I apologise for posting this in 2 different forums but I doing it out of desperation.

We drove from New jersey to Maine for a weekend road trip in our 2006 XJ Vanden plas. The coolant light came on after 4 hours of drving and I discovered a small leak under the car on the driver side towards rear of the engine. I cannot get under the car to identify the exact location. We have been topping up the reservoir which is going down by half in 2 hours. We have therefore stopped in Augusta, ME yesterday afternoon but everything locally is shut for the weekend. AAA could not help us out beyond offering a tow service. I need your help urgently in deciding the next step:
- can I drive the car, stopping and topping the coolant every hour ? I am worried that on highway driving the leak may get bigger.
- any recommendation for a mechanic

Thanks a lot.

peeam

 

Welcome to the forum Peeam,

I've moved your question from General Tech Help to X350 forum. Members here with the same model will be able to help.

When you get a minute, please follow this link New Member Area - Intro a MUST - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum to the New Member Area - Intro a MUST forum and post some info about yourself and your vehicle for all members to see. In return you'll get a proper welcome and some useful advice about posting to the forum.

Graham

 

It happened to me on a trip to Budapest, but my leak was visible. An independent Jag mechanic improvized a solution. I don't think the leak should get worse, as now the extra pressure has where to vent, but I wouldn't force my luck.

The bad news is that right about this is the time most rubber hoses fail. The XJR has about 17 of them, but I think the VDP is luckier, fewer hoses to change. I went all-in and replaced them all, I urge you to do the same, or one will fail after the other.

Now you could go Mythbuster style and crack an egg in the radiator, that would fix your leak But seriously, I wouldn't take any chances, drive the car only as far as you need, and order a complete set of hoses.

I wish you luck, it sucks when this kind of thing happens on vacation

 

Hi Peeam,

I'm sorry to hear about the troubles on your vacation. As long as you keep the system topped up with water you should be able to drive the car as far as you need, but I would recommend topping it up often enough to prevent the low coolant light from coming on. There's no point in risking overheating the engine, which can cause serious damage.

The good news is that the Jaguar North America parts warehouse is in New Jersey, so even if a dealer doesn't have a replacement hose or other component (expansion tank?) in stock, they will probably be able to get it in a day or two at most.

Please keep us informed.

Cheers,

Don

 

Top up with coolant, not just plain water, assuming you can get the stuff.

 

Hi Fraser,

Can you elaborate on your concern about using straight water temporarily?

Using coolant seems like an unnecessary expense, given that Peeam's system is going to have to be drained anyway before the leak is repaired. As long as temps aren't dangerously hot or near freezing, what cautions would you have about temporarily using straight water (preferably distilled)? I've done it plenty of times, even for as long as a week or more while waiting for parts to arrive.

Cheers,

Don

 

I was concerned about dilution if the leak is not dealt with fairly promptly. Water is perfectly OK, I just topped up my MG TF header tank yesterday with a little water.