I tried all the tricks in my 2007. Closed vents in recirc, tried to pressurize system using high volume air all to no avail. Took it to my mechanic. He removed rear transmount and went in with a scope. Once found, he used the scope to guide a air gun with 2ft extension. Opened up duck bill and a tremendous amount of water came out. then inserted the air gun extension into duck bill and blew air. Once fully opened, he put silicon grease between the duck bill. Photo shows air hose extension in duckbill


pphoto. .

 

Hey jgivoo,
Soooo the BIG question is has it worked?? Was that done in 2007? If so you have 7 years to report back on. If the fix has been successful I'm doing it! Thanks!

 

In a follow up today, my mechanic stated that dropping the rear trans mount did not gain much as far as access. He stated the scope and air gun fix is the way to go. He additionally put a piece of small rubber tubing between the duckbill opening to insure it never fully closes again. I will report back in a few months or hopefully years. The fix has only been a week. Good luck. Hopefully I will get another 7 years out of it.

 

I've got an 07 XK, and the AC drain still works but next time it's in for an oil change or other service, I'm going to have the shop do the air gun procedure. It looks like pretty simple solution and I like the idea of shimming the duck bill open.


Thanks for sharing it.

 

Wow your mechanic has great hand skills! I'm glad you mentioned the tranny drop didn't create that much additional room. I was about to try it. I can't imagine how he was able to get an extended air gun into that space while viewing with the scope! I had mine on my lift and its VERY limited in space!

 

Well, the good news is we are heading into fall here in Cincinnati and it is now heater time. Unfortunately, other than what we have done, the only alternative other than the dash removal option is to revert to the old Jaguar Owner Axiom. Own two Jags, one to drive while the other is in the shop; or in our case when the weather is too hot and or rainy for the top down and AC off, drive the XF as we do.

 

I have a 05 xj8l 'mint' 40k miles......... had this problem, and one thing to note if not already known........

when you close all the vents, turn up the ac to max fan, the trick that made it work for me was to turn recirculation 'off' then it started dripping and all good for now

I was also advised by a real old car guy that knows his !@#$ to keep recirculation 'off' if this problem has appeared, unless in a dire situation like prolonged smoke, fumes etc

 

I don"t yet have wet feet, but, am going to do your process and see what i get. thanks!

 

Where does the duckbill pipe come out . want to look for that first

 

In an un-attainable spot above the transmission. Scroll back through these pages. There is a reference to this well known leak. Many have tried to "jar" the blockage by banging on an area beneath the dash. Others, have tried using endoscopes to peer into the abyss above the transmission, and a few have succumbed to pulling out their wallets to have the "dash" or tranny removed. A few have had success with shutting all of the AC vents, place the AC on recirculate and turn the blower on "full steam", in hopes to "blow" the drain free and keep it free of blockage. There have been those, who have devised all sorts of sadistic tools to reach up and sever the head of this little villain between the floor and tranny.
Who knows, new blood like yourself, may devise a method to save all of us from the fistful of dollars needed to pay the piper....... Happy Motoring!

 

Its has been over a year and the duckbill fix is still working great

 

Good for you! Can you remind us what your "fix" was?

 

His original post about his fix is at the top of this page or about 6 post before yours.

 

Thanks Mate. Found it..

Happy Trails..........

 

jgivoo! WHere are you located? I'd LOVE to go to your mechanic and have him do this to my XKR! All the shops around here want to pull the dash and tranny and replace everything. Even if it just works for a year or two I'd rather spend a few hundred dollars every few years if needed than $1500.00 on a car that I might only have for a year or two more.... Thanks!

 

I'm also in MI - would love to know if that shop the OP used is local...

 

I got a new blower motor as this water problem caused my old one to seize up. Was wondering if anyone knew whether or not you could access the drain tube from the opening under the dash when the blower motor is out. Thanks.

 

I tried after replacing my original soggy blower motor and control module by using my bore scope to find a way there. You can't. As described in earlier posts, if you don't have a super charger in the way, go in from the top of the engine. Save your old blower motor. I took mine apart and soaked it thoroughly with WD 40, let it drip the rust and corrosion out, then blasted it as dry as I could with compressed air. When it happened again the following year, I gave it a try and it worked perfectly. (When the blower motor fan gets wet and stops working, it is because the water has caused the control module next to the blower motor to short out. It is that module that allows the fan to operate at various speeds. There is no second life for the control module.)

 

Mine had the leak issue before i got the car from previous records. I had a coolant pipe bust on my car driving into the car park at work, lucky for me not on the road, anyway the 2 coolant pipes are under the supercharger. When the mechanic took off the supercharger to replace the 2 pipes he had easy access to the duck bill and cut it off , no more problem there, so i think that's the way to go., just take off the supercharger, it's not that big a job .
To all early owners of the xkr like mine, i would advise getting the 2 coolant pipes under the supercharger changed as these do fail due to fatigue along with the coolant thermostat.

 

is it possible to cut the tip of the duck bill by hand
with the exhaust removed?

my exhaust is being removed right now