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Please note the rust present when the caps are removed on my 94, 6.0. The vehicle is new to me. How concerning is this? Clearly there will be rust elsewhere in the system...
Last edited by Pscottorn; Apr 3, 2020 at 07:16 AM.
It shows a great deal of slackness by previous owner/caretaker.
Before doing open heart surgery, I would simply drop the muck out, and refill with Demin water, run for 1 hour (3 beers), and let it cool. Drop again, and refill with specified coolant, run again and ensure no leaks.
Check in a weeks time, you may well be lucky.
There is very little "steel" components in a 6ltr, so the rusty muck may be simply from the water used in lieu of coolant.
I am NOT a fan of radiator flush additives, as they tend to do more damage than they sort, but if you feel the need, go for it.
A V12 cooling system needs to be 100% maintained so rust anywhere implies some degree of indifference (or ignorance) towards routine care.
How does the coolant look? Clean? A little brown-ish? Deep brown and goopy?
But, in a sense, it hardly matters at all. The vast majority of old Jags have not been properly cared for and are overdue for a thorough servicing.....which would naturally include a cooling system flush. Most V12 owners would advise replacing thermostats, fan clutch, hoses, etc as well unless there is proof that such work has already been recently done. Personally, I'd go so far as suggesting that you pull the radiator for professional cleaning, as 26 year old radiators are seldom working optimally even if the car has seen lots of TLC.
If the coolant is really goopy there is naturally concern that passageways in the engine itself are clogged. It make take several flush-and-refills to be confident the system is really clean.
Anyhow, I wouldn't be too concerned. What you're seeing is just a little extra impetus to get done what should be done on any old Jag V12.
Here are some pics. I tried uploading a video on the original post but it must have been too big to go up. These two pics are on the expansion tank side. Expansion tank side
Expansion tank side
Last edited by Pscottorn; Apr 3, 2020 at 07:48 AM.
The coolant itself looks good, which is a real 'plus', obviously....although in and of itself doesn't prove that the system doesn't need attention. Don't be lulled into complacency here.
Rusty header tanks are common. They can be removed and cleaned......although sometimes after the cleaning there isn't much left to put back on the car ! . You an buy new, in steel or stainless steel.....at least for the older models.
I ran Metal Rescue through my system and had it flushed several times, tried filters etc. In the end a new rad was still needed. You can use an old wet shopvac to suck the crud up via the inlets to which helps if DIY'ing it.
i think you can sit back and not panic, as noted, the actual coolant looks in good condition , my first thoughts were you had rusty coolant , but this is just a case of old components that have rusted , so its time to check over the whole system including all the hoses and draw up an action plan , but dont panic, its not terminal
as pointed out, cooling is critical on the V12, look after it , and spend some money , and it will look after you
First thing I did when getting my car was basically a new cooling system: new rad, thermostats, fan, hoses, and a little later, new expansion tank. Even so, there can be leaks, so you need to be vigilant. And especially in the UAE, which would be a real test of the V12's cooling system....
Thank you for all the responses. I am intending to complete as much work as possible to the vehicle in the next few weeks in the UAE before shipping it to the UK so the extreme climate will not be a long term issue.
I have read a lot about the cooling systems on these V12s and am confused by whether I should convert to electrical fans or not. if so I like the idea of installing an all in one unit with radiator and fans. Any thoughts?
I have identified the product below which I wonder if any others owners here have purchased and if so what their feedback is;
Buy a cooling hose kit from David Manners or SNG Barratt. Then you have a reliable supplier, and a full kit is not expensive.
Cooling:
The factory setup of one engine driven (main) fan and one electric one (smaller) will cool the car fine, providing it is up to snuff. You should have your radiator recored, for sure, new thermostats, new hoses, ensure that the main fan's automatic clutch unit is renewed, but a normal (non-aluminium factory-type one) will e fine and will fit properly. I strongly advocate that you get your car going properly to factory spec before doing any mods, or it is so easy to get muddled and never really know when your car is correct per factory.
The main advantage of an electric main fan is better access to the front of the engine; and indeed I have one; BUT controlling it is far from easy. Every electronic controller I tried either died under the under-bonnet conditions of the V12, or failed to work accurately enough. In the end a famous contributor on here Grant Francis told me how to do it, by reliably re-purposing OEM components. I would not advise your doing this relatively large modification until the car is spot-on.
Aluminium rads with integral fan mountings, as in the photo are a great way to solve the fan mounting problem, and the most well-known UK companies are RadTec and Alicool, but there are many others who are good too. If the time comes I would buy from them direct rather than anything through ebay; but solve the control problem first!
Last edited by Greg in France; Apr 4, 2020 at 05:26 AM.
Thank you Greg for the good advice. Much appreciated. With all my vehicles I have always tried to stay as close as possible to original.
I will focus on ensuring the original manufacturers system is functioning well regarding the cooling, while getting the car to a known and understood position.
Last edited by Pscottorn; Apr 4, 2020 at 03:17 AM.
I am preparing my parts order and have a question regarding the thermostats to purchase. I have read about standard thermostats not opening sufficiently and about drilling holes. Are the jaguar thermostats below fit for purpose, advisable and do they require any modification?
The last time I bought thermostats they were Jaguar boxed with the Jaguar part number (EBC3576), and correct in all respects. I would suggest you do the same. Doing so seems to increase the chances of getting correct replacements....although double checking before installation is still called for, IMO
In your SNG listing I presume these would be the "Jaguar" brand at the higher price but I'd call to verify. Not to disparage SNG (I've had good luck with them) but sometimes vendors play it a bit fast and loose with brand identification.
Rust in cooling system
. You an buy new, in steel or stainless steel.....at least for the older models.
