As promised, once I had it back on the road, I am sharing the lessons that I, a complete new guy to Jaguar learned while replacing belts and hoses. Those of you who have been around the block a time or two may know all of this. Someone like me, who has never done this before, may profit. Or, you can tell me where I went wrong along the way and where I could have saved some sanity.

The car is new to me. It has only 50,000 miles on it, and while I know the seller replaced the cats, plugs and wires, I have no idea what else has been done to the car. The belts and hoses could have been done last year, or last decade. With only 50K on the clock, for all I know they rolled out of Coventry in November of 1990. Driving home one day, I noticed the temps creeping up, and guessed that the front of the radiator was clogged with debris. Knowing it's only going to get warmer this summer, do it now, and do it right.

Step one is put the car somewhere easy to work on, and have another car to drive while you're doing the job, because it won't be quick. Not having a requirement to "press on regardless" makes it easier to take your time, walk away when stressed, and wait for parts. You will be waiting for something "forgotten" along the way.

Removing the hood "kind of" scared me. The biggest reasons for this was lack of an assistant to help me pick it up and move it, and lack of a place to store it while I was working where it wouldn't fall, get scratched, bent, broken, or otherwise mangled.

So after pulling the grill, lower grill, splash guard and "Hood Shocks", I leaned the hood all the way forward to fully vertical. Wait: that "rubber panel" over the bumper is really plastic. Crack! Small crack, hidden now that it's re-installed, but a crack in an NLA part nonetheless. Perhaps I can find a used one. Remove the bumper panel, and safety block the hood to vertical. Now you can get in there!

Continued...

 

Thus begins the great removal game. In my mind, the absolute best tool invented for working on cars in the last 15 years is the cell phone camera. My nightmare was removing a wire or hose and not remembering to where it would re-attach. Take photos. Take lots of photos. They are easy to delete.

Taking apart was fairly easy. Biggest issue is the lack of a drain plug on these. Yes, the hose comes off and it will drain there, but you will saturate to the point of uselessness the piece of foam under the radiator, and make a mess besides. The foam is NLA, but that can be adapted. But it still makes a mess!

There are two hoses on the lower left radiator fitting. The "big hose" comes off the radiator, but it is far easier to take the little hose off where it attaches to the engine, and then remove it from the fitting when the radiator is out. That's what I did, and I placed that hose separately with a note that said "Put this hose on the radiator before you put it back in or you will have a very difficult time getting it on there". This will be important later.

Once the radiator is out, you can get at the shrouds. I pulled them and noted the peeling paint. Off to the powder coaters. The rubber flaps looked good and were re-pop riveted when I received the shrouds back. New black fan provided by Terry's Jag. The yellow fan had just the smallest of cracks starting, but "while you're in there..." Note: Take the clutch off and then the fan, not the fan off and then the clutch. It's just easier that way. The bolts and nuts went into the tumbler with corn cob to clean off gunk and surface rust. Now would be a good time to convert to modern electric fans, but that's a project for another time.

In to the belts. The secret here is patience. Fine threads, and you can only spin the wrench about a sixth of a turn before you bump into something. Looking at the belts as they came off, now was probably a good time to do this. I think I'm good for another two years or so. Other belt secret: way easier to do without the fan, radiator or shrouds in the way. Patience was the only real key, there was no need to call the yoga instructor to learn how to bend that way. New belts were provided by JagBits in their new belt kit. Everything there that needed to be there. Belts are made by Continental in Germany, so I'm less worried about "British Non-Metallic Parts", but that doesn't mean you can ignore them. Replace them on a schedule. You'll probably have to get in there to clean out the radiator again, and you need to replace coolant anyway, so... do it when it's easy.

Back to the radiator: My plan was to get it rodded while it was out. The front WAS full of all kinds of strange debris, which was the root cause that started this. Brush, vacuum, scrub. Got the condenser and oil cooler too. Took the opportunity to straighten some fins. Took the rad to a local shop to have it rodded. Shop recommended a re-core. Shop quoted an obscene price for the re-core. Consider the price of a re-core against the price of getting a new aluminum one from Wizard Cooling. Call Wizard the next day.

The Wizard guys were great! The built one and got it here much quicker than I expected. I have ONLY two niggling complaints on that beautiful silver radiator.

In their defense, they did state that different years required different transmission connections, and that you would only need two, the two others would be plugged. After that is where it got complicated.

First, I did not see four "transmission connections". There were the two on the right side, which connected perfectly. There was one fitting on the left. This was large, and slightly below the hose fitting. I have no idea what it is for, as none of my parts books (pre- or post- facelift) show a connection there. It may in fact be a connection for a temp sensor, but that sensor will interfere with the shrouds. I guess if you are going to fit new electric fans, you will need the sensor and a different shroud, so that's not a problem. The real problem was not knowing how it was threaded. Solved that with a phone call: It is a metric fitting, 22X1.5mm threads. You will find this is common on Fiat transmissions, A BMW transmission, a Porsche oil plug, and a few others. You want something flat faced, preferably with an inset socket to tighten it. Anything sticking out will foul the shroud. Plan ahead.

Continued.

 

The second fitting with which I struggled was the bleed port, upper left. Again, plan ahead kids. I foolishly presumed that I could pull the bleed bolt from the old radiator and use it here. As you may have read elsewhere, they shipped the radiator with a BSPT tapered plug. The original is, like the banjo bolt, BSPP. I can't imagine why you would put down the correct tap and walk all the way back to the bench to get another, different, wrong tap, but sports fans, that parallel plug you have is not going in there, and if you try to put it there, you will strip threads. Stop and get yourself a 1/8th pipe BSPT plug.

I did email and ask them if I could simply re-tap it with a BSPP tap. Their response was: "Generally speaking this would be a bad idea. There are cases where it could work. The only way to know should be to actually do it, ideally in something other than the radiator."

I'm still unclear on the best way to go with that. I know both the BSPP and BSPT threads require a 0.383 hole to start the tap, so I believe it would work. I considered getting some aluminum plate to try it, and I have purchased both taps. What I did was hit up McMaster Carr for some BSPT plugs, used a very little bit of PTFE tape, making sure no "scraps" got in the radiator, and tried that. Had it failed, or if it fails in the future I will try to re-tap, but it seems to be working now. Lesson: Either tap correctly (I will be working with Wizard to see if they will change their SOP), or have extra plugs on hand.

But I want to be very clear: Once you solve those two issues (minor, really, which is why I am writing this for posterity), that radiator will drop straight in, and works extremely well. Those guys do really good work. It really is a thing of beauty.

So on to the hoses. Some were easy. I took the time to pull and replace the thermostats too, mostly because for the expense of the part compared to the rest of the project, it seemed to make sense (Thanks JagBits). For the hoses, I went to SNG Barratt. Their 13 hose kit seemed ideal. If you've noticed I have named at least three vendors here, you are paying attention. I shopped for price, and also because I figured if someone wants to start a business providing parts for these things, it behooves us to support all of them. All of the vendors mentioned did great work supporting.

I was worried about the thermostat/cooling tube hoses based on other posts here. What I learned was that with the belts, shroud and radiator out of the way, those were easy. Extremely easy. What was NOT easy (as also mentioned) was the heater core hoses. I'm convinced that during the 70s, 80s and 90s, Coventry had a bunch of highly trained and experience Rhesus Monkeys whose job it was to attach heater core hoses between the block and the firewall. The last of these monkeys unfortunately died in 1996, and that's why the XK8 had to have a V-8.

More frustrating was whoever the PO had fit a new Heater Switch to the firewall. Just a hint guys: Position your hose clamp so that you can get a screwdriver on it both when you tighten it and WHEN THE NEXT GUY COMES ALONG! These are replaceable parts, after all, and someone WILL need to replace them. In this case it was solved by learning new techniques and vocabulary for swearing, hiring that yoga instructor, removing the crossover pipe and at one point kneeling on the intake manifolds in order to reach that thing dead centre in the firewall. When you're done there, check for wires and vacuum hoses that you'd inadvertently knocked loose. Years in Catholic school will help build the callouses necessary for kneeling on the intake manifold fins. Oh, and while the crossover pipe is out, hit it up with some polishing compound. It will look much nicer when you put it back in. Oh, and if you ever have to pull the engine for any reason whatsoever, replace those hoses on general principle. Without the block in the way, you can get to the firewall very easily.

Yes, there's more...

 

So at this point, I've replaced the thermostats (remember to clock your jiggle pins), and all 13 hoses. Did I say 13? Not sure of all the differences between model years, but my 1991 (VIN 178XXX) has 14. Yes, 14. There is a 1/2 inch hose from the crossover tube on the left side (left of the fill tube, but before the thermostat) that eventually makes it to the bleed system/banjo bolt. That does NOT come in the kit, and when you take it to your local parts guy and ask for anything 1/2" with a 90 degree bend in it, he will give you a Gates hose that looks to be the same size, I think it is for a Honda. You will note when you get home that he did not measure it except by eyeball, and it takes a very well trained eye to spot the difference between 1/2 inch and 9/16 inch when you are simply using your eyeball. That hose will slide on very easily. Of course it will, it is far too large, and you will need to find the right size somewhere. In my case, it took three different chains, until I finally found the store that was willing to do something other than look up a part number in a computer and actually LOOK at the hoses hanging up and selecting the right one. I know this is unheard of these days, but if you put the parts OUT ON THE FLOOR, instead of behind a six foot counter where only the pimply faced adolescent can search, I could have found a hose on my own. But eventually we got that sorted, and I was on my way.

Once I had the appropriate radiator plugs, the shrouds back from the powder coater, and a bunch of air conditioner foam, I was ready for the re-install. I wrote down the foam size in Mr. Palm's book, but I found that might have been a bit "aggressive". I needed to really crank down on the shrouds to get it all to fit in. A quarter inch less in thickness may have helped. I didn't put the belts back on until the coolant crossover was back in, which made it easy to do both.

Oh, remember that note I left saying "put this hose back on before you install the radiator"? Yep, I found that note, on the piece of hose sitting there after I put the radiator back in. I was right, it was a bear to get it on there, but fortunately all the new swear words I learned fighting with the heater core hoses proved effective, and what should have been a two minute task was completed after about 30. Good thing I planned ahead, right?

Oh, and if you do need to put a metric plug in the radiator, do that before it goes in too. That shroud is just a bit in the way.

Did the re-fill/bleed with the front of the car jacked up. That seemed to help. Filled things up, got it all buttoned up... except for which way do the hood shocks go back on? I should have taken a photo of that. I believe the "Rod" goes to the hood, and the "Gas Tube" attaches to the wing, but I'm willing to be corrected. Got that sorted, took it for a ride.

And that's where luck beats talent. No leaks, no hose clamp just a bit too lose, BSPT plug actually held pressure. 94 degrees on the thermometer, 75MPH on the highway, needle below the N. All is good.

Except: No air conditioning. What? Check the belt. It may be a little loose. Tightened it. I should have stopped there. How likely is it that I actually lost some R134a in all my fiddling? I was careful when I was kneeling on the manifolds not to hit the brake master cylinder or ABS, could I have hit something in the compressor, condenser or dryer? Silly me, I had to check.

Which is where I learned that the guy who converted it to R134a did not change the fittings, probably because the taller "quick disconnect" fitting would poke into the hood, and he didn't want to change the whole hose. So when I attempted to clip my fitting on, you guessed it... a bunch of R134a leaked out through the schrader valve. Please don't tell the EPA. Back to the car parts store, found a fitting that would "adapt" the two types. Dumped a whole can of new in the system, if my gauge is accurate about 45 PSI at 90 degree ambient. Could probably use a little more, but am sick of going back to the parts store. Eventually, they will probably lay a stalking charge on me or something. Will do that next time I need to get some oil or something. Bottom line is: Yes, cold air now blowing. I think while I was filling I noticed a new "ticking sound" coming from the compressor. Not sure if that portends a rebuild on the compressor in the future, but right now I have cold air.

So the engine is cold, the interior of the car is cold, and everyone seems to be happy. Oh, I did forget one thing, and it's entirely belt dependent. As at least one other poster has noted, the fill/check for the power steering pump is RIGHT UNDER the hose going from thermostat to radiator. I haven't figured out how I can move that and still have belt tension, but I did remember to check the fluid level and add a bit before I put the hose back. So that is good for now as well. I just need to figure out a good way to check the level.

Sorry this has gone on so long. I learned an awful lot. In addition to method, where things are under the hood, and what to look out for in the future, I think I also figured out one of the reasons Porsche does so well at Le Mans in comparison. It's a lame comparison, but I will throw it out there. My experience on the Porsche end is all air cooled, so there is no direct comparison, but in adjusting the valves on the Porsche, you can get by with a 13mm wrench, a philips screwdriver, and a feeler gauge. You may also want to pull the spark plugs, so add a spark plug wrench. If you do that, you can get the crank around by using the one fan belt. For this job, I used just about my entire tool box. 5/8 wrench on the banjo bolt, 9/16 on the belts, 1/2 inch in a bunch of places, 7/16 on the shroud bolts, pozidrive screws here, there and everywhere, except for when you needed a common screwdriver, and I know I had my 10mm wrench out for something, but can't remember what... oh, wait, it was the plastic nuts that held the splash guard to the wheel well guard. Maybe it's because Hazet tools are so expensive, the boys in Stuttgart tried to limit the requirements. But I can't imagine working on this thing quickly. But to answer my wife's question, despite the swearing she heard in the garage and the frustrations along the way: I did have fun.

 

Awesome post, many thanks! I will be doing the same shortly, but will be going a bit further in that I need to rebuild the water pump.

You don't happen to still have the packaging to the belts do you? It would be interesting to know the generic sizes.

 

This is a pain! The last time I worked on the radiator, I got a piece of soft copper tubing, 1/4" diameter iirc, connected it to my little hand pump with some plastic tubing, and put the copper pipe down the air bleed banjo hole. I was able to pump out almost all the coolant - still splashed a bit when pulling the rad out but way better than the gusher of pulling the hose on a full system! I think the copper tube was less than US$2 at the Home Depot or similar store, hvac department I think. I may have a photo, I'll try to add it if it can be found.

Also by the way, that tubing was the same size as the output of my air blow gun, after removing the rad I put that tube on the blowgun and used my compressor to blow out the aircon radiator from the back side, also a bunch of other hard to reach spots. I had put a 90 deg bend on the end so it could go down into some very narrow spaces and still blow sideways.

Very nice write-up on your whole project by the way - thanks!

Eric

 

Thank you for sharing.
Good to learn

 

Well done.

Those firewall heater hoses are installed in the factory BEFORE the engine goes in.

That power steer belt length needs to be looked at, and something outside the "standard", to move that fill spout to the outside or inside of that hose/housing.

My V12's all use a 13A1090 power steer belt. The steer filler is still a cold engine only thing, but it is acessable easier than I envisage yours to be.

 

I'm sorry, I did not save them. I will look to see if they are still in the trash. I'm sure a quick email to the folks at JagBits may be able to help.

 

All mine run:

P/steer 13A1090
A/c 13A1500
ALT 11A0850

I have E fans on all of them, so NO "fan belt" as such.

 

It took a little while but I found the photos:




Pumping out the coolant.




same tube with the blow gun


I should note that the tube didn't directly fit the blow gun, I had a compression fitting that fit both the tube and gun.