I have a 2014 XJL Portfolio and seems to get a lot of leaks in my coolant system. Is that a frequent problem with this model?

 

I have a 2014 XJ 3L with 47K on the clock. I had the water pump replaced as preventative maintenance about 10K miles ago. I just put in about a 1/2 cup of 50/50 coolant to bring it up to the cold line for the first time ever. If that worsens, I'll be going to all aluminum pipes that I've started to stock. If you have examined the posts on the subject, you will find that the plastic cooling system pipes are notorious for failure along with the water pump. Check for leaks on the water pump. The original water pump front seal fails between 30K and 50K miles (my estimate reading posts). A caution you should be advised of is to immediately shut the car down if there is any overheating or you catastrophically loose coolant from a cracked coolant pipe. Get the car towed and do not even think you can make that last mile home. You will kill your engine. Advise us of milage.

 

After a cold soak, preferably overnight, use a cooling system pressure tester to pressurise the system to 1 bar. If the gauge on the pressure tester begins to show a pressure drop, check for coolant leaks.

You don't mention how many kilometres/miles are on your vehicle, but plan on replacing the water outlet and the heater pipe between the cylinder heads at the back of the engine as part of cooling system maintenance given it's now eleven years old. There are aftermarket aluminium pipes available to replace the OEM plastic ones, especially the water outlet pipes below the supercharger snout.

 

In any car….. Losing coolant is catastrophic. And level of coolant should never change. But….. Because of plastic pipes on new cars….. Should check regularly : level coolant, noises from the front of the engine, white steam….! But it all starts with coolant level. And oil. I NEVER start my car in the morning without a oil check. On first start. Because some parts are….. Plastic or not Om quality on the market. And for a second hand car…… prevention is mother of long life. About watter pump. I saw that there are 2 types. One with metallic blades, one with some kind on plastic looking blades. I had to change a pump because of a strange noise after 500 km of installing. Strange, but it is what it is, a specially with after market parts made in…. Lets call it what it is, china. There are a lot of firms that sell parts made in china, even with green logo like lr, but not the le logo. Trust only big and old manufacturers….. Ina, hepu, and not even them after all. In my personal experience in eastern Europe, the rank of parts are like this.
1. Original original, very expensive. 3, 4 times the price of normal parts.
2 big brand names, Ina hepu, gates, for this water pump case. They have quality but I don't think k all the parts are the same quality. For example, on some parts, at the retailers, there are 1..2..3 options with slight difference in price. For the same role in the same car. Andddd, not necessarily the most expensive is the best. The seller might shuffle them.
3. China and other asian market parts. Example. I bought a banana front arm, lamforder, but came in stamped with blue in Chinese symbol, alongside lemforder stamp. Quality.…. Will see.
So….. Suspect the whole suply chain. Producers may be crooked or fake stamp, reseller might me cr9ked, or the parts are all fake, ore other level of quality. Just because you buy it from uk or germany of Italy or Romania, does. Or mean that they don't come from Asia or.…?

 

To answer your question; yes!
The cooling system is the number one area of failure. So if you keep a sharp eye on the coolant levels and oil. You can head off many expensive repairs.
When did you last open the hood to look at everything?
How many miles on the car?
What have you replaced? Maybe you have already fixed the most common problems?
.
.
.

 

Having had an XF and an XJ, the common coolant leaks from heat-cycled lines in the V6 cradle are well known and at your car's age, would be my guess. I'd have all the coolant lines - soft and hard - replaced at once if that's what you source it to.

 

Any schematics by any chance? What coolent pipes in the v cradle? V6 diesel

 

Hi Danu99

On 3.0L V6 Diesel, there is only one part known to be issue and even that is not very common.
It sitting on V cradle, on front. Check this:
https://alvadi.fi/en/kataloog/varuos...roduct-tab-oem
In fact its not a thermostat housing, since thermostat is located an different place.
Of course you need to check waterpump as well.

On 3.0L V6 Diesel the coolant issues are not so common than V6 / V8 petrol engines. I have all original coolant pipes, parts and pump on my 2010 with odometer have now stating 325t km.

 

i still have a mistery with some white smoke driver side from the corner of the engine plastic cover.
I understand that there is a pipe over there in the back…. Coolant pipe. Does anyone has a code for the pipe? Is it plastic or metal?

 

Hi Danu99.
Yes, there are an small rubber coolant hose to the EGR cooler on behind of the engine.
Do you have x351 Service and Repair manual? On page 1111 there are few good drawings of complete cooling piping system of AJD-V6 3.0 engine. On page 1115 is schematic with flow directions.
Edit: Checking some AJD-V6 dismantly videos from youtube and noted that the pipe is (seamless) plastic pipe with rubber hoses connection it to the EGR and engine water outlet piping.
Pipe is routed over the high pressure fuel pump belt cover and if somebody have been careless chancing the pump belt, one can damage the pipe.

Edit2: No sorry. I was following the turbo wastegate pipe. The water pipe seems to be rubber hose.

 

Hey guys…. Thanks for the previous answers.
I have a technical question now. Maybe you can enlighten me.
If a water cooling system has a minor, like really minor leak, that loses minor quantities of coolent, that can't be detected in short period of time, BUT
The system is not pressurized anymore,
Could that affect the water pump? And how?
And if the car has a secondary watter pump electric, could affect that also?
I think I have minor leak on the Jag and on the merc.

 

The pressure is needed to reduct cavitation and it also increase the point when water based coolant boils.
Possible issues on both above on Diesel engine can occur in high rews / hard driving conditions.
You can try to find an coolant leak by pressurising the cooling system when engine is cold. (and not running) Then the coolant dosent vaporise right away and you should find the leak much easyly following droplets. (mirror with extension is very handy tool) Dont overpressurise.
Only issue with this method are that if the coolant leak is to the cylinder and you fill the combustion chamber with coolant and then turn the engine over, it will cause catastrofic fail.

 

any special tool …. Device, to increase pressure to test for leaks?
Thanks for the great response

 

There are huge amount of universal kits available.
This is exsample with handpump: You might find similar kits/ adapters from you local store too.
Note: If you use one with compressor, the pressure adjustment valve is needed. (i learn that long time ago - We were all covered with coolant after the top of the radiator let go )

 

))))))) it happens . Yeah….. I think I have to study on that…… don't want to blow anything……
Hell…. After merc om646……. I got a lot of anxietys with plastic pipes.… intakes….. Dpf….. Crank……. …… …… with the Jag. Didn't have those.….. Thoughts with the merc. Only oil at 8000 km and….. That will do ))))))

 

OM646 have its own issues, but overall an very good engine. By my expriense as long as you use correct oils and change them often, even the plastic intakes stay in one piece.
3.0D engine (AJD-V6 / DT20) itself don´t have other issues than early crankshafts (mainly on 2.7l version) were made ... well... Mondays can be bad in crankshaft factory too. Then adding sloppy assembly and there you go. Same engine is used very high volumes on Citroens/Peugeots without issues.
The difference come from DPF location. On front wheel driven PSA platforms the DPF is right next to the engine, where x351 its about +1m down on exhaust pipe. This have big effect for DPF burning. The longer you need to heat up for DPF burning, the more unburned fuel is ending to the oilpan. (piston rings are not very good sweeping unburned fuel)
DPF burning is ignited by injecting fuel during exhaust cycle to the cylinders.

 

Hi guys!!!!
Here we go again. White smoke from under the bonnet after 5 km. 30 ish degrees Celsius outside.

Taken fresh while smoke rising.
Way of dispersion, as shown by arrows!
So….. My first suspect, the cooling pipe that goes from one bank to another. Its plastic? Has O-rings? Anyone has a.… parts number?
Smoke is from corner back of the engine, the source, under the chain I think.
Second suspect, engine at a stop light, in traffic condicions, seem to have started tot make a thicker sound….. Like when is iddles for 10 seconds and gases go in recirculation.…... So maybe it tried to make a regeneration? And dumped some fuel in the exhaust? And gases got out from igniting in the exhaust? And leak in the exhaust pipes….. Just under or after the engine new, after the turbos?
On the way back, same conditions, same traffic, same speed…… and I got home and.…. Nothing. No smoke.temeprature stable and consistent. So its not permanent. Oil level is stable. Coolant level is stable…. . No errors. No scaned errors. Nothing. It drives…. Ok….. But from time to time…… smoke. Smoke with pretty much no smell, white, …..
And…. If the cover of the rockers would had cracked, I thing it would smoke and spill oil vapors permanently. And the cover is clean. So…..
Please hint me about what to look for!
Will go to the ship next week, but please help with ideas where to look, especially if there are no obvious leaks coolant and oil!
Thanks

Ps: come to think about it…. Only correlation is after sitting in traffic.…..smoke. Not the exhaust, the place on the picture.
Ps2. Radiator fan….. Starts only on command by clima compressor? Because the Ac was off. So…. The radiator fan starts depending on the temperature of the engine or only at college mand from Ac compressor? Because I didn't hear or see the fan working with Ac off!