Well I found a coolant leak last weekend. It was a slow leak from both ends of the return hose (that's the hose coming out of the engine block from the top left into the top left of the radiator). Apparently this is not uncommon on the 4.2L V8 they've seen it before on the s-type and XK.

Took it in, they used worm clamps to make sure the ends are clamped. Some of the antifreeze had got on the belt, obviously it had soaked and cooked in over the last couple of weeks so I had them replace it under warranty. I swear the car runs smoother now (then again it may be all in my head) as I now feel absolutely no vibration from the engine at idle. They also cleaned the engine bay for any residue. Being obsessive as I am I let it cool and went in with a flash light. They missed a few spots here and there, no big deal, however they missed a big reservoir of goop all the way at the bottom of the engine. Below and to the left of the crank pulley (you can see and access this area looking from the left side of the engine bay, straight down through the hoses you can barely see the area but can't get at it) you'll find two wires bolted on from the left side, then two bolts sticking out to the front above the wires. The area is above and behind those two bolts, it's like a formed tray 2x4x2cm which will collect all the goop from the cooked antifreeze from the leak closest to the engine block.

Hope this helps someone to catch it early before more serious damage is done.

 

You really are obsessive about a tidy vehicle aren't you peniole? Hey, that's not a bad thing, but the OCD sig is so very appropriate.

 

Thanks Ever since my first car ever, I caught the bug from my Dad but far surpassed him in obsessiveness (sp, real word?). First car was a 1991 Hyundai Excel, never stranded me once and saved my bacon a couple of times, sold it in 2002 to a very happy lady who got a car that was meticulously maintained and looked like new, I mean not a dent or scratch anywhere and the interior was spotless. People would think it was no more than 4-5 years old just because of the outdated design by then.