After I get home around a 30min drive and park in my garage I smell a sort of hot radiator fluid smell. I have not touched the radiator fluid to see if I am loosing any but it has remaind the same for months. Anybody else have that strange hot engine smell? canīt really I.D. it properly. All other fluids are fine and engine is ....well purring.

 

All Jaguars are very sensitive to overheating so if you think there may be even a slight coolant loss, check the level. Do this with the engine COLD.



A slight loss could be a warning of a loose hose connection or a failing hose.

Graham

 

Check it NOW ! You should not be able to smell coolant at any time.

 

Depends what you mean by coolant smell. My Jaguar engine smells when parked hot in a garage. Not really coolant smell although it is similar. Hot plastic can smell like hot glycol.

If coolant isn't is appearing then you are probably smelling overheated plastic shrouding. Isn't it still winter in kiwi land?

 

My car always smells the garage out when I park it up. It is 40C here during the day so once I park a hot V8 in a small garage, the temp can get extreme in there. I couldn't say if it smells like coolant - it just smells like generic car fluid smells - a cocktail of sorts. I wouldn't worry too much - always worth checking the coolant level, but what you are smelling is probably normal.

 

mine does the same thing - it's not a coolant smell but not oil... there are no apparent leaks or smoke and levels are all good... I'm thinking it's coming from the rear

it's very strange but it's been that way for 2 years now!

I've got my scheduled maintenance in a few weeks and I'm going to have them check it out.

 

Yeah you are probably right. Its a hot engine smell thats probably coming from the hoses and plastics that heat up. I have a IR thermometer that I will test on the engine to see whats the operating range. I will retighten
the water hoses just in case.

 

Speaking of smells, when I was shopping for XF, I got in one that smelled like ammonia. It was BAD. Some poor guy bought that car sight unseen. I'll be he was ticked when he arrive to take delivery. Then I found anohter one that had a similar smell coming out of the A/C vents. Passed on that one, too.

One day when I was washing my XF, and happened to run the head-lamp washers, I smelled the ammonia in the washer fluid that came out. I'm glad it never manifests in my cabin. I wonder if the others had some washer hose leak that ended up leaking into the A/C system somehow, or down to the floorboard.

 

What's up Roque...

Just wondering if you ever found the cause of the coolant engine smell?? I filled my coolant levels to the top as I obtained the car a month ago and also have always smelled the hot coolant odor, but the gauge reads normal and car drives fine. I also check under get car almost every day for leaks, but always find nothing. It's pretty strong from the outside, and when stopped a while, can smell it a bit inside as well.

Any insight would be appreciated.... Thanks!


Cheers,
***** Quintana
2000 XK8


2000 XK8

 

When I drive my car with the sunroof opened upwards from the rear I can smell the coolant smell. The fluid level is always fine, I have been under the car several times with the front up on ramps and the engine running with the under tray removed and there are no signs of a leak. Weird.

 

Well the only other thing I can think of is that the previous owner(s) might have spilled coolant onto the engine bay or actual engine when refilling at some point and perhaps that dried stuff heats up every time we run the car, therefore producing the coolant odor. Only a theory....

 

The first edition of the XF was known for giving off a bad smell when the engines got too hot. It's nothing serious.

 

Interesting theory. I will give the engine a good spray with water and see what happens.

 

I've notice that coolant odor too. Coolant level has always been fine. No apparent leaks. Just assumed it was normal. Hope so.

 

my smell is definitely coming from the rear of the car... Just a theory, but I think it has something to do w/ the traction control as it happens mostly when in Sport Mode and if I'm having fun!

 

Is it hot brake pad smell? Kind of toast aroma? That's common if the traction control has been active as it applies the rear brakes.

 

nah it's more oily smelling rather than brake pads...

it's kind of a mix between oil, trans fluid and anti-freeze...

 

I'm telling you guys that this smell is actually normal on the 2009-2010 XF models and is nothing to be worried about. It is a chemical, acidic smell almost like radiator fluid. There is a lot written about this issue when the XF was first introduced and has never led to a recall or any major problems.

 

I concur. I have noticed this on my 09. In a garage it is noticable. Outside it is not really that pronounced. It does smell a bit like glycol but not really.

 

cool that's good to know - thx guys!