I think I found this on my 2010 XF, driver front right, but it looks like a plastic plug that unscrews from the extreme edge of the radiator. Is that correct? Does anyone know?

 

Are you referring to the coolant drain plug? If so, yes. But, I believe there might also be another coolant plug by the transmission, as well as the bleed screw on top of the engine.

 

Thanks. That looks like it on the radiator. It just does not loosen easily, and when I do get it somewhat loose, nothing drains, I assume I have to remove it completely. If I had realized there was another one near the transmission I could have perhaps avoided removing the plastic shield!

 

Out of curiosity, is it a plug you remove, or should it start to drain like a petcock? It appears to be a drain plug, but it gets extremely tight as I loosen it, and does not seem to want to come out. Also, it does not begin to drain, like a petcock would, as I loosen it, which has me concerned that my radiator may be plugged or full of sludge, if that is how it is to operate.

 

Out of curiosity, is it a plug you remove, or should it start to drain like a petcock? It appears to be a drain plug, but it gets extremely tight as I loosen it, and does not seem to want to come out. Also, it does not begin to drain, like a petcock would, as I loosen it, which has me concerned that my radiator may be plugged or full of sludge, if that is how it is to operate.

 

It drains once loosened. It does not need to be and shouldn't be removed, unless you damage it and/or plan on replacing it. It's made of a soft rubber and can be damaged easily, so I use a nickel held by pliers to loosen/tighten it. It looks like this, once removed:

 

Yep, that looks like it. Not draining, but not sure I have it backed out of all the threads. I was bale to use a wide blade screwdriver. Would it drain through that small hole, or does it drain around the threads?

 

Yep, that looks like it. I was able to back it out with a wide screwdriver, but it gets tight, and I don't want to muscle it and break it. Does it drain through that small hole, or around the threads when loose? Meaning does it drop down and the ears catch it.Is it normal to be extremely tight when it is about to "come loose'?

 

It drains around the plug, not through the hole. I don't think mine even has a hole. I can't remember if it starts to get tight as it gets near the end of travel or just continues to spin without moving any further but regardless, it only needs to come out this far to drain thoroughly.

Drain Plug All The Way Down For Draining

If you still aren't able to figure it out, maybe just remove it all the way and plan on replacing it?

 

Thanks, mine is not that far out yet, but yes, I would agree. May be a remove and replace.

 

Got it loose. Mine was so tight it bent my nickel! But better than breaking out the plastic on the plug!

 

 

Holy crap! Who would've believed that rubber could bend a nickel???!!! I'm glad you got it sorted, though! Good luck with the rest.

 

Just went all thru this an found a very cheap Dorman petcock that is the EXACT replacement! On my 2014 XJ Jaguar does not even list a radiator petcock. You "might" find reference to JLM20622 which is the correct part number for many, many Jaguars. But check the price if you can find it!

The Dorman #61138 is around $6 and available everywhere. I recommend after dealing with numerous Jaguars to just replace it. I also found that almost all of the plugs will be tight and then seize in place after about 1 complete turn loosening it. Not a problem just carefully spray it with WD-40 and try to work the screw back and forth 1/4 turn to work the WD-40 into the rubber/plastic. This will usually tear up the plastic screw head and I use pliers to pull it out all the way. I find I get a much stronger coolant flow out the bottom of the radiator with the plug completely removed.

Also use the largest flat blade screwdriver you have and "try" to not shear the plastic plug off! It's pretty tough but you must use the largest tool possible to fill screw slot with no movement.

Here is my stock plug next to the Dorman replacement.





Can you tell which one is factory and which one is the Dorman?

Here is a comparison of the screw head. Now it's easy to see the damage on the factory screw head on the left.





So a super cheap and easy to get replacement part!
This exact same part has been used in millions of Fords since about 1995. The thread size is M14 X 1.50.
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It's not rubber, it's plastic.