except that I don't get the "Engine Temp High" indicator but the engine feels quite hot after driving only 2-3 miles. The coolant level is high when I look at the expansion tank. I'm thinking it's a stuck thermostat. What was the upshot in your case?

 

Not sure you can tell that an 'engine feels hot'. You need to connect an OBD reader and get the actual engine oil temp if you think there is an issue.

 

I'm saying the engine felt hot because I drove it only a few miles on a cloudy day with outside temperature in the low seventies and the hood felt almost too hot to touch. I've never felt a hood that hot before.

 

This happened almost 5 years ago.

It turns out my Jaguar was demonically possessed - all kinds of aberrant electrical issues and odd feedback.

The coolant notifications were the beginning. Afterwards, my cell phone no longer worked, my headlamps were frequently burning out, my check engine light was constantly on, and my tire pressure monitor was constantly going - and I replaced 2 batteries and an alternator.
I loved the car so I went to an extremely high end Jaguar electrical expert.

He was a great guy, honorable, integrity. He told me it was basically a Sherlock Holmes expedition to find the true source - charging me $400 for a day's work which at least allayed my coolant fears and tire fears - they stopped false flagging me.

He gave me the option to bring it in to fix ongoing issues more on a per job basis, but realistically this was going to be a $2000-$2500 deal. (Based on current used car prices, I would do it now, but 3 years ago I sold it. That was a painful day, I loved that car and kept it in pristine condition . It looked brand new.)

My sense is the XF's are long in the tooth at 110,000 miles on so expect many repairs. Weird things go.

Until then try not to have a heart attack each time that check engine light comes on - usually it ain't a big deal. But the other Britcar dude is correct: get a real temperature reading. If it's good, see if you can get an electrical check without too much pain.

Good luck.

Ps I'm driving a Yugo now. Much less trouble, but much less girls.

(Just kidding about the Yugo.)

 

Thanks for your reply Dallas Rockford. I'm going to take it to my local mechanic and have him take a look and a temperature reading.

 

You can also get a cheap code reader or a Bluetooth dongle and app on your phone that lets you view engine temps etc live. Then drive it and view how it's running

You may be right but these engines are big (assuming you have the 5.0 V8 without SC?). So they can be quite hot.