Where do I find the bottom hose on an XJS V12 Radiator, on a RHD Car?

As I stand in front of the Bumper facing the Windscreen:

On the same side as my left arm, is the big plastic evaporator and also on the same side as my left arm are the two hydraulic hoses one above the other going into the Radiator.

Is the bottom Radiator hose on this side as well? or is it on the other side?

As the car is pretty much down in the dirt and will need some serious jacking up, I can't get underneath to see for myself.

The Car is a 1988 Scrapper, which is basically just one great big pile of rust but up the front end everything is still in the way, as I want to take the Rad out in order to transplant it into a 1990 XJS V12.

 

its under the power steering pump it goes to the water pump and bottom left
(left as you sit in the seats) rad, no 4 in pic
Radiator Hoses-5.3 Litre - Parts For XJS from (V)139052 to (V)179736 | Jaguar Classic Parts UK

 

Yep.

Take a good stiff swig of something strong, send the kids away, a long way away.

Buy a LARGE box of bandaids.

Lean over the LH fender, reach down past the metal header tank, and wedged between the small fan shroud and the chassis rail, and the power steer pump, is the lower radiator hose at the radiator end. The pump end is purely by feel.

NO easier from under the car.

I remove the air cleaner cover, top LH hose, and simply go for it.

If the hose is not needed as a replacement, simply use that carving knife in the kitchen, and cut thru it.

There is a smaller heater hose size hose on top of the radiator spigot. This is the heater return hose and WILL get in the way.

 

In a UK car its on the passenger side at the bottom corner of the rad on the right as you look at the car. It abour 2ft long and 3 inches wide with a wicked curve on it - it connects directly to the water pump.


It is an utter pig to do on its own and it will be oily - like trying to grab an eel. I did all of mine at the same time and worked back in a logical fashion. You can also remove the metal cross-pipe during this operation to replace the hoses that connect to the back of the thermostat housing, paint it while your at it. May as well unbolt the header tank for inspection/painting at the same time (from wheel arch) they like to rust from inside out.


If your going to the trouble to remove your rad in the first place you may as well overhaul the lot- its not something you want to have to revisit frequently. And Doug is right about the plasters (Band-Aids to the trans-ponders) your hands are in for death by a thousand cuts.

 

Thanks rgp

No wonder I can't find it!

That big evaporator plastic tank led me to believe it was on the same side as where the hydraulic pipes go into the Rad on the Drivers side in a UK Car

 

Hi Grant

Now where did I put that bottle of 'Jack'! I think I am going to need it!

 

FWIW, "left" and "right" should always be expressed from the perspective of sitting in the car and facing forward.

Anyhow, I agree with Grant. Just cut it off !

Cheers
DD

 

Hi Tyran

No wonder I can't find it, I've been looking for it on the Drivers Side (UK) Car.

The Pesky thing is on the Passenger Side, which is even harder to get to as I have a broken down trailer beside it.

My 1990 V12 is on a hydraulic garage ramp, where it has been since the year 2000! (which I've just got working again!) needed some oil & TLC!

So I will jack it up right off the ground and disconnect the Rad with the leak and get it all ready to remove when I take the bonnet/hood off.

But how the hell do I get the grill out? I can see 2 big Phillips Screws, sort of in the middle but I can't see any others, perhaps I need my eyes testing as much as I do my brain for buying an XJS in the first place.

If She was a Merc I could do the whole job in an hour!

My 1988 Scrapper is an absolute basket case, falling to bits all over the place except for 'Radiator Central' that surrounds it like a rusting metal fortress! resisting all attempts to take it out.

This was one of the first XJS that I ever bought and got really 'stitched up' by the seller, as I didn't know what to look for.

Its been a bad car from the 'get go' including total brake failure! when I had to get home on the hand brake!

And to think I paid 3 grand! for that piece of Junk!

 

If only I could get to it I would!

Thanks for your help

 

@ Orange. We should do it Doug's way as he is quite right about the left / right. Jack up the car and slip it onto stands. Make sure the right axle stand (driver side UK) is 2-3 inches higher than the left, it will make burping the engine much easier.


The front grill / spoiler are held on by screws. Start with bonnet off, then just unscrew everything you see on the grill - if it remains attached it will be obvious. I found removing the old hose from the bottom easier - gravity is on your side. Just be brutal with it or as a last resort just slice it up as others had said. Soak the new hoses in hot water to make them pliable, pre-tighten the new clips and away you go/ (after you have swapped the rads)

 

Hy Tyran

Axle stands are out of the question, as this 'basket case' is sitting on soft earth and this 'thing' is so rotten that when I went to undo the road wheel, the Wishbone Arm fell off!

So I'm not attempting to get underneath unless I have 2 massive blocks of wood under the front beam.

The only problem being they are supporting one of my other XJS's the one I started after an 8 year layup.

And as I was putting black wax on the chassis, I discovered one of the long straight pipes on the exhaust, was only into the swaged pipe of the middle box by about half an inch.

Not put on properly by the garage or else the previous owner.

I was slightly tempted to leave it, as it has must have been like that for years but had it decided to come apart at 70mph it could have wrecked not only my car but also the one behind it, not to mention losing a £200 exhaust system.

So I have had to leave the Rad to get this sorted out, which is taking longer than expected, because one of the bolts on one of the flanges has a washer on it, that will not come off!

Looks like someone tried to unsuccessfully hacksaw the bolt below this washer but gave up as the bolt in question must have started to turn round & round and in doing so created a burr in the metal, jamming the washer onto the bolt.

No room for an angle grinder so it is going to be a pig as its so inaccessible.

I have already broken numerous hacksaw blades to-day trying to cut through it but I can't get the mole wrenches on it to hold it steady.

This is a two minute job that is taking me hours!, so now I've got to this stage, there is no going back!

And I will probably have to also undo the after part of the system (rusty bolts and all!) To shunt the whole lot forward into the expanded part of the other pipe, if it will slide in there as much as it needs to!

 

Aussie ingenuity, flask of said nectar tied to the trouser belt with a zip tie, then a small diameter plastic tube, straight to the mouth.

Keeps the hands free for working, and throwing spanners across the workshop, and the tube in mouth cuts down the volume of foul language just a little.

 

@ Grant. As worn by Kevin Rudd in parliament?

 

@ Orange. If the car is on the deck and a total wreck (the jacks will likely just punch a hole unless you have a race jack and space) just remove the bonnet, lean in with a serrated kitchen knife and slice everything attached to the rad that you cannot easily unclip. Worse case you are talking 2 top hoses, a small expansion pipe, the bottom hose and transmission cooling pipes x2.


If your cutting it will be easier to do bottom hose water pump end you will be able to get at it easily.

 

Good on yer Grant

But to tell the truth I'm a broken packet of biscuits, so I'm going to have a Bex.

Then I'll give it a burl and it will be Bob's yer Uncle and with any luck She'll be apples by this arvo, there's buckley's chance of this think beating me.

But the rest of the Car is just Cactus!

I came a real gutser by buying the thing in the first place, so I might have to crack a tinnie or two before I get stuck in, as at the moment I don't know if its pittstreet or Christmas!

Good on yer blue

Thanks for yer help

 

Who is Kevin Rudd?

 

What bonnet are you talking about?

All I've got is a sheet of rust hanging by two brackets, that is just about to fall off by itself!

I wish I could show you the photo's

In fact I've got before and after photos! as when I bought her 12 years ago, this car just shone like a star but now looks an absolute wreck!

The only safe place to jack it is under the front beam but the big blocks of wood that I want to use to put underneath this beam to make it safe are under my other XJS while I am doing some work on the exhaust.

As one of the straight pipes is hanging down lower than the other because whoever put the exhaust system on, didn't insert the straight pipe far enough into the middle silencer.

And on one of the bolts was a washer that wouldn't come off, so I couldn't get this bolt out of the flange, in order to take the exhaust system off the car, so I could re set the pipe before I put it back on.

Someone used an Air wrench on this silencer nut so when I tried to undo the nut, the nut came off but left the thread behind, wrapped around like a locking wire, which prevented the washer from coming off, so I couldn't get the bolt out.

So I got my die grinder on it and ripped that bolt to pieces and now it is out!

I've got the Exhaust system off now, so I will clean both of the pipes where they join down to bare metal and use plenty of copper grease, when I join them together.

Then it is back to the Rad removal and Rad swop, as the blocks of wood will then be free to block up the other car.