Maybe some of you have read my build thread, getting my 3.2 manual XJ6 ready for road trip (if not, then link in signature). Anyway, my Jag most likely never left cold and wet Britain, and it's got just water in cooling system, although the road trip will be in very, very hot places with not much rain, I don't expect the temperatures to go below 25 Celsius at night, not to mention daytime. So should I be aware of any problems/issues that any of you experienced with cooling system before? If there's any other heat related things you'd like to mention, feel free to do so btw, just plain water as it is already should be fine then, shouldn't it?

 

Mmmmm, I needed to open a fresh bottle of JD before replying.

Water only is treading on THIN ice in my opinion, maybe UK water is better than ours, but the anti corrosion is simply NOT there. All that alloy in the engine/radiator/heater core/etc is just not designed for water only, SORRY.

There are NO real issues with the X300 system in my opinion. My 3.2 is just fine with our 47+c summers, as are the V12's. or any of my Jags, BUT, they all run coolant.

Radiator hose integrity would be my main brain teaser.

The twin thermo fans operated CORRECTLY comes in second.

If you are getting new hoses, FIT THE NEW ONES NOW, take the old as spares. My reasoning is if you blow a hose and dive into the box for that spare one, and find some fool has supplied the wrong hose you are screwed, but if you do the change in your driveway, the parts people are just down the road (sort of). If you blow a new one, dive into the same box for the spare, that old one will fit, coz you just took it off, mmm.

Same goes for fan belts.

I have worked in spare parts all my life, and things do go wrong, trust me.

The cooling system is going to be working harder than it ever has I reckon, so some serious preventative maintenence, and plain old common sense will see you be just fine.

 

The anti corrosion properties of anti freeze are a primary concern. But also of importance is that it not only lowers the freezing point of the coolant, it also raises the boiling point. It would be best to flush the system with distilled water, then add the proper amount of concentrate and top off with distilled water. From that point you can keep some 50/50 on hand to make any additional adds.
RJ____________
97 XK8 86K mi

 

Thank you kindly! Now some more questions: how many litres of liquid should be in the system, and where should I look for the drain plug, and I guess there should be another plug somewhere on the way, which will help getting air out of the system. I did replace radiator once before on tiny french car, several years ago, and I'm asking those questions before I get to the car (got to drive to my parents' house, on Monday) so I have rough idea what I'm doing and that way save some time on hopeless searches

 

I think about 15ltrs, but you will never get it all out, its just how it is, too involved to explain here.

There is a drain plug "inside" the RH lower radiator mount pin, usually knackered, but its there.

I simply drop the lower rad hose, slide it back on, fill with Demin water, heater on FULL HEAT, run for a few minutes (cap OFF), slide the hose off again, repeat until what comes out is as clean as what goes in. Then clamp the hose back on the radiator CAREFULLY, its a plastic radiator, add the concentrate, fill as needed with the Demin water, run the engine and CAREFULLY top up the header tank to the mark MAX mark.

DO NOT overfill that header tank, have a look inside the hole, and you will see a word "MAX" moulded into the plastic, waaaaaay down in there, that is the FULL level. Overfilling will have coolant spewing via the cap, and that does/can damage the cap valving, then the plastic tank explodes and your wallet takes another hit. More drinking money spent on the Jag, HAHA.

The system is "self bleeding", and it actually works.