I'm leaving in a few minutes and will be driving about 4,000 miles in the next couple of week -- FL to CT to OH to WI to FL.

After getting the Low Coolant Warning a month or so ago, I added coolant but just noticed last night that the level was a little low. I added coolant and will take some with me and will check the level often, but I apparently have a slow leak that I need to track down one of these days.

When I get WI on Sat or Sun, I should have some time to take a look at it.

Any suggestions as to where to start looking?

The only clue -- I noticed a "double drip" in the driveway after pulling the car into the garage. I thought it was just the A/C dripping but, unlike any other car I've owned, there seems to be two parallel lines of drips going into the garage, both close to the middle of the car. I don't mean to make it sound like the drips are bad, the actual drips are what you'd expect from an A/C unit, not a trail of drips, if that makes any sense!

 

Mike,

What a wonderful way to be able to start a post. I very much envy you that drive.

The drips sound like the two AC vent pipes (one on either side of the transmission) and not the cooling system but this doesn't explain the fact you're losing coolant.

If cooling hoses and hose clips can be eliminated, the next commonest weakness is the Expansion Tank. The Pressure Cap is a known issue. The Tank itself has been known to get pinholes in the base which sometimes leak and sometimes don't.

Enjoy the trip.

Graham

 

Hi Old Mike
Look at the thermostat tower and the coolant outlet. Both are plastic parts and subject to cracking and leaking.

Here is a JPEG file I created from JTIS manual showing both of these parts with instructions on removing/installating the Coolant Outlet Pipe.



I just purchased the outlet pipe this week and will have it installed today.

Jim Lombardi

 

Ive had a simular situation with mine. Try removing the center plastic engine cover to expose the rear of the engine and top of the tranny bell housing. See if you have any leaks or dry fluid on top or the side of the tranny. I found the hose clip connector was leaking causing this. The fluid will also travel down the length of the transmission and puddle on the pan so check to see if its doing that too. The dual dripping you explained is due to the AC not your problem. Its a suttle leak the drips wont be so obvious

 

Hi Mike I had a similar small leak with my Jag and as Jim advied you, it turned out to be a small crack in the plastic outlet pipe. I wish I new about this forum before I spent a fortune to get it fixed at an independant shop.

Andy

 

My 2003 XJ8 with 76K is dripping in the same way that Old Mike is reporting, two parallel drips, towards the back of the engine. I removed the plastic cover but cannot see any drips or dried coolant.

I am definitely loosing coolant and have to top up every couple of weeks. The thermostat tower was replaced a year ago with an aluminum one and is dry as a bone. There is also a smell of hot coolant when standing outside the car if it has been driven for a few miles.

If the car is sitting on a slope idling then after a few minutes I have a small stream of coolant flowing downhill. The engine temp is rock steady and never moves from the middle of the gauge.

Is there any one particular hose or clamp that is a weak spot that I can take a closer look at?

cheers

 

WOW! Thanks for all the great info. Unfortunately, I've been nursing the flu since I got to WI, so I haven't felt much like working on the car in this cold weather! Maybe I'll get around to it this weekend.

 

Hi
Here is a PDF created from a DIY on Heater hoses on XJ (X308) by blackonyx with
photos and instructions:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/a...ater-hoses-pdf

Shows how to remove intake manifold to get to the heater hoses under the intake manifold.

Jim Lombardi

 

Thanks Jim! i'll try to get a look at it this weekend.

cheers

 

Yes, thanks Jim -- I'll also try to find time to look at it this weekend.

Mike

 

It's actually not that hard to remove the intake manifold. (and it gets easier every time you do it ;^P) The throttle body doesn't have to be removed. It will come right off with the intake manifold, but it's only four bolts. You have to have the fuel line disconnect tools though. They require two different sizes, but the tool is cheap. Attached is a picture of one version. You can also get a set of little "top hats" that do the same thing.

 

Just in case.....
The drips might just be the a/c condensate. If you are leaking, you might be leaking steam and not leaving evidence.

Check your clamps and make sure they are all in the correct place. When a clamp is not in the right place, steam can slip by and vent when the car is at operating temperature. No evidence is left behind. It once took me six months to figure this one out.

 

all good posts. i too am noticing hot antifreeze smell when i exit the car after driving, but i have yet to see any drips on the ground. last week, for the first time since owning the '03 X308, the Low Coolant warning appeared on the instrument panel. after topping it off 7 days ago with coolant, the Coolant Warning has not re-appeared, yet i still sometimes smell antifreeze after driving.

so, it's a slow leak. i'm gonna check the crossover pipe and the hose clamps. and i have the remainder of the 50/50 coolant in the trunk if needed. i agree that it might be steam loss, rather than actual fluid. when i topped off the coolant tank, it only took about 6 or so ounces, once, and none since.

regardless, it's a pain in the ***, given that i NEVER smelled antifreeze for 9 months of ownership- and now i know it's not gonna stop itself.

 

Porsche Cayenne had a similar design flaw where the plastic coolant lines ran through the valley of their V8 engines. When these leaked, the owners were up the sheet creek without a paddle, unless they had extra $2500 laying around. Porsche had identified this design flaw and made a retrofit kit using metal lines. Is there such retrofit possible for the X308 application - aftermarket I presume?

 

I never got around to fixing my leak but now I've notice some real evidence! I might have multiple leaks, look at this photo. There's some puddling (not pictured) at the base of the thermostat housing, there's some moisture on the horizontal hose the goes past the cap, and lots of splattering. Any comments or suggestions?

 

I just ordered this off of ebay -- is there anything else I should get, too?

 

May as well replace that short hose as well, looks a little swollen.

 

..and the thermostat.

 

You might want to replace the outlet pipe (crossover pipe) while you are at it. Mine developed a slight warp where one of the clamps was. Unfortunately, I don't believe there is an alloy replacement for the plastic. They're about $50 at MotorcarsLtd.

 

splattering like that is caused by a bad waterpump i believe