Another water pump story
 

While painfully recovering from some surgery on my heel (that refuses to heal), I have been far less mobile than usual. But on the few times I've been in the car over the past couple of weeks, I noticed two what I thought were unrelated things with my 5.0L XKR. First, ever since I had my coolant expansion tank replaced a few months ago due to a crack, I still could smell coolant well after the burn off period should have ended, and I would need to add a cup or two of coolant to keep it topped off about every week or two. Second, I thought I heard an unusual sound coming out of the top of the engine bay while I would be at a stoplight. Since I would check the coolant level in the morning before starting the car while it was cold, the engine wasn't running, so I never really listened with the car running and the hood open. But the other day, I forgot to check the coolant level before I started the engine and so I left it running and opened the hood. I was pretty stunned at the amount of noise that seemed to be emanating from right under the engine cover. It stayed constant whether revving the engine or not and sounded like a bag of rocks being flung around around a dryer's drum. I had not gotten any codes or warnings, and the car seemed to be running fine, nevertheless it was quite unnerving. I thought it might be coming from the supercharger, maybe bearings or something. I dropped it off day before yesterday at my mechanic, and he was not happy with the sound either. He couldn't get to it until today, and decided to tackle the coolant loss issue first. And, by the way, when the tank was replaced a few months ago, we did pressure test the system and found no leaks. This time, however, the leak was coming from the water pump which apparently was wobbling so badly that it was the source of the "bag of rocks" sounds. It was hard to believe so much noise could come from the pump. Anyway, while there, we replaced a couple of older hoses that were showing their age, and my wife picked up my car late this afternoon. First thing I did was hobble outside to listen to the engine with the hood open, and was pleasantly surprised that a simple water pump change could eliminate such a racket.

Glad it was resolved there and wish you a speedier recovery.

Curious, did you mechanic employ the apparent latest attempt to resolve the WP problem found in this thread?

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...r-pump-175838/

No, I don't think so. I think he just pulled and replaced as it was. Since we've done this before, he figures proactively we should replace the water pump about every 30-40K miles as they don't seem to reliably last much longer.

I hate to hear all these water pump issues. Thus far, I managed to avoid them, having put 30k miles on my '12 XJL, 16k miles on the '12 XF and 12k miles on the '10 XKR.

At least you got a warning (the noise).

Ted - sorry the recovery is taking so long. Glad you got the water pump problem resolved somewhat painlessly. Ralph

Ted,

Some things never change. Since you have a 1958 Corvette, I thought you'd appreciate this story. It was over 50 years ago, but 'll never forget that sound - a sudden, loud rattlling noise while I was in my 1960 Corvette going at least 60mph on the Garden State Parkway. And then BAM! when the bearings on the water pump failed and caused the shaft for the fan to shear off together with the fan blade! Thankfully, the fan went only partially through the fan shroud and got stuck there, without doing any body damage. I replaced the water pump, hoses, etc. and got a new shroud; it could have been a lot worse.
.................................................. ....................
Albert,

Pay attention to the aroma, if any, from the front of your car. At around 30K miles I took my 2013 XJ 5.0L SC to my dealer for a routine oil change and mentioned that I noticed the faint smell of coolant, but didn't see any leaks on the ground or hear any bearing noise. When the tech did his usual multi-point inspection, he noticed dried coolant and replaced the pump under warranty.

When you park your car, walk around the front and if you notice any coolant smell, have the water pump replaced before you have a catastrophic failure. Water pumps are cheaper than engines!

Stuart

All the reason electric water pumps and electric steering racks should be compulsory on all vehicles !

Good to hear you got it replaced without any drama. Jaguar needs to recall these water pumps before we start losing engines. However, if someone needs a new engine in the UK I hear they're flying out the security gate pretty cheap.

Take care, Ted.

Wonder when those engines will hit Craigslist?

I suppose we need to isolate premature vs regular failure of a part. Even in my most reliable cars, the Toyota's I drove in high school and college, I had to replace a water pump here or there.

Tberg, curious, is this the only water pump replacement on your 7 year old car? I don't know the miles certainly, I would hazard a guess that this is a low mileage failure so it should have lasted a lot longer.

Obviously it is a weaker part in the design and the first inclination is to demand a recall. Don't count on it happening, typically recalls are reserved for items that pose a danger, not to an engine, but to the driver and others. A water pump is not going to burn up someones house (ignition fire), explode someones face (air bags), or cause sudden acceleration (loose mats). It would be nice if JLR would voluntarily recall to ensure goodwill, I just don't see it being widespread enough at this point and them caring to solve this issue that will be mostly an inconvenience to the used car buyers.

Tber......How many miles on your XKR at the time of the water pump failure?

When I purchased the car three years ago, the car had about 70,000 miles on it. However, I purchased it because the previous owner's aftermarket insurance agreed to replace the engine with a new one. I am fairly certain that we replaced a water pump once during the first year. So, I would guess this water pump has 35-40K miles on it. (About 6-8 months ago, I replaced all four struts and front end bushings and a couple of mtor mounts to make the car feel like it did when I got it)

Stuart, thank you for the advice. With my XJL or XF I never smell coolant. The '10 XKR is a different story. I very often smell coolant. Most unnerving was when driving through the deserts last summer and every time I got out of the car I could smell strong coolant.

Yet, I had the car inspected by the dealer, pressure checked and no leaks found. No coolant ever missing from the reservoir. Still the coolant smell persist now for about 3 years, which IMO, should have dissipated long time ago even if there was a previous coolant spill in the engine compartment.

Are you absolutely sure you are not losing coolant no matter how small the amount? It would only take a few small drops leaking through the weep hole of the water pump to cause the coolant smell.

Albert,
I have always smelled coolant on my 2010 XKR as well, most noticeably around the front passenger side of the car. Not having any gauges makes me religiously check coolant level before I leave in the morning every couple of days. After the coolant expansion tank was replaced, I figured the smell was from spilled coolant but it persisted. I was adding a cup or so every week, and for the first couple of weeks, I suspected there was some air in the system and that eventually I would get it filled and not have to do it any longer. That seemed to happen as for several weeks the level was pretty stable. However, about two weeks ago, I had to add about a pint, then a few days later, another pint. Last week I had to add a gallon over two days, and that's when I decided it was time to take care of it. Most troublesome, however, is with a gallon missing, wouldn't you think you'd get a low coolant warning on the dash? On my X100, if it's a teaspoon low, I get the warning. But, I never got any warning of any kind. And, I never saw a drop on the driveway even when a gallon went missing over a couple of days.

Yes, I am pretty sure. Been looking at the level in my overflow tank for years and nothing is missing, yet, the smell remains. I'm so paranoid that I practically check the day after each drive to see the cold levels and make sure that no coolant is missing. Plus, it passed the pressure test by the dealer.

Water Pumps on my Porsche are a 3 or 6 year item.

You went seven.

There is a reason I got an XK to take over daily driver duties. :)

Bottom line is this. Go with the nose. If you smell coolant it's there. Somewhere. Regardless how small the amount.