...is a major ordeal...

Finally got around to initiating this. Geez! Would like to meet the guy who is responsible for this design. Had to quit cause my tennis hand is getting trashed. Does anyone know a trick to getting the bottom hose off without having to disassemble the entire radiator? Please HELP!

 

Tennis? Once you own an XJS all else is a needless distraction :-)

What seems to be the problem? Is the hose stuck? If so, sometimes you can hook something under the hose and run it all the way around to break the grip between the hose and the nipple. A small screwdriver might work but somethng with a 90º bend at the end is better.

Or is the problem that you can't reach the clamp? Sometimes using a small socket (from a 1/4" drive set) with and extension and/or flex joint will do the trick.....if your clamp has a hex head on the screw. Most do.

Cheers
DD

 

Thanx Doug. I just got it off. I've been playing tennis since childhood before the XJS was invented. However, I am seeing that other things (including women) are mere distractions with an XJS in my life.

Is it advised to use plain tap water (or distilled water) for the final coolant mixture?

 

Distilled water would be nice but, to be honest, I've never used anything but tap water (and regular ol' Prestone) in my 3 Jags and can't see where anything bad ever resulted in the last 13 years.

Glad your hose battle ended with you being the victor.

Cheers
DD

 

By the way, do you know how to bleed the cooling system on a V12? If not, shout.

Cheers
DD

 

Bleed the cooling system? You're kidding, right? How about I fill the radiator until she overflows...

 

Nope, it is a bit more involved than that. The V12 has bleed valves on the coolant circuit. You need to find these and then follow the correct bleed procedure or you will have trouble.

 

Heh heh....no such luck. :-). It's not all that bad, really. Here's a cut-n-paste from one of my postings from a few weeks ago:


Bleeding a V12? You're in for some fun :-). There are different opinions on what works for filling and bleeding. Here's what always works for me. It's not difficult, just messy.

Elevate the front of the car about 8" and then elevate the left front another 2-3" beyond that.

Remove the bleeder plug from the left radiator tank. You'll see an access hole in the radiator upper mounting panel. The plug is some arcane size but you'll find something in your toolbox that fits.

Remove the caps from the expansion/header tank and from the filler pipe at the front of the engine....up there by the A/C compressor.

Add coolant/water to via the filler pipe until it reaches the bottom of the pipe. Start engine, set heater control to max heat. Let it run at idle until it warms up. Peek inside the filler pipe every minute or so and top up as needed.

When the engine gets warm increase the idle to about 1000-1200 rpm (a helper is helpful here...or just wedge a little something in the throttle linakge to hold it sligtly open for a high idle.

Let 'er run and run. Give the upper radiator hoses a few squeezes now and again. Keep checking your coolant level in the filler pipe and top off as needed. Eventually you'll see some coolant coming out of the bleeder. That's good. Wait a while longer and (hopefully) you'll see coolant *really* pouring out of the bleeder. (How much? It's one of those "you'll know it when you see it" things..very messy)

When it's *really* pouring out of the bleeder hole, put the plug back in. Wear some gloves so you don't get scalded. If you can't get the plug back in thru all the gushing, shut off the engine and do it....but I like to leave the engine running if I can. Not worth getting burned, though.

Top off the coolant in the filler pipe...I go right to the top... add a quart or so to the expansion tank, button everything up, and yer off to the races.



Cheers
DD

 

Thanx for your help! I simply need to locate the bleed valve and I guess it's not too bad of a job since it's already a mess in the work area.

BTW, I got the XJS CD ROM a few weeks ago and it seems wonderful- loaded with great stuff, only it doesn't open the documents on my backup XP PC... I guess everything having to do with XJS has to be a challenging endeavor in some way, shape, or form...

 

I did the second flush and felt no need to clamp down on that difficult-to-turn screw on the clamp. Hose came off about 5-8 minutes within flush...

cut engine let her cool... Now the hose is on snug and I am filling with flush water but it is leaking onto the ground. It is not coming from the bottom hose connection. Please help!

 

Guess I had to take the trouble to clamp that hose!...and then will un-clamp to discharge the water again, and then will clamp again to add coolant!!! Thank goodness it was not a leak in the radiator....

Then it's off to bleeding the cooling system, and then the next project: the front left caliper where i discovered a bit of wetness on the pad..

Boy is this fun!

 

i can get the bottom hose off on a dark stormy night when theres pure water in the pipes threatening to freeze and crack the block using only my hands and a tooth i removed from the jaw of the last wolf i killed.

but sometimes i just lay under the car with a screwdriver.

 

If you stop inhaling nitrous oxide, some of your posts like the one above may vanish.

 

Bath salts. lol. just kidding.

 

Thanks for the excellent description but does anyone have a video link? I’m about to flush my system and still unsure at the process. Thanks